MASK
Are you a van man?
Ep. 001 is live!
Greetings, gang! Derek for Yesterdaze Podcast here. For our premiere episode, we’ve decided to kick things off with a property very near and dear to me. It’s one that flies somewhat under the radar for the casual fan of 80’s cartoons or toy lines but may very well be primed for a long overdue resurgence. It’s a show that taught us that illusion is the ULTIMATE weapon…the show that managed to seemingly take plenty of strengths from GI Joe and Transformers while leaving some of their weaknesses at the door…the show that had a hell of a first season of 65 episodes, only to close things out in a ten-episode second season that all but completely abandoned the premise of season one. I’m talking of course about MUH-MUH-MUH-MASK! Admit it, you just started singing that banger of a theme song in your head.
MASK is a toy and multimedia franchise developed by Kenner in 1985. MASK, itself, stands for Mobile Armored Strike Kommand. The conceit of the show centered on the agents of MASK, civilians with specialist skills, led by Matt Trakker acting as a covert task force. Their primary efforts were focused on stopping the machinations of VENOM, the Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem, a terrorist organization led by Miles Mayhem. The gimmick of the toys was brilliant in that, from a kid’s perspective, you essentially got two toys in one. Press the designated spot on Matt Trakker’s Thunderhawk, and the gullwing doors pop up for the car to fly, for example. An additional value to MASK was the uncommon practice of having vehicles and figures packaged together. Aside from a truly choice array of vehicles and figures, many, to this day, consider one of the greatest playsets of the time…BOULDER HILL! Every vehicle from the MASK and VENOM teams made it to the toy aisle, with one noted exception. Still cited as an oversight to this day, the exclusion of Gloria Baker’s Shark, a white Porsche 928 that converted into a slick submarine, left a hole in our collections and our hearts. You can find serviceable customs, some even boasting an action feature, to add Shark to your collection. Its absence in the original line, however, has always seemed like such an odd misstep, though.
Originally, the mythos of the toy line was explained by three mini-comics inserted with the toys. Initially, Miles Mayhem worked with the Trakker brothers, Matt and his younger brother Andy, to develop the MASK technology. Frustrated over not receiving fame or fortune from their efforts, Miles destroyed the facility and left Andy for dead. From there, Matt takes up the cause, so on and so forth. The cartoon, however, recasts Andy Trakker as Matt’s father. Andy crash lands a plane in New Guinea and saves the life of a local tribesman. In gratitude for Andy’s exceptional display of character, the tribesman gives Andy a mythical stone, which is then used to power the MASK technology… Matt, who at the time of the cartoon has become a wealthy philanthropist and specialist in his own right, puts together a team of various individuals with specific skill sets to form MASK. Empowered by the masks of MASK, each one with its own unique ability, and given access to various vehicles that take on other attributes and functionality, the team battles the forces of evil with their greatest weapon: ILLUSION! Oh, and of course masks that were weapons, and vehicles that had weapons aplenty.
A staple of the 1980s, the approach to MASK was to develop it for syndication. Developed by DiC Entertainment, and animated by Ashi Productions, Studio World, and KK DiC Asia, the first season consisted of 65 episodes. Season 2 ditched the concept of counterterrorism in favor of an auto-racing theme…Season 2 lasted 10 episodes. Though the series only lasted 2 seasons from 85-86, the toy line managed to put out 4 waves between 85 and 88. While the first 2 waves focused mainly on the initial lineup of figures and vehicles associated with the line’s rollout and cartoon, the focus shifted to the racing aspect for wave 3. Wave 4, subtitled Split Seconds, focused on vehicles that split in two, and were packed with 2 figures, one being a transparent version of the main figure that was intended to act as a hologram. The markedly different 4th wave was released a year after the series wrapped.
MASK appeared in more places than the toy aisle of course: Lunchboxes, Golden Story Book ‘n’ Tape, two short runs of comics at DC Comics, and non-canon continuations/original stories were produced by Fleetway in England. MASK did receive the 8-bit treatment for 3 games, all compatible with ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, and Amstrad CPC. Several episodes saw VHS release by Kideo Video, while the second season was re-edited to make MASK: The Movie and MASK: The Movie II in the UK by Tempo Video. The series saw season one released on DVD by Shout! Factory. The second season was not part of this acquisition by Shout!, and is instead owned by Wild Brain. Currently, you can stream all of season one on Tubi, while season 2’s episodes can be found on YouTube.
Various comic interpretations have been released over the last several years. From their reimagining as a covert law enforcement branch in Detroit in the 2011 New York Comic Con one-shot “Unit E,” to IDW’s crossover series, “Revolution.” This appearance led to the franchise being spun off into its own series, which lasted 10 issues.
Hope for a resurrection or reinvigoration of the line, happened in 2008 when Hasbro, now the owners of Kenner and its associated brands, put Matt Trakker in their 2008 GI Joe anniversary line as Specialist Trakker. Though he didn’t appear in this line, Miles Mayhem is mentioned on Trakker’s file card as the leader of VENOM, which is stated to be a branch of Cobra. Currently, as far as toy offerings are concerned, Ramen Toys has begun shipping their “Makina” vehicle with a more articulated Matt Trakker. The vehicle is meant to be a VERY close homage/recreation to Matt Trakker’s Thunderhawk vehicle. As seen in side-by-side comparisons, such as the ones below, the efforts by Ramen Toys truly capture the essence of the vintage Kenner Thunderhawk.
Images courtesy of Dan Larson - Secret Galaxy
Hasbro & Paramount began plans for a shared cinematic universe in 2015, with the likes of Michael Chabon (The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, Wonder Boys) and John Francis Daley (Freaks & Geeks) attached as screenwriters, Akiva Goldsmith set to oversee the project. The idea was to have MASK join other Hasbro properties such as GI Joe, Micronauts, Visionaries, Jem & The Holograms, and Rom the Space Knight on the big screen ala Marvel’s formula. In 2018, F. Gary Gray (Friday, Straight Outta Compton, F8 of the Furious) was attached to direct, and by 2020 Chris Bremner was attached to write the script. In May of 2021, however, producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura stated that the writer’s room that had been put together to bring the Hasbro shared universe to life ultimately failed, and would not continue.
Does this mean the future may be bleak for revisiting, reinventing, and/or reinvigorating the property? Who can say, really? As many fans, several prominent ToyTubers, and this kidult have posited, bringing back MASK is a completely viable option. With successful retro resurgences such as Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Origins line, Playmates vintage TMNT’s comeback, and the GI Joe Retro and Classified lines, one can’t help but think Hasbro is leaving money on the table. Perhaps, due in part to the excitement and success of Ramen Toy’s Makina, Hasbro may see the value in dusting off this classic. Maybe, just maybe, Hasbro once again slides Matt Trakker into a wave of the Classified line to test the waters. Perhaps this leads to a successful Haslab for an inscale Thubderhawk. Time will tell.
Special thanks to Dan Larson of Secret Galaxy for the magnificent side-by-side shots of Kenner’s Thunderhawk and Ramen Toy’s Makina.
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Thanks for reading, and please enjoy the episode! -Derek
Finally, after 38 years, Gloria Baker’s Shark is getting its due! If this is how great the prototype looks, then the finished product is just going to blow our collective kidult minds!
