MASK

Original Air Date: 1985-1986

Network: Syndicated

One of the more popular cartoon/toy marketing machines of the Eighties wasM.A.S.K., the Mobile Armored Strike Kommand (yes, command with a 'K', that's what happens when you have to make an acronym fit into your story concept). The show was a weird kind of G.I. Joe-Transformers hybrid, but it managed to combine the best elements of those franchises while adopting few of their flaws. But what really set it apart was the namesake of the show -- the super-powered masks the characters wore. The masks provided the ethnically-diverse-yet-stereotypical cast with abilities like anti-gravity, flight, and energy beams.

Matt Trakker was the ruggedly handsome, rich, charismatic lead of the show. His pimp ride was a red Chevrolet Camaro G3 that transformed into a gull-winged fighter plane. His son Scott and his friend/pet robot T-Bob provided some comic relief. And since Scott was always upgrading his expensive buddy, he provided plenty of validation for the little boys who would grow up to be today's tech geeks and robot nerds. But one of the more notable aspects of the show was the fact that it showed a single dad taking care of his only son while fighting the forces of evil.