The General Merchandise subseries contains licensed products created by artists who were represented by Toni Mendez, Inc. Merchandise including coloring books, activity books, board games, jigsaw puzzles, squeeze toys, dolls, sound recordings, and calendars; promotional material including product displays, proofs, newspaper clippings, and scrapbooks.

The Ray Bailey subseries contains products including toy guns, helmets, lunchboxes, puzzles, coloring books, children's clothing, and costumes; promotional materials including fan club packets, advertisements, and sketches for store displays; drawings of the Space Academy; comic strip proofs and tear sheets (1951-1953), one original Sunday panel, and a scrapbook containing hundreds of clippings, advertisements, and photographs.

The Tom Corbett Space Cadet television program was broadcast on the ABC television network beginning in early 1951. Sponsored by Kellogg's Corn Flakes and Pep cereals, the program followed the crest of popularity of other television programs based on outer space themes, including Captain Video and Out There. With the introduction of the outer space themes to television, Toni Mendez, the licensing agent for the program, launched a campaign to sell and promote secondary rights for the show, resulting in a boom of outer space toys and clothing for children. On September 8, 1951, the Chicago Sun-Times Syndicate introduced the Tom Corbett Space Cadet comic strip, drawn by Ray Bailey. The new comic strip was promoted as "scientific and authentic" due to Bailey's technical advisor, Willy Ley, an outer space scientist. The outer space craze eventually died out along with the television show and the comic strip in the mid-1950's.

Licensed merchandise based on cartoons by Kliban, primarily from the book Cat, published by Workman Publishing Co.; and merchandise created from original drawings, particularly for the Catcalendars. A few examples of merchandise based on images from the following books are also held in the collection: Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head, The Biggest Tongue in Tunisia, Tiny Footprints, Luminous Animals, Whack Your Porcupine, and Two Guys Fooling Around with the Moon.

The Milton Caniff subseries contains licensed merchandise and promotional material related to television show and newspaper feature of Steve Canyon. Licensed objects primarily include costumes, school supplies, clothing items, and games. Also included are clippings about Caniff's life and work, correspondence, obituaries, eulogies, photographs, and an interview transcript by Peter Poplaski; clippings, photographs, and advertisements related to Caniff's promotional work for the United States Air Force.

In 1958, Milton Caniff and Toni Mendez commenced a merchandise campaign in connection with the television series debut of Steve Canyon. Sponsored by Chesterfield Cigarettes and American Home Products, Steve Canyon aired on the National Broadcasting Company network from 1958 until 1959. The American Broadcasting Company re-ran the series until 1960. After the discontinuation of the television program, the demand for Steve Canyon products declined. A revived interest in Air Force themed products and Steve Canyon motion picture rights returned during the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s.