The Mask: The Animated Series was a cartoon based on The Mask movie in 1994. The cartoon continues after the movie - but instead of throwing the Mask away, Stanley keeps it. The show ran for three seasons, from August 12, 1995 to August 30, 1997, and spawned its own short-run comic book series, Adventures of The Mask. John Arcudi, former writer of the original comics, penned two episodes of the cartoon. It was originally played during the Cartoons Cartoons line-up on Fridays, but after being cancelled was moved to Disney Channel (where the live-action films were also aired). The show also ran in syndication.
Summary[]
Taking place after the events of the film in a different continuity, mild-mannered, good-hearted bank employee Stanley Ipkiss keeps the powerful and chaotic Mask of Loki to become his wacky trickster alter-ego, The Mask, to use it for good. Accompanied by his loyal pet and best friend, Milo the Jack Russell Terrier, Stanley Ipkiss/The Mask fights off the criminals and super-villains who threatens his hometown of Edge City while struggling with his persona's unpredictable and out of control nature when causing mischief with his cranky landlady, an idiotic police force, nosy news reporters, and trying to find a girlfriend for himself and a better position in his job.
Episodes[]
Season One (1995)[]
- 1 The Mask is Always Greener on the Other Side Part 1
- 2 The Mask is Always Greener on the Other Side Part 2
- 3 Baby's Wild Ride
- 4 The Terrible Twos
- 5 Sister Mask
- 6 Shadow of a Skillit
- 7 Bride of Pretorius
- 8 Double Reverse
- 9 Shrink Rap
- 10 Mayor Mask
- 11 Martian Mask
- 12 How Much Is That Dog in the Tin Can?
- 13 All Hallow's Eve
- 14 Santa Mask
- 15 Split Personality
Season Two (1996-97)[]
- 16 A Comedy of Eras
- 17 Goin' for the Green
- 18 Flight as a Feather
- 19 The Good, the Bad and the Fish Guy
- 20 Malled
- 21 Channel Surfin
- 22 Mask au Gratin
- 23 Jurassic Mask
- 24 You Oughta Be in Pictures
- 25 For All Mask-Kind
- 26 Up the Creek
- 27 Boogie with the Man
- 28 What Goes Around Comes Around
- 29 All Hail the Mask
- 30 Power of Suggestion
- 31 Mr. Mask Goes to Washington
- 32 Rain of Terror
- 33 The Mother of All Hoods
- 34 To Bee or Not to Bee
- 35 Love Potion No. 8 ½
- 36 Cool Hand Mask
- 37 Broadway Malady
- 38 Enquiring Masks Want to Know
- 39 Future Mask
- 40 Sealed Fate
- 41 (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Green Mask
- 42 Mutiny of the Bounty Hunters
- 43 Convention of Evil
- 44 The Green Marine
- 45 Counterfeit Mask
Season Three (1997)[]
- 46 Magic
- 47 Little Big Mask
- 48 Fantashtick Voyage
- 49 They Came from Within
- 50 To Have and Have Snot
- 51 Mystery Cruise
- 52 The Goofalotatots
- 53 When Pigs Ruled the Earth
- 54 The Aceman Cometh
- 55 Have Mask, Will Travel
Lyrics[]
Version 1 (original and revamped):
I gotcha with my winning smile,
I'm a living lesson in flair and style.
You just can't help but stare at my savoir-faire.
I'm nouveau, Deco, Roman-Greco, Rococo, Barroco, be-bop, eh hip-hop, eh flip-flop
SOMEBODY STOP ME!!!
Pretty viridian faces like mine,
Don't come a dime a dozen - I stand out of the crowd!
Babe, when they made me, yeah, they broke the mold!
Wholesome and kind, staid and refined, TOTALLY OUT OF MY MIND!!!
Arch-villains and ne'er-do-wells had better learn to decorate prison cells
Green goes with anything if they ask, see?
Well there's one last thing I gotta sing about
Open up wide and really shout!
OHHHH, LOOK OUT!
THIS IS "THE MASK"!
SSSSMOKIN'!
Version 2 (syndicated version):
I'm a lean, mean, green machine
A maniac behind the ballyhoo
Got a hyperactive mayhem gene
And that's my gig, babe
It's what I do!
And I come spinnin' into town
Got everyone seein' red.
By the time I'm done
They'll be seein' green instead!
Smokin’!
The city's actin' kinda edgy
Trust me to make things right.
HOP!
Hear the news? Another drive-by wedgie.
Freaky monsters lookin' for a fight.
STOP!
Time for a costume change
Then take 'em for a spin
4, 3, 2, 1, go!
Let the games begin!
(scatting; spoken): Somebody stop me!
Listen!
I'm not any ordinary superhero.
Not your everyday spandex-wearin' zero.
Did someone say, "It's party time!"?
Do you even have to ask?
Anytime, ready or not, look out!
I am The Mask!
Videos[]
Title sequences[]
Trivia[]
- The series intro theme song is based off the up-tempo, Latin song, Hey Pachuco!, that was used during The Mask/Stanley's dance scene and kiss with Tina Carlyle during the film but with The Mask's voice actor, Rob Paulsen, singing about his character and saying his famous catchphrases, "Somebody stop me!" during the first part of the song and "Ssssmokin'!" at the end after showing the series' title. This was dropped in later seasons in favor of a revamped version of the intro and a syndicated version (the latter with new lyrics).
- There are three examples of the animated series' different continuity with the original film, such as Tina Carlyle's absence, making Peggy Brandt the series' main female character, possibly due to the show's creators wanting Stanley Ipkiss to remain single and him wanting to find a girlfriend to become a running theme for the series. The Mask also works during the day in the TV series, while in the film it only works at night; it's implied that while it could work at anytime, the mask (the artifact) simply decided to mess with Stanley when he tried to transform in front of Dr. Neuman. Lastly, Lt. Kellaway's appearance in the TV show resembles his original one from the comic series instead of his actor in the film, Peter Riegert.
- The mask (the artifact) shows itself to be self-aware when Stanley puts it on with the sister mask on it to control it, it shows that it doesn't work and at another point implies to have helped Stanley when Arthur Neuman wears its face, and seeing how evil, delusional and psychotic he becomes under its influence, keeps his fear of dogs to around so he does not kill Stanley and destroy Edge City, showing how much it hates being used for evil and actually wants to just have fun and do good as well. It also likes to be attached to Stanley, along with possibly Evelyn as well, because they are good-hearted people, and that possibly in a very long time, has Stanley to be its host for second time, as Skillit reveals that Abraham Lincoln is another host for the mask, and is most likely the first host for the mask to be heroic, so it wants to be with Stanley because he is the second host to be heroic unlike most.
- The Mask is wild, chaotic, genuinely insane and childish, but overtime shows himself to be more mature, sane, orderly and in control than he appears to be at first, as he only causes harmless chaos, and likes having fun, along with respecting traffic regulations and rules as he drives fast, but drives carefully around other people and when saving Milo from a virus, doesn't use his powers and abilities to push all the cars out of the way, and instead shrinks himself down to get inside Milo. He hates getting sneezed on as he washes himself with a shower, after Peggy sneezes on him, and does keep the apartment all clean, and tidy, along with making himself presentable and stylish. He also brings back the things that were stolen from the apartment back in order, and does like keeping things all fixed up as he sees a pipe under the tap leaking and admits that he always wanted to get that fixed. He also buys things even if they are expensive along with paying up for the food and drinks, then shows to take his job as a babysitter seriously as he takes care of Baby Forthwright and becomes a stern, but still fun-loving and caring father figure towards him, which he doesn't do his usual hobbies to look after him. He also has common sense as he snarks at anyone who is rude, a coward or an idiot, and though has an ego, doesn't see himself as a god, but a harmless madman as he got bored of listening to a tribe going on about it. He respects those with authority and order, as though he makes fun of the police and finds them useless and idiotic at times, he cares about them like everyone else in Edge City including Kellaway and Doyle, he also respects those of highest order like the Angel Council even if it turns out that it's Dr. Amelia Chronos in disguise.
- Most episodes feature Stanley and The Mask, but there are some who feature The Mask entirely.
- There are some that feature other mask personas other than The Mask such as Eve in Bride of Pretorius, Masked Arthur Neuman in Shrink Rap and Masked Peggy Brandt in Counterfeit Mask, though they only come out one at a time due to being only one mask, but there are some episodes that feature The Mask and another one existing at the same time in episodes Split Personality and Future Mask, such as Masked Chet Bozzack and Masked Government Guy; in the former's case, the Mask of Loki was spilt in half, while the latter happened in the future where another version existed at the same time. But it is quite possible for The Mask to create another one, but it’s also possible that he’s simply unaware that he has that ability yet.
- The Mask is very well-liked and loved by most of the people in Edge City despite his chaotic and wild nature most of the time, because of him being a polite, well-mannered, nice, kind gentleman who saves them from the supervillains from time to time, except when he was framed for robbing a children's orphanage at one time, which he believes because he is aware that he is genuinely insane, that he did do it, so he lets himself be put in prison out of fear of it happening again, only to find out that he was not responsible for it, and exposes the one who actually did it, and gets himself become loved and well-liked by most of the people once again. In another episode, it also turns out that he is world famous as the President of the United States recognises him and the people in Washington D.C know about him as well, since they actually get along with him very well, to the point that they enjoy being in the food fight with him that he started.
- Ben Stein is the only actor from the film to reprise his role as Dr. Arthur Neuman and voices his character in all three episodes he was in, even voicing Dr. Arthur Neuman's masked self as well.
