Toy company Mattel has decided to breathe new life into the hero of many children brought up in the `80s.
This Christmas, just before his 20th birthday, He-Man and his assorted friends and enemies will return to toy departments across the country. The characters have been completely revamped and retooled for a younger audience.
The first assortment will include six figures. Mattel will update three heroic warriors – He-Man, his friend and mentor Man-At-Arms, and bird man Stratos. Mattel will also reintroduce three evil warriors – dark lord Skeletor, ape-like Beast Man and amphibious Mer-Man.
Mattel already has second and third assortments planned, as well as an array of vehicles and animals. An all-new animated series is also on the way. But will Mattel be able to replicate its fantastic first-run with “the most powerful man in the universe?”
In 1981, Mattel was in debt after backing the failed Intellivision video game system.
They needed a big hit fast and were looking into basing a toy line around the Arnold Schwarzenegger film “Conan the Barbarian.”
When it came time to test-market the character sketches to children, the kids liked a blonde-haired version better than the real Conan. Mattel decided to create their own character based on the preferred sketch and named him He-Man.
Originally, He-Man was a barbarian who was chosen to defend Castle Grayskull. He got his power from his magical armor and weapons. This story was told through mini-comics packaged with the first assortment, or wave, of figures.
The first wave, released in 1982, featured eight characters. On the side of good were He-Man, Man-At-Arms, Stratos and the warrior woman Teela.
Including Teela was a risk. Female figures at the time did not sell well, and many companies did not make them. It was one of the many groundbreaking choices Mattel made with the line.
The evil warriors were Skeletor, Beast Man and Mer-Man. Mattel also created a neutral character named Zodac.
One of the biggest keys to the toy line’s success came at the end of 1983 from the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC reversed a landmark decision made in 1969.
They had previously ruled that cartoon series’ on television could not be based on toy lines. The FCC feared these shows would become 30-minute commercials.
The ruling caused “Hot Wheels,” a cartoon based on Mattel’s toy car line, to be pulled from the airwaves. When the ruling was reversed in 1983, Mattel was poised to capitalize.
They quickly set plans in motion for a He-Man cartoon and contracted Filmation to create the series. Filmation changed He-Man’s story, turning him from barbarian to prince. This is the version most people remember.
In Filmation’s version, He-Man was really Prince Adam, part of the ruling family on the planet of Eternia. Adam had always been destined to be a great hero. When he turned 18, he was given a mystical sword by the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull.
With the help of the sword and a spoken incantation, he turned into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. It was not long before children across the country could be heard shouting, “By the power of Grayskull!”
The show was an instant hit, and the toy line benefited greatly. In 1984, Mattel sold over 55 million figures worldwide. Mattel also made another groundbreaking decision that year.
In an effort to compete with Hasbro’s G. I. Joe line, Mattel began giving each character its own special play feature. Sy-Klone spun like a tornado, Whiplash thrashed his tail and Stinkor, well, stunk to high heaven (especially after being cooped up in that little plastic bubble before being opened)!
In this respect, Masters of the Universe inspired almost every action figure line that came after it. Super Powers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Batman, among others, have all shown He-Man’s influence.
The decision also pushed Masters of the Universe to the top of the toy heap. In 1985, its peak year, the line made $450 million in pure profit for Mattel.
Mattel thought they could duplicate their success in the girls’ toy market. In 1985, they debuted She-Ra, He-Man’s twin sister, complete with her own Filmation cartoon.
However, since all cartoon resources went into “She-Ra: Princess of Power,” it effectively ended production on “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.” This was the beginning of the end for He-Man.
In 1987, the “Masters of the Universe” motion picture came and went without much notice. “She-Ra” was also canceled that year after only two seasons.
What some consider to be Mattel’s fatal mistake was when they flooded the stores with He-Man merchandise following the motion picture’s release. When it came time for another assortment, stores still had this merchandise in stock and did not buy new items.
Mattel tried relaunching He-Man in 1989 as a space explorer but failed to generate any excitement. And so the He-Man saga was thought to be over.
Then, a wave of `80s nostalgia began sweeping across the country toward the end of the `90s. He-Man’s original fans were now adults and looked back fondly on their youth. Mattel had a plan to cater to these fans.
Earlier this year, Mattel re-released ten original Masters of the Universe figures. The figures were pulled from the 1982 and 1983 assortments.
They released three “good guys” – He-Man, Teela and Man-At-Arms – and seven “bad guys” – Skeletor, Beast Man, Mer-Man, Teela’s evil counterpart Evil Lyn, the bionically-enhanced Trap Jaw, the three-eyed Tri-Klops and the robotic He-Man impostor Faker.
Mattel also included He-Man’s tiger steed, Battle Cat, and the evil version, Panthor.
All figures in the line were limited editions. They immediately sold out, prompting Mattel to re-release six more characters in October. Then Mattel plans to relaunch “Masters of the Universe” as a children’s brand sometime around the end of this year.
So at a time when `80s favorites “Transformers” and “G. I. Joe” are resurfacing on toy shelves, and sword-and-sorcery epics like “Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter” are hitting movie theaters, Mattel hopes “Masters of the Universe” can regain its place as masters of children’s Christmas lists.
