Is M.A.S.K. making a comeback?

There has been a lot of chatter on Facebook and blogs over the past couple of days about the possible return of M.A.S.K.

I first became aware of the furore yesterday via a Facebook message from José Manuel Rosario Rodríguez - a great fan of M.A.S.K. and admin for the M.A.S.K. Peaceful Nations Alliance (P.N.A.) Facebook Group.

Suddenly, the M.A.S.K. Community was ablaze over one small image that ignited imaginations, rumours and speculation!  If you are a M.A.S.K. fan, you will almost have certainly seen this image.

The image above is taken from a slide show presentation - Hasbro's Overview June 2015.  You have to go halfway in to slide 12 before you come across the slide above.

Although not a Hasbro site, this is a hosting site for businesses to share presentations.  The person who shared it is Alexia Leventis Taxiarchos - Director of Global Communications at Hasbro.

So, we know that this is a genuine Hasbro Presentation that features the M.A.S.K. logo as part of the "New Brands" Section.

This goes hand-in-hand with the Q2 2015 Hasbro Inc Earnings Conference Call from what other sites are saying.  However, I can't for certain confirm that as the transcript is corrupt.

In order to dissect the image above, I'm going to start with Action Man.

Everyone is familiar with G.I. Joe - he started of life as a 12" Action Figure, before reducing in size to 3 3/4" in the 80's as part of a larger organisation.  In the UK, G.I. Joe started life differently.

Made by Palitoy; Action Man was our version of G.I. Joe in the 12" guise.  Palitoy also produced our Star Wars toys that were based on the Kenner Moulds used for the U.S. toys.

During this period, the logo in the image above was used.

Palitoy was bought over by Kenner and the 3 3/4" Action Force Figures were born to replace the Action Man Figures.  Eventually, Action Force would be replaced by G.I. Joe.

After Hasbro's takeover of Tonka - and with it Kenner - the Action Man Name would see the light of day again - a refreshed character with Allies and Enemies - and a new logo!

Why then, is Action Man under "New Brands" and why does it have the old logo - dating back decades ago? Are Hasbro going back to Action Man's roots?  G.I. Joe has had a couple of movies recently with a strong revival (or has failed miserably - depending on the way you look at it) so is Action Man going to run alongside G.I. Joe?  Or is he going to replace it?

Remember, Action Man (original G.I. Joe) had a Trademark scar on his face - so does Duke from G.I. Joe who was killed off in the 2nd instalment.  My understanding is that Channing Tatum had a 3 movie deal - will he be resurrected?

Why mention this?  The M.A.S.K. Logo used is also the original Logo - not the new one that Hasbro have Trademarked.

Two old logos under the "New Brands" section?  This doesn't make sense.  Are they real or just thrown in there to throw competitors off the scent of what Hasbro are really pushing forward.

If you listen to the call, there's no mention of any of these brands.

Then you have the mystery of Stretch Armstrong in this section.  I heard rumours years ago that Hasbro were making a movie of Stretch Armstrong, however, all plans for this have fallen by the wayside.  Why then is he in the "New Brands" Section?

What if it's real, however?  I have mixed emotions about it.  Of course I want to see a return of M.A.S.K. - but will the reality meet or even exceed my expectations?  Or, will I be disappointed?

At the moment, this is just a glimpse of the M.A.S.K. logo on a Presentation.  Nothing more.  Until there are actually details and concrete evidence.....

Remember and leave your comments below and over at the M.A.S.K. Comics Facebook Page and also the M.A.S.K. Comics, Movie, Toys, Etc. Facebook Group.

#assembleMASK #Hasbro #DIC

#MASKComics