Talk about a hot potato. One of the most eagerly awaited Star Trek toys of all time is finally, finally, finally set for release. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, humans and aliens, Star Trek (TOS) Mr. Potato Heads are on the way, and they’ll be available at stores and via e-tailers by August, 2011. StarTrek.com has an exclusive First Look at the upcoming Trek product – check out the photo above – and some additional information to share as well.

PPW Toys will release Star Trek Mr. Potato Head collectible figures in a series of TOS-centric sets, and they’ll kick it off with Captain Kirk – going from stud to spud -- and his old Klingon foe, Kor. Subsequent sets will include Mr. Spock and Lt. Uhura, for example, and they may also feature familiar TOS equipment and Enterprise components.

“Even though it’s taken a lot of time and hard work, this project is like a dream come true for me, speaking personally,” says Dean Gorby, PPW Toys’ business manager. “I grew up in the 70’s and TOS was my favorite show. So to work on a project like this is surreal.”

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Gorby deemed it a “challenge” to design products that were true to TOS and Mr. Potato Head, but he believes the PPW team did “an amazing job” of attaining that balance. “It was very important for us to base the first Star Trek Mr. Potato Head figures on TOS,” Gorby says. “Mr. Potato Head was created in 1952 and in the 60’s he grew more popular, so his history overlaps with TOS. Plus, it just seemed like the right fit; the ‘classic’ series works perfect with this ‘classic’ toy character.

“One thing we aim for in our design is to represent Mr. Potato Head emulating or paying homage to these Star Trek characters,” Gorby continues. “We don’t look at the figures as ‘hybrids’ of two different brands. We try to capture this lovable Spud imitating his favorite characters. Obviously, he can’t be as cool as Kirk or as intimidating as Kor, but he’s trying, and that’s what makes them so funny and charming.”

At the end of the day, Gorby notes, the Star Trek Mr. Potato Head figures are designed to appeal to people just looking for fun toys and also to serious collectors of Mr. Potato Heads and/or Trek products. “These are actual Mr. Potato Head toys,” Gorby says. “So the components can be mixed up in any combination. But we wanted to ensure that the figures could be enjoyed and displayed even if they were never played with. So the level of detail and the quality of these figures is really impressive. We also made them slightly smaller than the ‘standard’ Mr. Potato Head toys so they can be displayed more easily.”

The Kirk-Kor Mr. Potato Head set will be priced at $30. Anyone eager to get an up-close-and-personal advance look at the Star Trek-themed Mr. Potato Head figures can do so next month, when PPW Toys showcases them at the annual New York Toy Fair. For additional information visit www.ppwtoys.com and keep an eye on StarTrek.com.

So Star Trek fans, which other Star Trek characters should get the Mr. Potato Head treatment?