Watch out, Spencer Gifts: NBC moves into the novelty gag business

Next time you're in the market for singing toilet paper, think of NBC.

Peacock's entry into the competitive novelty item biz is tied to its new Thursday night laffer "Outsourced."

The show, which centers on a novelty company that outsources its sales calls to India, has inspired a whole line of products to be developed and sold by NBC retail operations and the NBC Universal TV consumer products group.

NBC's online store has already started selling common novelty fare like hand buzzers, cheese-heads, rubber chickens, whoopee cushions and toilet bowl mugs -- all of which have been seen on the show.

But going forward, Peacock has bigger plans for "Outsourced" merchandise. The network is in talks with a real-life novelty company to start using the name Mid-America Novelties, as on the show.

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