The Mk. II appeared years before the official North American release of "Z Gundam" on the talk show "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" in a commercial bumper. Featured on an episode originally aired on September 30, 1998, the "Conan Mk. II" was formed from a Mk. II model kit altered with O'Brien's face, and a cartoon-like head on the shield, as typical of "Late Night" bumpers of the period. "Zeta Gundam" was not officially released in the North American market by Bandai until 2004. "Late Night" graphical designer Pierre Bernard is a self-stated anime enthusiast, though if he specifically created the "Conan Mk. II" bumper has not been confirmed by any official source.