Here's a strange one. Joshua Lane over at
Animated Bliss has dug up an
Amazon.com listing for a
M.A.S.K. - Volume 1 DVD!
The show was run in syndication in the USA for a few years starting back in 1985, featuring the forces of "M.A.S.K." (Mobile Armored Strike Kommand) against the forces of "V.E.N.O.M." (Vicious Evil Network Of Mayhem). This was a very popular cartoon and toy line in the 80's, whose motto was "Illusion Is The Ultimate Weapon."
According to the Amazon listing, this DVD has been available since 2003 (which is funny, because we've never noticed it before!) and is currently out-of-stock, but can be gotten on a special order basis. The word "import" is mentioned, but it's said to be a Region 1 release in NTSC format, with full-frame video and Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo sound. Running time is 100 minutes. Jade Entertainment is said to be the originator of this product, but a Google search turns up many companies by that name - the biggest one seeming to be a supplier of adult content DVDs, rather than anything for kids.
Animated Bliss is continuing to look into this, so we'll leave it in their very capable hands and update you on what they find out. In the meantime, here's the cover art that Amazon shows (they had it stretched out into a square shape, but we've compacted it back into the normal DVD dimensions)
UPDATE: Further research into this DVD has revealed that there is nothing official about the release, and it is an unauthorized item which will not continue to be offered at Amazon long-term. Hopefully at some point we will see a legally licensed DVD set for North America, but that day isn't here yet. Stay tuned and we'll keep you updated if we hear anything!
