RIP to Tony Guerrero, the genius sculptor behind the first Masters of the Universe figures, who passed away 14 years ago today. Here are some quotes from He-Man designer/creator Mark Taylor about his friend Anthony G. Guerrero:
“My friend the sculptor Tony Guerrero was one of the best sculptors I’ve ever worked with ever. He was a friend of my father-in-law’s… he did all of the figures, he did them better than my B-sheets. A lot of you’ve seen my sketches, they they are certainly not shy and Tony when he did them he took them even a step further. Sometimes I’d look at it and I’d go holy mackerel that’s much better than my B-sheet.”
“And the other important guy for the line was Tony Guerrero. Tony Guerrero was a historic sculptor, who worked at Mattel, and it’s said that he also sculpted the first Barbie. Tony sculpted all the first figures himself, and he had that classical education about art and sculpture and he did an amazing job.”
“I was lucky. There was a great sculptor. His name was Tony Guerrero. He had known my wife’s family when he was growing up in Los Angeles. He’d known my wife’s family before he and I ever met. When we met, I speak a little Spanish and especially slang. And we got along great. He would take my drawings. He took one look at him and he says, I want to take a crack at this. His boss didn’t want him to. Nobody wanted him to. But he was a really good sculptor. So they’d give him some slack. And he started working with me and we started bringing stuff out. We started with the figures and we did something entirely different.”
I don’t recall being aware of Mattel’s 1985 Create-A-Character contest, or Fearless Photog, the winning entry by Nathan Bitner. I was first introduced to it when I started frequenting the old He-Man.Org forums. Since I haven’t really covered the topic yet on Battle Ram Blog, I thought it was about time that I rectified that situation!
In 1985, Mattel announced its create-a-character contest. The earliest mention of the contest I’ve found dates to September 4, 1985, in the The Crowley Post Signal:
The first newspaper ad I’ve found for the contest dates to September 8, 1985. However, I understand that at least some of the ads were also slipped in as a loose flier into newspapers. Those kinds of things don’t always get preserved in newspaper databases, so it’s possible it could have been advertised a bit earlier than the date I found.
Image source: Josh Van Pelt.
Here are the contest rules. The October 10 deadline makes me think that the ad must have gone out earlier than September 8, but then again maybe they wanted to limit the number of entries with a tight window of time.
OFFICIAL RULES-NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
On plain paper no larger than 8 x 11″, draw your new MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE character and handprint on the back of your drawing your name, address, phone number. and age, the character’s name, its special physical features and actions it can do, and if it is heroic or evil. Have your parent or legal guardian write and sign the statement: “My child and I agree to abide by the official rules of this contest. If a parent or legal guardian does not sign this statement, the entry will be eliminated from further judging. Include with your entry 2 proof-of-purchase seals or UPC codes from any MATTEL TOYS MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE items or on a separate 3 x 5 paper, name 3 different MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE action figures.
Mail to: MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE CHARACTER CONTEST, PO. Box 3317, Syosset, NY 11775. Enter as often as you wish, but each entry must be different, mailed separately, and received no later than October 10, 1985. No responsibility is assumed for lost, late, or misdirected mail. Every entrant will receive a gift of a MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Comic Book. One book per individual no matter how many entries are submitted. Allow 8-10 weeks for receipt of comic book.
Entries will be screened and judged for semi-finalist selection by National Judging Institute, Inc., an independent judging organization whose decisions are final Judging will be based on judges’ perception of: appeal of action features and accessories (0-30 points) originality of idea (0-25 points); appropriateness to MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE theme (0-20 points); appearance-how clearly do the drawing and description present the character (0-15 points); ease of manufacture (0-10 points). 1,005 semi-finalists will be selected from among all valid entries. 5 finalists will be selected by a panel of experts using the above judging criteria. Semi-finalists will receive a MATTEL TOYS MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE FRIGHT ZONE” Playset. The 5 finalists’ characters will be rendered in color by MATTEL-selected artists and described by MATTEL-selected writers to appear in Sunday Comics on December 8, 1985, whose readers will be asked to vote by telephone for their favorite character. Votes will be tallied by National Judging Institute, Inc. The entry receiving the most votes will be the Grand Prize winner. In case of ties, duplicate prizes will be awarded. Credits shall be given or not at MATTEL’s option in those entries published In the Sunday Comics.
The Grand Prize winner will have his or her character produced by MATTEL TOYS and will also receive: a) A Trust Fund valued at $100,000 upon maturity to be used as a college scholarship, or however deemed fit by the winner, and paid out in 4 equal installments of $25,000 per year commencing upon the winner reaching the age of 18. b) A MATTEL TOYS MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE toy collection worth $200, MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE video tapes, and a video cassette recorder. c) The right to be Honorary President of MATTEL, INC. for one day, including a 5-day trip to L.A. for a family of 4, round trip coach airfare, ground transportation, hotel accommodations, meal allowance and sightseeing.
The remaining 4 finalists will each receive: 3) A MATTEL TOYS MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE toy collection worth $200. b) A Trust Fund valued at $50,000 upon maturity, to be used as a college scholarship, or however deemed fit by the winner, and paid out in 4 equal installments of $12,500 per year commencing upon the winner reaching the age of 18.
Only one prize to an individual. Prizes may not be exchanged or transferred. All prizes will be awarded and winners notified by mail. No entry will be returned or acknowledged nor will correspondence be entered into with any entrant about the entries.
Each entry must be the sole, individual, unpublished original work of the contestant, Judges may disqualify any entry known or found to have been previously published or produced or to have been a winner in any other contest. Parents or legal guardians of winners will be required to sign an affidavit of authenticity, eligibility and release. Entry constitutes permission to use entrant’s name and likeness in any planned promotional activity associated with the MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE CREATE A CHARACTER CONTEST without further compensation. By entering the contest, each entrant acknowledges and agrees that his entries and all rights of copyright in copyrightable materials contained therein shall be deemed as works made for hire, and become the sole and exclusive property of and are hereby assigned to MATTEL, INC., which thereby has the right to alter, adapt, and modify, copy, publish, promote and otherwise use any and all rights pertaining thereto in any way for any purpose, the entrant’s character, name and description without compensation or payment (other than the gift referred to in paragraph 2) to the entrant.
Contest is open to children who are US. residents, 12 years of age or younger as of September 1, 1985, except children of those engaged in the design, manufacture or sale of toys, present and former employees and their families of MATTEL, INC., Its affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising agencies and Don Jagoda Associates, Inc. Contest void wherever prohibited or restricted by law. Taxes on prizes are the sole responsibility of the winners. 9. For a list of the major winners, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: MATTEL MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE CONTEST WINNERS, P.Q. Bax 3356, Syosset, NY 11775.
So the prizes were quite good – a $100,000 trust fund for the winner, plus $50,000 for the runners up, as well as $200 worth of Masters toys. The grand prize winner would also get to be the honorary “Mattel President” for a day, and be flown out to LA with their family.
Mattel selected five finalists and published pictures of their creations (professionally redrawn by Bruce Timm) in early December 1985. They asked fans to call in and vote for their favorite of the five as a way to choose the winner. The finalists were:
Fearless Photog, a character with a camera for a head
Netta, a human net character
Compactor, an evil character with suction cups all over his body
Eye Beam, a living eyeball with human arms and legs
Brainwave, a character with a giant brain with a powerful crystal
The Albuquerque Tribune actually did a little story on the finalists in a November 28, 1985 story:
The story, which focuses on Brain Wave, also summarizes all of the finalists:
Youngster’s ‘Brain Wave’ nets $50,000 prize By CLAY BAILEY Scripps Howard News Service COLLIERVILLE, Tenn.
“Brain Wave” already has earned 9-year-old Eddie Stafford of Collierville a $50,000 prize. And that could double.
“Brain Wave” is Eddie’s entry in the Masters of the Universe Create a Character Contest, sponsored by Mattel Toys.
The entry reaped benefits this month. The company selected “Brain Wave,” a warrior who uses a crystal in his brain rather than muscle to overcome evil, as one of five finalists in the contest. Eddie now is eligible for the grand prize, which would mean an additional $50,000.
“I just sat down and started doodling,” the excited youngster said. “Sometimes I let my imagination run wild, but I sort of restrained it. I didn’t think I would make it to the five finalists. It took me about a day.” “Brain Wave” uses cosmic power packs to energize the crystal, which “stuns or destroys” his enemies.
“Brain Wave” is vulnerable only if the energy packs on his wrists are removed, or if his hands are tied behind his back.
The selection of Eddie as a finalist “shocked the fool out of us,” said Donald Stafford, Eddie’s father. “We really didn’t expect it,” added his mother, Lynn Stafford. “We thought it was good, but the competition in a nationwide contest is so steep, we just didn’t think he’d win.”
Eddie’s creation will be published along with those of other finalists in newspapers nationwide on Dec. 8.Readers will be asked to vote by telephone for the best of the quintet.
Other finalists include Nathan Bitner, 11, of Naperville, Ill. His creation, “Fearless Photog,” focuses on villains with a camera-shaped head and drains their powers.
The only female finalist, Josette D’Ambrosi, 9, of Brooklyn, N.Y., created the one female super-hero, “Netta.” “Netta,” a large net-shaped figure, traps Evil Warriors for the classic hero, He-Man.
John Rowe, 11, of West Elizabeth, Pa., designed the only evil figure that made the finals. His creation, “Compactor,” traps victims in his vise-like chest.
The fifth finalist, Ricky Ardmore, 11, of Eatonville, Wash., sketched a heroic figure in the shape of an eyeball with hands and legs. “Eye Beam” is a seeing-eye guardian for He-Man. The finalists will begin receiving the $50,000 at age 18. The money will be paid in four annual installments.
The winner of the contest will receive $100,000 in four annual installments of $25,000 beginning when the child turns 18; a five- day trip to Los Angeles and bragging rights for supplying the idea for a future Masters of the Universe character. Mattel will produce the toy.
While in Los Angeles, the winner will be Mattel’s honorary president for a day.
There’s also a fun story about a semi-finalist who didn’t win one of the big cash prizes, but instead was rewarded with toys. Benjamin Pace, aged 7 at the time, created an Evil Horde character with a bloodshot eyeball for a head. Interestingly, an early name for the character of Optikk was Eyegore, which you can see kind of crossed out and replaced with Eye-Yik in the concept art below:
The Baltimore Sun, January 5, 1986:
From the story:
Who knows what evil lurks in Ben’s heart? Eye-Gor By Abby Karp Staff writer
Who knows what evil lurks in the heart of Benjamin Butler Pace, a sweet, soft-spoken 7-year-old from Crofton?
Behind Ben’s four missing front teeth, his neat brown hair and the squeaky voice carrying a little lisp is the imagination that produced Eye-Gor, a creature ugly inside and out.
Eye-Gor has a bloodshot eyeball for a head and a radar unit where the rest of us have hearts. A member of the “Evil Horde,” a gang so bad that even the bad guys hate them, Eye-Gor instantly hypnotizes enemies by twitching his oversized eyeball.
Eye-Gor wields a triple-headed weapon, bares two fangs and stands on a pair of green spindly legs, which are dotted with small green bumps.
“Those are supposed to be muscles,” explains Ben’s older brother, Duncan.
Ben picks up the story of the master hypnotist. “He’s got three spikes on each arm and one on each leg and he can see if any- thing’s coming near the Evil Horde base. And he can go underwater.
“Um, I just made that part up,” he admits, with a giggle.
This double-ugly creature made Ben a winner in a recent contest by Mattel Inc., the company that created the Evil Horde as part of the He-Man and Masters of the Universe cartoon. Of 44,000 entries in the Masters of the Universe Create A Character Contest, Eye-Gor was one of 1,005 creatures promoted to semi-finalist status.
At least, the Pace family thinks Eye-Gor was the semi-finalist. Ben sent in a total of four drawings, including a snake-man, an insect-man and a tree that grabs bad guys when they flee through the forest.
But the form letter from “The National Judging Institute,” which carried the good news to Ben, didn’t say which of his characters won. And with no phone number listed for the institute in Syosset, N.Y., the Paces must be content to assume Eye-Gor made the grade.
The first-place winner in the national contest was a 12-year-old Illinois boy, who created “Fearless Photog.” His prize is a $100,000 scholarship and the chance to be president for a day of California-based Mattel, the country’s biggest toy company. Fearless Photog, a “heroic camera-man,” will appear in the cartoon and be produced as a molded plastic toy.
Ben’s prize as a semi-finalist was an Evil Horde Fright Zone Playset, one of the few Masters of the Universe toys which he and Duncan don’t yet own. The letter telling Ben of his prize came the Saturday after Christmas, providing a quick relief to the after-Christmas blues.
Given the size of the top prize, Barbara Pace says, entering the contest “was worth the price of the stamp.” But generally she regards the He-Man show as “one long commercial” for the toys Mattel makes.
“I don’t like cartoons in general. This one [Masters of the Universe] is not as bad as some. They try to have a moral at the end,” says Ms. Pace...
Fearless Photog
Fearless Photog: character created by Nathan Bitner, illustrated by Bruce Timm
Nathan Bitner’s Fearless Photog was of course chosen as the grand prize winner of the contest. Nathan described his character in a story in the Wausau Daily Herald, published December 19, 1985.
From the story:
Fearless Photog wins 12-year-old dreams up toy
NEW YORK (AP) Watch out Skeletor! Beat it, Hordak, and take your Evil Horde with you! Fearless Photog is on the way. thanks to a gifted 12-year-old who was named winner of Mattel’s Create a Character contest. Fearless Photog is the brainchild of Nathan Bitner, a student from Naperville, Ill., about 40 miles west of Chicago.
With a video-camera turret-head, film-reel belt and flashbulb reflector shield, Fearless Photog focuses on his enemies and zaps their evil powers, leaving only the good behind.
“I wanted to make a humane guy who defeated evil but left the good behind because there’s some good in every person.” His creation is fearless, Nathan said, because “he doesn’t use any weapons really and still goes into battle.”
“We think it’s an excellent figure,” said David Capper, Mattel’s director of marketing. He said it encompasses the Masters of the Universe theme, which is that good always conquers evil but always in a non-violent way.
Nathan’s winning entry was chosen by children who voted by telephone for one of five finalists.
Nathan Bitner, 12, of Naperville, Ill., displays a drawing of his toy creation, “Fearless Photog,” in New York Wednesday. Bitner got a $100,000 college scholarship, for winning Mattel’s Create a Character contest.
Nathan said he entered the contest because “I thought it was neat that Mattel would let kids give their ideas and then listen too one of these ideas.” He also wanted to win the top prize: $100,000 college scholarship, payable in four installments when he turns 18.
His creation will be sold as part of the 1987 Masters of the Universe collection.
Interesting, in this story, it’s said that not only does Photog drain villains of their powers, he can also convert them into good guys. That’s an aspect of Fearless Photog that is not usually mentioned.
The story said that Fearless Photog was to be a part of the 1987 Masters of the Universe collection. Of course that was not to be. It’s not entirely clear what happened with it. The 1987 Mattel Dealer Catalog actually shows several figures that would end up not being made due to the cancellation of the line that year. But Fearless Photog is nowhere to be found. You’d think if Photog was in the works he might have shown up in that catalog. Maybe he was going to be pushed back to 1988 instead – a year that never happened for MOTU in the US.
Here’s one more newspaper story about Nathan and his character. It was published in The Dispatch on December 26, 1985:
Nathan’s winning entry was announced in the US He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Magazine, Spring 1986. Nathan was honored as the “He-Man of the Issue”
Side note: in the same magazine in the Spring 1985 issue there was a Create-A-Character activity! Thanks to hk_toyworks for the tip!
The lack of a figure in the vintage line kind of gave the figure a quasi-mythical status among fans. There was certainly some pent up demand, which was finally met with the arrival of the figure in the MOTU Classics line in 2012.
MOTU Classics Fearless Photog prototype, sculpted by the Four Horsemen
Fearless Photog had been teased previously in the bio released for MOTU Classics Captain Glenn (ie Queen Marlena before she crash landed on Eternia.) It’s said that she was assigned to something called “Project Photog.” However this project was never elaborated upon, even in Fearless Photog’s bio.
Captain Glenn (Matty.com version) Real Name: Marlena Glen Heroic Cosmic Adventurer Before she was Queen of Eternia, Marlena Glenn was a heroic explorer and space captain from Planet Earth. Along with her courageous crew, she traveled the stars in search of new sources of fuel for her homeword. A crack shot with almost any laser riffle, she prefers a Higuchi 1114 model for its speed and accuracy. On many adventures she learned to rely on not only her strength and courage but her intellect as well. After completing her assignment with Project Photog, Marlena volunteered to pilot an experimental Warp Ship through a black hole. Arriving in the center of her dimension, she become the first Earthling to make contact with the magical planet of Eternia. Late in life, she used the power of the Cosmic Key to return to her homeworld, discovering a great secret that linked the two planets she called home!
And here is the bio for MOTU Classics Fearless Photog:
Fearless Photog Real Name: Jey Heroic Master of Cameras BURST: Created by Nathan Bitner! Apprentice to Gwildor, Jey often daydreamed of life as a member of the Masters of the Universe. His dreams became a reality when he was selected along with five other inventors by the Science Council to journey to Eternos to present his latest creation; the Photog Emulator. During the presentation a slight miscalculation lead to a flux overload merging Jey with his invention. Finding he could drain his enemies powers and display their defeat on his chest, Jey called himself the Fearless Photog and was offered membership with his idols in the Masters of the Universe. He heroically fought during the Second Ultimate Battleground helping to defeat several of Skeletor’s warriors including Clawful and Whiplash. Photog drains his enemies’ power, displaying their defeat for all to see!
Images via eBay
The release of the figure also sparked some additional interest in Nathan Bitner’s story. He was interviewed back in 2012 by John Atkin for He-Man.Org. You can read the interview here.
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As a kind of sequel to my previous article about the Masters of the Universe Power Promo that I wrote last year, I’d like to talk about a similar document I came across, the Masters of the Universe “Power Play” trade ad. Like the Power Promo, it gives a preview of Mattel’s marketing campaign for the first year of the Masters of the Universe line. The point of this information was to assure retailers that if they bought MOTU products for their stores, Mattel would be providing plenty of marketing to help make the line a top seller.
Unfortunately I don’t know where this was actually published – I’m sure it was in some industry magazine (perhaps Playthings Magazine?). The seller doesn’t divulge where these things come from, as they make their living on finding and selling rare vintage ads.
First Page
The first page of the Power Play trade ad shows the cover for DC Comics’ Fate is the Killer, which was released as an insert/preview inside other comics on August 26, 1982. The previously mentioned Power Promo didn’t have any artwork for the DC Comics despite mentioning them, so I’m guessing this “Power Play” trade ad came out a bit later, when some of the early DC Comics artwork had been completed. The colors on this art are a little different than on the actual published comic – the main difference being Skeletor is holding a gray Power Sword. By contrast the published comic showed him with a purple power Sword. This unique version of the cover did appear later in a digital edition of Fate is the Killer.
Second Page
This page is very similar to a page in the Power Promo, except photographs have been replaced by drawings. The ad talks about some of the planned promotions, including TV ads, national print ads, the free mini comics included with figures, something called a “Power Sword National Sweepstakes,” shelf strip marketing, and cash rebates.
There is also an illustration for the Power Sword National Sweepstakes, which appeared on a different page in the Power Promo. The page says that the Sweepstakes was to be promoted in a Sunday comic strip advertisement. However the actual comic strips that came out in 1982 don’t say anything about a Power Sword National Sweepstakes, and instead they give readers the chance to win free copies of the DC Comics MOTU issues, or to even appear in them. Incidentally, no fans appear in the DC Comics MOTU issues to my knowledge.
I think the Power Sword promotion must have been cancelled, since it has never turned up outside of a marketing plan, as far as I know.
Third Page
Most of the third page text content also appears in the Power Promo document mentioned earlier. It covers DC Comics, Halloween costumes by Ben Cooper, and the Western Publishing Pop Up Game. This time a redrawn illustration from the Alcala mini comics is included, as well as an illustration of the MOTU Pop-Up Game. However, the part shown above about Merchandising Displays appeared on a different page in the other promo. It shows an illustration of an end cap display for Masters of the Universe, which also shows how the toys would be arranged in the display
Below is the actual final art by John Youssi for the shelf talker/shelf strip promo that was shown in the third page of the ad (image courtesy of John’s son, Andy Youssi):
Because the art is so wide and short, I’m chopping it up into two pieces to make the art easier to appreciate:
Here are pages 2 and 3 combined:
Fourth Page
This final page is an illustrated version of a toy photograph page that appeared in the Power Promo. I had actually seen this illustrated image years ago out of context, posted to Facebook without explanation. It’s nice to finally learn where it came from! This version includes an inset illustration of the back of the castle, which wasn’t in the photo this was taken from.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this look at the interesting “Power Play” trade ad and Mattel’s marketing strategy for the first year of Masters of the Universe. See you next time!
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With the arrival of the new Mondo Goddess figure, we thought it would be a good time to take a look at the history of the character. We’ll cover her original concept design, her appearances in comics and toys over the years, and provide a look at the new 1/6 scale Mondo figure at the end of the article.
The name Goddess or Green Goddess, historically, did not apply to the character under discussion in this article, at least not originally. She appeared in exactly one comic and in one piece of concept art in the 1980s, and in both instances she was called the Sorceress. Nevertheless, since the name/title Sorceress has come to refer to the falcon-themed guardian of Castle Grayskull who appeared in the Filmation He-Manand the Masters of the Universe cartoon, we’ve used the name “Goddess” in the title to avoid confusion.
Mark Taylor’s Sorceress
The Sorceress/Green Goddess was created by Mark Taylor for the original Masters of the Universe line. In her original design, she was not green-skinned, but actually wearing a green body suit, similar to Man-At-Arms. Her allegiance isn’t specifically stated, but she does have a slightly evil or at least crafty look to her.
A black and white version of the above artwork with green Pantone stickers is dated June 8, 1981, shown below. Mark notes that she was to use the same basic body as “Female Warrior” (Teela). Note that Teela’s gold decoration on her white tunic was supposed to be a separate overlay rather than something sculpted to her torso. So this figure would have gotten the snake headdress but not the gold fleur-de-lis-esque costume elements.
Years ago, I asked Mark Taylor what his original intent was for the character:
Adam: Teela and the Sorceress/Goddess (the one with the snake armor) were originally separate characters. Whose decision was it to combine them into a single action figure? How did you feel about that? Did you intend the sorceress character to be a hero or a villain?
Mark: She was actually supposed to be a changeling but the comic book guys had a hard time with that. Also, the head of girls toys wanted to rip her off for Princess of Power (because now the line was very hot!). She was intended to be like a spy and play both sides with some magic but the “professionals” felt that was too complex (I guess they don’t get Game of Thrones either).
Goddess/Sorceress face close-up
As Mark has explained in public appearances, he didn’t want to give up on the idea that Sorceress was a “bad person”. Her personality is perhaps mirrored in her stern, cold facial expression in Mark’s concept art. Mark has also said that, though initially “bad”, he had the idea that Sorceress could at times team up with either Skeletor or He-Man.
He-Man and the Power Sword
In the original Masters of the Universe mini comics, the green-skinned Sorceress appears only in the aforementioned He-Man and the Power Sword. Contrary to Mark’s conceptualization, she is unambiguously heroic, providing help for He-Man and defending the Power Sword and Castle Grayskull from Skeletor. Note that in this story her face is green, indicating that she’s not wearing a green body suit, as originally designed by Mark.
Alfredo Alcala’s illustration of Mark Taylor’s Sorceress
I’ve talked before about how Mattel elected to produce only one female figure for the 1982 Masters of the Universe debut, and so combined Teela and Goddess into one figure. In some early stories, when you are seeing what looks like Teela wearing her snake armor, it’s actually the Goddess (or often called the Sorceress). But in other early stories it’s just Teela with snake armor on. It could be quite confusing, and so the Sorceress character was redesigned by Filmation with a totally different look to make things clearer. You can read more about that in the two articles below. In this article we are focusing only on the green-skinned version of the character.
So, back to the Sorceress in her appearance in He-Man and the Power Sword. She appears in four pages in the story. She is the first person that He-Man meets when he leaves his home in the jungle, whereupon he saves her from a purple beast that had attacked her.
Interestingly in her first appearance in the story she is holding a staff topped with what looks like an animal skull with horns. Later in the story we see Skeletor holding this same staff, which is not quite the same design as his Havoc Staff. She is not holding this staff in her concept art, but instead holds a snake staff.
The staff in Alcala’s illustration above is somewhat reminiscent of the Skeletor’s prototype staff. However the version in the comic looks more like a cow’s skull than a ram’s skull.
Skeletor prototype
On the page below, we see He-Man fighting the beast, aided by some “mystical bolts of force” from the Sorceress. In this panel we can see that she actually has the same tiara that Teela was supposed to have, poking out from the top of her snake helmet. Perhaps this was taken from another (lost) piece of concept art, because she has no exposed hair in the existing Mark Taylor B-sheet.
After He-Man defeats the monster, the Sorceress rewards him with some treasures she has been guarding. She explains that they were made centuries before the Great Wars by Eternian scientists. The treasures include his harness (which, depending on the model, give him augmented strength or a force field), an axe, a shield, the Battle Ram, and the Battle Chariot (an unproduced vehicle designed by Ted Mayer). We can also see a sword (not the Power Sword), some boots, and a spear.
The Goddess does not show up again in the story until near the end, where she disarms Skeletor by taking the Power Sword from him and splitting them into separate halves again. She disappears and is never seen again in any vintage stories, at least not with this coloring.
Just a note for those not familiar with this comic or this topic- Teela was definitely a separate character from the green-skinned Sorceress, and they both appear in He-Man and the Power Sword. In the story, Teela was a warrior character with apparently no magical abilities who was captured by Beast Man and Skeletor. In the end she escapes and helps He-Man and Man-At-Arms to fight off the Evil Warriors.
Learn the difference: it could save your life!
MOTU Classics The Goddess
The ethos of the Classics line was, for some reason, to retcon concept characters into completely new characters to “justify” their inclusion in the toyline. Or, sometimes two characters would be combined into one. How that would “justify” them is unclear. I suspect this was really done to maintain one consistent and harmonized story in the bios that went on the back of the packaging. The Goddess was released as a figure for the first time in 2009 in the MOTU Classics toyline. Originally she was supposed to have opaque skin, like the Sorceress character in the first mini comic, but Mattel design opted to make her translucent, which lead to problems with the figure cracking at the pelvis.
The color scheme was based on one particular panel in He-Man and the Power Sword where she had white bracers. The white was probably an oversight by the artist – in all the others her bracers were brown, and they are also brown in Mark Taylor’s concept art. She came with a spear that was really intended for Teela, allowing The Goddess to use Teela’s snake staff. She reused Teela’s tunic, which was the only major point of departure from Mark Taylor’s design (recall that she wasn’t supposed to have the gold leaf pattern on her costume). This was no doubt done to save money.
MOTU Classics Goddess Prototype, sculpted by the Four HorsemenMOTU Classics Goddess figure – note the change to a see-through body. She is holding Teela’s staff.
In her bio, she was given the real name of Sharella, a character from the Powers of Grayskull line. Originally there was no connection between these characters, and neither one was produced in the vintage line. This retcon was met with a mixed reception at the time.
The Goddess Heroic Trainer of He-Man Real Name: Sharella
After the death of King Grayskull, the Power of the Universe was transferred from the Sword of He to the Council of Elders who hid it deep within his castle. Knowing the full sword was the key to channeling the power, they split it in two to prevent it from falling into the hands of evil. For five centuries they waited for a worthy heir to be born. During this time their spirit guide, the creature known as “The Goddess” of Eternia, trained secret heroic guardians to keep the two halves of the sword separated. Many of these brave warriors took the name “He-Man” in honor of the sword they protected – giving birth to many different legends of the protector of Eternia.
Note: The Goddess’ real name Sharella did not appear in the original printing. It was added after the fact in a sticker. Image via Toy Habits.
Classics had given the (green) Goddess a “real name” Sharella, and later they retconned the fan-theory about a nameless archer girl, who appeared in the background art for vintage Megator, as Sharella. Classics had a habit of taking elements created by fans, and inserting them officially in the bios (for example in the 2002 cartoon King Grayskull had a lion, which never had a name in the series bible or scripts, other than “Grayskull’s Lion”. Fans coined the term “Battle Lion”, and Classics used that).
Masters of the Universe Classics minicomic #8 gave us couple flashback panels, where we see Sharella (as archer girl in ancient times) get injured from an arrow by Quick Flix. Then given a blood transfusion from Moss Man. Implying that because of this, she’ll later turn into the green-skinned Goddess.
Masters of the Universe Classics minicomic #8 – art by Jordi Tarragona.Masters of the Universe Classics minicomic #2 – art by Wellington Alves.
Modern DC Comics (2012-2016) – The Goddess Conundrum
When interpreting the world of Eternia for modern comic stories, Rob David took the approach that there was a life force that created the Universe. It was worshiped by different races, each calling it by different names and viewing it through their own lenses, if you will.
So in the stories by Mattel/DC Comics, the Star Seed is “the First Light” and has been called the Life-Force, the Goddess, Zoar, Serpos, Horokoth. The characters refer to the being as The Goddess in the story.
Some fans who may not have followed the comic series regularly may have remembered from the 1980s stories that there was a character called the Goddess or the Sorceress, and were naturally confused when the heroes in this comic were searching a way to resurrect the Sorceress, and needed to go to the Goddess [an entity, not a person] for help.
In He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #12, in a battle with King Hiss and the Snake Men, Teela is knocked into the Star Seed. There she learns that her mother was the Sorceress, and that the job of the Sorceress was to be the oracle of the Goddess. Each Sorceress takes a different form, and Teela is transformed into the Sorceress of Serpos. Like the original Sorceress/Goddess created by Mark Taylor, she has green skin and snake armor (although she shows much more skin in this comic). In this continuity, she is not the Goddess, but a servant of the Goddess.
Teela continued as the Sorceress of Serpos for most of the DC Comics He-Man the Eternity War series, which ran from 2015-2016.
In issue 14 of the series, when Teela in her Sorceress of Serpos form is on the brink of death, Man-At-Arms trades his life for hers. In the process she is restored to her human form.
Masters of the Universe Revelation & Revolution
The Masters of the Universe Revelation and Revolution animated series have utilized many aspects from the franchise’s long past, taking elements from existing media and putting them into new contexts. In the show, the concept of Preternia (Eternia’s distant past) becomes Eternia’s version of heaven. Or the underground world of Subternia (originating in 2002) with its caves and own inhabitants becomes a version of hell instead.
Revolution takes many cues from the He-Man the Eternity War comic series (thanks to executive producer Rob David). But it was never an animated adaptation of that story, as some fans thought when Revolution trailers arrived. In “Ascension,” Teela is transformed by the Staff of Ka into the green-skinned Sorceress of Ka, based on the Sorceress of Serpos from the 2014-2016 comics, but with several visual updates. Throughout the series we see Teela transformed by the ancient powers of the three primal gods of Eternia in the Revolution series: Zoar, Ka, and Ha’Vok. Eventually, with He-Man’s help, Teela is able to fuse all three powers into one, changing her appearance for a fourth time.
HD Screencaptures by Jukka Issakainen
Masterverse Revolution Sorceress Teela
The Sorceress of Ka was released as a figure in 2024 the Masterverse line as Sorceress Teela. For whatever reason she was produced in very low numbers, and so is difficult to get on the secondary market. The packaging artwork was done by Simon Eckert.
Below a Wallpaper version 😉 -Jukka
MOTU Origins Eternian Goddess
Masters of the Universe Origins brings once again a totally new continuity with its figures and storytelling. They use old official elements mixed with unused concept materials and insert them in the new story they are telling (for instance, Veena is no longer the wife of a King Grayskull). So the Origins stories are not a continuation of the vintage material, but, like the Classics bios before them, they represent a new canon on their own.
Origins has the Goddess appear in the pack-in mini-comic for the 2019 He-Man & Prince Adam 2-pack. The artwork is by Axel Giménez with colors by Val Staples.
She was released as a figure in the MOTU Origins line in 2021 as the Eternian Goddess. Her color scheme was changed a bit from the source material – she was give silver bracers and boot tops and blue bicep rings. Her accessories were also closer to red than to brown, especially in the production figure (the image below is a prototype pic that Mattel released).
The Goddess appeared in the modern MOTU Origins mini comic, Rock and a Hard Place. In the story, Prince Adam is overcome by Stinkor’s stench, and calls out to the Goddess for aid. The images below come from Vaults of Grayskull, and you can read the full comic on their site.
She also appeared in the MOTU Origins mini comic, Lost Legend. In this story she has the “real name” of Sharella, a detail taken from the MOTU Classics bio mentioned earlier in this article. Sharella transforms herself into the Goddess. Strangely, “Oo-Larr” (the MOTU Classics name for the “jungle” He-Man) is retconned as being the same person as “Wun-Dar.” This page comes from Vaults of Grayskull, and the full scan is available at their site.
Other Versions of the Goddess
The Goddess was released as a statue by Iron Studios, as a ReAction figure by Super7, and as a mini figure included with the Mega Construx Castle Grayskull set.
Mondo’s The Goddess: a short review
Mondo’s Goddess figure went up for pre-order March 2025 and was shipped out October 2025. The back of the package makes clear that this isn’t the original Sorceress from He-Man and the Power Sword, but rather the transformed Teela that appeared in the Masters of the Universe Revolution series. I should note that although her costume is similar to the Revolution Sorceress of Ka, this figure is really its own thing and is a blend of different influences, including the 2015 DC comics, the vintage Mark Taylor design, and even a bit of 200x Teela.
Still, on my shelves she’ll represent the original Sorceress character created by Mark Taylor. That was my approach in the Classics era too, with characters like “Oo-Larr” that were retconned into new characters. I just thought of “Oo-Larr” as He-Man from the mini comics, and I will think of Mondo’s The Goddess as the original Sorceress character envisioned by Mark Taylor. Call me a curmudgeon if you must!
The figure is at 1/6 scale, and is intricately detailed, sculpted and painted. I inspected my example for paint problems and other irregularities, but thankfully I didn’t find any. Her left ankle is slightly loose, but it doesn’t seem to inhibit her ability to stand. Otherwise all of her joints are good, neither too tight nor too loose.
The Goddess comes with three different heads. two of which have a placid expression. The neutral face is available with either a helmet or a snake tiara and long hair. The smiling face is available with the long hair and tiara. Any of the three can be used with the snake headdress. Mondo made the interesting choice of giving her gold eyes with dark red sclera, which enhance the snake theme, but also make her look slightly evil. I’m okay with that – the original concept seemed slightly sinister too!
There is also a removable skirt, although I found it challenging to get it looking right. I wasn’t that interested in it as an accessory, so I put it on for the photo, but otherwise it’s going to live in my parts bin.
The Goddess also comes with a spear, a sword and a shield. To me these are really Teela accessories. I see Goddess more as a spell caster than a warrior, but they are an option if you want them. For me, her snake staff (or Staff of Ka, as it’s come to be called) is her primary weapon.
Speaking of magic, she also comes with a mystical snake magic effect, which can be attached to either hand. She comes with a total of ten hands, so you have plenty of options there.
Adam: Overall she’s a beautiful figure, one of the best Mondo has ever done. There is something compelling about the character itself. Her roots lie at the very beginning of the Masters of the Universe mythos, and I feel she has an important role to play in it. But for a long time she was forgotten, and arguably brought back to life through the advocacy of artist Nate Baertsch back in the MOTU Classics era.
Jukka: I agree, that the (Green) Sorceress aka Goddess has gained popularity in the fandom, due to her striking color scheme in that single minicomic appearance. Big thanks to Nate “Baena” Baertsch for creating fan arts about her, which have spread online and added to her intrigue.
Adam: While I don’t totally sign onto the idea that she’s some kind of Teela variant, I’m happy that the figure is at least getting represented, even if the original character behind the figure is sometimes forgotten. What I’d really like to see though is a faithful figure based 100% on Mark Taylor’s original artwork – we haven’t gotten that yet. But I do have to say that the Mondo version of the Goddess is my favorite version to date.
Mondo Goddess and Sky SledFrom left to right: Customized MOTU Origins Goddess, Mondo Goddess, and MOTU Classics Goddess.
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