The Return of the King

Mattel's Masters of the Universe (MotU), one of the company's most successful multimedia franchises, is to return in the Fall!

Behold King Grayskull, who will be a SDCC Exclusive! King Grayskull is the inaugural MotU figure to feature super articulation and classic detail sculpting by the Four Horsemen. Grayskull comes in a brand new package, featuring lights and sounds, which transforms into a mini Castle Grayskull playset.



Castle Grayskull was once home to King Grayskull, an ancestor of Prince Adam. He appears in the Episode, "The Power of Grayskull", waging battle and ultimately defeating the Snakemen led by King Hiss. King Grayskull's triumph was shortlived and he dies defending his kingdom from Hordak. During his lifetime, King Grayskull ruled with wisdom and compassion.

With the emphasis on the collectors market, and The Four Horsemen in the sculpting saddle, the revitalised MotU line is sure to raise the bar on what constitutes the very pinnacle in mass produced collectibles! Read my childhood Masters of the Universe recollection!

If anyone at Mattel is reading this, please contact me to discuss the possibility of running a 'give-away' competition during the holiday season! Thank you in advance.

The Powers of Grayskull: Part III

The evil cadre of Skeletor, Beast Man, Trap Jaw and Tri-Klops were hired to bolster Darth Vader's Bounty Hunters. Castle Grayskull served as Vader's weekend retreat so-to-speak and Snake Mountain became the adopted home of the Emperor and source of unimaginable Sith power.

During a family holiday to Innsbruck (1984), between organized coach trips we would walk around the shops. The Austrian toy and model stores overflowed with Masters of the Universe action figures and accessories (sold seperately) that were not available in the UK. One of the most coveted was Prince Adam and the fact that I wasn't allowed to buy him left me emotionally scared. I had to content myself with an Action Force Summer Special comic instead!

By 1987 I set aside 'childish' things and waited anxiously for the release of Michael Jackson's Bad album. However, that didn't preclude me from seeing the camp movie (starring a young Courteney Cox) and savoring Bill Conti's copy cat score (see John Williams).

Mattel's 2002 revival of the enduring billion dollar property has met with mixed success. Mattel flooded the market with worthless repaints. In 2004 I tracked down Mer-Man (an overlooked figure from the original) and last year made a successful bid for the elusive and very rare Evil-Lyn. The new sculpt, by Four Horsemen Studios, captures the beauty of Skeletor's duplicitous sorceress.

With the R1 release of Masters of the Universe DVD and UMD, the Masters of the Universe renaissance is secure for generations to come.

The Powers of Grayskull: Part II

Mattel's marketing approach was quickly copied. Product-based TV shows were created for The Transformers, Care Bears, G.I. Joe, Visionaries (perhaps the best animated tie-in of the era) and many other toy lines which followed. Cartoons (inspired by) the figures became nothing more than commercials for the toy companies. Critics mourned the loss of 'educational' programs, but there was no arguing with ratings and the 'value' of this inferior edutainment form.

Masters of the Universe was a cash cow and Mattel extended the brand with the introduction of She-Ra: Princess of Power (think action Barbie, also a Mattel property) and The Evil Horde. Hordak was the insidious successor to Skeletor and his Horde Troopers shamelessly copied the Stormtroopers of a galaxy far, far away. A variety of beasts were released. Modulok resides in mint box in my attic.

Primary characters were often redecorated with different features over the years, a trait that would destroy toy lines including, ironically, Masters of the Universe. Figures were sold on bubble-packed cards which changed as new merchandise was released. In 1990, a new series of figures was marketed under the name He-Man. Masters of the Universe, including its spin-offs, ran for a decade. History lesson over.

The Powers of Grayskull: Part I

At a time when Mattel's strapline, the world's number one name in toys, could be seen on every toy aisle around the globe, Masters of the Universe were a feature of my childhood. First a history lesson.

Masters of the Universe is significant for two reasons. It was the first major toy line which incorporated action features, making the figures more than just posable toys. As a result, many future lines would strive to include some sort of action feature... even if it was nothing more than an accessory which snapped onto the figure itself. Action features, however, were not the key factor in the success of the line.

Just prior to Christmas 1983, the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) lifted a number of restrictions on children's television programming. Among the regulations, which were overturned, was a 1969 decision that prohibited television shows based on toy products. This precedent had been established when the Tonka corporation filed suit with the FCC to prevent Mattel from producing a Hot Wheels television program.

The now-defunct Filmation Associates, a subsidiary of Westinghouse, was quick to take advantage of the deregulation. With the cooperation of Mattel, they produced sixty-five half-hour episodes of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Filmation was unable to sell the series to any of the major networks, so they tried a different approach. Instead of selling the show, they traded the animated sequences for a portion of the air time, allowing local stations to keep the advertising revenues.

I'll conclude the history lesson in my next post!