Masters of the Universe Power Promo

Posted on December 24, 2024December 27, 2024 by Adam McCombs

Written by Adam McCombs

I hope everyone has been having a wonderful holiday season. I am excited to share a document I’ve been chasing for a little while. Years ago I’d seen a couple of low res images from it. This year it came up for auction, but I didn’t end up winning. Then Andy Youssi was kind enough to send me some scans of his copy, which is greatly appreciated. For those who don’t know, Andy Youssi is the person who first shared with us the “Lords of Power” slides with all the early prototype images, created when Mattel was calling the line Lords of Power. Andy had this material because his father John Youssi was a freelance artist for Mattel who did promotional artwork for MOTU.

The “Power Promo” was given out to retailers and venders as a way to promote the soon-to-be launched Masters of the Universe line. It was not intended for consumers, which is why you rarely see it pop up. The document outlined Mattel’s plans for promoting the new Masters of the Universe line, along with some great pictures of the figures. Each page has text added by Andy as way of making sure the source of the images is retained in the future. I’ll go over each page and add some commentary.

Cover Page

The above cover image shows Castle Grayskull, He-Man and Skeletor. He-Man and Skeletor lack the quirks of the first release figures. Texture-wise Skeletor especially looks like a hard copy prototype rather than a factory example. As we’ll see later, Castle Grayskull is probably an early factory sample. This image also appeared in the 1984 Aurimat (Mexico) MOTU Catalog.

Page 1

Page 2 mainly focuses on marketing and market research Mattel had conducted on the line before release. Mark Taylor talked frequently about the early child testing for the line, and how kids were so excited about the early product they would often try to steal it from the testing room!

Page 2

Page two talks about some of the planned promotions, including TV ads, national print ads, the free minicomics included with figures, something called a “Power Sword National Sweepstakes,” shelf strip marketing, and cash rebates. The earliest commercials must have been filmed at this point, since there appears to be a screen grab from one of them. However, I’m not familiar with the Power Sword sweepstakes. That will show up again later in this article.

Page 3

Page three talks about some of the other promos, including the upcoming DC comics full-size five issue miniseries. They don’t have actual covers for them, so they must not have been available yet. Also discussed are Ben Cooper Halloween costumes and the MOTU Pop-Up Game. Also included in a folder on the page was the early sample version of He-Man and the Power Sword, which I recently discussed in a separate article.

Since both pages work together as a centerfold, I’ve included them together below:

Page 4

I’ve previously covered the history of early MOTU photography, as way of tracking toys from their early prototypes to final prototypes/hard copies, to early factory samples and eventually to common production examples. The photos on Page 4 appear to have been taken sometime after the photos in Mattel’s 1982 dealer catalog, because the development of the toys is further along on almost all of them:

Castle Grayskull: looks like an early factory sample. It has the finalized lock mechanism and the light colored jaw bridge, but the fine paint of early Mattel models.

He-Man: this looks pretty close to a factory He-Man, but it lacks the production quirks of early examples. Maybe it was an early factory sample that was sent to Mattel before the partially unpainted boot tops became a common error on early figures sold at retail.

Battle Cat: this looks like a factory striped tail Battle Cat, as opposed to a hand-painted prototype.

Skeletor: this version looks hand-painted to me – possibly a hard copy made at Mattel.

Teela: this is at least the third generation Teela prototype, the first that was actually articulated. Note the Barbie/She-Ra style hip articulation, green snake eyes on armor, and large shield. There was at least one other prototype made after this before Teela actually went into production.

Battle Ram: this looks pretty much like a factory version.

Man-At-Arms: this is an early version that has the cuff at the wrist. The armor looks like it might be painted, so possibly this is a hard copy made at Mattel.

Beast Man: this looks like it might be a sample from the factory, except he has an early whip that actually fits in his hand (thanks to John for the heads up).

Mer-Man: possibly a hard copy made at Mattel? It looks to have a matte, painted finish.

Stratos: this has the glossy finish of a factory toy. But, it has a gray beard and blue goggles. Perhaps the Blue Beard variant/error came in once they went into full production.

Zodac: He looks like he has a matte body, but his armor has been updated from his appearance in the 1982 dealer catalog to the finalized version. He still has the prototype paint pattern on his helmet (thanks to John for the tip).

Wind Raider: this has been updated since its appearance in the 1982 dealer catalog, with enlarged engines and more detailed looking wings.

One more interesting thing below: we see what looks a few early packaging samples. Note that He-Man and Skeletor are missing their minicomics, and Battle Cat is missing the black insert in his packaging. Note also that Battle Cat is the early striped tail variant.

Recently some similar figures showed up at auction. The Man-At-Arms below lacks a minicomic in his packaging as well, although he does have a warranty slip. The card has a Mattel Archives sticker on it, and was something Mattel held onto for a while and eventually offered to its employees for sale.

Page 5

Page 5 is interesting because it includes a marketing schedule. Now, I’ve done quite a lot of research on the release dates for the MOTU toys. Multiple lines of evidence point to May 1982 as the mass retail introduction for Masters of the Universe. However, Mattel’s rebate program for the year included a March 1, 1982 date as the earliest window for the rebate. It’s possible that the so-called test market program was going on in March. It’s long been rumored that Mattel did a limited release of the figures ahead of time to one geographic area as a way of testing out the figures at retail. The March date for “promotions” on the calendar above may also point to that as the true date of introduction of the line. But, I’ll also point that this page says that Mattel reserved the right to change their marketing schedules, so this wasn’t written in stone.

Other interesting dates are May, August, September, November and December 1982 for comic issues, presumably referring to DC comics. The actual printed dates on those comics was somewhat later than the dates printed here, but Jukka Issakainen has pointed out that actual release dates for DC Comics was usually ahead of the printed date.

For network TV we’re given dates of June, July, and then September through December 1982. For merchandising we’re given a date of May 1982 through the rest of the year, which may give us a date for the MOTU Pop-Up Game. I believe the Ben Cooper masks actually came a bit later.

John also included the following scans of the proposed Power Sword Sweepstakes promotion and Shelf Talker. Again, I’m not familiar with that particular promotion or if it event went into effect, so if someone has any information on it to share I’d be grateful!

Below is the actual final art Andy’s father John Youssi did for the shelf talker promo:

Because it’s so wide and short, I’m chopping it up into two pieces to make the art easier to appreciate:

And finally, here is a pencils version for a promotional Man-E-Faces standup display, by John Youssi:

Thanks again to Andy for sharing this amazing material with me. He has truly been a treasure trove of historical information over the years!

Thank you to the following individuals who are current Patreon supporters or Facebook subscribers!

Adam A.
Allison T.
badtaste®
Ben M.
Chupakaibra
Cory from Make Shape Create
Eric H.
Gianluca V.
JackieX
João S.
Jon E.
Kris K.
Lyca
Max I.
Michael M.
Mike G.
MotuOriginsCork
Orion W.
Øyvind M. (Patreon & Facebook)
Philip O.
Robert B.
Scott B.
Steven K.
tupalev

Want to support the blog? Consider becoming a Patreon supporter or Facebook subscriber. You’ll also gain access to exclusive content and early access to posts on the blog. Thank you!

Lords of Power

Lords of Power – the original pitch

Posted on August 16, 2021September 8, 2024 by Adam McCombs

Earlier this year, Scott Neitlich, former brand manager of the Masters of the Universe Classics line, read aloud the original pitch for the “Lords of Power” toyline (which would of course eventually be renamed to Masters of the Universe). The relevant videos are below:

I thought it would be useful to post a transcription of that original pitch here. Since most of it is presented verbally, my formatting won’t match that of the original document. But I find it’s useful to have text to refer back to when thinking about the development of the line. I’ll provide some images to break up the text:

Lords of Power Pitch

Before we show our new male action figure product for 1982 I would like to briefly set the stage by describing how and why we created this new line.

There is a basic market demand for M.A.F. products. It was there before Star Wars and it’s still there. The 1980 current market size of over 200 million in sales at A price is largely dominated by Star Wars, with 2/3 of the share. With other licensed product and non-licensed comprising the remainder on an approximate equal basis, though the licensed area can generate large sales volume, entry into this area is a risky proposition, dependent on a) the success of the movie and b) the timing of its release, coupled with product availability.

As a result, Mattel established two business objectives and strategies for 1982. We will continue to seek out new licenses 1) but be highly selective and 2) new licenses should reflect the latest and future movie trends. The most important objective is to create a new non-licensed product line which will 1) satisfy the current needs and desire of boys and target age range (four to eleven), re-establish a solid basic multi-year business which is not dependent on the success of a movie, and offer the consumer an attractive alternative. We’ve seen the need for something new with the early movement of Clash of the Titans even before the movie was released and before any advertising.

How can we achieve this second goal? In the past Mattel has conducted two major research studies each creating results and direction which produced successful product lines. With this in mind we established our development state and strategies for a new product line which are:

• To conduct a major research program on a national basis
• To determine theme direction and key product features
• Create a product line based on the research results
• Confirm the viability of our new line with a follow-up research program

In the initial research program we interviewed mothers as well as children and discussed play patterns, who their heroes are and how the moms feel in general about the male action figure category. As part of our qualitative analysis, we discussed theme direction. We began with 30 themes and reduced it to 10 themes systematically.

Of the top 10 the three most popular were:

a) fantasy
b) space
c) military

Fantasy was by far the most popular and we discovered that kids liked the idea of a play situation which was a) timeless in nature with b) power and dominance as desirable characteristics.

Image source: The Power and the Honor Foundation. Update: per Rebecca Salari Taylor these were not the figures used in the initial pitch for the three themes – she says the figures used initially were much rougher. These figures were a later revision.

The next steps in this first research program was to switch to an in-depth quantitative analysis of those popular themes. Here are the prime factors required to create a successful male action figure line:

• Figures need size and power.
• Exciting action features are a bonus.
• Snap-on removable accessories are a desirable bonus.
• Vehicles need good detail and action features are prime motivators for additional figure sales.

Based on our initial research results we developed a product line and put it into a nationwide research test against the entire Star Wars and one other male action figure line. If the initial test results continue to come along the same trend we will have a tremendously successful product line. Figures perform four times better than the requirements established by our research department. Our accessories and playsets perform five times better than what would be required to consider the line viable.

From the research results it’s obvious we’ve developed the most powerful male action figure line of all time: He-Man and the Lords of Power. Our collection contains eight action figures, which beginning with He-Man are all figures that are five and a half inches tall, much taller than most competitors; are incredibly strong and powerful in appearance; have snap-on armor and clothing; are highly detailed are articulated for poseability; including a spring-loaded battle action waist which gives them the needed action play feature.

These are our additional figures:

• Man-At-Arms – He-Man’s best ally and friend
• Skeletor – the ultimate enemy
• Beast-Man – number one stooge for Skeletor
• Mer-Man – uses his aquatic powers to help He-Man
• Stratos – who has the power of flight
• Sorceress (Cobra) – has the powers of mysticism but is also very beautiful
• Tee-La – beautiful warrior goddess

*Image source: The Power of Grayskull documentary*

All figures will be sold in a display package to highlight their unique visual appearance and quality. Our first accessory item is the Battle Cat which will be sold separately as well as with He-Man in a deluxe gift set. The Battle Ram is an unusual combination of ancient and future technologies. It has a battering ram which is launched and the front disconnects to pick up a jet powered sky cycle.

Our smaller vehicle is called the Turbo Chariot and can be used for transportation or in battle. The Chariot will also be offered with He-Man as a gift set. All of the figures are designed to fit every accessory item.

I would like to introduce our major playset which we believe will be the focal point of our line. As a result of our research project we have included the key features that we know are necessary in a successful playset. A good playset should have a multi-level play situation and include several action features for extended play and value. Being portable is also a real plus feature.

*Image source: James Eatock/Andy Youssi*. *Designs by Mark Taylor.*

And this is Castle Grayskull. [It is] 14 inches tall and 26 inches long and has accessories like flag pole and ladder as well as a jaw bridge which can be opened from the outside with the magic sword or from within by the secret lever. The elevator helps He-Man or his enemies up to the second floor and He-Man can turn the giant throne to activate a trap door to dispose of evildoers. Then you can put your action figures and accessories inside, fold up and head for your next adventure.

*Image source: The Power and the Honor Foundation*

Now I’d like to show you our research test tape. Please remember that this is not a commercial and was produced under strict guidelines to avoid unfairly influencing the children being tested. The tapes made of the competitive product follow the same format and style.

Now I’d like to discuss how we’re going to market this new line. We are fully aware of the need for hard-working commercials to launch He-Man and we already have heavily involved in the creative development of two 30-second kid commercials and a 60-second commercial which tells more of a story while showcasing the line and product. We generally talk about ABC levels of advertising. I think this is the order of a triple campaign with the overall objective of making the Lords of Power the most powerful theme in the universe.

To aid our advertising campaign here are a few of the promotional programs we are developing beginning with rebates offered through cross-couponing concentrating on the figures and the castle as our primary sales targets interest has been expressed by fast food franchises, a major tie-in promotion. And we are currently negotiating a time with a breakfast cereal company using their package back and other offers. We plan to offer mail-in specials like accessory packs, collector comics, and possibly even an exclusive ninth action figure.

Scott puts forward the hypothesis that the exclusive ninth figure could have been “Savage He-Man.” That’s certainly possible. Or, it might have been intended to be Faker, since the earliest Fakers came on the original “8-back” cards. Image source: Darren Fowler

*Early buy 3 get one free mail-away figure promotion associated with Special Offer He-Man*

We will also be providing some unique pop display materials which are now being created. There will be a mini comic or storybook included with each figure to relate an adventure, provide cross-sell and will include rebate coupons. The first comic is near completion now.

Now I think it is a good time to give you a very brief synopsis of He-Man’s very first adventure. Man-At-Arms informs He-Man that the evil Skeletor has entered Castle Grayskull. If Skeletor can control the secret powers of Grayskull he would rule the universe. He-Man and Man-At-Arms ride to the castle to drive their villains back to their dark world. They enter Castle Grayskull after man at arm silences the laser cannon being used by Beast Man against our hero. The battle which follows rages on throughout the castle, but the strength of He-Man and the help of his allies Man-At-Arms, Tee-La the warrior goddess who has been held captive by Skeletor, and the spirit of Grayskull itself are all too powerful.

The evil-doers are driven from Grayskull after pleading for mercy. Our hero He-Man granted them mercy this time but now they know they should not be trusted and that they may someday return to try to recapture Grayskull to discover its materials secrets of power. He-Man with the aid of his specialized vehicles, his loyal and strong allies and the spirit and wisdom of Castle Grayskull will be on a constant guard against the evil treachery of Skeletor and his villainous followers.

*“You truly are the ‘Lords of Power.'” Early version of He-Man and the Power Sword. Image via Jukka Issakainen*

Everything we have points towards success, a great product line of powerful characters with action features which have the extended play value of extended snap-on accessories, exciting action vehicles that enhance the play value of the figures and a giant playset which is portable, has exciting play features and adds a new dimension to the male action figure business, and an entire line which was developed and proven through two separate nationwide marketing research programs. A broadline and extensive advertising and promotion campaign which shows our commitment at this point.

I’d like to say we hope you will all join in the excitement being generated around He-Man and become enthusiastic participants in making He-Man a successful and profitable new brand for 1982!

To read more about the Lords of Power, check out my original article.

Want to support the blog? Consider becoming a Patreon supporter. You’ll also gain access to exclusive content and early access to posts on the blog. Thank you!

Reviews

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection (2015)

Posted on February 6, 2017September 10, 2024 by Adam McCombs

Review by Adam McCombs

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe Minicomic Collection (released October 21, 2015) is a comprehensive collection of minicomics from 1982 to the early 90s, plus a taste of the 2002 and modern Masters of the Universe Classics mini comics. It’s a concept that I think a lot of He-Man and She-Ra fans had been wishing for for quite some time.

The collection was edited by Daniel Chabon and Ian Tucker, with advisement from Val Staples. The comics themselves were scanned and collected by Leanne Hannah, Rod Hannah, Jon Kallis, Rachel Crockett, and Val Staples.

Many of these comics had been available for some time digitally from sources like He-Man.org and The Good Old Days, but not always scanned in high resolution, and certainly not always in a format that was easy to read. Collecting minicomics for the most part isn’t generally terribly expensive – that is, until you get to rare issues like The Ultimate Battleground or Energy Zoids. And certainly having the comics collected in one book is a more convenient to consume and digest them. Having a comprehensive collection in production order nudged me to read read comics I might have otherwise skipped. And of course the pages are blown up significantly larger than the original printings, with the exception of The Power of Point Dread.

Dark Horse’s Minicomic Collection covers more than just standard release comics. The previously unpublished Return From Terror Island (inked but uncolored) is included along with an introduction by James Eatock. There is also a script for another unpublished comic, Ring of Dreams, with an introduction by Danielle Gelehrter. The general rule for this collection is minicomics that were packed in with toys, or were intended to be packed in with toys.

We also get an introduction to mini comic variants. One of the most fascinating is the early promotional version of He-Man and the Power Sword, which features an early version of the Masters of the Universe logo, as well as references to the toyline’s early working name, “Lords of Power.”

That logo, by the way, has some points in common with the logo used on some French Masters of the Universe minicomics:

The collection is also peppered with with footnotes full of trivia and interesting connections, written by Jukka Issakainen:

Out of curiosity, I asked Jukka how the trivia portion of the book came about. This is what he told me:

Early on, there was no trivia planned. I had touched base with Dark Horse editor Daniel Chabon with some questions about minicomic order and variant differences, and later Val Staples who was coordinating the book contacted me back via Skype on these matters. During a couple of conversations he asked if anything popped into my mind that should be included in the book [comics, booklets, specials], but as they had most things already covered, I mentioned that if the book could include some trivia it would be a cool addition.

Scattered in between the many dozens of mini comic stories the collection is filled with quite a number of interviews (conducted by Danielle Gelehrter) with fourteen mini comic artists and writers, vintage and modern. They include:

Mark Texeira
Gary Cohn,
Michael Halperin
Larry Houston
Christy Marx
Stan Sakai
Lee Nordling
Steven Grant
Jim Mitchell
Errol McCarthy
Val Staples
Tim Seeley
Daniel Chabon
Scott Neitlich

All of this is icing on the cake for anyone who cares to delve into the history of the Masters of the Universe and Princess of Power minicomics. If not, then the comics themselves are worth the price of admission and then some

The large bulk of the book is made of up of the original 51 Masters of the Universe minicomics, which were packed in with figures and other toys from 1982 to 1987. Because the comics span six years and were produced by dozens of different artists and writers, there are some quite dramatic tonal shifts throughout the series.

The series begins with the stark jungle-barbarian post-apocalyptic wastelands of the Alfredo Alcala and Don Glut stories, which are the only comics in the series that don’t have speech bubbles. In fact, Mattel called them “adventure books” rather than comics or minicomics.

*This advertisement appeared in the original He-Man and the Power Sword “adventure book”. However, the Dark Horse collection omits all of the original ads.*

That distinctive style gives way to Mark Texeira and Gary Cohn’s faster-paced bronze age style adventure tales. I’m a big fan of the artwork and storytelling, but I find some of the color choices a bit perplexing sometimes, with emphasis on orangey-browns and vivid magenta throughout.

Following the Texeira/Cohn comics, Alfredo Alcala returns to illustrate another series of stories (this time with traditional word bubbles). The writer for the next run of Alcala-illustrated comics was most often Michael Halperin, who wrote the original Masters of the Universe Bible. The MOTU Bible contained the “proto-Filmation” canon – that is to say, elements that would influence the development of the Filmation cartoon, but were not identical to the world Filmation created. Some examples – Prince Adam exists, but is a more serious character and has a different costume. King Randor is also depicted as a much older man.

The tone remained somewhat serious throughout the second run of Alcala comics (perhaps with the exception of The Obelisk, written by Karen Sargentich). Some of the post-Alcala comics, illustrated by Larry Houston, were downright brutal:

After a few chaotic and frankly bizarre comics midway through the series (the mini comics for Leech and Mantenna spring to mind), the comics seem to settle into a predictable but solid rhythm and style, particularly when Bruce Timm was at the illustrator desk. The Filmation influence is present through most of the series, but the mini comics are often just a shade darker, with some actual action and violence (but almost never any real consequences).

The Dark Horse collection includes all eleven original Princess of Power minicomics, all of which were new to me. The first of POP comics, The Story of She-Ra, features a brief appearance by Hordak, but otherwise Catra is the main villain, and no other male members of the Evil Horde appear in the series.

These are tightly contained stories that for the most part focus on Princess of Power-branded characters. It’s an interesting alternative universe to the Filmation She-Ra series, which not only featured an almost complete line-up of Evil Horde villains, but regularly featured guest characters from He-Man’s world as well.

The Dark Horse collection also features all four original New Adventures of He-Man mini-comics (the short-lived sci-fi reboot that immediately followed the original line), a selection of two comics from the 2002 series, and three mini-comics from the modern Masters of the Universe Classics series.

The New Adventure (illustrated by Errol McCarthy, who was responsible for much of the post-1982 cardback art on the original He-Man figures) is a fun story, because in it Skeletor witnesses first-hand Prince Adam’s transformation into He-Man. Perhaps more could have been done with Skeletor’s reaction to this revelation, but all the built-up subtext almost tells that story for you:

The collection features the one 2002 minicomic that fans were already familiar with, plus another featuring Smash Blade He-Man and Spin Blade Skeletor that was never released. The comics were written by Val Staples and Robert Kirkman, with artwork and colors by Emiliano Santalucia, Enza Fontana, Marko Failla, Neal Adams,Kevin Sharpe, Brian Buccellato, Steve Cobb, and Val Staples.

Finally, we get a taste of three minicomics from the 2009 Masters of the Universe Classics series. All three were written by Scott Neitlich and Tim Seeley (the first in the series was based on the vintage Powers of Grayskull mini comic written by Phil White and penciled by Larry Houston) and illustrated by Wellington Alves and Michael Atiyeh.

Dark Horse’s Minicomic Collection satisfies a need that had gone unmet for a long time among He-Man and She-Ra fans, but it also whets our appetite for more books along these same lines. Personally I’d love to see another collection comprised of full-sized MOTU comics and magazines from the 1980s to present day, not to mention a collection of the classic Golden Books adventures.