That's awesome. I'm not saying this because of the toy, but because I'm a parent: she must have really loved you.🙂 It's a beautiful memory you have of HER carrying that box. 👍
To have both castle grey skull and snake-mountain was also killer if you was that lucky. Wasn't there an accessory set that involved stratos? And another that centered around Hordak?
Dude, I'm 44 and He-Man was EVERYTHING when I was a kid. We didn't have a ton of money in my single parent home, but mom somehow managed to get me every single He-Man figure, vehicle, playset... it was the only full "collection" I ever procured as a kid and I was HOOKED. My weekends-and-summers dad even made me a power sword in the workshop, I took it everywhere, and my six year old ass even managed to get it seized at an airport (they gave it back). Thank you for doing this in-depth deep dive. Even as a kid I couldn't figure out why the movie was absolute shit, had no idea til now that the money just wasn't there. Thanks, Dan. May the Sorceress bless you with the light of Eternia.
LOL, well you obviously had money if you got all that crap. I think I had a broken He-Man and finally got a Skeletor at some point. And they had the battle my one Transformer prowl, and one mask vehicle condor. LOL
My mom managed to get me a lot of it thanks to hand me downs from neighbors and garage sales. I only think I got like two figures from an actual toy store new.
My allowance was 5$ per week and the He-Man figures were 5 dollars at TSS. I just needed the tax, so I couldnt get a figure every week. My first figure was man at arms.
You know, He-Man, Transformers, GI Joe (et al) *were* 30 minute commercials for the toys, I don't think anyone doubts that. But they were also responsible for some of the best memories I have as a kid. Not just playing with the Toys of course, but also creating whole new stories lines for my toys, using my toys almost as a type of "therapy" for how I wished things in my life were...wish fullilment I guess...and even a specific memory of my mom smiling at me one Christmas morning when I opened up a gift containing Optimus Prime; she saw how happy I was getting this toy, and it made her smile. And, of course, there was *countless* hours of being with my friends combining our collections and "Playing Transformers" with each other, trading Transformers and long term borrowing until you were bored with that toy, in which case you traded around again.
I loved the shows and toys as a kid and have fond memories as an adult. I can also look back and see how bad the shows frequently were by any sort of objective standard and how it was all about selling toys. It doesn't tarnish or remove the memories.
@@101Mant Totally agreed. I actually find I *can't* watch the shows as an adult; they were objectively bad...poor animation, poor writing and poor character development... they weren't meant to be Shakespeare, they were meant to sell toys. BUT! It was the basis for all the adventures I made up myself and all the play time with friends. Doesn't tarnish the memories at all!!! :)
The problem is that if there wasn't a show and the toys were successful, kids would want a show. Nobody complains that Star Wars was just an ad for toys despite how massively successful the toys were. The truth is that they have a symbiotic relationship. Yes, the goal is for the toys to sell, but for many kids the toys are just a supplement to the show. Even if you never owned the toy line, the shows had value and were watched by kids. But the absolute worst is the idea that all children's programming has to be educational. Nobody makes similar claims for adult programming. Anyone who tries to pull that "I don't waste my time with fiction" nonsense is going to get laughed out of the room for being a pretentious jerk. Storytelling is one of the cornerstones of culture. Kids deserve it just as much as anyone else without the implication that it's just a waste of time.
@@BelgandYes: storytelling may be the most important part of culture. Studies show that presenting bad news in a story format lessens the negative impact it has on a person's psyche. Truth may be stranger than fiction, but fiction is often truer than facts alone...
My Grandparents took me to see Masters of the Universe for my 7th birthday. I was staying with them for part of the summer and the town they lived in didn't have a theater, so they drove me to the nearest town that did. We went to Pizza Hut afterwards. One of my favorite birthdays and why I'll always love that movie.
My favorite character will always be Prince Adam, because he seemed to be the only one in on the joke. Bad guy attacks, Adam runs for “help” behind a rock, lightning strikes said rock, and He-Man pops out. Then everyone goes: He-Man! Oh, thank god you’re here!!
Lightning strikes? Maybe from a power deep inside of you? Maybe because everyday you're reaching towards the light? And you know there is a long long way ahead of you? But if your will gets you there, it'll turn out right???
That subtle nod they threw in of the duality of Superman,Clark Kent I think is extremely appropriate. A similar character using the same extremely obvious conceit. And something that couldn't possibly exist in any kind of real reality.
@@seatspud In MOTU Revelations Adam reveals to Skeletor that he doesn't need the sword to become He-man and the sword is a guantlet and that the power comes from him and not the sword when he becomes He-man!⚔🤫⛈💡
One of the most important parts in remembering/learning about a toyline is watching Toy Galaxy. But is it canon? YES. Because we are here, in the future, where all this has already occurred and explained by Dan.
I love that classic MOTU so much. The art design, the animation, the music, the world design, .etc. It's all perfect to me. It was so influential to me growing up and making me want to draw, write and create worlds. I hope that the people behind the show know how much it made a positive influence on kids like me in the 80s.
It would be INSUFFERABLE though NOW. All the SJW nonsense would’ve RUINED the show. Conan had Wilt the Stilt and that was fine for the silver screen. Glad the millennial cry babies weren’t around to destroy the world yet-for the time being. 🤷🏼♂️
Really doesn't get better than you guys. Informative, funny, but still handled with sincerity for the properties. Dan is awesome, and I like that you sometimes keep the imperfect takes. Plus, always a plus when the fart noises show up. Keep up the great work guys, I don't do Patreon often, but helping support you guys was one of the easiest things I've done. 👍
I am 50 years young, and i loved that dark anime style educational tv series show! Also loved Thundercats, Gobots, Gi-Joe and Ronin Warriors ❤❤❤ Subscribed!
It's weird how short-lived the original cartoon was, yet it holds such huge significance in my childhood. I guess maybe because I played with the toys long after the show ended. Rewatched the show a few years back, and I was surprised how few of the episodes I'd actually seen before. Must have been off riding bikes and climbing trees. While the show doesn't really hold up that well beyond warm nostalgia fuzzies, the music is great.
Well to put it into perspective, while "just 2 seasons" sounds really short-lived, 130+ episodes is a lot. That would be 6+ seasons of a TV show you might've watched in the 90's with about 20 episodes a season.
The music, character design, and backstory lore are the heart of He-Man. The action figures sold those elements, but the writing for the cartoon...!!! Yikes
@@jeffnicholas6342 MOTU only ran for two seasons but it continued to rerun throughout the 80's as far as 1988. Plus He-man would appear on the spinoff She-Ra! By 1989 it was dead and even joked about in Ghostbusters II at the children's birthday party! 👻🚫🤔👍
As a kid, I had a teacher who objected to He-Man cartoons because she assumed it was all just punching and violence. My mom asked if the teacher had ever tried, you know, watching the show, or was just complaining out of ignorance. To her credit, the teacher did try watching it, and changed her mind a fair bit. I think she still objected on the grounds of it being a toy commercial masquerading as a TV show, but at least that was more on target...
It is, even today it's more about selling the toys than anything else. Without the toy sales, the shows cannot exist. Granted you still get the "today's moral of the story is. . . " thrown in, but it's all about getting that kid to convince the parent that they NEED to get that Paw Patrol, My Little Pony, Power Ranger, Jurassic Park, or Spider Man figure/toy/game.
This is a constant through American time. People thought comics were warping kids minds. They thought music with bad words were warping kids minds. They thought videogames were warping kids minds. They thought Harry Potter was devil worship and warping kids minds. Simply old people being out of touch. Stop voting for fossils.
We had a teacher similar saying things like He-Man beating and killing people with a sword than giving educational tidbit at the end was not doing any good. I was like 'damn was there an episode like that? why I never catch that up'
@@Kangstor It's truly amazing this stuff was coming from teachers. These people are supposed to be the most educated and intelligent people and they can just say the stupidest most blatantly stupid crap a human being could possibly say.
He-Man hit me at just the perfect time. I have a vivid memory of walking down a toy aisle with my parents and grandparents where I spotted He-Man figures like a beacon. I was transfixed. I knew that this - THIS - was for me. Star Wars didn't get me. But He-Man, boy did He-Man get me. I loved the toys and loved the cartoon. I even entered a "create a character" contest at my local Richman Gordmands store. I was outraged when they picked some douchebag four year old's character named "Brian-Man" - seriously? Brian-Man? Look, I've loved a lot of things. Transformers, Voltron, TMNT, Batman 89, etc. But I never loved anything as much as I loved Masters of the Universe.
> Look, I've loved a lot of things. Transformers, Voltron, TMNT, Batman 89, etc. But I never loved anything as much as I loved Masters of the Universe. Jesus, does anyone? "Stand By Me" fades up.
I was a kid in the mid-80s and the Masters of the Universe were my favorite toyline. Within the last couple of years Mattel has re-released a bunch of classic He-Man toys with updated articulation. There is even a Castle Greyskull! Of course as soon as I saw these I bought them all up so that my son will enjoy some of the same magical wonders I experienced as a child. 😃😃😃
He-Man was one of my first action figure purchases as a kid.... but as it was winter in Alberta I had my grandmother teach me how to sew clothes for him as I was convinced he was cold in the snow wearing only fur underwear....
I loved the cartoon back then and had a bunch of the toys (still have them somewhere in a box), now I have trouble getting through the clips on YT and haven't really managed to watch an entire episode. I'm grateful for the reboots because the cartoon is very much on the low end of the "product of its time" scale and those ideas deserve a more watchable execution than what was possible at the time.
My uncle worked on the original He-Man series and went on to work on several films. I have some of the original cells somewhere. He had a bunch of them, but didn’t take good care of them because nobody really cared about keeping that stuff or collecting it back then and his cells melted together and were thrown away. So several original Masters of the Universe animation cells (and likely some of the coolest ones) are gone forever.
My favorite guys from He-Man were Rattlor and Tung Lashor. They teamed up with Slithe to defeat Lion-O and He-man for control of Fisher-Price Castle, and in the aftermath, the Battle Beasts moved in. Apparently as a kid I sided with the Sssnake Men.
What's funny.. I recall using my sisters my little pony figures in my playtime events and I would use Fisto to use his super punch to send them hurling from the top of greyskull. Or set the ponies in a tight group and then using Webster and his grappling line I would send Trapjaw flying down on the line and crash into the ponies. I also remember dismantling Ram-Man and modifying his spring action so he could really blast over some stuff.
@@AnnoyingNewslettersPage6 If you think that was intense... Then you would've been thrilled when He-Man showed up riding the purple my little pony decked out in battle-cats armor.... Bring forth......BATTLE PONY!!
Kobra Kahn was awesome with his venom spray feature. I loved combining toy lines well. Often my heman characters went to the WWF to take on wrestlers in a wrestling ring
I would argue that He-Man and other "toy commercial" shows like GI Joe, Transformers, etc set the stage for the action animation renaissance that happened in the 90s. And that alone makes them worthwhile in my eyes.
He-Man apparently just gained popularity in Japan? Nendoroid line is going to release He-Man figure. I actually think it's way too late, unless He-Man is being revived again.
Well, the adults may have hated the idea of using cartoons to sell toys. But since I was just a dumb kid I thought the toys were made so I could act out the stories from the show, and create my own adventures. It didn't matter which came first. GI Joe, Transformers, He-man.... The cross promotion was marketing genius, and that was a golden age for toys.
Prince Adam has always been my favorite character. I remember when the toy line and show launched. Still my favorite show of all time. I've shared it with my 3 kids and they all love watching He-Man and She-Ra as well and G.I Joe, Transformers, Thundercats. Thank you Dan for sharing this with us.
Linda Gary, who voiced the female characters on He-Man and She-Ra, was miscredited, as "Linda Gray"( Miss Sue Ellen Ewing of Dallas, herself). When I first watched the original He-Man, I was like, wow, I didn't know Linda Gray did animated series work!
The only time I ever stole anything was when I was 4 or 5 years old, and there was another kid at my preschool who had a veritable cornucopia of He-Men, whereas I was a kid from a poor family with no He-Men of any kind. During nap time I sneaked over to his cubby hole, moved one of his figures that he'd brought that day into my lunch sack, and then just took it home with me at the end of the day. While I may have been a budding criminal mastermind, I was apparently a very poor liar, because I was quickly busted when people started asking where I got this new toy from, and I gave different answers to different family members. The next day I was forced to return the figure and apologize to the kid for jacking his stuff, and legitimately felt terrible about it and never stole again. One thing I think you can say in retrospect about the He-Man line is that they weren't afraid to try interesting toy designs. If a guy was a skunk man, he actually smelled bad. If a guy was supposed to be made of moss, then he was actually covered in felt. I had completely forgotten about the dude that had the little pump to spray mist out of his mouth until I watched this video. You gotta give it up for the guys that came up with these for trying out some crazy stuff.
Yes I remember coming home from school watching this cartoon also I remember one Christmas getting He-Man and Battle Cat. Because you can buy both toys together.
My favourite He-Man toy was Hordak, due to the bat design, and it still is my favourite. That Batman logo has always influenced my style and picks. I was hoping you would list your favourite He-man toy as well, and I have to say Roboto is a very good choice.
Hordak, Roboto and Two-Bad were the only figures I ever had. I liked the characters and the toys a lot more than the shows, but I just wasn’t that into it to get them like other properties.
He-Man was a few years before my time and the first of these kinds of toy based 80's action cartoons I got into was TMNT, so I didn't actually watch or enjoy the series until I was an adult. And while there are a LOT of campy stuff that doesn't hold up unironically, I get the appeal and Skeletor became my FAVE of the 1980's cartoon villains. While I do prefer TMNT and Transformers as 80's retro toy brands with more reboots under their belts, there's just something special about the MOTU villains.
I mean almost anything that was popular in the '80s hasn't held up particularly well or at least it's original incarnation hasn't. Even TMNT is good as it was back then has had better iterations in the last couple decades.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu I grew up with TMNT and all, but my favorite series is the 2012 Nickelodeon cartoon. However, while I can't say things can or can't hold up, I've found myself enjoying these older shows I really got to see for the first time as an adult. They're much better than I thought they'd be. Still, a lot of He-Man's appeal to me is that there's a lot of sillier elements that kept the show kid friendly, and we had an entertaining as hell villain to push the series along.
I love your He-man and TMNT videos even though they make me sad. When I started highschool I thought I was a grown up, and didn't need toys anymore. I literally threw away all of my toys. Including my He-man and TMNT collection. That's right, castle Grey Skull went right in the dumpster. I thought that if any classmates found out that I had toys that would end my world. No one came over, how would they know. I'm sorry to all the toy fans out there. 😭
I moved from Ohio to Vermont and left all but a couple MOTU figures with a friend of my moms.... We found out later he tossed everything out. Castle Grayskull, Millennium Falcon plus at least 100 figures. 😧😨😭
These were the first of my dad's toys I played with. His reasoning is they didn't have the smaller parts that his gi joe and transformers had. Ultimately He man and Gi joe would defend the living room from Skeletor and Cobra Commander before being invaded by Transformers and Hot Wheels. Even today they begrudgingly glare at each other from the shelves in my bedroom. Each daring the other to make the first move while patiently waiting for my homework to be completed first as per the treaty signed into playtime adventures.
I maintain that the mini comics illustrated by Mark Texiera are god’s work. There were several frickin’ brilliant illustrators in the early days, but his in particular left an indelible impression on me. ✊🛡⚔️
I loved those mini comics. I swear I think I bought the toys more for them than the action figures. A couple years back I bought the (digital version) trade that collected all the mini comics. Just volume 1, that had all the comics I liked (the Texiera ones) plus all the ones I missed. Hardly any of the mainstream comics since looked that good.
@@MJosephB Absolutely, I don’t think most people understand that those comics were a _huge_ reason why kids were drawn to MOTU in the 80’s. I specifically remember every time I got a new figure, I’d quickly inspect everything that came in the package then immediately start reading that comic book. And of course, re-read them many, many times over the following months/years.
My first action figure ever was the regular He-Man, I bought it back in 1983/84 when I was 6 or 7 years old and it's displayed in one of my vintage display cabinets. It's complete and besides having been played to exhaustion it's undamaged (when I say undamaged I mean it's not broken but ofc the paint wore off). Buying this He-Man was what started it all for me because from then on I couldn't care less about other type of toys, I wanted action figures. 37 years later I have my house filled to the brim with action figures, recently I bought He-man again, the new Mattel Origins classic version and the nostalgia I felt when I first got that blister card packaging in hand was incredible. It could've felt even better if I had bought it in a toy store like I used too but I had to buy it online.
Its amazing this show turned out. Its so much better than it should be. I was telling my girlfriend about the story of its creation vs my time with it as a kid, spurred by the new show coming on Netflix. Its about as cold and calculated of a corporate launch as you can ask for, and its clear that the creators didnt' really have a story idea gelled for show when everything launched, given how many changes Adam, his origin and attitude, etc went through before the show came on the air.... and yet despite that they created a broad, imaginative world with characters people loved and continue to explore.
Another tremendous episode, great writing Dan, this one had a ton of crazy research, and your editing was awesome as always, Greg. Love it guys. Oh right, who's my favourite guy? Who was the lizard guy? That guy, yeah... him!
I'm stunned that it's taken this long for you guys to tackle He-Man! Love all the episodes! Well shot, funny host, solid writing! Keep up the great work. I'll always subscribe!
This was unsurprisingly a great episode. I'm looking forward to the rest of your MOTU series. One thing I thought of while watching this episode: I checked, and it appears you have yet to do an episode on the Barbie Doll. Granted, you, I and most of your audience was likely not the target demographic for Barbie, but any discussion of the history of toys that doesn't her toyline would be incomplete. And if anyone could tale of Barbie in an entertaining way, it is you. In any case, file this suggestion away, and thanks for making the best RUclips series around.
I was born at the BEST time to enjoy childhood in the 80s!! I was about to turn 5 when He-Man came and kicked off everything! That's the first action cartoon series and toy line (along with Star Wars) that I remember! I had Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain, along with a good selection of figures and vehicles! Tragically, Dad decided to up and get rid of my toys--He-Man, Star Wars, and some others--when I was 7...before he left Mom and I... Still! There were plenty of great toys and cartoons I got to enjoy!
Oh, that Roboto mention at the end brings up a painful memory. When I was a kid, my older brother came home one night upset about getting a speeding ticket. My parents said they wouldn't pay it since he had a job, so my brother stormed downstairs, tore Roboto out of my hands and ripped his legs off. My brother then screamed and stomped off to his room while I just sat there stunned.
MOTU is more than just a mere show/ toyline in my family. Much like TMNT, Transformers, GIJoe and more; it was a resonating force that gave great stories, fantastic art, and creatively inspired us to create our own adventures!
Oh yeah. Can’t wait to watch this! I had just two episodes on VHS as a kid and few comic books and toys. It was rare in my country. But still, it had huge impact on me as a kid.
I don't know about anyone else but watching on the Cartoon Express He-Man showed me That "I have the Power", and I have used that all my life. Only I can stop myself from getting High.
The funniest part about the He-Man legacy is that unlike many other shows of the era, it made the toys first, then found a way to put those characters into the show after. The action figures often recycled plastic molds just to keep a steady line of new figures in the pipeline, which is why so many of the He-Man characters are walking WTFs.
I think the reuse of body parts is what gave the graphic design a kind of continutity, and it has even been adopted as a way to create custom figures in line like Mythic Legions. You really don't need to reformulate every character's distinct body type. I never even knew that the figures were reused when I was younger. Sitnkor was Stinkor, and Mer-Man was Mer-man.
@@101Mant Transformers would be the worst with that since it dictated the plot of the film because they wanted to refresh the entire toy line with no consideration for what kids would think about it. They thought they could just say "these are your new heroes" and kids would just go along with it. That was a Ukraine-level miscalculation.
I remember going to a Mattle brand store around 1984. He-man made a personal appearance. He-man toys and Barbies stocked the isles. Yet soon there was nothing but Moss-man & Stinkor. I remember playing with a Battle Damage He-man much more than the original. That and the mic from Snake Mountain.
He-Man and the Masters of the universe one of my all-time favorite cartoons from the 80s I am so glad I grew up in that time the cartoons of that era was just phenomenal and to wake up early in the morning in the weekends to watch cartoons was something out of this world that's something this generation would never experience '80s and 90s cartoons rule.
Hey Dan, it's awesome news that you are going to dedicate a separate episode to each iteration of MOTU. It's such a long running franchise I'm glad each part is going to get it's own spotlight. Thanks for always bringing the quality to your retrospective videos. :)
I probably shouldn't have laughed so much at an adult RUclips personality, in old timey flight gear, casually eating cereal whilst sitting next to the Gorton Fisherman's remains, but I did.
They could have just...you know not cancel He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 2002. That series was amazing. It always had some kind lesson built into the episodes without being ham-fisted and had great world building to boot.
I just hope netflix steers clear of any more 'revelation'. That was like a documentary on whats ruining entertainment, draped in a he-man blanket. But the goofy cgi he-man they did was actually good.
The problem was apparently that they hideously botched the toy line for the 2002 reboot, and being He-Man there was still a huge focus on selling toys.
One thing here is that the narration gives, at times, the idea that GI Joe was following on Master Of The Universe, but in fact the two toylines were in development at around the same time, were released on the shelves at around the same time, and also got their cartoons developed and aired at the same time. Hell, even in terms of comics they were concurrent, as MOTU's first appearance on DC comics was cover-dated the same month as the first issue of Marvel's ongoing GI Joe comic.
The companion series She-Ra, Princess Of Power didn't measure up to the quality of He-Man. It was like, He-Man lite. One of my favorite moments in He-Man, was when Prince Adam's mother, The Queen, reveals that she's always known that Adam and He-Man we're one in the same. Adam was like, "Mother, you knew?" And, the Queen was like, "I've always known."
One of my favorite things about the He-man figures was the design of the arms and how easy it was to swap different figure's arms around. I loved giving Clawful's big claw arm to the other characters.
Yup. Have you seen the new masters of the universe origins figures? They are more articulated and have taken that concept of swapping arms to another level as you can swap heads, torsos, hands and boots too.
I remember seeing commercials for the Mattel toy set and action figures, Masters of the Universe back in 1981. Never gave it much thought until the tv series launch in 1983. I was still in high school, and female fan of the show, eventually going to the theatre to see the 1987 movie with Dolph Lundgren as the superhero. Even had a few action figures, and watched "She-Ra" when it first aired in 1985. Good to see it's still an active franchise.
I had a good number of the figures, but my favorites were Whiplash and Clawful. I find it amazing how Alan Oppenheimer’s version of Skeletor has transcended both the original cartoon and toy line into its own thing; my kids aren’t huge into MOTU but they looove Skeletor.
4:50 On the topic - someday you should take a look at the 1950s "Space Patrol," which was the Star Wars of its day - a huge hit spawning a merch empire. But without any regulations, the marketing\promotion was absolutely depraved by modern standards. Like having sponsored segments performed on-set, in character, telling all the young Space Patrollers to eat their Chex because Commander Corry said to! (Another trick, which admittedly was pretty clever, was that whenever they had a new toy, they'd actually use it on-camera as a prop during the current storyline. That way they could claim kids "can get a Space-o-Phone just like the Space Patrol uses!" and be technically truthful.)
The original premise and characters of Masters Of The Universe has strong similarities (influence?) with Jack Kirby’s New Gods. Also, He-Man’s essentially a version of Captain Marvel/Shazam (complete with catch phrase and transformative lightning strikes).
Conan the Barbarian wasn't for kids? My parents let me watch that when I was like 4 or 5 lol a bit surprising when I saw the full movie years later and not the TV version.
Another great informative narrative, Dan! Hard to believe it's been almost 40 yrs. with the 1st airing. Being a generation prior, my heroes were Hanna Barbara testosterone driven, Saturday morning cartoons, but I do understand the attraction of a later generation. Excellent homage, Dan.
My mother coming up the driveway with the large box containing Castle Grayskull is a memory that will stay with me forever.
Lucky
That's awesome. I'm not saying this because of the toy, but because I'm a parent: she must have really loved you.🙂 It's a beautiful memory you have of HER carrying that box. 👍
That and the Millennium Falcon were the two best Xmas presents I ever got.
Never had it as a kid, but once I started collecting in the late 90s, it was one of the first things that I bought.
To have both castle grey skull and snake-mountain was also killer if you was that lucky.
Wasn't there an accessory set that involved stratos?
And another that centered around Hordak?
Dude, I'm 44 and He-Man was EVERYTHING when I was a kid. We didn't have a ton of money in my single parent home, but mom somehow managed to get me every single He-Man figure, vehicle, playset... it was the only full "collection" I ever procured as a kid and I was HOOKED. My weekends-and-summers dad even made me a power sword in the workshop, I took it everywhere, and my six year old ass even managed to get it seized at an airport (they gave it back). Thank you for doing this in-depth deep dive. Even as a kid I couldn't figure out why the movie was absolute shit, had no idea til now that the money just wasn't there. Thanks, Dan. May the Sorceress bless you with the light of Eternia.
LOL, well you obviously had money if you got all that crap. I think I had a broken He-Man and finally got a Skeletor at some point. And they had the battle my one Transformer prowl, and one mask vehicle condor. LOL
My mom managed to get me a lot of it thanks to hand me downs from neighbors and garage sales. I only think I got like two figures from an actual toy store new.
You are the porn star of truth we need! Thanks for the great honesty and story!
@@miragexl007 bear in mind, the collection took years to amass.
My allowance was 5$ per week and the He-Man figures were 5 dollars at TSS. I just needed the tax, so I couldnt get a figure every week. My first figure was man at arms.
You know, He-Man, Transformers, GI Joe (et al) *were* 30 minute commercials for the toys, I don't think anyone doubts that. But they were also responsible for some of the best memories I have as a kid.
Not just playing with the Toys of course, but also creating whole new stories lines for my toys, using my toys almost as a type of "therapy" for how I wished things in my life were...wish fullilment I guess...and even a specific memory of my mom smiling at me one Christmas morning when I opened up a gift containing Optimus Prime; she saw how happy I was getting this toy, and it made her smile.
And, of course, there was *countless* hours of being with my friends combining our collections and "Playing Transformers" with each other, trading Transformers and long term borrowing until you were bored with that toy, in which case you traded around again.
I loved the shows and toys as a kid and have fond memories as an adult. I can also look back and see how bad the shows frequently were by any sort of objective standard and how it was all about selling toys. It doesn't tarnish or remove the memories.
@@101Mant Totally agreed. I actually find I *can't* watch the shows as an adult; they were objectively bad...poor animation, poor writing and poor character development... they weren't meant to be Shakespeare, they were meant to sell toys. BUT! It was the basis for all the adventures I made up myself and all the play time with friends.
Doesn't tarnish the memories at all!!! :)
The problem is that if there wasn't a show and the toys were successful, kids would want a show. Nobody complains that Star Wars was just an ad for toys despite how massively successful the toys were. The truth is that they have a symbiotic relationship. Yes, the goal is for the toys to sell, but for many kids the toys are just a supplement to the show. Even if you never owned the toy line, the shows had value and were watched by kids.
But the absolute worst is the idea that all children's programming has to be educational. Nobody makes similar claims for adult programming. Anyone who tries to pull that "I don't waste my time with fiction" nonsense is going to get laughed out of the room for being a pretentious jerk. Storytelling is one of the cornerstones of culture. Kids deserve it just as much as anyone else without the implication that it's just a waste of time.
Same here. Awesome times
@@BelgandYes: storytelling may be the most important part of culture. Studies show that presenting bad news in a story format lessens the negative impact it has on a person's psyche.
Truth may be stranger than fiction, but fiction is often truer than facts alone...
My Grandparents took me to see Masters of the Universe for my 7th birthday. I was staying with them for part of the summer and the town they lived in didn't have a theater, so they drove me to the nearest town that did. We went to Pizza Hut afterwards. One of my favorite birthdays and why I'll always love that movie.
My favorite character will always be Prince Adam, because he seemed to be the only one in on the joke.
Bad guy attacks, Adam runs for “help” behind a rock, lightning strikes said rock, and He-Man pops out.
Then everyone goes: He-Man! Oh, thank god you’re here!!
The magic of the 80's
Lightning strikes? Maybe from a power deep inside of you? Maybe because everyday you're reaching towards the light? And you know there is a long long way ahead of you? But if your will gets you there, it'll turn out right???
That subtle nod they threw in of the duality of Superman,Clark Kent I think is extremely appropriate. A similar character using the same extremely obvious conceit. And something that couldn't possibly exist in any kind of real reality.
@@peartree8338 Just keep 'em turning, don't stop 'em rolling, the
fire is on!
@@seatspud In MOTU Revelations Adam reveals to Skeletor that he doesn't need the sword to become He-man and the sword is a guantlet and that the power comes from him and not the sword when he becomes He-man!⚔🤫⛈💡
He-Dan and the Masters of the Toy Galaxy. He has the power…to distract me from being productive. Great video.
Isn't it weird we never see He-Dan and Prince Harmon at the same time?
@@SwiftTrooper5 Dan… Harmon? 🤨
One of the most important parts in remembering/learning about a toyline is watching Toy Galaxy. But is it canon? YES. Because we are here, in the future, where all this has already occurred and explained by Dan.
Ye,s absolutely! Without the retrospective the stuff could not have happened in the past. At the quantum level, cause and effect lose all meaning. 😅
Amen
Congrats you just caused me to shit my pants
Dan Larson alone decides what is and what is not cannon. He is the imperial arbiter.
I about died each time he busted out with the word important lol
A 27 minute video about He Man, yes please!
I love that classic MOTU so much. The art design, the animation, the music, the world design, .etc. It's all perfect to me. It was so influential to me growing up and making me want to draw, write and create worlds. I hope that the people behind the show know how much it made a positive influence on kids like me in the 80s.
I couldn't imagine growing up without He-Man when I was a kid
It would be INSUFFERABLE though NOW. All the SJW nonsense would’ve RUINED the show. Conan had Wilt the Stilt and that was fine for the silver screen. Glad the millennial cry babies weren’t around to destroy the world yet-for the time being. 🤷🏼♂️
One of my best childhood memories was getting Castle Grayskull for Christmas. Drove dad nuts trying to put the thing together for me lol
Yeah, same here. But I started very late at the age of 11/ 12 years, if I remember right. Not much time left to enjoy all that stuff. 😢
There's no one I'd rather hear about this more than Dan and Toy Galaxy.
This will be my favorite video of the year so far! 👏
Right there with ya.
"Fabulous secret powers were revealed to me the day I held aloft my Magic Spoon and shouted 'By the power of Toy Galaxy!"
Dan's secret origin story revealed.
XD
I have made a HUGE mistake
Really doesn't get better than you guys. Informative, funny, but still handled with sincerity for the properties. Dan is awesome, and I like that you sometimes keep the imperfect takes. Plus, always a plus when the fart noises show up. Keep up the great work guys, I don't do Patreon often, but helping support you guys was one of the easiest things I've done. 👍
Between this, Pixel Dan and the Netflix "Toys that Made Us" series I think all of our childhood heroes are covered.
I am 50 years young, and i loved that dark anime style educational tv series show! Also loved Thundercats, Gobots, Gi-Joe and Ronin Warriors ❤❤❤ Subscribed!
It's weird how short-lived the original cartoon was, yet it holds such huge significance in my childhood. I guess maybe because I played with the toys long after the show ended.
Rewatched the show a few years back, and I was surprised how few of the episodes I'd actually seen before. Must have been off riding bikes and climbing trees. While the show doesn't really hold up that well beyond warm nostalgia fuzzies, the music is great.
Well to put it into perspective, while "just 2 seasons" sounds really short-lived, 130+ episodes is a lot. That would be 6+ seasons of a TV show you might've watched in the 90's with about 20 episodes a season.
The music, character design, and backstory lore are the heart of He-Man. The action figures sold those elements, but the writing for the cartoon...!!! Yikes
@@jeffnicholas6342 it was a different time where you were selling toys and not just an animated series.
@@jasonelliott7977 just selling nostalgia. Cool
@@jeffnicholas6342 MOTU only ran for two seasons but it continued to rerun throughout the 80's as far as 1988. Plus He-man would appear on the spinoff She-Ra! By 1989 it was dead and even joked about in Ghostbusters II at the children's birthday party! 👻🚫🤔👍
As a kid, I had a teacher who objected to He-Man cartoons because she assumed it was all just punching and violence. My mom asked if the teacher had ever tried, you know, watching the show, or was just complaining out of ignorance. To her credit, the teacher did try watching it, and changed her mind a fair bit. I think she still objected on the grounds of it being a toy commercial masquerading as a TV show, but at least that was more on target...
It is, even today it's more about selling the toys than anything else. Without the toy sales, the shows cannot exist. Granted you still get the "today's moral of the story is. . . " thrown in, but it's all about getting that kid to convince the parent that they NEED to get that Paw Patrol, My Little Pony, Power Ranger, Jurassic Park, or Spider Man figure/toy/game.
This is a constant through American time. People thought comics were warping kids minds. They thought music with bad words were warping kids minds. They thought videogames were warping kids minds. They thought Harry Potter was devil worship and warping kids minds. Simply old people being out of touch. Stop voting for fossils.
@@gaylordfocker7990 if you think that's bad. Go to Japan, most of the adverts are directly tied to the show itself.
We had a teacher similar saying things like He-Man beating and killing people with a sword than giving educational tidbit at the end was not doing any good. I was like 'damn was there an episode like that? why I never catch that up'
@@Kangstor
It's truly amazing this stuff was coming from teachers. These people are supposed to be the most educated and intelligent people and they can just say the stupidest most blatantly stupid crap a human being could possibly say.
He-Man hit me at just the perfect time. I have a vivid memory of walking down a toy aisle with my parents and grandparents where I spotted He-Man figures like a beacon. I was transfixed. I knew that this - THIS - was for me. Star Wars didn't get me. But He-Man, boy did He-Man get me. I loved the toys and loved the cartoon. I even entered a "create a character" contest at my local Richman Gordmands store. I was outraged when they picked some douchebag four year old's character named "Brian-Man" - seriously? Brian-Man?
Look, I've loved a lot of things. Transformers, Voltron, TMNT, Batman 89, etc. But I never loved anything as much as I loved Masters of the Universe.
> Look, I've loved a lot of things. Transformers, Voltron, TMNT, Batman 89, etc. But I never loved anything as much as I loved Masters of the Universe.
Jesus, does anyone? "Stand By Me" fades up.
Half naked men did it for you
@@bobjohnson1633 Half naked? I'd say He Man is about 80% naked.
Got my popcorn ready, and i still watch the original and 2001 version of Masters of the Universe.
I was surprised how well the 2001 reboot turned out
The only reboot imo
The 2001 version was fantastic
@@dasboom7133 The new series isn't a reboot.
I was a kid in the mid-80s and the Masters of the Universe were my favorite toyline. Within the last couple of years Mattel has re-released a bunch of classic He-Man toys with updated articulation. There is even a Castle Greyskull! Of course as soon as I saw these I bought them all up so that my son will enjoy some of the same magical wonders I experienced as a child. 😃😃😃
I bought them all too, for my kids and for myself lol
He-Man was one of my first action figure purchases as a kid.... but as it was winter in Alberta I had my grandmother teach me how to sew clothes for him as I was convinced he was cold in the snow wearing only fur underwear....
I loved the cartoon back then and had a bunch of the toys (still have them somewhere in a box), now I have trouble getting through the clips on YT and haven't really managed to watch an entire episode. I'm grateful for the reboots because the cartoon is very much on the low end of the "product of its time" scale and those ideas deserve a more watchable execution than what was possible at the time.
My uncle worked on the original He-Man series and went on to work on several films. I have some of the original cells somewhere. He had a bunch of them, but didn’t take good care of them because nobody really cared about keeping that stuff or collecting it back then and his cells melted together and were thrown away. So several original Masters of the Universe animation cells (and likely some of the coolest ones) are gone forever.
As a regular viewer of this channel, I can attest that Star Wars was a popular movie and toy line.
I'll have to give it a look, seems interesting.
My favorite guys from He-Man were Rattlor and Tung Lashor.
They teamed up with Slithe to defeat Lion-O and He-man for control of Fisher-Price Castle, and in the aftermath, the Battle Beasts moved in.
Apparently as a kid I sided with the Sssnake Men.
What's funny..
I recall using my sisters my little pony figures in my playtime events and I would use Fisto to use his super punch to send them hurling from the top of greyskull.
Or set the ponies in a tight group and then using Webster and his grappling line I would send Trapjaw flying down on the line and crash into the ponies.
I also remember dismantling
Ram-Man and modifying his spring action so he could really blast over some stuff.
@@t8r507 that sounds intense.
Friendship is AHHHHH *thunk*
@@AnnoyingNewslettersPage6
If you think that was intense...
Then you would've been thrilled when He-Man showed up riding the purple my little pony decked out in battle-cats armor....
Bring forth......BATTLE PONY!!
Kobra Kahn was awesome with his venom spray feature. I loved combining toy lines well. Often my heman characters went to the WWF to take on wrestlers in a wrestling ring
As a kid who grew up in the 80s, He Man and She Ra was my JAM!
I would argue that He-Man and other "toy commercial" shows like GI Joe, Transformers, etc set the stage for the action animation renaissance that happened in the 90s. And that alone makes them worthwhile in my eyes.
Fully agree 😊
yet, where is our funko pop streaming series..?
He-Man apparently just gained popularity in Japan? Nendoroid line is going to release He-Man figure. I actually think it's way too late, unless He-Man is being revived again.
you have an amazing narrating voice!! I could listen to you all day.
lol always appreciate the dry humor. great job as always.
Well, the adults may have hated the idea of using cartoons to sell toys. But since I was just a dumb kid I thought the toys were made so I could act out the stories from the show, and create my own adventures. It didn't matter which came first. GI Joe, Transformers, He-man.... The cross promotion was marketing genius, and that was a golden age for toys.
Yep MOTU was on KCOP LA ah the memories waking up around six a.m. thanks Dan
TOY GALAXY HAS THE POWER...to inform *and* entertain!
Prince Adam has always been my favorite character. I remember when the toy line and show launched. Still my favorite show of all time. I've shared it with my 3 kids and they all love watching He-Man and She-Ra as well and G.I Joe, Transformers, Thundercats. Thank you Dan for sharing this with us.
Linda Gary, who voiced the female characters on He-Man and She-Ra, was miscredited, as "Linda Gray"( Miss Sue Ellen Ewing of Dallas, herself). When I first watched the original He-Man, I was like, wow, I didn't know Linda Gray did animated series work!
Thank you Dan!! You are the very best of best.
The only time I ever stole anything was when I was 4 or 5 years old, and there was another kid at my preschool who had a veritable cornucopia of He-Men, whereas I was a kid from a poor family with no He-Men of any kind. During nap time I sneaked over to his cubby hole, moved one of his figures that he'd brought that day into my lunch sack, and then just took it home with me at the end of the day.
While I may have been a budding criminal mastermind, I was apparently a very poor liar, because I was quickly busted when people started asking where I got this new toy from, and I gave different answers to different family members. The next day I was forced to return the figure and apologize to the kid for jacking his stuff, and legitimately felt terrible about it and never stole again.
One thing I think you can say in retrospect about the He-Man line is that they weren't afraid to try interesting toy designs. If a guy was a skunk man, he actually smelled bad. If a guy was supposed to be made of moss, then he was actually covered in felt. I had completely forgotten about the dude that had the little pump to spray mist out of his mouth until I watched this video. You gotta give it up for the guys that came up with these for trying out some crazy stuff.
Yes I remember coming home from school watching this cartoon also I remember one Christmas getting He-Man and Battle Cat. Because you can buy both toys together.
LOL at the arrows at 6:55 😂
Great video!
My favorite "He-Man guy" was Moss Man. He basically Swamp Thing if he cleaned himself up.
My favourite He-Man toy was Hordak, due to the bat design, and it still is my favourite. That Batman logo has always influenced my style and picks. I was hoping you would list your favourite He-man toy as well, and I have to say Roboto is a very good choice.
Roboto rules
Hordak, Roboto and Two-Bad were the only figures I ever had. I liked the characters and the toys a lot more than the shows, but I just wasn’t that into it to get them like other properties.
He-Man was a few years before my time and the first of these kinds of toy based 80's action cartoons I got into was TMNT, so I didn't actually watch or enjoy the series until I was an adult. And while there are a LOT of campy stuff that doesn't hold up unironically, I get the appeal and Skeletor became my FAVE of the 1980's cartoon villains. While I do prefer TMNT and Transformers as 80's retro toy brands with more reboots under their belts, there's just something special about the MOTU villains.
I mean almost anything that was popular in the '80s hasn't held up particularly well or at least it's original incarnation hasn't. Even TMNT is good as it was back then has had better iterations in the last couple decades.
@@JohnDoe-wq5eu I grew up with TMNT and all, but my favorite series is the 2012 Nickelodeon cartoon. However, while I can't say things can or can't hold up, I've found myself enjoying these older shows I really got to see for the first time as an adult. They're much better than I thought they'd be. Still, a lot of He-Man's appeal to me is that there's a lot of sillier elements that kept the show kid friendly, and we had an entertaining as hell villain to push the series along.
I love your He-man and TMNT videos even though they make me sad. When I started highschool I thought I was a grown up, and didn't need toys anymore. I literally threw away all of my toys. Including my He-man and TMNT collection. That's right, castle Grey Skull went right in the dumpster. I thought that if any classmates found out that I had toys that would end my world. No one came over, how would they know. I'm sorry to all the toy fans out there. 😭
I moved from Ohio to Vermont and left all but a couple MOTU figures with a friend of my moms.... We found out later he tossed everything out. Castle Grayskull, Millennium Falcon plus at least 100 figures. 😧😨😭
@@jaysonraphaelmurdock8812 😭😭
@@6justin9 I feel the same. Plus I lost a Popy Godzilla figure that is now worth over $100. 😭
These were the first of my dad's toys I played with. His reasoning is they didn't have the smaller parts that his gi joe and transformers had. Ultimately He man and Gi joe would defend the living room from Skeletor and Cobra Commander before being invaded by Transformers and Hot Wheels. Even today they begrudgingly glare at each other from the shelves in my bedroom. Each daring the other to make the first move while patiently waiting for my homework to be completed first as per the treaty signed into playtime adventures.
I maintain that the mini comics illustrated by Mark Texiera are god’s work. There were several frickin’ brilliant illustrators in the early days, but his in particular left an indelible impression on me. ✊🛡⚔️
I loved those mini comics. I swear I think I bought the toys more for them than the action figures. A couple years back I bought the (digital version) trade that collected all the mini comics. Just volume 1, that had all the comics I liked (the Texiera ones) plus all the ones I missed. Hardly any of the mainstream comics since looked that good.
@@MJosephB Absolutely, I don’t think most people understand that those comics were a _huge_ reason why kids were drawn to MOTU in the 80’s. I specifically remember every time I got a new figure, I’d quickly inspect everything that came in the package then immediately start reading that comic book. And of course, re-read them many, many times over the following months/years.
Exactly. You will never convince me otherwise.
That Skeletor drawing with the sword is f****** sweet
Anybody here ever see the "What's Going On" video with He-Man? It's pretty great
Ah yes, the nostalgic rundown of a history of a retro series, the most important part of developing a new toyline.
Apart from the comment thread of said nostalgic rundown, obviously.
My first action figure ever was the regular He-Man, I bought it back in 1983/84 when I was 6 or 7 years old and it's displayed in one of my vintage display cabinets.
It's complete and besides having been played to exhaustion it's undamaged (when I say undamaged I mean it's not broken but ofc the paint wore off).
Buying this He-Man was what started it all for me because from then on I couldn't care less about other type of toys, I wanted action figures.
37 years later I have my house filled to the brim with action figures, recently I bought He-man again, the new Mattel Origins classic version and the nostalgia I felt when I first got that blister card packaging in hand was incredible. It could've felt even better if I had bought it in a toy store like I used too but I had to buy it online.
Its amazing this show turned out. Its so much better than it should be. I was telling my girlfriend about the story of its creation vs my time with it as a kid, spurred by the new show coming on Netflix. Its about as cold and calculated of a corporate launch as you can ask for, and its clear that the creators didnt' really have a story idea gelled for show when everything launched, given how many changes Adam, his origin and attitude, etc went through before the show came on the air.... and yet despite that they created a broad, imaginative world with characters people loved and continue to explore.
Another tremendous episode, great writing Dan, this one had a ton of crazy research, and your editing was awesome as always, Greg. Love it guys.
Oh right, who's my favourite guy? Who was the lizard guy? That guy, yeah... him!
I'm stunned that it's taken this long for you guys to tackle He-Man! Love all the episodes! Well shot, funny host, solid writing! Keep up the great work. I'll always subscribe!
This was unsurprisingly a great episode. I'm looking forward to the rest of your MOTU series. One thing I thought of while watching this episode: I checked, and it appears you have yet to do an episode on the Barbie Doll. Granted, you, I and most of your audience was likely not the target demographic for Barbie, but any discussion of the history of toys that doesn't her toyline would be incomplete. And if anyone could tale of Barbie in an entertaining way, it is you. In any case, file this suggestion away, and thanks for making the best RUclips series around.
Great stuff.
Good times.
I'm nearly 40 and I still binge watch this show because the lessons are just as important today as they were back then and Teela is HOT!
Where would we be without Skeletor and his awesome Roasts?!
I was born at the BEST time to enjoy childhood in the 80s!! I was about to turn 5 when He-Man came and kicked off everything! That's the first action cartoon series and toy line (along with Star Wars) that I remember! I had Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain, along with a good selection of figures and vehicles! Tragically, Dad decided to up and get rid of my toys--He-Man, Star Wars, and some others--when I was 7...before he left Mom and I... Still! There were plenty of great toys and cartoons I got to enjoy!
Oh, that Roboto mention at the end brings up a painful memory. When I was a kid, my older brother came home one night upset about getting a speeding ticket. My parents said they wouldn't pay it since he had a job, so my brother stormed downstairs, tore Roboto out of my hands and ripped his legs off. My brother then screamed and stomped off to his room while I just sat there stunned.
Did you get a new one from him or your parents?
Leaving a comment is the most important part of the RUclips video process.
MOTU is more than just a mere show/ toyline in my family. Much like TMNT, Transformers, GIJoe and more; it was a resonating force that gave great stories, fantastic art, and creatively inspired us to create our own adventures!
Oh yeah. Can’t wait to watch this! I had just two episodes on VHS as a kid and few comic books and toys. It was rare in my country. But still, it had huge impact on me as a kid.
I don't know about anyone else but watching on the Cartoon Express He-Man showed me That "I have the Power", and I have used that all my life. Only I can stop myself from getting High.
"Hey, Prince Adam. That sword you carry . . . It looks awfully familiar." 🤔
There is so much to unpack with He-Man, I hope we get the other videos you mention on the various other shows from the line!
The funniest part about the He-Man legacy is that unlike many other shows of the era, it made the toys first, then found a way to put those characters into the show after.
The action figures often recycled plastic molds just to keep a steady line of new figures in the pipeline, which is why so many of the He-Man characters are walking WTFs.
I think the reuse of body parts is what gave the graphic design a kind of continutity, and it has even been adopted as a way to create custom figures in line like Mythic Legions. You really don't need to reformulate every character's distinct body type. I never even knew that the figures were reused when I was younger. Sitnkor was Stinkor, and Mer-Man was Mer-man.
Don’t go down the Galaxy Warriors rabbit hole…
That pretty much became the norm with stuff like Transformers and GI Joe, characters would even stop showing up if their toy was discontinued.
@@101Mant Transformers would be the worst with that since it dictated the plot of the film because they wanted to refresh the entire toy line with no consideration for what kids would think about it. They thought they could just say "these are your new heroes" and kids would just go along with it. That was a Ukraine-level miscalculation.
I remember going to a Mattle brand store around 1984. He-man made a personal appearance. He-man toys and Barbies stocked the isles. Yet soon there was nothing but Moss-man & Stinkor. I remember playing with a Battle Damage He-man much more than the original. That and the mic from Snake Mountain.
I remember when I was a kid, I used to run home from school to watch He-Man...
God bless who ever is in charge of that fart sound effect 🤣 gets me every time
He-Man and the Masters of the universe one of my all-time favorite cartoons from the 80s I am so glad I grew up in that time the cartoons of that era was just phenomenal and to wake up early in the morning in the weekends to watch cartoons was something out of this world that's something this generation would never experience '80s and 90s cartoons rule.
Hey Dan, it's awesome news that you are going to dedicate a separate episode to each iteration of MOTU. It's such a long running franchise I'm glad each part is going to get it's own spotlight. Thanks for always bringing the quality to your retrospective videos. :)
Good stuff guys! Taking these trips down memory lane is pure 80s and I love it!
I probably shouldn't have laughed so much at an adult RUclips personality, in old timey flight gear, casually eating cereal whilst sitting next to the Gorton Fisherman's remains, but I did.
They could have just...you know not cancel He-Man and the Masters of the Universe 2002. That series was amazing. It always had some kind lesson built into the episodes without being ham-fisted and had great world building to boot.
I just hope netflix steers clear of any more 'revelation'. That was like a documentary on whats ruining entertainment, draped in a he-man blanket. But the goofy cgi he-man they did was actually good.
Wow lol this is a sad little bubble 🤦♂ MOTU:R was fun to watch. Get over it.
The problem was apparently that they hideously botched the toy line for the 2002 reboot, and being He-Man there was still a huge focus on selling toys.
One thing here is that the narration gives, at times, the idea that GI Joe was following on Master Of The Universe, but in fact the two toylines were in development at around the same time, were released on the shelves at around the same time, and also got their cartoons developed and aired at the same time.
Hell, even in terms of comics they were concurrent, as MOTU's first appearance on DC comics was cover-dated the same month as the first issue of Marvel's ongoing GI Joe comic.
When you've finished He-Man, can we talk about the other Frizeta/Conan inspired toyline: Galaxy Warriors? Aka Galaxy Fighters aka Galaxy Heroes aka Muscle Warriors aka Wrestler aka Turly Gang aka Lord of Insects aka Freedom Fighters aka Satyr Masters aka Amicable Herculean aka Galaxy Adventure Girl aka Adventure Man aka Galactic Gladiator aka Combo Heroes....
I love this series(and the 2002 version).
I also considered She-Ra to be part of the same series.
As a kid I did noooot like she-ra, but I watched for other reasons
The companion series She-Ra, Princess Of Power didn't measure up to the quality of He-Man. It was like, He-Man lite.
One of my favorite moments in He-Man, was when Prince Adam's mother, The Queen, reveals that she's always known that Adam and He-Man we're one in the same. Adam was like, "Mother, you knew?" And, the Queen was like, "I've always known."
Yeah same. I luv how they respected that part in the new MOTU:R.
Making a video about it 40 years later is the most important part in developing a toy line!
One of my favorite things about the He-man figures was the design of the arms and how easy it was to swap different figure's arms around. I loved giving Clawful's big claw arm to the other characters.
Yup. Have you seen the new masters of the universe origins figures? They are more articulated and have taken that concept of swapping arms to another level as you can swap heads, torsos, hands and boots too.
I remember seeing commercials for the Mattel toy set and action figures, Masters of the Universe back in 1981. Never gave it much thought until the tv series launch in 1983. I was still in high school, and female fan of the show, eventually going to the theatre to see the 1987 movie with Dolph Lundgren as the superhero. Even had a few action figures, and watched "She-Ra" when it first aired in 1985. Good to see it's still an active franchise.
I recommend actually seeing the documentary "Power of Grayskull" by Randall Lobb if you are interested in more about the History of He-man.
Yeeeah, I'm going to need "He-Man! They took yo thing!" as a ring tone.
LOL the single frame Superman when describing He-Man’s dual personality
That face your Mom makes when you tell the mall Santa you want "all the things He-Man"
By the power of Toy Galaxy!
Dan raises his mighty sword
I had a good number of the figures, but my favorites were Whiplash and Clawful. I find it amazing how Alan Oppenheimer’s version of Skeletor has transcended both the original cartoon and toy line into its own thing; my kids aren’t huge into MOTU but they looove Skeletor.
WHAT
4:50 On the topic - someday you should take a look at the 1950s "Space Patrol," which was the Star Wars of its day - a huge hit spawning a merch empire. But without any regulations, the marketing\promotion was absolutely depraved by modern standards. Like having sponsored segments performed on-set, in character, telling all the young Space Patrollers to eat their Chex because Commander Corry said to!
(Another trick, which admittedly was pretty clever, was that whenever they had a new toy, they'd actually use it on-camera as a prop during the current storyline. That way they could claim kids "can get a Space-o-Phone just like the Space Patrol uses!" and be technically truthful.)
The original premise and characters of Masters Of The Universe has strong similarities (influence?) with Jack Kirby’s New Gods.
Also, He-Man’s essentially a version of Captain Marvel/Shazam (complete with catch phrase and transformative lightning strikes).
He-man! Now we're in my wheelhouse!
So Reagan is to thank for the incredible creativity and imagination we had on TV as kids. FTW!
‘Black Tuesday in New Zealand’ 😂 😂 😂 love it
Conan the Barbarian wasn't for kids? My parents let me watch that when I was like 4 or 5 lol a bit surprising when I saw the full movie years later and not the TV version.
Thanks for another Heman video. I never knew about the Hot Wheels cartoon and how that led to those TV regulations. Very interesting stuff.
The MOST important job is narrating this channel 🎉
Can you do an episode on "Thundarr the Barbarian"? And where can we find the limited action figures?
He Man was dope back in the day! Roboto and Ram Man were my two favorites.
Another great informative narrative, Dan! Hard to believe it's been almost 40 yrs. with the 1st airing. Being a generation prior, my heroes were Hanna Barbara testosterone driven, Saturday morning cartoons, but I do understand the attraction of a later generation. Excellent homage, Dan.
Thank you thank you for telling me the most important parts of making a action figure toy line and all the importance that goes into it
Best theme song ever!