M.A.S.K. - Jumping the Shark -- Kenner 1985

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Michael looks into a glaring omission in Kenner's lauded M.A.S.K. toy line - Gloria Baker and the Shark!
#RetroBlasting #MASK #Shark

[@HasseBasseBingBong]

"M.A.S.K. - is the mighty power that can save the day!" Can't talk about M.A.S.K without starting to sing that incredible theme song!

[@camcordernonsense5264]

I'd drive to it. But I'd drive to any 80s tv themes.

[@McCaler]

Nah, just sing it. I would for the hell of things. LOL

[@rommelarnaez4707]

mobile armor strike komand

[@Briansgate]

aside from The Transformers, M.A.S.K. was my absolute favorite Saturday morning cartoon. It freakin rocked!!!

[@a.rheser8181]

Briansgate yeah, and it still does! Besides Scott and T-Bob, it’s still pretty good. Got all episodes on one Blu ray and I just fast forward when Scott is doing his stupid shenanigans. The last couple of episodes with the races are a bit meh though, but still watchable.

[@Desslar]

Did it air on Saturdays? I remember it airing on weekday afternoons.

[@dangunheadachron1603]

@@Desslar That's how you can tell who is a hipster. We 30-40 year olds knew the action cartoons came on after school

[@Desslar]

@@dangunheadachron1603 That's right. In the 80s, 90% of the cool action shows aired on weekday afternoons. But maybe some independent station somewhere aired it on Saturdays after the original run. It's possible.

[@floydjohnson7888]

@@Desslar Just to confuse things, a different DIC series, "C.O.P.S." originally ran in syndication, but a few years later ran on CBS Saturday mornings repackaged as "Cyber C.O.P.S"

[@pauricboylan3571]

Can't understand why they don't bring this franchise back!🔥

[@boskostoybox]

They were going to with a G.I. Joe movie crossover.

[@aaronstepien2363]

Anything pretty much needs a mainstream movie with “A list actors” unfortunately

[@seangalvin3196]

I think it's a tougher nut to crack than it seems. It was a toy line and "story" born out of gimmick toys and a gimmick name. It's hard to to make that seem even slightly serious. That said- I think it can and will be done. With the continued success of Fast and Furious and their change to kind of futuristic and sci fi premises- someone must be foaming at the mouth to give M.A.S.K that treatment.

[@kira-dk2mx]

@@seangalvin3196 I think it can be done, but it's a borderline miracle. You're right, a MASK movie could be something like a more futuristic version of the Fast series. Perfect opportunity to get some fancy cars, turn them into mobile assault vehicles and have them fly around shooting at each other.

[@bigmclargehuge4767]

It was amazing to finally get Gloria as a kid with the Stiletto, but I always wished they had come out with the Sharc and her original coloring.

[@jeromebrown409]

This was a great segment! My 4-year old daughter loves playing with my old M.A.S.K. toys. There’s something about the vehicles that she loves. She gets a kick out of all the working parts.

[@sxhbk]

I always thought vanessa warfield was a cool character name.. I still always remember it to this day...

[@aaronstepien2363]

sxhbk she had the hottest hairstyle of the year, the quasi Baroness costume and the “whip” MASK as well

[@Jake4Life45]

Coolest of the coolest chic names back in the day.

[@J-T-A]

S.H.A.R.K... Should Have Actually Releasedit, Kenner. (Hey, if they can spell command with a K then I can get away with this.)

[@Transfixed]

Ha I love it

[@willrodgers2436]

What he said!

[@IrishKyokushin]

Hopefully Ramen Toys correct that.

[@kieronball8962]

This great video from Michael and the RetroBlasting team, highlights a missed opportunity by Kenner and their M.A.S.K. toy line! I missed out on the original M.A.S.K. franchise, ( because of my age ) but I can see the appeal! Can you imagine if Kenner, Mattel and Hasbro listened to Michael, Tony ( Analog Toys ) and the fans and actually produced the toys that were " missing in action " from our childhood! It's truly unbelievable, that such a vast profit potential, continues to be ignored!

[@gabetheanimator6768]

Great, GREAT clip!!! I've always wanted Gloria and RC... I still want them!

[@daganmoriarty1973]

M.A.S.K. literally pulled me back into playing with and collecting toys as a 7th grader! I could NOT simply move onto girls and trying to sit at the cool kid's lunch table with THESE things on the toy store shelves! ( Hey, it was the 80's! ) ; ) Awesome work as always, RetroBlasting !

[@seangalvin3196]

They were a brilliant mix of all the toys I and many others loved. Transformers, G.I. Joe and Hit Wheels/Matchbox. Even now as an adult car enthusiast- the attention to detail and use of real production cars has me interested again!

[@skookumtrooper8086]

31 appearances makes Gloria Baker 4th on the MASK agent list.

[@nickyborrisino]

2:33 I love how they added red nail polish to Jinx, just in case there was any question as to whether or not it was really a woman in that ninja outfit.

[@SkyFireDrone2022]

And the red shoes… every ninja girl has to have the right shoes 😄

[@brianbuchmeier]

They also never made Mainframe, Mirage, Night Shade or Miss Demeanor for COPS.

[@Transfixed]

And that is the real crime

[@theronmitchell3073]

Was just about to say that

[@charlesweinert4116]

@@Transfixed in a future time

[@wiidlbeetle3857]

I never realized that they never made Ms. Demeanor. It seems like some lines gave the most priority to the heroes.

[@DanakarEndeel]

I also believe that, at the time, companies like Kenner/Hasbro thought that toys featuring female characters wouldn't sell. For M.A.S.K. I always found this very strange that they never made Shark with Gloria Baker as they did release Manta with Vanessa Warfield. But yeah, perhaps Porsche did deny them the use of their 928 model design. Such a shame. Let's just hope that these days with resin 3D printing and custom builders being able to make impressive plastic replicas that we will get to see a proper (albeit custom) Shark someday that is both durable as well as easy to transform. Currently I'm waiting on a 1/24 scale Porsche 928 model kit from Fujimi (couldn't find a Tamiya version anywhere anymore). Hope the scale matches the figure size so that I can paint it in the proper colors and at least have a custom Gloria Baker figure (that I'm going to order from a custom builder in my country) sitting in her Shark car. No transforming into a submarine though as I lack those skills and equipment. 😅

[@keithhomesley1946]

I L.O.V.E. This video! Very well done Michael

[@patjanus0069]

Tha SHARK looks nice, always reminded me of the Lotus Esprit submarine

[@aaronthomas2900]

I love m.a.s.k an I still do.. I'm going to get thunder hawk again! When I was a kid my dog destroyed it I was pissed!! I'm 36 now an i still watch it on the tube.

[@SnakeWorksStudio]

Also for those of you wanting to make your own from a model kit, the shark appears to be based on the original 928 and not the later S, S2, S4 or GT variants. Basically you don't want a front or rear spoiler, side skirts, bump strips down the sides or any wheel arch extensions.

[@evs42082]

HELMET Heroes Enthusiastically Letting Miles Escape Time (and time again)

[@SnakeWorksStudio]

I never knew there was a 928 in MASK I’ve completely missed this even tho I loved it as a kid. Interesting! Thanks!

[@Jeejune_Jx]

Man my cousin loved all of them ever since he watched this video.

[@timothycollinsguitar9450]

Man I loved mask when I was a kid!!!!

[@tribaahl]

following you for a long time and played with all He-man, GI Joe, Transformers as a kid but I don't know why, every MASK video is a huge excitement ^^ thx again

[@davidandrews5215]

That was a great video Micheal . Hopefully somebody in Haslab sees this video and wakes up and smells the coffee and start asking the collectors and fans what we want them to do .

[@Venthrac]

I’ve always wondered whether a Shark was made. Good video, thanks! Hopefully M.A.S.K. Will return someday the way Voltron has, with a quality modern production.

[@danjodoin4060]

Glad to see one of these videos thier my favorites

[@nikkipacheco6835]

My son Anthony used to Love " Mask' & that other one " Mask Rider " grew up with them in the 90's unfortunately he passed away 2 yrs ago , anyways thank you for putting this out 👍

[@retroblasting]

Our sympathies to you on your loss.

[@nikkipacheco6835]

@@retroblasting thank you very much

[@jimodonnelly7762]

I never saw the show, but still found this really interesting. I hadn't realized fans were 3D printing custom toys.

[@TheVileOne]

This channel deserves more views

[@MarkStevens-fh3wb]

I remember the toys being gradually shown on TV in commercials and wondered why I never saw this one, now I know why, thanks.

[@kevinlong7650]

I had half of these as a kid. The 57 Chevy. The Jeep the truck and the copter cycle

[@EdsRetroGeekOut]

Nice looking custom and very interesting topic!

[@toonytube2444]

Thank you for this great video! 😊👍

[@deadmetal8692]

M.A.S.K was freaking Awesome. Barely anyone I meet remembers it. Oh yeah, the Manta was sweet. Well made, held up well. I was pretty rough on my toys.

[@antoniobellafronte2728]

Serie bellissima. La seguivo da piccolo, ma mai vista tutta. I veicoli mi piacevano tantissimo. Anche i giocattoli sono stupendi, ma introvabili oggi come allora, almeno in Italia.

[@diegocanale1124]

I loved Gloria ❤

[@KingofPotatoPeople]

It was a travesty it was never made and I continue to live in hope that one day Shark will be fully realised.

[@Patrick94GSR]

This was my absolute favorite cartoon show and toy line in the 80’s. I didn’t have many transformers but had TONS of the MASK toys. It’s unfortunate that I don’t have any of them anymore. For some reason I thought I remembered seeing the Shark in the toy catalogs back in the day, but I must be wrong. I do remember clearly seeing the Countach toy in the catalog, and always wanted it but never got it.

[@ssj1jason]

while the M.A.S.K. content was great... I cant help but feel Michael buried the lead on this one. That is the most impressive collection of female figures I have ever seen (as noted always the most rare in any 80's line)... watching that montage of all actual examples from Michaels collection was inspiring

[@razif6916]

My fav cartoon.. had the action figures to sticker books.

[@13shark77]

I love my few M.A.S.K. collection! Only one is 100% Complete of the three.

[@Hurricanelive]

MASK was a pretty good show. Lot of nice shows. Laser Tag, Pole Position, Wheeled Warriors, COPS, Voltron. Lots of good innocent violence. Loved to roleplay these shows in kindergarten to 3rd grade. Between 4th and 5th grade seemed that most kids imaginations had drifted off to sports, fashion, music/rap, dispersing into the ubiquitous shallow cliques/gangs. If we did play them it was at our homes but no longer on the school playground where people just hung out or methodically trudged around the track talking about what is cool, or on SNL that night, telling jokes.

[@anthonywhitehead5576]

There tons of females in the Fisher Price Adventure people. I love that line.

[@theevilascotcompany9255]

Those were great toys though, perfectly in scale with Star Wars. So you could have like support personnel like nurses, mechanics and backup pilots to help your Rebel figures.

[@michaelwills1926]

FP figures were excellent stand ins for civilians.

[@theevilascotcompany9255]

@@michaelwills1926 Many FP figures were the innocent victims of bounty hunter massacres at the hands of my 7-year-old self. I am a sick, sick individual.

[@DoubleRR44]

M.A.S.K. Theme song greatest of all time.

[@jamesstaggs4160]

I'm gonna say it was Porsche that put the brakes on the the toy. The 928 was supposed to replace the iconic 911, but since nobody really liked the 928 and everyone loved the 911 that never happened. Having it in the cartoon is one thing, but having it be a physical toy is something else. They probably didnt want dads with kids seeing them play with a 928 and then associating it with a toy. Just a thought. They may have not even gotten permission to have it in the cartoon and that may be why it went away.

[@kibbo]

love to see the collection. 😍

[@MichaelJShaffer]

Thank you for bringing us actually interesting news and updates on toys that we care about. Not jumping on the band wagon of the latest toy craze is why I will continue to support RetroBlasting.

[@NESADDICT]

Love me some mask!

[@Raunadraug]

I must be totally Mandelaing myself because I swear I had a SHARK as a kid. Gloria was my favorite character and was the first MASK figure I remember wanting. The only other vehicle I remember getting for sure was the Raven.

[@validcore]

M.A.S.K. is so underated. My son loves my old toys that still hold up cooler than anything in the past 30 years. Where's the movie!!! Bring the line back.

[@MarcelosToyRoom]

8:58 "is highly unlikely that Hasbro will ever right this wrong" it goes beyond that, they can't even get the gijoe retro line out correctly.

[@RogueTwo]

All that was based on the idea of them creating a "Hasbro Cinematic Universe" at a time when everyone was trying to jump on the MCU bandwagon. And IDW actually gave it a try while Hasbro was putting together a much-hyped "writer's room" to bang out scripts that would combine those properties into the same world as GI Joe and Transformers. But nothing came of it. All those IDW books were canceled with them even rebooting their Transformers comics. And the stillbirth of Universal's Dark Universe combined the mixed reaction to the DCEU put a dampener on the mad rush to create "Cinematic Universes."

[@TheRobotAssassin]

They can't even get the Classifieds line out correctly.

[@dougbrownell2075]

Yeah back in the eighties when mask was made I often complained about the fact that Gloria Baker and her shark was never produced. I often stated why did the Man 2 with Vanessa Warfield get created in toy form but not Gloria Baker and the shark.

[@Rocket1377]

They did make Gloria, just not in her cartoon-accurate colours.

[@michaelweech6432]

Yes, ironic for Kenner (who I’m aware are now Hasbro) to have made Vanessa Warfield (driver of Manta, and whose mask is ‘Whip’ - creates a laser whip) but not Gloria Baker.

[@katten838]

The Shark was my favorite vehicle on that show as a kid. My favorite character was Alex Sector though.

[@michaelweech6432]

Alex Sector was *my* favourite, *too*.

[@scottandrewhutchins]

Hurricane was one of my favorite vehicles on the show...

[@Vincent-396]

Your videos are always informative, entertaining, and something to look forward to. Thanks for the years of effort the whole team has put in.

[@chrisworsley8836]

Great Video. A lot of fond memories of the show and the toys. Shame Gloria didn't get more love. LOL. The 'Outro' reminded me of the episode were Gloria gets summoned for a mission while attending (not teaching) a Judo class so she effortlessly tossed the instructor across the room and ran out the door... Even as a kid i wondered why she was taking the class not teaching it...

[@Gambit771]

Because they have to show how tough she is by bettering a man that's supposed to be an expert. It's called empowering. Not for the male characters but they don't count.

[@BleachCowboy2016]

I can't believe someone made a video on this! no Shark toy was bullshit!!! when I was kid it was my favorite vehicle...

[@retroblasting]

Mine too... Now you know why I was pissed about it.

[@Yogurt1701]

Excellent video again. Well done! Love Retro Blasting!!! :)

[@popretro1]

Great historical breakdown, as always. Enjoyed the vid!

[@McCaler]

Awesome video buddy! I always thought the character Gloria was cute.

[@marklechman2225]

It was around this time I walked away from my Star Wars figures and started really getting into Lego. It wasn’t until TMNT came out that I got back into figures. I completely missed M.A.S.K., Transformers and G.I. Joe. I had some friends who got into Transformers and G.I. Joe, but M.A.S.K . never really caught in with any of us. It looked pretty cool, though.

[@boskostoybox]

Playmobil could actually do MASK vehicles to some satisfying degree.

[@TheGreatSteve]

And the robustness would certainly improve.

[@TheRealOzMuerte]

Playmobil actually kinda did with their "spy" line from a few years ago. I got their "hidden base" cause it reminded me of Boulder Hill, and the main characters cars were basically a white version of the Thunderhawk & a close similarity to the Jackhammer.

[@skyounkin]

I had the Rhino, that thing was awesome!

[@MrGeo176]

I love M.A.S.K. and I've missed out on getting a fan made Shark several times and I'm glad i did because i would have been disappointed if it was as delicate as the one in your video. Also I'm glad you did this video because if there is ever a decent fan made version I'm sure you'll likely know about it and let us know. I'll definitely get behind anyone who can make any decent M.A.S.K. toys that we never got in stores. I can remember if you did a video about the Argentina only released M.A.S.K. toys but if not it'd be a good video to consider in the future. Thank you for doing the heavy lifting I'm sure a lot of us appreciate your work.

[@hang10wannabe]

Ah M.A.S.K... the toyline that I only ever owned the Raven as a kid... and now as an adult, I find myself slowly collecting them at higher and higher prices... love it!

[@AL-ws5yi]

Aww, that’s so sad. I hope you guys get a good well built Shark one day.

[@alastairduncan9905]

Great video, a new way to use the "jumping the Shark" saying.

[@MisaelCastilloBrenes]

Hopefully the Makina's Great White will be the one you are were looking for. Seems they did a good job with the Thunderhawk.

[@jaredharris1970]

I liked that Porsche design they should bring it back

[@stevie_616]

We have so many 3rd party companys that make transformers. you would think they could do something similar with MASK. Would there be a market for such a thing?

[@snipedude4953]

Yes, yes there would, unless Disney gets the i.p. then it's dead in the water.

[@INFERNO95]

As much I like mask, it nowhere as popular like transformers.

[@mtrakker1985]

It's criminal the way that Gloria and Shark were treated in the toyline.

[@LCFC81]

I wouldn't say Stiletto was cool myself, but it always weirded me out over how it was named after Sly Rax's original mask.

[@CouchCit]

That was a dope video man, really enjoyed getting all that info and pics that took me down memory lane in a condensed format, and very informative too.

[@skabcat242]

Thank you for pointing out Haslab being just a hype machine.

[@3093exciter]

Your shows are absolutely awesome and super insightful

[@ron8675309]

Seriously, I would part with some coin for a Haslab M.A.S.K. Shark with all the goodies. Gloria and Shark were always two of my toy unicorns growing up too!

[@RokuroCarisu]

I had a Vanessa figure back in the day - as a proxy for Serena from Dino Riders, who came exclusively with the massive playset on legs that was the Brontosaurus.

[@Chronomaxx]

I loved the show and the toys. I have the entire series, and wished they would make a SHARK

[@Batdude39]

I so love the time and research you put into your videos. Congrats on 75K subs!

[@nicholaifugate]

Even as a little boy I remember being annoyed with how few female action figures were made. I liked She-Ra as a way to give MOTU some balance (even if they didn't match up that well with Evil-Lyn, Sorceress, and Teela).

[@Gambit771]

Why would you be annoyed by that? Was you annoyed at how most of the male characters in She-Ra was villains and there was only one good male toy?

[@zonzillamagnus5902]

Because the female figures sold like shit.

[@impossiblepie]

Great video , love mask toys growing up!

[@chrisw6164]

MASK was hard to get into because the figures were smaller than Joe and Star Wars. They really needed to be the same scale as the previous hit toy lines so it would be easier for kids to merge them with existing toys during play.

[@ICESTORM5150]

Great stuff !!

[@christopherlockery9629]

Steelheart reminds me of Black Bolt from Marvel's The Inhumans, particularly with regards to his original design by Jack Kirby in his run on The Fantastic Four, a series that I've been rereading lately thanks to my Marvel Masterworks. Nuff Said

[@LeeONardo]

I did a review of Stiletto years ago for a friend on youtube - back when buying MASK was relatively cheap, a few years later people began to notice and drove the prices up. I am certain that either 1- a design was done but taken no further for reasons or 2- a prototype was made but didn't pass internal. The reason is due to the Gloria figure with Stiletto, it is an EXACT replica of her cartoon design both in mask and outfit. Gloria certainly was meant to have had a vehicle otherwise she would have came as a co driver in another set like some of the other characters. As for rebooting MASK they did do a GI Joe figure of Matt Trakker (but strangely not Miles Mayhem) where they integrated them into GI Joe by having MASK as a separate division. They could easily integrate some of the characters and vehicles into the line to test the waters for more releases.

[@aben776]

Had M.A.S.K given a Japanese adaption, 80% of the team would be schoolgirls and vehicle transformation would rival that of Transformers.

[@TokyoXtreme]

Only if it had been made circa 20XX. Anime in the 1980s was still based.

[@SaschaCharlieDjuderija]

Aben, I hope you know how silly your comment is actually, since the M.A.S.K. cartoon was animated in Japan!

[@palaguin]

Look up Transformers Kiss Players :)

[@autobotstarscream765]

@@SaschaCharlieDjuderija Not anime enough for him, he wants Sailor Moon Masterforce. 😂

[@miragexl007]

Ramen "Great White" toy coming out soon

[@lepterfirefall]

Nice for a display piece.

[@MentasmUK]

Sy Snootles was a female Star Wars character.

[@enahs912]

So was ev9d9

[@odigglesworth3227]

Was literally coming here to say that 🤣

[@TokyoXtreme]

As was the Sarlacc, obviously 😏

[@darren2514fv]

Vanessa Warfield's Manta was also in Season 2 which featured the Racing series and Manta with Vanessa Warfield was only released in the toyline as part of the Racing series

[@MrJermeyp]

I’ve enjoyed the Victory Haslabs lol. But I agree what’s the point if they don’t do things we REALY want and have wanted for decades

[@MentasmUK]

Man, those Haslab comments were spot on!

[@Hubert79]

Just saw this video pop up.. its a good time that ramen toy now is creating a shark. There thunderhawk is looking awesome.

[@benboyle7166]

I’m definitely going to have a go at making a Shark.

[@ab-oq9dw]

05:30 just a quick note, in case you didn't know. MASK was a year behind in Europe. So the European release of this tooling would have been the same year as the US

[@tonyjackson1636]

Even as a kid, I wanted the Manta and Shark. They were both on the original teams, and yes Manta was a surprise welcomed late offering before RACECARS. The Shark being omitted is a shame, on the level of the woefully simplistic T-Bob/Scott Trakker carded offering.

[@rhettgenung1223]

Well done Michael!! I really enjoyed this video.

[@leyenda6149]

How impressive was his exhaustive list at the beginning?

[@joshuachristian5443]

MASK agent Eric Stoltz! He is my fave!

[@palaguin]

My personal Mandela Effect: I could swear I saw the Sharc available for sale at my local K-Mart back in the 80s. Also, in the GIJoe line you left out Zartan's sister: Zarana,

[@brixferatubrixferatu6866]

I was just thinking the same thing! I could have sworn it was a late addition to the line.

[@frederickallgood7592]

Gi joe, mask visionaries, rom and micronauts, a cinematic universe.