A new trademark from Hasbro for a MASK animated series hints that the long dormant property could finally be making a comeback.
Advertisement
As toy and media companies continue to dig deep into their vaults, there has been a rather glaring omission in the form of MASK. The name was actually an acronym for “Mobile Armored Strike Kommand.” The premise saw the task force, led by Matt Trakker, taking on the criminal organization known as V.E.N.O.M. (an acronym for Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem). The toyline had two gimmicks. The first was every figure had a helmet that gave them some form of ability, and the second was all the vehicles had a combat mode.
However, all of that may be changing. Hasbro filed for a new trademark on Jan. 30, 2024. It currently is slated to cover:
Entertainment services, namely, an on-going animated series for children featuring children’s entertainment provided through television, satellites, radio, audio, video, electronic media and computer networks
While the toys were popular, the animated series was the true source of its popularity. As with every toy line of the 1980s, there was an animated support series that ran for 65 episodes from 1985 to 1986, while the toys lasted from 1985 to 1988. In recent years there have been a few new comics, but not much else. In 2015 Hasbro was working on a shared cinematic universe idea that would have joined together M.A.S.K. with G.I. Joe, Micronauts, Visionaries: Knights of the Magical Light, and Rom. During this time a trademark was also filed for an animated M.A.S.K. project, it was allowed to lapse in 2021.
The original toy line was produced by Kenner, and the rights transitioned to Hasbro when the company purchased all of the former’s assets. Why it has sat idle for so many years as anyone’s guess, but hopefully this is a sign of of a rebirth for the property.
