'MASK' toy franchise returns to the mainstream
For years, fans have had to scour comic conventions for bootlegs or order foreign versions of the 1985-86 DiC animated series, but Tuesday brings the first American DVD release of M.A.S.K. by Shout Factory. All 65 episodes of the cartoon come in a 12-disc set, plus interviews with original writers and a retrospective from comedians and filmmakers.
Originally a toy line produced by Kenner in 1985 and also a DC Comics series, the animated show brought kids' favorite characters and vehicles to life. It followed Matt Trakker and his heroic Mobile Armored Strike Kommand (aka M.A.S.K.), who were called in from their day jobs — such as teaching African geography or making pizzas — when danger reared its head.
On missions, they were outfitted with high-tech masks and even higher-tech shapeshifting cars and trucks. Rhino, for example, was a maroon big rig that transformed into a missile-launching mobile defense platform, and Trakker piloted Thunderhawk, a red Camaro that became a jet plane.
As described in the ultra-catchy theme song, M.A.S.K.'s purpose was to keep the world safe from the shenanigans of Miles Mayhem, an aging military type who headed V.E.N.O.M. (short for the Vicious Evil Network of Mayhem). His crew was as bumbling as M.A.S.K. was heroic — Sly Rax was the '80s villain version of Jack Nicholson in Easy Rider , while Vanessa Warfield acted as the bad guys' resident curvy vixen.
Cobra Commander , the evil leader of Cobra from G.I. Joe, may have been a bit more off the wall than Mayhem, says DVD producer Brian Ward, "but his plans always seemed to have some level of, well, if he could actually pull this off, this would really hurt the world. Miles Mayhem on the other hand, he's a much more serious character but I'm not sure his plans will ever come to fruition."
Ward has been an integral part in the Shout Factory releases in recent years of both G.I. Joe and Transformers cartoons from the '80s. With M.A.S.K. , there was a similar interest from hardcore fans for a DVD release, but the company couldn't figure out who owned the rights.
"Take Batman, for instance — everyone's claiming ownership and no one knows who needs to get paid," Ward says. "In this case, no one claimed ownership and we couldn't figure out who to pay.
Recent Toy Recalls - News
Chicago - Toy recalls due to dangers such as lead poisoning are a serious threat to children everywhere. Recent children product recalls may have you worried, which is why you may want to speak with a Chicago defective product attorney if you have any
Like many, Tukey grew up watching the show and playing with the toys. He recalls being just a few years old when he picked out his first MASK vehicle on a birthday — the Jackhammer, a black Ford Bronco that turned into a tank — and would always have
Starbucks Chipotle Chicken Wraps Bistro Box and the Starbucks Chicken & Hummus Bistro Box are included in the recall. Fisher-Price is recalling a small red Builders' Load'n Go Wagon that is part of the Little People line of toys.
Despite this widely known fact, in the recent past, the agency found itself conducting recall after recall to try to pull back from the market, and children's toy boxes, products with lead far in excess of allowable limits." Also included in the CPSIA
It's like the zoetrope in 1865 - yes it's an interesting toy but it took a hell of a long time before it led to cinema. The difference is that there weren't any powerful vested interests strong-arming perfectly good photographers into turning their
Christmas Toy — Sales, Recalls, and Returns « The Organic Lifestyle
Stamford, CT/Madison, WI (PRWEB) December 26, 2007
During the busy week before Christmas, market research firm Anderson Analytics (http://www.andersonanalytics.com) polled a hundred parents on behalf of Toy Tips and Parenting Hints Magazine (ToyTips.com) in order to better understand the impact of recent toy recalls on what many believe to be the busiest week for retailers this season.
While most parents recalled their favorite toy from childhood as being either a Doll/Barbie (45% of mothers), a car or even, interestingly, a Transformer (36% and 14%, respectively, of fathers), the week before Christmas, the most popular intended gifts for children were Video games (21%), and Learning Books (17%).
When asked which if any concerns parents had in selecting a toy for their child the majority indicated having no specific concerns (41%). Among those who had concerns Age Appropriateness (17%) followed by safety and specifically, lead (12%) were top of mind.
However, about half of parents said they rarely or never check where their toy is made. The other half said they either usually (32%) or always (13%) check. Interestingly, 61% were not able to recall where the last toy they purchased was manufactured. Among those that said they knew, the majority said it was manufactured in China. About a quarter said the USA, but many seem to associate the toy with a specific retailer rather than country of origin.
We're seeing two different things here, said Tom H. C. Anderson, managing partner of Anderson Analytics, On the one hand parents seem to realize that most toys today are made in China, secondly, once again we see the difficulty of many Americans to think geographically, a number of parents even seemed to think about toys in terms of which retail outlet they purchased the product from rather than about country of manufacture, some parents were saying 'Toys R US, USA', 'Target USA' or 'Wal-Mart (USA)'. Based on other studies we have done I wasn't so surprised.
When asked specifically whether in regard to the recent news they would be more or less likely to purchase a toy based on country of manufacture, a quarter said they were just as likely to purchase a toy made in China as before. Half said they would be less likely to purchase a Chinese made toy in the future and only one fifth said they would not at all be likely to purchase a Chinese made toy.
A quarter of parents had been recently affected by recalls and had returned a purchased toy. When asked specifically about which toys/brands had been affected by the recalls, Mattel was the most frequently mentioned brand (31%), followed by Fisher Price (21%), and Hasbro (14%). Specific toys were also mentioned, such as: Thomas the Train, Polly Pocket, and Aqua Dots all mentioned by 14% of parents.
Recent Toy Recalls - Bookshelf
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Toy Hazard Recalls - U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
The latest toy hazard recalls from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Toy Recalls - A List of Recent Toy Recalls - Toy Recall Pictures
Millions of recall toys have lead contamination, cadmium contamination and choking and laceration hazards. Thousands of toy ...
Child Safety and Toy Recalls - FamilyEducation.com
Toy recalls have been in the news lately. Take a look at recent product recalls, as well as ways you can stay on top of safety issues as they occur.
Recalls.gov
Online resource for government recalls.
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
Federal regulatory agency which protects the public against unreasonable risks of injuries and deaths associated with consumer products.