She-Ra: Princess Of Power

The woman that's as strong as He-Man is.

Now that we've seen the Masters of the Universe revival in the form of not one, but two Netflix animated series (a live action film is in development as we speak), a She-Ra remake, plus the introduction of the Origins toy line in 2020, things couldn't look better for THE ultimate 1980s franchise. For those around when the original show premiered, it's no surprise most of the animation produced during the decade was because the toy industry wanted to get a slice of the most wanted toy for Christmas cake. Producers discovered how easy it was for kids to fall in love with characters they would see on the TV, hence the aggressive marketing model that built the decade, and had every boy and girl playing with at least one MOTU action figure, vehicle or playset.

Today's review is not about the deep psychological and philosophical morale of the story but about She-Ra, the Princess of Power! 

As above mentioned, MOTU was a huge success amongst boys. The show had it all: Heroes, robots, futuristic vehicles, monsters,characters with a varied ethnicit,y morale lessons and all the human values parents would root for. These heroes wouldn't kill. These heroes would win the battle of good VS evil through friendship, team work, and a deep sense of truth, justice and...

...Toys! 

Perhaps the one thing missing was a strong leading female. Although, Teela & The Sorceress were there most of the time, it was up to men to save the day. Girls also wanted a slice of the cake. They had seen Batgirl in the 60s Batman TV show, Wonder Woman & The Bionic Woman in the late 70s,so it was only a matter of time until they got a woman to be the animated hero to save the day.

 

The movie that introduced She-Ra to the world.

 

How to draw She-Ra.

I can't deny the influence these empowered women characters had not only in my childhood but also, throughout my entire life. One day I would fall in love with a woman with all these alpha features. I wasn't interested in the weak type, you know, the "princess in distress" stereotype that served the Film & TV industry for decades, I wanted a woman that could wield a sword, lift some rocks, go on an adventure with me, and probably save my life many times. I'm lucky to say I did marry one of those wonder women. Anyway, when Mattel & Filmation decided it was time to think of the female audience, they coined a lot of ideas, some saw the light, some remained unused. The first thing you need to know, is that the original title was "She-Ro" which was an odd version of the word "He-Ro"(one of the MOTU legendary characters), so they decided to call it "She-Ra" mistakenly assuming "Ra" meant God in Egyptian. The word actually means "Sun" so, it's safe to say Adora is "The sun of Etheria". Adora would also transform with the power of a magic sword. However, producers thought a girl couldn't fight or wield a sword, hence the abundant use of magic during the show. She-Ra wouldn't cut you in two with her sword. Instead, she would use the magical power of the sword to cleverly get rid of the bad guys. To make boys develop an interest in  the new show, they made Adora the long lost twin sister of Prince Adam, and they made a movie about it:  He-Man & She-Ra: The Secret Of The Sword. The movie was a smart marketing move to see if it made sense to make more toys and a brand new animated series. Of course, boys and girls alike, loved the movie, and were craving the toys before the film was split into the first 5 episodes of She-Ra: Princess Of Power.

While She-Ra took part in a number of adventures, the primary focus of the show was the conflict between the Great Rebellion and the Evil Horde, as the people of Etheria attempted to drive the Horde off their world. Unlike Skeletor's forces on Eternia, the evil Horde was in a much greater position of power in Etheria, and commonly took over entire regions and enslaved Etherians.  

Most episodes consist of sci-fantasy adventures in the same mold as the Masters of the Universe. Much like the He-Man series, some of the initial details, backstories, and designs seen in the toy line differed from the animated material.

She-Ra artwork from the 2019 DVD  box.

 

Catra, the bad girl.

 

Like his twin brother, She-Ra also enjoyed of a toy line. Action figures, vehicles, comic books,a clothing line, and all kinds of accessories from lunch boxes to combs. The series ran for two seasons with 93 episodes and two animated movies.

The first three episodes begins with a basic introduction narrated by a deep-voiced male, designed to conceal the twist of She-Ra being Princess Adora as well as He-Man's lost long twin sister:

Where darkness rules fights the champion of light. Where hope seems lost, there rides the Rebellion. Together, they stand ready against the dark evil warriors of the Horde and their leader, the terrible Hordak. The Rebellion, armed with hope and ancient powers against the force and intergalactic army. This is the story of one who will become leader of the great rebellion: She-Ra: Princess of Power! (echoes)

Once She-Ra is introduced in episode three (She-Ra Unchained), episode four and all further episodes begin with a basic introduction to the premise and lead character narrated by Adora (which deliberately parallels the intro of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in both visuals and dialogue):

I am Adora, He-Man's twin sister, and defender of the Crystal Castle. This is Spirit, my beloved steed. Fabulous secrets were revealed to me the day I held aloft my sword and said, "For the honor of Grayskull! I am She-Ra!" Only a few others share this secret. Among them are Light Hope, Madame Razz and Kowl. Together, we and my friends of the Great Rebellion strive to free Etheria from the evil forces of Hordak!

 

Hordak, a real bad guy.

She-Ra won her battles by outsmarting their enemies.

Although She-Ra was cancelled before the originally planed finale for season 2, I can say her show was vastly superior than the original He-Man series. The animation had improved a lot since the early 80s, and the foreign inspiration brought by Animé, helped build more detailed characters with natural motion patterns, and detailed backgrounds and vehicles. Even the background music was more varied and complex. To make things more interesting, the show reveals that Hordak mentored He-Man's nemesis Skeletor, whom eventually betrayed Hordak. According to Skeletor's origin story in the 2002 reboot of "He-Man of the Masters of the Universe", Skeletor was an evil sorcerer warlord named Keldor. When he tried to assassinate the Eternian Elders, his face was burnt with acid. Future Eternian King Randor deflected the acid with his shield. Hordak saved Keldor, replaced Keldor's head with a skull, and renamed him Skeletor.

Now, let's bring back to life our long gone Trivia section:

-She-Ra's skirt never flies up despite her acrobatic tendencies. Lou Scheimer specifically asked animation coordinator Dori Littell-Herrick to make sure the lead characters private parts remained unseen. 

-The series' writers found that creating action scenes for She-Ra even more frustrating than with He-Man because not only did they have to minimize the violence, but they also had to contend with what they considered sexist pressure against the idea of a female hero being so forceful against challenges. 

-The "Star Wars" films, most notably "Star Wars: Episode VI- Return of the Jedi" were strong influences behind the cartoon. The cartoon is about the Great Rebellion fighting to free Etheria from Hordak. Princess Adora/She-Ra is He-Man/Prince Adam's long-lost twin sister, separated from Adam when she was kidnapped by Hordak as a baby and Adora/She-Ra who serves Hordak as the Captain of the Evil Horde sides with the Great Rebellion when she learns the truth of her past. 

The Masterverse is real.

 

Colorful friends & foes.

-She-Ra was originally scripted to appear in Masters of the Universe (1987) but was dropped from the movie. If She-Ra had appeared in the movie she would had been played by either Brigitte Nielsen or Sybil Danning. Both actresses are natural blondes and have played warriors in other movies.

-The science fiction film Galaxis (1995) starring Brigitte Nielsen was originally considered to be a live-action film of "She-Ra", which would be a spin-off of "Masters of the Universe" and the plot of the film would had been similar to "Masters of the Universe". The film would had been about She-Ra, as leaves Etheria and goes to Earth, as she sets out to Hordak, whom has also gone to Earth find a mystical crystal, which is believed to destroy all life on Eteria, Earth and the known universe. 

-The character models for Adora and She-Ra were designed by artist Diane Keener, based on various different concepts provided by the design departments of both Filmation and Mattel. The design was approved by Lou Scheimer on September 19, 1984. 

-Adora was originally named "Eve" in order to go with the "Adam & Eve" concept. However, since they were twins, they skipped the idea to avoid any incestuous misconceptions.

Horde Trooper & Grizzlor.

Hordak,  dictator of Etheria.

Now, returning to our review, what 80s parents liked the most about She-Ra is that it was one of the few animated kids' action series with a female at the center of the story. As such, it can be seen today as an early example in media of the girls can do anything concept. Moreover,  many of the female characters on She-Ra are the wisest and most powerful, while males are often minor characters or villains. Something that is definitely in line with today's social affairs. Each episode centered on a positive social lesson such as the benefits of generosity. 

The ACT & 22 Minute Commercials.

Ronald Reagan instituted the deregulation of advertising at the start of the 1980s. This allowed companies to market as much as they wanted to children, leading to an explosion of new toys, cartoons, junk food, fast food, and breakfast cereals. Meals, movies, entertainment — they’re usually all determined by what the kids want. Children can influence 95% of selecting a restaurant, 89% in what beverages a family buys, and 80% of where a family vacation will be. This is all fine and good for daytime television, but targeting children was seen as harmful. Action For Children’s Television (ACT) was formed in 1968 in Massachusetts as a grassroots foundation to improve the quality of children’s programming. However, as above mentioned, this ACT only had power until 1979, which is when Reagan opened the gates to every form of marketing possible. manufacturers could now do whatever the hell they wanted. This is why you see an explosion of toys, cartoons, candy, fast food items, and junk food in the 1980s.

There was a 300% increase in cartoons that had licensed characters. As much as we loved these shows, let’s be realistic: They were nothing more than 22-minute commercials to sell toys and products. Shows based on any toy you could think of were put into production (example: “Rubik, The Amazing Cube”). Not only that, but it also enticed the broadcasters to schedule these shows in exchange for part of the profit from the toy sales.

The 1980s were not just a time of crimped hair, spandex, and leg warmers, but a time when some huge pop-cultural shifts happened. We look back on a lot of the entertainment from the decade with nostalgia, but all of it was completely commerce-driven.

We can thank Ronald Reagan for pretty much creating the 80s as we know it. If you were a kid growing up then, you loved it without knowing you were a pawn of huge corporations.

Crystal Castle playset.

Collect 'em all!

 

Now, why would I bring up the  ACT and Reagan's deregulation of advertisement?  Because that's what ultimately killed most of these wonderful shows. Especially, Masters Of The Universe & She-Ra, which I can unmistakably defend for they had heart, stories and values that went beyond other shows like, G.I. Joe where in each of its 95 episode run, you'll see at least 4 new characters and vehicles per episode. With She-Ra & He-Man there were also the mini comics which expanded on the origin of each character. Obviously, this was also a clever way to market their toys, nevertheless, you can still re-watch these shows because there are stories taking place,  unlike Transformers which seeing them now as an adult, are as boring as a televised golf game.

MOTU fever has recently been revitalized, but now I'm sure the strategy will work for longer period of time, since most of its consumers are fully functioning adults with money to buy that toy they never had as a  kid. They say life it's cyclical and this 80s toy revival more than proves it.

Until then, stay fresh cheese bags!

Here's She'Ra's opening:

 

And here's She-Ra's ending:

Masters of the Universe (the Movie)

I have the fucking power!!!

The 80's spawned a great selection of cartoons/animé that are remembered to date as breakthrough pieces of art. We had The Transformers, Robotech, Thundercats, G.I. Joe, M.A.S.K., and a long selection of Animé featuring Gatchaman, Space Adventure Cobra, Captain Harlock and a growing selection of direct to video OVA. Despite sharing a popularity that spread overseas, there was only one cartoon that would make it to the big screen: He-Man & the Masters of the Universe. Luckily, I was an 80's kid and my dad took to the movies the day He-Man became a real live action intergalactic hero.

Masters of the Universe unlike many of the later live action attempts (Super Mario Bros., Double Dragon, Street Fighter, Silent Hill, Transformers, G.I. Joe to name a few) is a film where the direction, acting & music are solid good. The overall experience is that of an entertaining recipe: action, plot, surprise, special effects and more action. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was a hugely successful mid-80's cartoon. The success of each fed the other, as well as a popular comic book and loads of other merchandise. Finally in 1987 came the big one: the motion picture.

What looks like suicide at first glance - converting a cartoon based on action figures into a full-length feature - gets more appealing when you look at the source material closer. The cartoon is a epic hybrid of fantasy and sci-fi, with ancient castles and sorcerers mixing with laser guns and cyborgs. It also has a very mythic feel, mixing Ancient Greece-era monsters and challenges with fairy tale locations. In addition, to give MOTU a more realistic look, the film scenery borrows ideas previously seen in Star Wars, Flash Gordon & Conan the Barbarian which by the way do not look as cheap copies or trying to rip-off from somebody else's creativity.

He-Man exists, I believe!

Skeletor!

There are also hordes of exotic characters - warriors, mutants, monsters, magicians of every description, so the film makers could pick the coolest ones to bring to the screen. The ones they've chosen are He-Man and his arch enemy Skeletor (obviously), amazon-type female warrior Teela and her dad Man-At -Arms, the Sorceress of Grayskull, Skeletor's second in command Evil Lyn (which is always pronounced 'Evil-In'), and Beastman. Added to these are four characters that were created for the film - Gwildor, a dwarf-like inventor, Karg, a cross between Captain Hook and a bat, snake-like Sauron, and Blade, a sword and knife-obsessed slaphead. So that's eleven fantasy characters running about, which is a pretty good total.

Masters of the Universe succeeds because it takes the cartoon and adapts not it's superficial qualities, but it's essence into a movie, turning it into a mature sci-fi/fantasy adventure. This is where so many comic and cartoon based movies fail. They don't adapt their source material properly to make a successful feature film. You need to make the movie a natural progression from what it's based on, altering the look enough so it looks acceptable in real action, altering the characters into real people, choosing actors who can give real performances. It's not simply dressing superstars up as characters from a comic or cartoon, it's re-imagining the ideas as a movie. MOTU does this perfectly. You can fault it as a film itself, of course, but you can't fault it as an adaption.

The production design is superb, with some superbly realized sets and costumes. Everything has been adapted to look more realistic on the big screen. The cast give uniformly decent performances. Nobody lets the side down - these are all 3D characters, not cartoons. Dolph Lungren proves he's one of the European bodybuilder brigade who can act. Frank Langella gives an outstanding performance as Skeletor, his powerful presence almost bursting out of the TV and into your living room. Langella gives a shining example to all actors portraying comic book and cartoon characters in live action. There is a pervading sense of dread whenever he appears, especially during Castle Grayskull sequences, and the script gives him some awesome lines which he delivers with pure evil dripping from his voice.

He-Man sidekicks.

He-Man, Teela & The Sorceress.

The monsters are pretty bloody scary, especially for a family film, especially the Beastman (who's had a 'the' added to his name). The sequence where they invade a school gym and chase Julie around it is excellent, far more exciting and scary than similar chases in many horror films (including some of those Courtney Cox has been in). It's also, like the rest of the film, surprisingly violent, as the bad guys attack Julie with swords, claws, laser guns and high velocity darts. That she manages to escape is not unbelievable at all, because of the way the chase is staged - it's just a relief she gets out of there, the goal of any such chase scene. The sheer amount of bad guys that the small band of heroes has to face adds greatly to the drama.

Setting half of the movie on Earth has it's advantages and disadvantages. It does give the film a human component, and two ordinary teenagers to be pulled into the adventure with (something that Michael Bay never got right in the Transformers trilogy). It also makes the monsters scarier - rather than being in a distant galaxy, they are in the neighborhood, viciously attacking people and destroying whatever they come across. On the other hand, it would have been cool to see some more of the war torn Eternia and the planet's weird inhabitants and locations, but MOTU had a relatively small budget, so that sort of stuff was off limit anyway. A little too much time is spent on the almost soap-opera angle of Julie and Kevin, but it helps flesh out their characters to make them believable.

MotU is also packed with action, and we do mean packed. There is an outbreak of violence every 15 minutes or so, usually even less, and there is variety and imagination among the content, unlike many action films, which consist of repetitive shoot outs and nothing more. It could possibly be said that it's quantity over quality, as some of it, particularly the shoot-outs, are badly filmed, and none of the action ever reaches adrenalin pumping. However, it's good enough, in-yer-face and quite exciting to watch, with He-Man taking out hordes of bad guys with his sword, laser beams everywhere, mass destruction and some good old rough and tumble. And all the action grows organically from the story - none of it seems put in simply because the movie needed an action scene at a certain point.

Bring it on!

Sexy Evil-Lyn.

One of MOTU's greatest assets is it's atmosphere. The sense of an intergalactic civil war is tangible, as is the sheer menace of the villains, the desperation of the good guys, the growing sense of doom as Skeletor captures the Cosmic Key. There is a cower-behind-the-sofa scariness similar to that of TV's Doctor Who.

If Masters of the Universe was re-released at cinemas this summer, people would realize how good it is compared to the blockbuster summer fare we get these days. And all for $17m, which was hardly anything, even in 1987.

Secrets of Masters of the Universe revealed.

Superman & He-Man where close to having a common enemy.

 

Sarah Douglas was initially approached to play the part of Evil-Lyn, in an attempt to cash in on her success of playing wicked evil ladies in Superman, Superman II and Conan the Destroyer, but the interest came to nothing and ultimately Meg Foster played the part.  

a film based on action figures or a cartoon? 

Many viewers reviewed the motion picture in comparison to the cartoon, when it really was an adaptation of the toys only (which initially depicted He-Man as a barbarian in the first mini-comics (not Prince Adam or Orko). Ed Pressman was interested in the property before the cartoon was even aired and purchased the movie rights of the Mattel characters, not Filmation's who had no involvement whatsoever in the film. Also it was logistically too complicated and expensive to include creatures such as Battle Cat.  

Meg Foster's FX.

Many viewers of the film commented on actress Meg Foster's eerily effective contact lenses which gave her character of Evil-Lyn a sinister and unearthly air. Actually she wore no contact lenses, her eyes naturally having blue/grey irises and tiny pupils giving her a striking appearance. She has often been cast in sci-fi/fantasy roles because of them and jokes that she appeals to casting directors as she brings her own special effect with her for free.  

Enter the world of Eternia.

Lundgren speaks no English.

Director Gary Goddard had planned to have all of Dolph Lundgren's lines dubbed by another actor, as Lundgren had only limited acting experience, a thick Sweedish accent, and was not yet fluent in English during filming. Lundgren, however, had stipulated in his contract that he would have at least three opportunities to re-dub his lines in post production. With the film running behind schedule, Goddard decided to use Lundgren's natural voice instead. 

The Terminator stole Skeletor's line!

 

When the extra scene after the end credits where Skeletor says "I'll Be Back!" was filmed. Frank Langella, wearing his skull mask, was placed into a tank filled with red water. When director Gary Goddard called "Action!". Langella would surface, look back at the camera and give his line.  

Mattel & the ultimate contest.

Mattel, the toy company that produced the original He-Man toys, ran a contest where the winner would get a role in the new He-Man movie. But since the movie was already under the gun to be finished in time and over budget, director Gary Goddard had to squeeze in the contest winner into the shoot. The winner, Richard Szponder, is featured as "Pigboy" who hands Skeletor his staff when he returns from Earth. 

Friends?

Jack Kirby was not here.

Director Gary Goddard clarified in a letter to John Byrne's 'Next Men #26' that Byrne was correct in his comparison of the film to Jack Kirby's New Gods stories and characters for DC Comics, but the film was also an homage to all of Kirby's Marvel Comics work as well. Goddard had tried to hire Kirby as a conceptual artist, and had also planned to dedicate the film in the closing credits to him, but the studio, Cannon Films, objected to both ideas. Despite one of the studio's other licensed properties in development at the time being Spider-Man, Goddard's vision of a "motion picture comic book" take on the film was met with the studio stance that "comics are just for kids."

Castle Greyskull, the largest set ever.

 

The Throne Room set of Castle Greyskull originally were two large, adjoining sound stages. The wall between the sets was knocked down to make one gigantic sound stage. At that time, it was the largest set Hollywood had seen in over forty years.

Masters of the Universe II.

Director Albert Pyun had planned to film a sequel to 'Masters of the Universe' (with professional surfer Laird John Hamilton replacing Dolph Lundgren as He-Man) at the same time as Spider-Man. Right before filming was to begin, Mattel and Marvel revoked the rights to both properties due to non-payment by Cannon Films. Cannon was reaching their end as a company at the time, as a result of the 1987 stock market crash on junk bonds (which Cannon had used extensively to finance films) and poor overall financial management. In order to recoup some of the money spent on sets, costumes and props from both intended films, Cannon had Pyun quickly get a script written, Cyborg, for one of Cannon's promising new action stars, Jean-Claude Van Damme; although Pyun had Cannon regular, Chuck Norris, in mind to star at first. There has been some confusion over the years in some TV listings for Cyborg (1989), with it being billed as 'Masters of the Universe 2: Cyborg'. This lead some to speculate that the script for the proposed sequel had been rewritten for Cyborg. In reality it was due to the connection of both productions during the demise of the Cannon Films studio.

Overall, a wonderful sci-fi movie that is way better than what they say.

Here's the movie trailer:

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

Legendary cartoon.

When it comes to a cartoon that had brute force and action, nothing can go past the 1983 series of ‘He-man and the masters of the universe'. In an era that had so many great cartoons, ‘He-man' stood tall and was a great success. He-man would have to go up as one of the great cartoons of all time. Once Prince Adam held up his magical sword and turned into ‘the most powerful man in the universe', every kid in the 80's was in for the ride of their life.

In the mystical planet of ‘Eternia', lives Prince Adam, a prince who leads the lazy life of royalty. Known by only a few close friends/allies, when Prince Adam holds up his magic sword, and says ‘by the power of Grayskull', he turns into the mighty hero, ‘He-Man'. Together with his friends (such as Teela, her father, Man-at-arms, mysterious Orko and Adam's wimpy cat, Cringer, who turns into Battle Cat), He-Man must battle ‘the masters of the universe', who strive to gain control of Eternia and the secrets of Castle Grayskull. Grayskull is the magical centre of Eternia, from where He-Man derives his powers, and is the one place he must defend from the evil Skeletor. 

He-Man & the mighty Battle Cat.

Secret identity.

I believe He-man was successful for many reasons. There was some real inventive character in He-man. Our hero himself was an impressive and imposing character and drawn up to perfection. Other good people include Orko, Man-At-Arms (Duncan), The Sorceress, Ram-Man, Stratos, Teela, King Randor and Queen Marlena. The Bad guys include their leader, Skeletor, who is as evil a character I have seen on a cartoon. Behind Skeletor are Evil-Lyn, Beast Man, Tri-Klops, Merman and TrapJaw. They are all different types of people, with strange powers and abilities.

The voice-overs for He-man come from a limited amount of people, showing how good these people's voiceover talents really are. Talents such as John Erwin, Alan Oppenheimer, Linda Gray, Lou and Erika Schreimer, have a great variety of characters to voice, with some of the voices such as Skeletor's and Orko's, quite remarkable. 

Orko & Teela.

I love the world that was designed for this cartoon. Having it be as magical-a -place as ‘Eternia', where it has great magical powers was really interesting. To then add fascinating little facets such as Castle Grayskull (the magical home of Eternia), Skeletor's hideout Snake Mountain, the palace in the centre of Eternia and the crystal sea were good for the story. The talents behind the ideas for the He-man's characters, home planet and storylines included all sum up for a masterpiece like only the 80's could have delivered.

Can there be any hero that can top ‘He-man'? I believe there is not, because he was good to watch as a kid, giving us all the belief to do what is right and to not follow the path of evil. My favourite characters in the series have to be Orko and Skeletor, who had interesting stories behind them. He-man also had a twin sister named ‘She-Ra' who had all the same magical powers as He-man, (with a great TV cartoon movie, titled ‘The Secret of the Sword'). It was interesting to learn how She-Ra comes to be and how she was taken away from her parents as a baby. I was surprised to learn that there was a new version of ‘He-man', released last year. Although it is a little different, in my opinion the new He-man looks great. While I might be a bit old to get into it, the ‘kid' in me will be on lookout to see a few episodes. 

Skeletor, agent of evil.

The Masters of the Universe Trivia

Prince Adam is supposed to be a teenager; however, to save on animation costs, he was animated with the exact same design as He-Man.

The Brains of Lou Scheimer & Satan!

Executive producer Lou Scheimer was instrumental in developing the concept of He-Man Mattel Toys and D.C Comics. The character had originally appeared in D.C. comics as a Conan the Barbarian-type character living in a post-apocalyptic world. Scheimer called the story "the most vile thing I'd ever read". Taking inspiration from the character Captain Marvel from an earlier Filmation series, Scheimer developed the concept of Prince Adam as He-Man's alter ego, the character of the Sorceress as his benevolent mentor, and Orko as the jester-style comic relief, to make the show more kid-friendly. Despite these changes, the show still came under fire from some groups as too violent, with some even accusing it of having hidden Satanic messages.

French were afraid of Skeletor!

Episodes in which the character Skeletor appeared were never broadcast in France. The image of his skull-face was considered too terrifying for television.

Who the hell was Gorpo?

Orko's name was originally Gorpo in early concepts for the shows. The character's name was changed to save on animation costs: Animators were able to flip animation cells, thus using them twice, because of the symmetrical "O".

Man of a thousand voices.

The writers would deliberately give Alan Oppenheimer's characters lines in quick succession, so they could watch him, quite amusingly, switch between characters during recording sessions. 

Saturday mornings would never be the same.

First cartoon to air in the USA on weekday afternoons instead of Saturday Mornings.

Credits Typo.

Linda Gary's name was sometimes misspelled as "Linda Gray" in the closing titles. 

Kissing cousins.

Mekaneck's secret identity.

Lou Scheimer provided the voice for Mekaneck in all of his appearances, but used different two different vocal characterizations. 

Toys your kid will love.
 

While the show was conceived to help advertise the action figure line, several characters were created for the show and then later made into toys. These include Prince Adam, Orko, King Randor and The Sorceress.

Action Figures Leftovers.

Several action figures which were made in 1986 were added to the cast of She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985) because production on Masters of the Universe had ceased: Rokkon, Stonedar, Snout Spout, Multi-Bot, The Horde Trooper, Rattlor, Tung Lashor, and a character named "Colonel Blast" who appears to have been based on the figure Rio Blast. 

One of the largest toy collections ever.

Life advice from your Cartoon Heroes. 

At the end of each episode He-Man, Man-at-Arms, Teela and Orko give the younger viewers tips and advice about life.

Conan the Barbarian rated PG.

Legend has it that Mattell had originally planned to make a line of toys based on the 1982 movie Conan the Barbarian (1982), but balked when the finished movie was rated R. (This was before the advent of MacFarlane toys and other action figures aimed at adults.) Instead of scrapping the line, they created He-Man. Most sources agree that, while He-Man was influenced by Conan, there was no direct connection.

Do you remember Jitsu?

Skeletor also had a lesser-known henchman by the name of Jitsu. He only appeared one time during the series. The character design made him look like he was Asian. He had a large golden hand that was used to give karate chops to his enemies. 

Did the Castle of Greyskull actually have a secret worth fighting for?

The secret of Castle Greyskull was supposed to have been that it contained a collective entity that was the combined consciousness of Eternia's ancient scholars contained in a sphere. This had to be dropped, although references to the secret remain in various episodes of the series. However, the idea was used in the new series from 2002. 

I don't like my soup cold.

He-Man & Friends cameos.

Even though this series ended in 1985, several "Masters of the Universe" characters (including He-Man, Orko, Skeletor, and Battle Cat) would make occasional guest appearances on the spin-off show "She-Ra: Princess Of Power", which ran from 1985 to 1987. The character of She-Ra was He-Man's sister. 

He-Man's  secret almost revealed!
 

The character of Ram-Man was the only person who came close to realizing that Prince Adam and He-Man were the same person. 

She-Ra &  He-Man crossover.

The Evil Horde, the antagonists from She-Ra: Princess of Power (1985), make an appearance in one episode, "The Origin of the Sorceress". In that episode during a flashback, we see several reptilian soldiers wearing Horde logos functioning as scouting party before they're chased off. 

Here's the original opening:



Hope you enjoyed this little review that allows us to travel back in time to a time where everyone knew those were the days. He-Man was so popular it even had a live action film which, will be the next review. Until then live long and prosper and may the force be with you.