Rebecca Salari Taylor is an artist who illustrated the labels for the original Masters of the Universe line. She is also the wife of the late Mark Taylor, who designed the first 10 figures in the vintage line, along with Castle Grayskull. A big thank you to Rebecca for answering these questions!
Q: When did you know you wanted to become an artist?
My dad was a graphic designer. He had a studio/room, and I spent most of my time on the floor playing with his pastels and making collages out of his collection of colored scraps of paper. He was fun. It was fun, and I thought, “Yeah, this is it.”
Q: How did you meet Mark?
I walked into a night class in graduate school. I looked over, and this long-haired “hippy” type was watching me, and it was unnerving. I thought… “Oh no, a weird dude, and I’ll bet he doesn’t even know how to draw.” He got the last laugh on that.
Q: What were your first professional projects?
Projects for me were usually part of someone else’s because I was so young. In junior high, my dad started getting me to do travel brochure covers, and eventually, I started freelancing in college with Disney and some of the other entertainment companies around L.A. doing the work no one else wanted to do.
When Mark and I got together, we continued with some of my clients and some of his. We worked well together in everything.
Q: How did you get started working for Mattel (freelance in your case)?
Mattel was a freelance client that we picked up, and it seemed to suit us well. Mark soared because he wasn’t just an illustrator but a creative storyteller as well. He worked in 3D images and was a good problem solver. His work was just ready to go to the “magic place”.
That to me is when most of your true self comes together, all lights are on. Your memories, experiences, and your culture all start to consolidate, and even your dreams , good and bad, all seem to merge into “that thing” that you just have to do. The passion is stimulating and rewarding.
So we presented at Mattel and started doing freelance for the Barbie group. It was really fun for me because I had one of the first dolls when I was 10.
Q: I know you were more bothered than Mark was about others taking credit for Mark’s work, regarding the creation of Masters of the Universe. I feel like in the last 10 years Mark has gotten much more recognition for what he did. Has that been your perception?
Yes, it’s true. Mark didn’t care about it much; it happens to many artists, especially the ones that produce so much that they are on to the next projects and rarely look back. When I’d get “Latin” he would point to his temple and say, “Don’t worry Babe, there’s more where that came from.”
He was talking to the wrong woman. So yes, he kept me in check for as long as I could stand it, and finally I said “nope,” this is bullshit. $18k a year for He-Man, and then the credit is stolen too?
I made it my quest to get him the strokes he deserved, and with the power of you all, the great fans of the He-Man tribe, fakes fell by the wayside because the evidence became impossible to deny.
Q: Can you talk about anything you remember about Mark’s pre-Mattel illustrations that would eventually influence his designs for Masters of the Universe?
Yes , I have oodles of artwork clear back to before I knew him. His styles were very eclectic. He seemed to experiment (as you should in school) and researched everything; his curiosity was infectious, and it led him into many facets of art. I recall seeing illustrations of monsters and fantasy art as well as lots of figures and portraits. His illustrations at this time were captivating, and he always seemed to surprise the viewer with some different images not seen before.
Q: When Mark first started working on He-Man at Mattel, what are your memories from that time?
It was an interesting time for both of us. Mark was a packaging director. He didn’t work on any product because it wasn’t in his job description, and frankly, R&D considered themselves the A-Team and guarded those positions.
So he would finish up his actual work and would sketch and develop his stories . People would gather in his office, and the buzz was that this guy was doing “really different stuff” that was exciting and new. Weird is what they called it.
Working at Mattel was like being on a college campus where you could learn from your colleagues who were experts in their own various disciplines. It seemed everyone was just happy to work for a toy company. It was fun, and the friends one made were turned out to be for life.
Q: Can you remember anything about your influences for the label illustrations you did for the Battle Ram?
Yes. My objective was to bring the splashiness look of the castle labels and develop a familial vibe with the vehicles. There were a lot of new ideas in the toy line that whenever I could I would try to give them “that look.” Most labels done at this time were flat graphics with clean, and pretty much all looked pretty similar in style of execution.
It was interesting because I was working on this project that was taking place in the past, future on Earth, in space, and whoa! It’s was boundless. We thought the labels should be different, iconic, and stir up some new “flavors.”
Q: Can you remember anything about your influences for the label illustrations you did for Castle Grayskull? Some of it was based on Mark’s previous work, correct?
Sort of. The line work followed his style, but the colors and the technique developed along the way were quite different. When Mark gave me the assignment, he said, “ Push the envelope on these. Try something different.” He suggested I have fun and see what happens. So we went for a slightly art nouveau /art deco vibe. First with the castle labels and eventually on anything else I myself worked on later on.
After I did the first one, I believe it was the cross-sword flags. I presented to Mark saying, “I don’t know if they’re going to like these.” He assured me, “Who’s they? Rebecca, I am “they.” So it’s very rewarding to know they “hit the spot” with the tribe.
Q: Do you recall attending any meetings or events at Mattel with Mark when He-Man was being developed?
Not officially, no. I don’t recall ever working on anything MOTU on campus because I was hired in-house to work for other departments like Girls Toys, Preschool, and Games. Most all the He-Man work was done as outside freelance.
There was a lot of buzz about this packaging guy doing a toy line because the president of Mattel happened to go into his cubicle to look at what the talk was about. The President of Mattel, Ray Wagner, was very interested, and so no one interfered with the first part of the development.
It was pouring out of a designer’s brain, it was new, exciting, and a bit scary. It happened quickly, and because they were both excited about the product, no one messed with his product until later.
He spent many hours at Mattel, late nights and weekends. This was an artist in the ZONE. This was BIG. And those of us close to Mark felt the rush of excitement when the kids at toy testing showed us all what a hit this was. We all got to experience that rush.
Q: What do you think are the main reasons Mark left Mattel after his work on He-Man?
Oh, this one is easy. Are you ready? He asked to go into R&D, and they didn’t want him to crash the party. This big toy hit in male action figures, which they didn’t have in many years, and guess what? You get to stay in package design. Sorry, you can’t get into Special Ops; the club is closed to you.
So together we decided it was time to go, knowing that it might be done again, but it would no doubt have to be at some other company. So he went on to create the toy line for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from a comic book. When he left, it became open season on getting credit for his work. So that’s why the wife was unhappy. LOL.
Q: Can you talk a bit about some of your and Mark’s experiences with fans in the modern era? I know fans really adore both of you!
We are so lucky to know these people. These are the folks that Mark created this line for. He remembered how he was as a young boy. He was thrilled to know in the end how much fun he tapped into you little guys (and girls) and was truly fulfilled as a toy designer because of all of your enthusiasm about the concept. That’s why my quest to get him his due was critical to me.
Mark later became very interested in 3D computer design and was able to dabble with that in the end. He never stopped learning. He made me a better artist and a better person.
Here are some questions from other fans. They asked that I share these with you:
Øyvind Meisfjord: I suppose that Mark never got rich in spite of creating one of the best-selling toylines of all time. But do you feel that he felt proud by the overwhelmingly positive reaction to his toyline? And did he feel himself awarded in his later years when fans learned of his contributions to Masters of the Universe and acknowledged him as its creator?
Oyvind, you are correct, I am extremely proud.
He showed no concern about the people trying to take credit because for him I don’t think it was ever about that at all. And of course, you are correct about the money, but this is a common disappointment.
I wanted him to get that recognition. LOL I was in his office in his new job when he got a phone call from the major perpetrator and on speaker phone a couple of us heard this: ”Well, you aren’t here anymore, why don’t you just say I did it. It doesn’t matter now.” I think that’s when the wife “me” loaded my pistols.
MOTUOriginsCork: I’d like to ask her if she already read Nino Ade’s comic and if she could pinpoint any specifics out of it that is directly related to Mark.
I am embarrassed to say I have not read it. I can’t seem to get past the great artwork Nino produced.
This is such a wonderful tribute, and I am so honored and grateful.
L’Kongick J. Fogarty asks: What were some of your favorite moments working on MOTU, and does something really stand out as being the most gratifying, and why?
It was really a fun time. It was like something really different was happening inside Barbie’s house. I felt that there was a buzz, and it became a driving force.
What’s he going to come up with next? What’s a Merman? Why is there a computer and a space suit in a castle? Who are those creatures in the pit?
What the heck kind of vehicle is that? It was FUN.
Lyca asks: I’m curious about her inspiration for the stickers! Did she have guidelines, did she just draw what looked cool and fit the space, did she color them, etc?
Here’s how it usually goes: the art director gives you some penciled areas where the label is supposed to fit, so let’s say you have 6 areas. They might point out that 2 of them are for a sweet princess bedroom or a dark and scary cave for an evil villain.
All those flare lines abreast become the ‘decor” or vibe of the toy.
So for me, as I have said before, was Mark telling me that I shouldn’t worry about making sense of anything but to take each label and try to be mysterious and memorable.
Use a different style (not so graphic) and tantalize with color. I decided to use the brightest inks available , Dr. Martens dyes.
Now I can’t swear those were exact words, but basically, he was saying, “ Have fun, give them something different because this IS different.”
I’m truly surprised that so many of you enjoy these. Thank you.
James Zimmerman asks: Can you ask what element did she add to the art/MOTU that wasn’t there before? When we ed look at the stickers, what story was she trying to tell? And what did she think of the brand?
James, I think I can only take credit for the line work and color. We both chose what might the icons would be.
Many of us got swept into Marks project. He was very specific about who he was going to hire to work on it, and he brought us together, as illustrators, sculptors, and other talented favorites of his.
Sometimes, let’s say, if Mark was sculpting the castle, he might have various secretaries and others visit his office where he might give them a small piece of clay to press into a part of the castle itself. There were many fingerprints.
He loved that.
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