Category Archives: 047. 2008 TroubleTribbles

047. “The Trouble with Tribbles”

No. 047
Released: July 12, 2008
Ornament: “The Trouble with Tribbles”
Series: Star Trek: The Original Series
Product code: QXI4291
Artist: Don Palmiter
Original retail: $28.00
Dimensions: 4.2” H x 3” W x 2.75“ D
Branding: Keepsake
Material: Styrene
Packaging: White box
Magic: Sound and motion
Power source: (3) AAA Batteries
Front box text:
Hallmark KEEPSAKE
Magic Sound and Motion
STAR TREK
“The Trouble With Tribbles”
STAR TREK™
christi ent décoration de noel
Back box text:
“The Trouble With Tribbles” STAR TREK™
One of Star Trek’s most memorable episodes, “The Trouble With Tribbles,” first aired in 1967. The trouble with these soothing little fur balls is that they reproduce at warp speed and go boldly through Space Station K-7 eating anything that’s not nailed down – including an entire shipment of grain entrusted to Captain Kirk’s care! In the end, however, the tribbles – who hate Klingons – expose a Klingon agent who has poisoned the grain. As a parting gift, the remainder of them are beamed aboard the enemy ship, where Mr. Scott promises they’ll be “no tribble at all.”
Press the button on the base of the ornament to hear Captain Kirk speak and see the troublesome tribbles fall from the overhead compartment.
Don Palmiter Hallmark Keepsake Artist
BATTERY-OPERATED. Batteries not included. Instructions printed inside box.
For decorative use only. Not for children under 8.
Conçu à des fins décoratives seulement. Ne convient pas aux enfants de moins de 8 ans
handcrafted dated 2008
Bottom box text:
TM & © 2008 CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.
STAR TREK and related marks are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc.
http://www.startrek.com
Mfd. for/Fabrique pour Hallmark Cards, Inc. Kansas City, MO 64141
Made in China
QX14291
Additional information: This is artist Don Palmiter’s on Hallmark Star Trek ornament.
Pros: A fantastic design that recreates a classic moment in Trek history. Kirk in a green uniform is always welcome.
Cons: Once again, with the small scale, the detail is lost when it comes to facial recognition.

Artist Inspirations: Scene Ornaments (2004-2019)

6 Replies

**The City on the Edge of Forever** (2004)
The action shot of Spock and Kirk jumping through the portal is a sculpt inspired by their jump **from** the past (middle), not to the past (left).

**Locutus of Borg** (2005)
“Star Trek: First Contact”, Borg Queen and Locutus.

**The Trouble with Tribbles** (2008)
Unfortunately, Kirk’s eyes closely resemble Mr. Magoo’s in this otherwise accurate sculpt.

**The Menagerie** (2009)
Kirk and Spock are at slightly different angles to Pike compared to their position in the episode. The ornament has Kirk turned toward Pike 45 degrees while Spock is more squared up and perpendicular to him.

**Amok Time** (2010)
Any slight difference in the positioning of the Vulcan lirpas is quickly drowned out by the fantastic battle music that accompanies the ornament. Unfortunately, the sculpt depicts Kirk moments before his shirt is sliced open. We could use a torn-shirt Kirk ornament in a bad way.

**Mirror, Mirror** (2011)
In the episode, McCoy is pressed against the computer bank. In the sculpt, there is distance between him and the wall and his head in leaning back.

**An Extraordinary Meeting** (2012)
If you are wondering why the artist has the Spocks standing in front
of a wall adorned with the Federation’s delta insignia…
“Put aside logic, do what feels right”.

**Arena** (2013)
(A,B) The Gorn approaches a trapped Kirk and (C) raises his dagger, (D) the episode breaks for commercial, (E) the Gorn reaches out toward the rock, (F) grabs the rock and (G) pulls it away allowing Kirk to escape

This ornament is a view we never see on screen. It is the moment that occurs in image (F) but from the camera angle we are familiar with from image C. No explanation why the ornament does not include the vine netting around Kirk’s leg.

**The Devil in the Dark** (2014)
Spock’s elbows are bent and his forearms placed more vertically on the close shots (bottom left) while in the long shots his arms are more outstretched with his forearms horizontal (top). Spock’s boot and legs are exact copies from the long shots. The ornament is a blend of the different shots.

**The Needs of the Many** (2015)
While most (WARNING: 39 year old spoilers ahead!) of Spock’s death scene in The Wrath of Khan is shot from Kirk’s side of the glass, from the moment Kirk puts his hand on the glass until Spock’s actual demise, the scene is all shot from Spock’s side of the glass. While the ornament can be viewed from both sides it is impossible to reproduce the movie camera’s perspective from the back of the ornament. In the end, we get an ornament of a classic scene from Kirk’s perspective.

**The Man Trap** (2016)
Kirk and the Salt Vampire.

**The Naked Time** (2018)
(A) Sulu enters the bridge, (B) Sulu’s guard arm is raised in the scorpion position, (C) Kirk ducks Sulu’s lunge, (D) Kirk jumps over the bridge railing to the lower level, (E) Sulu resumes the scorpion position, (F) Sulu holding Uhura faces Kirk, (G) Uhura’s struggles draws Sulu’s attention, (H) Uhura breaks away

Sulu’s likeness is captured from image B or E. Kirk’s stance is closest to that of F or G. Kirk’s position to the sword is never closer than that in image C. The Naked Time ornament marries two different moments in the scene to capture an iconic but nonexistent moment in time.

**Saru and Burnham** (2019)
Burnham gives Georgiou’s telescope to Saru in the first season episode “Choose Your Pain”. In the episode, the pair simply stand in front of the telescope case which sits on a table and the ornament depicts them in a similar standing position but with Saru holding the case, a moment we never see appear on screen.

2021 Top 10 Hallmark Star Trek Ornaments: #5

5 Replies

#5: 2008 “The Trouble with Tribbles”

Retail: $28.00
2021 Secondary Market: $59.95
Size: 4” H
Code: QXI4291

In 2008, Hallmark released an ornament depicting a scene from the most famous episode in the Star Trek franchise. With a clever design, the ornament recreates the moment at the end of the episode, The Trouble with Tribbles, when dozens of the furry creatures descend onto Kirk’s head from an overhead compartment.

Once you look past the fact that Kirk appears to be selling tokens in a subway booth and his lack of eye detail it is a welcome surprise to see Kirk’s green Captain’s uniform with the plunging neckline. According to starfleet.ca, Kirk wore a version of the green wraparound four times in the first season and nine times in the second. Ultimately, you only had a one in six chance of seeing Kirk in green. Or did you?

“The Command uniforms had never actually been gold at all in The Original Series thanks to a trick of light and early color television. Star Trek premiered in 1966, just after the color television transition of ’65, when most networks began switching their broadcasts to at least 50% color. Desilu Productions, the studio producing Trek for NBC, wanted to capitalize on this and demanded a color palette of bright, primary colors. In accordance with this directive, William Ware Theiss, the designer of the original Starfleet uniform, chose a distinctive palette for the crew: a bright cherry-red, a steel-toned blue, and lime green. The red and blues of the on-set fabrics maintained their color on the film stock of the day. But the green uniforms appeared gold on screen through a combination of studio lighting, velour material, and the film stock used.
“After The Original Series, the gold design of the command uniforms was further cemented into Trek lore in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode “Trials and Tribble-ations.” In that episode, Dr. Bashir is confused about the uniform conventions of the era after traveling back in time to the original Enterprise, but is set straight by Chief O’Brien and Captain Sisko. It marks the first time that the original gold uniform code is mentioned in dialogue and is a nod to fans “in the know,” who would often engage in the gold vs. green debate. The gold appearance of the TOS uniforms had been officially retconned into the franchise.“
ScreenRant

Upon further inspection there is a lot of gray on this ornament. A lot! The gray is only broken up by the metallic Q*Bert-style stickers on the sides. The Sound and Motion activation button is prominently displayed front and center (but is conspicuously missing on the ornament’s box image). Pressing the Magic Sound and Motion button activates the ornament and it cycles through three pieces of dialogue emanating from a delta-shaped speaker while a barrage of Tribbles rain down on Kirk.

Tribbles: (cooing and falling).
Kirk: I want these things off the ship. I don’t care if it takes every man we’ve got I want them off the ship.
Tribbles: (cooing and falling).

Tribbles: (cooing and falling).
McCoy: Jim, I think I’ve got it. All we have to do is quit feeding them. Quit feeding them, they stop breeding.
Tribble: (squawking).
Kirk: Now he tells me.
Tribbles: (cooing and falling).

Tribbles: (cooing and falling).
Kirk: And tell that board of inquiry I’m still the Captain and as Captain I want two things done. First, find Cyrano Jones and second…close that door.
Tribbles: (cooing and falling).

The sound of Tribbles falling onto Kirk is something akin to the sound of acorns bouncing off a sidewalk but overall The Trouble with Tribbles ornament hits it out of the park. It checks all the boxes…Tribbles in motion, Tribbles cooing, episode dialogue, and Kirk sporting the deep-v, green wraparound tunic.

This is a heavy, solid ornament so reserve a larger branch for it. One of these days I will perform an autopsy on this ornament to see the conveyor belt design inside. Until then, I will take Hallmark’s word that it is Magic Motion.

Next time we will get an ornament that doesn’t quite TOP the Top 10 but reaches a respectable #4.

47) 2008 “The Trouble With Tribbles”

1 Reply

One of Star Trek’s most memorable episodes, “The Trouble With Tribbles,” first aired in 1967. The trouble with these soothing little fur balls is that the reproduce at warp speed and go boldly through Space Station K-7 eating anything that’s not nailed down – including an entire shipment of grain entrusted to Captain Kirk’s care! In the end, however, the tribbles – who hate Klingons – expose a Klingon agent who has poisoned the grain. As a parting gift, the remainder of them are beamed aboard the enemy ship, where Mr. Scott promises they’ll be “no tribble at all.”

Press the button on the base of the ornament to hear Captain Kirk speak and see the troublesome tribbles fall from the overhead compartment.

Artist: Don Palmiter

Size: 4″ H