“I need to get back to the year 1985,” said the world’s seminal time travel some 30 years ago in the classic film Back to the Future. Turns out that he wasn’t that far off because ironically it looks like 1985 is coming to 2015! And this toy Junkie could not be happier. It was just a few years ago that I was pacing the toy aisles of Target on my usual weekly trip to the toy aisles when I stopped and did a double take at the G.I. Joe pegs. It has been a long time since I collected JOE’s but this one stopped me dead in my tracks. It was Matt Trakker, leader of the Agents of M.A.S.K., one of my favorite 80’s properties that I felt never got its due. They made a figure of him for the 25th anniversary of the property and I could not have been more psyched. I immediately grabbed three of them—one for me, one for display and one for my older brother who I knew would be just as stoked as I was that M.A.S.K. somehow, some way, was back!
Cut to five years later, this week and the toy world is buzzing with the return of M.A.S.K. as the 2015 International Toy Fair rapidly approaches next week. So just what exactly is M.A.S.K.? To be clear, M.A.S.K. was kind of like the runt brother of G.I. Joe and Transformers in the 80’s. The acronym M.A.S.K. stood for Mobile Armored Strike Kommand which was led by Matt Trakker who fought against V.E.N.O.M. (Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem), the big time baddies led by Miles Mayhem. The animated series ran for just two seasons from 1985 to 1986 but developed a cult following producing 75 episodes and more importantly a popular toy line from Kenner to boost the popularity of the cartoon. In addition to the toys, video games and comic books were also produced to boost the M.A.S.K. brand.
The ancillary properties like the cartoon and comics aside, it was the toys from Kenner that resonated with fans everywhere. The line of toys ran from 1985 to 1988 with the general idea being that the members of each organization (M.A.S.K. & V.E.N.O.M.) that had seemingly normal vehicles that had the ability to transform into really cool looking combative armored vehicles. Each character in the toy line had either one or two “drivers” that came with a specialized “mask” that contained a certain ability. It really was like a hybrid of both the Transformers and G.I. Joe making for a super cool genre of toys along with a cartoon that while not as popular as its brother and sister properties, was still pretty damn cool.
Cut to 2015 and suddenly their is major buzz that M.A.S.K. is set to make a big comeback in a variety of properties. Barely into the new year, the popular fan site AgentsofMASK.com has been reporting on their popular podcast that the 30th anniversary of M.A.S.K. may be returning. Since everything 80’s seems to be hot again, it is only natural that Hollywood bigwigs are looking to capitalize on all things 80’s. Since Kenner is no longer in existence after being bought by Tonka which in turn was bought by toy juggernaut Hasbro has apparently applied for a new trademark for the M.A.S.K. property. My inner fanboy screamed a big “YES!” when I heard this news. My geekness aside, this was big news. But then, it got even better. At the Nuremberg Toy Fair, it was reported that M.A.S.K. was indeed on its way back onto the toy pegs.
Immediately, speculation amongst toy fanboys and girls lit up the internet as theories of what was coming next went wild. Save for the release of the aforementioned 2008 release of the G.I. Joe Matt Trakker, the M.A.S.K. franchise has been dormant. All in all there has been no buzz about the property in years but all of a sudden, all things M.A.S.K. are wildly hot with less than a week until Toy Fair.
Then, another coups for the M.A.S.K. property hit later this week when rumors hit that the pending third G.I. Joe film may feature a Matt Trakker character. Whoa. The buzz picked up on major movie and comic fan sites making the 80’s property pick up even more steam. This little gem of a rumor could be the perfect way to set up M.A.S.K. for a standalone movie which could lead back to its own film, toy line, cartoon and God knows what else. It appears that the Hollywood higher ups are looking to vertically integrate the underrated 80’s property and fans everywhere could not be happier.
While nothing is official yet, we will most definitely know more next week at Toy Fair when the suits make some big announcements. This M.A.S.K. renaissance has toy Junkies everywhere excited at the prospect of one of the most underrated 80’s properties ready for its big return. Tune in here at GoFigureNews.com for any breaking news on any big M.A.S.K. news. Same Bat-time, same Bat-website!!
Jarrett Kruse is the creator and administrator of Action Figure Junkies, one of Facebook’s largest toy communities. He has been writing for Mania since 2009 along with Cinema Blend, Hollywood.com & GoFigurenews.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheAFJunkies.