Webstor, not to be confused with 1980s TV character Webster, was a figure I never had as a kid, but always coveted. His looks weren’t as striking to me as characters like Clawful or Whiplash, but his action feature was endlessly fascinating.
Webstor, or Black Widow as he was originally known, first appears in writing in the December 1982 Masters of the Universe Bible by Michael Halperin:
BLACK WIDOW* – as his name suggests, this creepy individual has no scruples whatever. His chief asset is the ability to spin a strong web line in order to climb, snare and imprison those against whom he seeks revenge.
Update: Rebecca Salari Taylor recently shared some early concept art by Mark Taylor. The artwork below was created around the time Mark was working on concepts for both He-Man and Conan. If you look closely at the head/face, all the design details for Webstor are there, minus his additional eyes. The coloring is, of course, quite different, and this character doesn’t have a spider theme. The artwork appears to be undated, but this would have been done early in 1981. According to Mark’s wife Rebecca, this was originally a private sketch by Mark, which he later proposed as a henchman for Skeletor.
Image source: Rebecca Salari Taylor. Note, I would not consider this a concept Webstor. This was instead a different character whose face was seemingly “recycled” and used for Webstor.
It seems possible that Roger Sweet used the face/head from Mark’s drawing, and repurposed it for Webstor. Combining the head from Mark’s green henchman and the body from Mark’s Skeletor design, Roger added new armor and modified the color scheme to help set the character apart. Conceptually though they are two different characters.
Head comparison. Not similar eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, head shape, head spikes, and both lacking any visible ears.
According to The Power and Honor Foundation Catalog, Roger intended for the figure’s differential pulley system to run through the body of the figure itself. To save costs (and perhaps because a grappling hook from a figure’s head doesn’t make a great deal of sense), engineers moved the mechanism to the back of Webstor’s armor.
Roger’s Webstor drawing, a mashup of existing designs. Image source: The Power and the Honor Foundation
Other than the engineering change, the above concept is remarkably close to the look of the final figure. One difference that stands out is the flares over the shoulders on his armor, which did not make it into the final toy. The concept drawing lacks ears (as does Mark Taylor’s drawing). Some elf-like pointed ears were added to the final toy. Webstor’s hook is also quite different from the concept – Mattel ended up reusing the grappling hook from the Big Jim Pirate Boat instead:
Webstor doesn’t look particularly spider-like to me, other than the fact that he has four eyes and a black widow marking on his armor. Aside from those details, he could pass for some kind of blue orc, which makes sense considering the origins of his face design.
A hand-painted final prototype of the figure appears in a 1984 Mattel Germany catalog. For some reason they have him holding Trap Jaw’s blaster attachment:
Image courtesy of Olmo
We can also see a hand-painted version of the figure on the cardboard cutout below, which came from a promotional display. In this version he appears to be holding the version of the Castle Grayskull rifle that came with specially marked Man-E-Faces figures:
Aside from the reused grappling hook, Webstor was also given another recycled accessory – the rifle from the Castle Grayskull weapons rack. In most cases this was molded in orange plastic, but first release rare examples came with a blue rifle. Both versions appear in early catalog photos as well.
Update: according to Springor Spanior, who had a blue gun version since childhood, the blue gun is marked with a “3,” while his orange gun is marked with a “4.” However, I should note that my orange Webstor gun is also marked as “3.”
Webstor’s cross sell art depicts him with the orange gun:
Image courtesy of Axel GiménezBlue gunOrange gun
Webstor’s action feature allowed him to “climb” his own string when you pulled it from the bottom. Due to the complexity of the internal pulley system, it is pretty common to find examples where the string has gotten tangled internally. That was the case with my figure, but I was able to get mine working again using He-Bro’s method.
Aside from his single carded release, Webstor was released in the following gift sets:
Battle Armor Skeletor/Webstor/Mer-Man
Battle Armor Skeletor/Webstor/Stinkor
Webstor/Whiplash/Stinkor
Webstor/Battle Armor Skeletor
The scene on the back of Webstor’s card was illustrated by Errol McCarthy, who for some reason omitted the black widow symbol on Webstor’s chest. Errol would go on to portray the character in several other illustrations for use by licensees, as well as in the 1987 Style Guide.
The style guide described Webstor like this:
This beast is inordinately strong, and is closely allied with Skeletor. He is probably one of the cleverest Evil Warriors outside of Skeletor, and that is how he gained the evil leader’s trust. His hook and winch allow him to climb and crawl in spaces where other warriors couldn’t go.
Webstor first appears in the excellent Clash of Arms mini comic, alongside a cavalcade of villains like Clawful, Whiplash, and Jitsu. However, Webstor is taken out of the fight early with a vicious kick from Stridor.
Webstor also appears in Eye of the Storm, which came packed with Snout Spout. In the story he aids Skeletor in a plot to cause chaotic storms all across Eternia.
Webstor teams up with frequent collaborator Kobra Khan in the mini comic, Rock People to the Rescue (hat tip to Øyvind Johannes Meisfjord):
Webstor also appears in the Golden Books stories, Power From the Sky and The Rock Warriors. In the latter he helps create a diversion for Skeletor, and in the former he helps his evil compatriots climb a cliff face as they journey to launch an assault on the palace of Eternia:
From The Rock Warriors, illustrated by Fred Carillo.From Power From the Sky, Illustrated by Fred Carillo
Webstor was portrayed as one of Skeletor’s more intelligent minions in the Filmation cartoon. His design was generally consistent with the overall look of the toy, albeit with a few simplified details. The two most notable appearances, for me at least, were in “The Cat and the Spider” and “Disappearing Dragons”.
In “The Cat and the Spider” Webstor comes up against Kittrina, a member of the cat folk. This is Webstor’s debut episode and he’s on screen for a good chunk of the running time. He also flies a strange-looking version of the Wind Raider that has spider legs attached to the sides:
In “Disappearing Dragons,” Webstor teams up with Kobra Khan as they aid Skeletor in kidnapping Eternia’s dragons. They battle against another pair of characters that frequently work together – Buzz-Off and Mekaneck.
Webstor also made several appearances in poster artwork by William George and Earl Norem:
In some of the earliest media produced for Masters of the Universe, Teela is often depicted riding a golden horse or unicorn. The animal is never given a name, but is referred to as a “unicorn charger”. Fans have taken to calling the steed Charger for that reason.
Charger’s origins may lie in a January 1, 1981 “He-Man Vehicles & Accessories” idea disclosure form filed by Roger Sweet. In the form, Roger writes:
The Barbie horse, fixed or poseable legs, can be adapted to He-Man by changed color and added parts of armor, etc to make a horse vehicle.
In fact, there was a Barbie horse named Dallas, released in 1980 or 1981, that bears close resemblance to Charger as depicted in the first series of mini comics.
Several Masters of the Universe toys were reused from previous Mattel toylines, including Battle Cat, Panthor, Zoar and Screeech. Charger was never released in the vintage MOTU toyline, but I think he/she would have fit right in.
A concept drawing of a unicorn with a female rider was published in Tomart’s Action Figure Digest issue 90. The artwork is cropped, and we’re not given any information on the artist or the date. It’s possible that this is related to Teela and Charger, but it very well could be an unrelated concept (possibly for She-Ra, from the boys’ toys design team, before it was taken over by the girls’ toys group):
Image courtesy of Jukka Issakainen
Charger appears as a unicorn in the first comic, He-Man and the Power Sword, illustrated by Alfredo Alcala. The mini comic was shipped with the first wave of 1982 figures, and was probably in production in late 1981:
There is a similar scene on the cover of the Masters of the Universe Friends and Foes coloring book (cover by Fred Carillo), published in 1984:
Image source: He-Man.org
Charger appears as an ordinary horse in subsequent mini comics released in 1982, including Battle in the Clouds and The Vengeance of Skeletor. My speculation is that it would have been expensive to add a horn to the Dallas buck, so the concept was simplified to require no additional tooling. Of course it’s possible that this is just a fluke and not a planned change to the design of Charger.
Charger appears a few more times in various forms. One of the most interesting is the Grenadier “Raid of He-Man” paint and play minifigures set. The set includes Teela seated on Charger (as a unicorn), along with Skeletor, He-Man, Ram Man, Stratos, Man-At-Arms, Zodac and the Castle Grayskull weapons rack (images via He-Man.org)
Something that looks like it might be Charger appears in a 1983 MOTU puzzle, illustrated by R.L. Allen:
Charger appears in the 1983 Ladybird story, A Trap For He-Man, as well as in the 1984 story, Castle Grayskull Under Attack (images via He-Man.org):
Charger makes an appearance in issue 43 of the Italian Piú comic book series:
Image via He-Man.org; scanned and edited by MotuFlashes and Tommy.
Charger also shows up in various sticker and coloring books released throughout the first few years of the toyline (hat tip to He-Man.org user Whiplash7):
Finally, Charger (this time with a white coat) makes an appearance in the 1984 German audio story, Höhle des Schreckens (thanks to the anonymous commenter below for the tip):
Image source: He-Man.org
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In my continuing quest to understand the history of the vintage Masters of the Universe toyline, I’ve put together the following timeline. It’s generally focused on toy design, drawing dates from concept artwork, internal Mattel documents, patent filings, trademark filings, and even the Masters of the Universe Bible. My goal here is to give readers a sense of how the He-Man toyline developed and evolved. I’ve also included a few dates gleaned from the CPI (Conan Properties International) vs Mattel court cases. I believe this will help put to bed the idea that He-Man started out as a Conan figure. While He-Man was certainly influenced by Conan as depicted by Frank Frazetta, the He-Man project predates Mattel’s work on the Conan property by some time.
I drew on a number of different sources in compiling this information. Those sources include:
The Power and the Honor Foundation Catalog, Vol. 1
This is by no means an exhaustive timeline. I included only those pieces of information that were dated in some way. That includes information from court cases that was assigned an approximate date, like an early 1981 date for Tony Guerrero’s He-Man prototype. That also means that undated material like Mark Taylor’s Demo Man concept or Roger Sweet’s Mekaneck concept are not included in the timeline. I could of course infer dates for this kind of material, but I wanted to avoid guessing and stick to known facts.
I also have stayed away from dates tied to media not directly related to toy production. There are many specific dates available for individual episodes of the Filmation He-Man cartoon, for instance, but that is really outside of the parameters of this particular project.
I have only included a few images of concept designs here – some of them appear in earlier posts in this blog, and almost all of them appear in the sources I drew from. Unfortunately it would not be practical to try to include all of them in this post.
Finally, I’ve included some names that were listed in the Masters of the Universe Bible. The Bible itself is dated December 1, 1982, which gives us an early (if not exact) date for at least the conceptual existence of characters like Orko (or Gorpo, as he was first named) and Jitsu (or Chopper).
Update: on December 28, 2022, I updated this post with additional dates from previous research. That includes “first use in commerce” dates from the US Trademark office, which they say means:
“A date of first use in commerce is the date when (1) the goods were first sold or transported, or the services were first rendered, under the mark in a type of commerce that may be lawfully regulated by the U.S. Congress (such as interstate commerce or commerce between the United States and a foreign country), and (2) such use was bona fide and in the ordinary course of trade.”
Update 2: On January 1, 2023 I added first newspaper ad appearance dates from this article.
Update 3(May 26, 2023): I recently noticed in a 2015 Slashfilm article about the MOTU toyline and movie, one of the people they interviewed was Joe Morrison, an EVP of Marketing at Mattel. Joe is quoted as saying:
When we got the go-ahead from management to do the original toy line, we put in an estimate of, like, $12 million in sales. Well, we didn’t even release the toy until May of that year and we wound up doing $32 million. These were significant numbers in 1982.
This supports the data that I’ve been finding that all points to a May 1982 release date for the Masters of the Universe toyline.
1971
“King of Styx” – illustration for a short story by Mark Taylor. Some elements later reused for Skeletor. Image courtesy of Rebecca Salari Taylor
1971: “The King of Styx” concept, by Mark Taylor
1979
Torak, by Mark Taylor – 1979. Image source: The Power and the Honor Foundation
1979: First Castle Grayskull sketch, by Mark Taylor 1979: Torak (very early He-Man) sketch, by Mark Taylor 08/15/1979: Category Management Teams memo
1980
December 1980: Roger Sweet’s “He-Man” trio; the barbarian figure was based on designs by Mark Taylor
05/22/1980: Fantasy Make Believe idea disclosure form 06/11/1980: Male Action Figure attributes list 09/08/1980: Figure Attributes list 09/21/1980: Space/Monster/Fantasy Figures budgeted hours form 11/03/1980: Megaton Man project request form 11/??/1980: Work started on “He-Man trio”, Roger Sweet; Barbarian He-Man based on illustration by Mark Taylor (late November) 12/??/1980: He-Man trio presented at Mattel Product Conference (mid-December) 12/30/1980: He-Man Characters & Accessories idea disclosure form
1981
Tony Guerrero’s early 1981 He-Man prototype. Image source: Tomart’s Action Figure Digest.
1981: Bird Man (Stratos) concept, by Mark Taylor 1981: Mer-Man concept, by Mark Taylor 1981: Castle Grayskull concept, by Mark Taylor 1981: Battle Cat concept, by Mark Taylor 1981: Sensor (Zodac) concept, by Mark Taylor 1981: Battle Tester/Combat Trainer concept, by Mark Taylor 1981: Heroic Figure (He-Man) concept, by Mark Taylor 1981: Heroic Figure (He-Man) battles plant monster concept, by Mark Taylor 01/06/1981: He-Man Vehicles and Accessories idea disclosure form (modular vehicles) 01/23/1981: Drawing by Colin Bailey depicting Mark Taylor working on He-Man project 03/30/1981: De-Man (Skeletor) concept, by Mark Taylor 04/01/1981: Man-At-Arms concept, by Mark Taylor 04/02/1981: Tree Man (Beast Man) concept, by Mark Taylor 04/06/1981: He-Man (tan boots) concept, by Mark Taylor 04/07/1981: Battle Ram (tank treads version) concept, by Ted Mayer 04/24/1981: Memorandum urging negotiation for Conan license 04/27/1981: Revised Battle Ram concept art drawings, by Ted Mayer 05/03/1981: He-Man (red/yellow boots) concept, by Mark Taylor 05/05/1981: CPI draft licensing agreement sent 05/20/1981: Skull Castle (Castle Grayskull) Weapons Rack & Weapons by Mark Taylor 05/28/1981: Female Warrior (Teela) concept, by Mark Taylor 05/28/1981: Battle Ram control drawing, by Ted Mayer 06/03/1981: Sorceress concept, by Mark Taylor 06/05/1981: Battle Chariot concept, by Ted Mayer 07/??/1981: He-Man designed by this month, per CPI vs Mattel lawsuit 07/09/1981: Draft Skeletor toy head design document 07/14/1981: Memorandum discussing Mattel’s presentation of He-Man to Toys ‘R’ Us 07/23/1981: Tony Guerrero worked on Conan toys from this date until Sept 11, 1981 07/31/1981: CPI and Mattel entered license agreement to manufacture toys based on Conan movie 08/10/1981: Attak Trak mechanism patent filed (non-Mattel) 09/16/1981: Mer-Man sword design concept, by Mark Taylor 09/30/1981: “Proprietary Line Concepts” document (Megaton Man, Kid Gallant, Robin & The Space Hoods, Monster Fantasy/He-Man) 11/28/1981: King of Castle Grayskull published per copyright records 11/28/1981: He-Man and the Power Sword published per copyright records 11/28/1981: The Vengeance of Skeletor published per copyright records 12/08/1981: He-Man first use in commerce 12/08/1981: Battle Cat first use in commerce 12/08/1981: Battle Ram first use in commerce 12/08/1981: Beast Man first use in commerce 12/08/1981: Man-At-Arms first use in commerce 12/08/1981: Teela first use in commerce 12/08/1981: Mer-Man first use in commerce 12/08/1981: Stratos first use in commerce 12/08/1981: Wind Raider first use in commerce 12/08/1981: Zodac first use in commerce 12/08/1981: Masters of the Universe first use in commerce 12/08/1981: Filmation animated commercial retakes shot 12/14/1981: He-Man trademarked 12/14/1981: Teela trademarked 12/14/1981: Man-At-Arms trademarked 12/14/1981: Stratos trademarked 12/14/1981: Wind Raider trademarked 12/14/1981: Battle Ram trademarked 12/14/1981: Beast Man trademarked 12/14/1981: Mer-Man trademarked 12/14/1981: Zodac trademarked 12/14/1981: Masters of the Universe trademarked 12/21/1981: Battle Cat trademarked 12/21/1981: Castle Grayskull Trap Door patent filed 12/28/1981: Skeletor first use in commerce 12/28/1981: Castle Grayskull first use in commerce
1982
Attak Trak concept drawing, by Ted Mayer – Mark 23, 1982. Image courtesy of Ted Mayer
1982: Gargo/Gargoyle dragon concept, by Mark Taylor 1982: Ram Man concept, by Mark Taylor 1982: Man-E-Faces concept, by Mark Taylor 01/??/1982: Mattel requests termination of Conan license agreement 01/15/1982: Castle Grayskull trademarked 01/15/1982: Skeletor trademarked 02/17/1982: Mattel introduces new “Masters of the Universe” toy line at Toy Fair 03/01/1982: Rebate offer date in first mini comic (earliest purchase date) 03/04/1982: Attak Trak control drawing, by Ted Mayer 03/23/1982: Attak Trak concept, by Ted Mayer 04/08/1982: DC Comics: From Eternia With Death! street date. Cover date: July 1982 05/??/1982: Masters of the Universe toyline released this month, per Mattel EVP Joe Morrison 05/13/1982: Earliest known newspaper ad for MOTU 05/13/1982: First Skeletor newspaper ad 05/13/1982: First Man-At-Arms newspaper ad 05/13/1982: First He-Man newspaper ad 05/13/1982: First Beast Man newspaper ad 05/21/1982: Trap Jaw concept, by Colin Bailey 06/03/1982: First Battle Ram newspaper ad 06/03/1982: First Battle Cat newspaper ad 06/03/1982: First Castle Grayskull newspaper ad (“Castle Grey Skull”) 06/03/1982: First Stratos newspaper ad (pictured, not named) 06/03/1982: First Zodac newspaper ad (pictured, not named) 06/09/1982: First Teela newspaper ad 06/18/1982: First Stratos newspaper ad (mentioned by name) 07/05/2022: CPI and Mattel entered into a termination agreement 07/??/1982: Wasp Man (Buzz-Off) concept, by Colin Bailey 07/??/1982: Lizard Man (Whiplash) concept, by Colin Bailey 07/22/1982: First Wind Raider newspaper ad 08/08/1982: First Mer-Man newspaper ad (mentioned by name) 08/08/1982: First Zodac newspaper ad (mentioned by name) 08/26/1982: DC Comics Fate Is The Killer street date. Cover date: November 1982 09/21/1982: Zoar first use in commerce 09/21/1982: Ram Man first use in commerce 09/21/1982: Man-E-Faces first use in commerce 09/21/1982: Trap Jaw first use in commerce 09/21/1982: Attak Trak first use in commerce 09/21/1982: Point Dread & Talon Fighter first use in commerce 09/27/1982: Attak Trak trademarked 09/27/1982: Man-E-Faces trademarked 09/27/1982: Point Dread & The Talon Fighter trademarked 09/27/1982: Ram Man trademarked 09/27/1982: Trap Jaw trademarked 09/27/1982: Zoar trademarked 10/05/1982: Sultra (Evil-Lyn) concept, by Colin Bailey 10/14/1982: DC Comics The Key To Castle Grayskull street date. Cover date: January 1983 10/25/1982: Castle Grayskull copyright registered 10/26/1982: Teela copyright registered 11/04/1982: Battle Ram copyright registered 11/04/1982: Beast Man copyright registered 11/04/1982: He-Man copyright registered 11/04/1982: Man-At-Arms copyright registered 11/04/1982: Mer-Man copyright registered 11/04/1982: Skeletor copyright registered 11/04/1982: Stratos copyright registered 11/04/1982: Wind Raider copyright registered 11/04/1982: Zodac copyright registered 11/11/1982: DC Comics Within These Walls… Armageddon! street date. Cover date: February 1983 11/22/1982: Tri-Klops first use in commerce 12/01/1982: Masters of the Universe Bible created. First ever character/place mentions include: Marlena, Tri-Klops, Snake Mountain, Panthor, Gorpo, Delora, Ram Man, Spy Man, Bugoff (Buzz-Off), Tri-Trak, Roton, Faker, Black Widow (Webstor) Fang Man, Chopper (Jitsu) Tornado Traveler, War Sled (evil Battle Ram), Grinder vehicle 12/07/1982: King of Castle Grayskull copyright registered 12/08/1982: He-Man and the Power Sword copyright registered 12/10/1982: Tri-Klops trademarked 12/28/1982: The Vengeance of Skeletor copyright registered
1983
Dragon Walker concept by Ed Watts, 1983. Image source: The Power and the Honor Foundation.
01/11/1983: Evil-Lyn first use in commerce 01/21/1983: Evil-Lyn trademarked 01/21/1983: Heroic Warriors trademarked 01/21/1983: Evil Warriors trademarked 02/09/1983: Panthor first use in commerce 02/09/1983: Screeech first use in commerce 02/16/1983: Panthor trademarked 02/16/1983: Screeech trademarked 02/20/1983: First Man-E-Faces newspaper ad 02/22/1983: Battle Cat copyright registered 02/25/1983: Ram Man copyright registered 02/25/1983: Man-E-Faces copyright registered 03/15/1983: Faker first use in commerce 04/04/1983: Attak Trak copyright registered 04/04/1983: Faker copyright registered 04/14/1983: First “Buy 3 Get 1 Free” offer ad (Wun-Dar aka Savage He-Man aka Wonder Bread He-Man) 04/17/1983: First Faker newspaper ad 05/11/1983: First Ram Man newspaper ad 05/13/1983: Prince Adam first use in commerce 05/23/1983: Prince Adam trademarked 05/25/1983: Faker trademarked 05/25/1983: Point Dread trademarked 05/25/1983: Talon Fighter trademarked 06/21/1983: Evil-Lyn copyright registered 06/30/1983: First Evil-Lyn newspaper ad 06/30/1983: First Tri-Klops newspaper ad 07/15/1983: First Attak Trak newspaper ad 08/04/1983: First Talon Fighter newspaper ad 08/05/1983: Mekaneck first use in commerce 08/05/1983: Fisto first use in commerce 08/05/1983: Jitsu first use in commerce 08/05/1983: Whiplash first use in commerce 08/05/1983: Clawful first use in commerce 08/05/1983: Buzz-Off first use in commerce 08/05/1983: Roton first use in commerce 08/05/1983: Road Ripper first use in commerce 08/05/1983: Stridor first use in commerce 08/05/1983: Snake Mountain first use in commerce 08/05/1983: Battle For Eternia first use in commerce 08/15/1983: Snake Mountain trademarked 08/18/1983: Webstor first use in commerce 08/22/1983: Battle For Eternia trademarked 08/22/1983: Buzz-Off trademarked 08/22/1983: Clawful trademarked 08/22/1983: Fisto trademarked 08/22/1983: Jitsu trademarked 08/22/1983: Mekaneck trademarked 08/22/1983: Road Ripper trademarked 08/22/1983: Roton trademarked 08/22/1983: Stridor trademarked 08/22/1983: Whiplash trademarked 08/28/1983: First Trap Jaw newspaper ad 09/05/1983: Filmation He-Man cartoon debuts (UK) 09/17/1983: Gyro (early Roton) concept, by Ed Watts 09/19/1983: Spider Attack Vehicle (early Spydor) concept, by Ed Watts 09/19/1983: Ball Buster (early Bashasaurus) concept, by Ed Watts 09/21/1983: First Screeech newspaper ad (spelled “Screech”) 09/22/1983: Zap ‘N’ Go vehicle concept, by Ted Mayer 09/22/1983: First Panthor newspaper ad 09/23/1983: First Zoar newspaper ad 09/26/1983: Dungeon concept, by Ted Mayer 09/26/1983: Filmation He-Man cartoon debuts (USA) 09/29/1983: Vehicle Launcher (very early Road Ripper) concept, by Ted Mayer 11/18/1983: Masters Playset (two towers) concept, by Ted Mayer 12/05/1983: Early Fright Zone concept, by Ed Watts 12/05/1983: Webstor trademarked 12/08/1983: Dragon concept, by Ed Watts 12/08/1983: Dragon concept (without helmet), by Ed Watts 12/08/1983: Flying Fists He-Man/Battle Armor He-Man concept, by Ted Mayer 12/14/1983: First Mekaneck newspaper ad 12/28/1983: Trap Jaw copyright registered 12/29/1983: Mekaneck patent filed 12/29/1983: Battle Armor He-Man patent filed 1983: Dragon Walker concept, by Ed Watts 1983: Snake Mountain packaging sketch, by William George 1983: Dragon Walker with Land Shark packaging sketch, by William George
1984
Torton, by Ed Watts – February 9, 1984. Image source: The Power and the Honor Foundation
01/06/1984: Kobra Khan first use in commerce 01/06/1984: Battle Armor first use in commerce 01/10/1984: Dragon Walker patent filed 01/13/1984: Tri-Klops copyright registered 01/25/1984: First Road Ripper newspaper ad 01/27/1984: Battle Armor trademarked 01/27/1984: Kobra Khan trademarked 01/27/1984: The Fright Zone trademarked 02/09/1984: Torton concept, by Ed Watts 02/16/1984: Road Ripper copyright registered 03/11/1984: First Battle Armor He-Man newspaper ad 03/11/1984: First Battle Armor Skeletor newspaper ad 03/11/1984: First Roton newspaper ad 03/22/1984: First Prince Adam newspaper ad 03/22/1984: First Orko appearance in stores (costumed actor- unclear if that means toy was available) 03/29/1984: Hordak concept, by Ted Mayer 04/20/1984: Point Dread & Talon Fighter copyright registered 04/20/1984: Roton copyright registered 04/28/1984: First Buzz-Off newspaper ad 04/28/1984: First Whiplash newspaper ad 04/30/1984: Mekaneck copyright registered 04/30/1984: Stridor copyright registered 05/07/1984: Buzz-Off copyright registered 05/07/1984: Whiplash copyright registered 05/11/1984: First Dragon Walker newspaper ad 05/15/1984: Battle Armor He-Man copyright registered 06/01/1984: Horned helmet warrior woman concept, by Ted Mayer 06/03/1984: TM action figure concept, by Ted Mayer 06/03/1984: First Snake Mountain newspaper ad 06/03/1984: First Stridor newspaper ad 06/06/1984: Modular Man (Multi-Bot) concept, by Ted Mayer 06/07/1984: Horde Octopus Woman (Octavia) concept, by Ted Mayer 06/15/1984: Snout Spout concept, by Ted Mayer 06/15/1984: Dragon Walker copyright registered 06/18/1984: Walking skull vehicle concept, by Jim Keifer 06/19/1984: Early Megator concept, by Ted Mayer 07/06/1984: Chest cannon He-Man concept, by Ted Mayer 07/06/1984: Multi-Bot concept, by Ted Mayer 07/07/1984: Chest monster Skeletor concept, by Ted Mayer 07/07/1984: Transparent Man (Roboto) concept, by Ted Mayer 07/07/1984: Jester figure (Acrobad) concept, by Ted Mayer 07/08/1984: Vulture figure concept, by Ted Mayer 07/08/1984: Rotary Man (early Hurricane Hordak) concept, by Ted Mayer 07/08/1984: Horde Mummy concept, by Ted Mayer 07/08/1984: Stilt Stalkers concept, by Ted Mayer 07/08/1984: Helicopter accessory and Claw Climbing accessory concepts,, by Ted Mayer 07/08/1984: Jet Sled (close to final) concept, by Ted Mayer 07/09/1984: Handsome and Basher concepts, by Ted Mayer 07/10/1984: Megalaser concept, by Ted Mayer 07/10/1984: Octavia (colored) concept, by Ted Mayer 07/12/1984: Tung Lashor concept, by Ted Mayer 07/13/1984: Snout Spout concept, by Ted Mayer 07/13/1984: Masters Gigor concept, by Ed Watts 07/13/1984: Fright Fighter Concept, by Ed Watts 07/13/1984: Mantor (Mantisaur) concept, by Ed Watts 07/13/1984: Battle For Eternia game concept, by Ed Watts 07/13/1984: Attack Pose Panthor concept, by Ed Watts 07/13/1984: Dart (Laser Bolt) concept, by Ed Watts 07/13/1984: Ted Mayer unproduced concepts: Big Foot, Snowman, Green Witch, Archer Woman 07/13/1984: Ed Watts unproduced concepts: Cyclo Marauder, War Wing, Monster Walker, Dungeon, Tyroar, Disc Blaster 07/15/1984: Turbosaurus (early Gigantosaur) concept, by Ed Watts 07/16/1984: Weapons Factory concept, by Jim Keifer 07/22/1984: Land Shark & Battle Armor Skeletor packaging sketch, by William George 08/03/1984: First Fisto newspaper ad 08/30/1984: Land Shark first use in commerce 08/30/1984: Stinkor first use in commerce 08/30/1984: Hordak first use in commerce 08/30/1984: Leech first use in commerce 08/30/1984: Mantenna first use in commerce 08/30/1984: Grizzlor first use in commerce 08/30/1984: Spikor first use in commerce 08/30/1984: Two Bad first use in commerce 08/30/1984: Spydor first use in commerce 08/30/1984: Fright Zone first use in commerce 08/30/1984: Thunder Punch He-Man first use in commerce 09/09/1984: First Webstor newspaper ad 09/10/1984: Grizzlor trademarked 09/10/1984: Hordak trademarked 09/10/1984: The Horde trademarked 09/10/1984: Land Shark trademarked 09/10/1984: Leech trademarked 09/10/1984: Mantenna trademarked 09/10/1984: Spikor trademarked 09/10/1984: Spydor trademarked 09/10/1984: Stinkor trademarked 09/10/1984: Thunder Punch trademarked 09/10/1984: Two Bad trademarked 09/15/1984: Canyon Hopper concept, by Ed Watts 09/18/1984: Motorized walking monster armor concept, by Ed Watts 09/24/1984: Dragon Fly (Fright Fighter) concept, by Ed Watts 09/27/1984: First Weapons Pak newspaper ad 09/29/1984: Transforming figure concept, by Ed Watts 10/03/1984: Firepower Man (Rio Blast) concept, by Ed Watts 10/12/1984: Clawful and Buzz-Off mentioned as popular toys in newspaper story 10/24/1984: First Kobra Khan newspaper ad 10/25/1984: First Clawful newspaper ad 10/25/1984: First Orko newspaper ad (actual toy) 11/08/1984: Dragon Blaster Skeletor first use in commerce 11/08/1984: Modulok first use in commerce 11/08/1984: Battle Bones first use in commerce 11/08/1984: Night Stalker first use in commerce 11/08/1984: The Evil Horde first use in commerce 11/08/1984: Bashasaurus first use in commerce 11/13/1984: Land Shark patent filed 11/18/1984: First Jitsu newspaper ad 11/23/1984: Bashasaurus trademarked 11/23/1984: Night Stalker trademarked 11/23/1984: The Evil Horde trademarked 11/29/1984: Battle Armor Skeletor copyright registered 12/01/1984: Engine Man (Dragstor) concept, by Ed Watts 12/07/1984: Moss Man first use in commerce 12/11/1984: Conan Properties, Inc. v. Mattel Inc. lawsuit 12/14/1984: Battle Bones patent filed 12/14/1984: Sy-Klone patent filed 12/17/1984: Mantenna patent filed 12/19/1984: Dragon Blaster trademarked 12/19/1984: Modulok trademarked 12/19/1984: Moss Man trademarked 12/24/1984: Two Bad patent filed 12/24/1984: Jitsu copyright registered 12/24/1984: Kobra Khan copyright registered 12/24/1984: Clawful copyright registered 12/24/1984: Webstor copyright registered 12/28/1984: Battle Bones trademarked 1984: Mantisaur concept variations/for “New Ventures” 1984: Battle Armor Skeletor & Panthor packaging sketch, by William George 1984: Dragon Blaster Skeletor packaging sketch, by William George 1984: Jaws I, Jaws III, various unproduced concept vehicles for “New Ventures”
1985
Eternia sketch, by Ted Mayer
01/03/1985: Roboto patent filed 01/03/1985: Thunder Punch He-Man patent filed 01/04/1985: Bashasaurus patent filed 01/13/1985: First Land Shark newspaper ad 01/24/1985: First Moss Man newspaper ad 01/24/1985: First Stinkor newspaper ad 01/31/1985: Snake Mountain copyright registered 02/05/1985: Wolf head Eternia concept, by Ted Mayer 02/25/1985: Battle Bones copyright registered 02/26/1985: Early Blast Attak concept, by Mark Jones 02/28/1985: First Roboto newspaper ad 02/28/1985: First Two Bad newspaper ad 02/28/1985: “Tongue Lasher” (Tung Lashor) concept art by Martin Arriola and Pat Dunn 03/04/1985: Pre-Production Early Rio Blast Guns Rough Pencil Concept by John Hollis 03/14/1985: “Tongue Lasher” (Tung Lashor) illustration by John Hollis 03/18/1985: “Tongue Lasher” (Tung Lashor)”Dragonfly Compound Bow” concept art by John Hollis 03/29/1985: Seaman (Scubattack) concept, by Alan Tyler 03/31/1985: First Bashasaurus newspaper ad 03/31/1985: First Battle Bones newspaper ad 04/05/1985: Fright Zone puppet tooling method patent filed 04/18/1985: Heroic Giant (Tytus) concept, by Alan Tyler 04/22/1985: Fisto copyright registered 05/03/1985: Tung Lashor “Dragonfly Compound Bow” concept art by John Hollis 05/22/1985: Land Shark copyright registered 05/22/1985: Bashasaurus copyright registered 05/22/1985: Roboto copyright registered 05/22/1985: Two Bad copyright registered 05/30/1985: First Spikor newspaper ad 05/30/1985: Sy-Klone first use in commerce 05/30/1985: Flying Fists He-Man first use in commerce 05/30/1985: Terror Claws Skeletor first use in commerce 05/30/1985: Rokkon first use in commerce 05/30/1985: Stonedar first use in commerce 05/30/1985: Rattlor first use in commerce 05/30/1985: Tung Lashor first use in commerce 05/30/1985: Laser Bolt first use in commerce 06/01/1985: First Spydor newspaper ad 06/14/1985: First Night Stalker newspaper ad 06/14/1985: Laser Bolt trademarked 06/14/1985: Terror Claws trademarked 06/15/1985: Gyrattacker concept, by Ted Mayer 06/17/1985: Flying Fists trademarked 06/17/1985: Rattlor trademarked 06/17/1985: Rokkon trademarked 06/17/1985: Stonedar trademarked 06/17/1985: Sy-Klone trademarked 06/17/1985: Tung Lashor trademarked 06/19/1985: Eternia blueprint by John Hollis 06/24/1985: Slime Pit trademarked 07/08/1985: Spydor patent filed 07/25/1985: Slasher/Punjab concept, by Roger Sweet 08/08/1985: First Dragon Blaster Skeletor newspaper ad (implied) 08/08/1985: First Hordak Newspaper ad (costumed actor appearance) 08/08/1985: First Thunder Punch He-Man newspaper ad 08/20/1985: First Grizzlor newspaper ad 08/20/1985: First Hordak newspaper ad (actual toy) 08/20/1985: First Leech newspaper ad 08/20/1985: First Mantenna newspaper ad 08/25/1985: First Dragon Blaster Skeletor newspaper ad (explicitly shown) 08/30/1985: First Sy-Klone newspaper ad 09/04/1985: Triceratops (very early Bionatops) concept, by Mark Jones 09/04/1985: Turbodactyl concept, by Mark Jones 09/09/1985: Horde Slurb concept, by Mark Jones 09/13/1985: Unproduced Alan Tyler concepts: Dragon Lord, Sorcerer, Steel Kill 09/13/1985: Laser Bolt patent filed 09/14/1985: First Fright Zone newspaper ad 09/16/1985: Secrets of Grayskull “New Notes” document (Grayskull Tower/King Hiss/etc.) 09/22/1985: Early Jet Sled concept, by Ted Mayer 09/25/1985: Horde Trooper patent filed 09/27/1985: King Hiss patent filed 09/27/1985: Megalaser patent filed 09/28/1985: First Modulok newspaper ad 10/04/1985: Fright Zone patent filed 10/10/1985: Grizzlor copyright registered 10/10/1985: Mantenna copyright registered 10/10/1985: Moss Man copyright registered 10/10/1985: Spikor copyright registered 10/10/1985: Spydor copyright registered 10/10/1985: Sy-Klone copyright registered 10/10/1985: Thunder Punch He-Man copyright registered 10/11/1985: Hurricane Hordak patent filed 10/16/1985: Modulok copyright registered 10/17/1985: Secrets of Grayskull Preliminary Story Background (Eternia/King Hiss/etc.) 11/04/1985: Medusa-Man (Snake Face) concept, by David Wolfram 11/06/1985: Snake Men first use in commerce 11/06/1985: Snout Spout first use in commerce 11/06/1985: Multi-Bot first use in commerce 11/06/1985: Horde Trooper first use in commerce 11/06/1985: Mantisaur first use in commerce 11/12/1985: Horde Trooper trademarked 11/12/1985: Mantisaur trademarked 11/12/1985: Multi-Bot trademarked 11/12/1985: Snake Men trademarked 11/12/1985: Snout Spout trademarked 11/12/1985: Leech copyright registered 11/21/1985: Tyrantisaurus concept, by David Wolfram 11/22/1985: Blasterhawk first use in commerce 11/25/1985: Laser Bolt copyright registered 11/25/1985: Hordak copyright registered 11/25/1985: Fright Zone copyright registered 11/26/1985: Crack-Pot (Blast Attak) concept, by Richard Lepik 12/06/1985: Streak concept, by Alan Tyler 12/09/1985: Rio Blast first use in commerce 12/09/1985: Extendar first use in commerce 12/12/1985: Blasterhawk trademarked 12/16/1985: Evil Giant (Megator) concept, by Alan Tyler 1985: “The Slime Pit” finished painting, by William George 1985: Hurricane Hordak pencils, by William George 1985: Flying Fists He-Man pencils, by William George
1986
Rokkon/Stonedar patent illustration – filed January 14, 1986
01/09/1986: Extendar trademarked 01/09/1986: Rio Blast trademarked 01/11/1986: First Laser Bolt Newspaper ad 01/11/1986: First Slime Pit Newspaper ad 01/14/1986: Rokkon/Stonedar patent filed 01/15/1985: Triceratops (Bionotops) concept, by David Wolfram 01/17/1986: John Hollis “Terror-Dactyl” (Turbodactyl) concept 02/02/1986: First Rokkon newspaper ad 02/02/1986: First Stonedar newspaper ad 02/11/1986: Rokkon copyright registered 02/11/1986: Stonedar copyright registered 02/12/1986: First Flying Fists He-Man newspaper ad 02/12/1986: First Terror Claws Skeletor newspaper ad 02/21/1986: First King Hiss newspaper ad (figure coming in April) 02/21/1986: First Rattlor newspaper ad (figure coming in April) 02/21/1986: First Tung Lashor newspaper ad (figure coming in April) 03/07/1986: Fright Fighter first use in commerce 03/07/1986: Stilt Stalkers first use in commerce 03/15/1986: Comet Warriors trademarked 03/21/1986: Battle For Eternia (game) trademarked 03/21/1986: Fright Fighter trademarked 03/21/1985: John Hollis Rio Blast Fold Out Arm Blaster drawing 03/21/1985: John Hollis Pre-Production Early Rio Blast Arm Blaster 03/24/1986: Stilt Stalker trademarked 04/07/1986: Eternia first use in commerce 04/07/1986: Jet Sled first use in commerce 04/16/1985: John Hollis Rio Blast Pre-Production Chest Gun Sketch 04/18/1985: John Hollis Pre-Production Rio Blast Backpack Gun and Concept Sketches 04/18/1985: John Hollis Rio Blast Backpack Gun control drawing 04/23/1986: First Dragstor newspaper ad 05/01/1986: First King Hiss newspaper ad (figure listed as available) 05/03/1985: Mike McKittrick Pre-Production Eternia Playset Blueprint of Parts Layout 05/10/1986: First Rattlor newspaper ad (figure listed as available) 05/10/1986: First Tung Lashor newspaper ad (figure listed as available) 05/11/1986: First Mantisaur newspaper ad 05/12/1986: Flying Fists He-Man copyright registered 05/12/1986: Rattlor copyright registered 05/12/1986: Tung Lashor copyright registered 05/12/1986: Mantisaur copyright registered 05/13/1985: John Hollis Pre-Production Rio Blast Leg Control Drawing 05/14/1986: The Multiples (heroic) concept, by James McElroy 05/16/1986: Monstroid first use in commerce 05/19/1986: Terror Claws Skeletor copyright registered 05/28/1986: Snout Spout copyright registered 05/28/1986: Dragstor copyright registered 06/03/1986: First Blasterhawk newspaper ad 06/05/1986: Sorceress first use in commerce 06/05/1986: Mosquitor first use in commerce 06/05/1986: Buzz-Saw Hordak first use in commerce 06/09/1986: Tower Tools/Cliff Climber/Scubattack mechanism patent filed 06/12/1985: John Hollis “Snake Tower” Eternia sketch 06/14/1986: Sticky Minions concept, by James McElroy 06/14/1986: Spider People Centiped concept, by James McElroy 06/15/1986: The Multiples (evil) concept, by James McElroy 06/16/1986: Recording Sound Playset concept, by James McElroy 06/18/1986: Spider People Tarantula concept, by James McElroy 06/19/1985: John Hollis Pre-Production Eternia Playset Near-Final Copy with Color Marker 06/20/1986: The Lockers concept, by James McElroy 06/20/1986: Skeletor Dragon Disguise concept, by James McElroy 06/20/1986: The Slime Monster concept, by James McElroy 06/20/1986: Gwildor concept, by Alan Tyler (based on movie designs) 06/23/1986: Rotar/Twistoid patent filed 06/23/1986: Eternia trademarked 06/23/1986: Grayskull (He-Ro early name) trademarked (canceled) 06/23/1986: Jet Sled trademarked 06/23/1986: Monstroid trademarked 06/23/1986: Buzz-Saw trademarked 06/23/1986: Mosquitor trademarked 06/23/1986: Sorceress trademarked 06/23/1986: Meteorbs trademarked 06/23/1986: Cometroid trademarked 06/23/1986: Ty-Grrr trademarked 06/23/1986: Astro Lion trademarked 06/23/1986: Comet Cat trademarked 06/23/1986: Tuskor trademarked 06/23/1986: Dinosorb trademarked 06/23/1986: Crocobite trademarked 06/23/1986: Rhinorb trademarked 06/23/1986: Orbear trademarked 06/23/1986: Gore-Illa trademarked 06/29/1986: The Optimagic concept, by James McElroy 06/30/1986: The Voice concept, by James McElroy 07/09/1986: Giant Foot Print Trap concept, by James McElroy 07/09/1986: Net Trap concept, by James McElroy 07/13/1986: Gyrattacker patent filed 07/15/1985: John Hollis Pre-Production Eterna Playset Center Tower Gun Control Drawing 07/18/1986: First Jet Sled newspaper ad 07/18/1986: First Megalaser newspaper ad 07/18/1986: First Stilt Stalkers newspaper ad 07/24/1984: Ed Watts Pre-Production Fright Fighter “Dragonfly” (Fright Fighter) Concept Photo 07/29/1985: John Hollis Pre-Production Eternia Playset Snake Tower Strut Concept Details 08/02/1985: John Hollis Pre-Production Eternia Playset Center Tower Strut Drawing 08/04/1985: John Hollis Pre-Production Eternia Playset Elevator Crank Control Drawing 08/05/1985: John Hollis Pre-Production Eternia Playset Elevator Lift Platform Blueprint 08/01/1986: King Hiss copyright registered 08/07/1986: Horde Trooper copyright registered 08/15/1985: John Hollis Pre-Production Eternia Playset Grappling Hook Control Drawing 08/18/1986: Slime Pit copyright registered 08/18/1986: Extendar copyright registered 08/22/1986: Rio Blast copyright registered 08/24/1986: First Snout Spout newspaper ad 09/10/1986: First Hurricane Hordak newspaper ad 09/16/1986: Blast Attak patent filed 09/17/1986: Tyrantisaurus Rex first use in commerce 09/17/1986: Bionatops first use in commerce 09/17/1986: Gigantisaur first use in commerce 09/22/1986: Bionotops trademarked 09/22/1986: Gigantisaur trademarked 09/22/1986: Powers of Grayskull trademarked 09/22/1986: Tyrantisaurus Rex trademarked 09/28/1986: First Fright Fighter newspaper ad 09/30/1986: Turbodactyl first use in commerce 09/30/1986: Blast-Attak first use in commerce 09/30/1986: Gwildor first use in commerce 09/30/1986: Rotar first use in commerce 09/30/1986: Twistoid first use in commerce 09/30/1986: Cliff Climber first use in commerce 09/30/1986: Scubattack first use in commerce 09/30/1986: Tytus first use in commerce 09/30/1986: Eldor first use in commerce 10/xx/1986: He-Man military pitch, by Stephen Lee 10/06/1986: Eldor trademarked 10/06/1986: Rotar trademarked 10/06/1986: Turbodactyl trademarked 10/06/1986: Twistoid trademarked 10/06/1986: Tytus trademarked 10/07/1986: Blast-Attak trademarked 10/07/1986: Gwildor trademarked 10/11/1986: First Meteorbs newspaper ad 10/11/1986: First Multi-Bot newspaper ad 10/14/1986: Cliff Climber trademarked 10/14/1986: Scubattack trademarked 10/23/1986: First Monstroid newspaper ad 10/28/1986: Mosquitor copyright registered 10/28/1986: Ninjor copyright registered 10/28/1986: Scare Glow copyright registered 10/28/1986: Sorceress copyright registered 10/28/1986: Sssqueeze copyright registered 11/05/1986: First Extendar newspaper ad 11/05/1986: First Rio Blast newspaper ad 11/08/1986: First Horde Trooper newspaper ad 11/10/1986: Blast-Attak copyright registered 11/17/1986: H.E./M.A.N. concept, by James McElroy 11/23/1986: First Eternia Playset newspaper ad 11/27/1986: First Beam Blaster & Artilleray newspaper ad 11/27/1986: First Mosquitor newspaper ad 11/27/1986: First Ninjor newspaper ad 11/27/1986: First Scare Glow newspaper ad 11/27/1986: First Snake Face newspaper ad 12/09/1986: First Clamp Champ newspaper ad 12/09/1986: First King Randor newspaper ad
1987
Megator concept, by Mark Jones, based on Mark Taylor’s Demo-Man concept – 1987. Image source: The Art of He-Man/The Power and the Honor Foundation
01/21/1987: The Evil Horde Slime copyright registered 01/28/1987: Snake Face copyright registered 02/02/1987: Artilleray copyright registered 02/02/1987: Beam Blaster copyright registered 02/02/1987: Blasterhawk copyright registered 03/14/1987: First Tyrantisaurus Rex newspaper ad 03/21/1987: First Blast Attak newspaper ad 03/21/1987: First Sorceress newspaper ad 03/21/1987: First Sssqueeze newspaper ad 04/04/1987: First Bionatops newspaper ad 04/04/1987: First Turbodactyl newspaper ad 04/15/1987: Saurod first use in commerce 04/15/1987: Megator first use in commerce 04/27/1987: Saurod trademarked 04/27/1987: Megator trademarked 04/28/1987: Bionatops copyright registered 04/28/1987: Turbodactyl copyright registered 05/18/1987: Laser Power He-Man concept art, by David Wolfram, based on design by Martin Arriola 06/22/1987: Regular Bio-Mechazoid Skeletor (early Laser Light) concept, by David Wolfram 08/08/1987: First Blade newspaper ad 08/08/1987: First Gwildor newspaper ad 08/08/1987: First Saurod newspaper ad 08/18/1987: Bio-Mechazoid Skeletor (revised Laser Light) concept, by David Wolfram 11/11/1987: First Buzz-Saw Hordak newspaper ad 11/11/1987: First Rotar newspaper ad 11/11/1987: First Twistoid newspaper ad 1987: Megator concept/based on Mark Taylor’s Demo-Man, colored by Mark Jones
Thanks to Shawn for pointing me towards the CPI vs Mattel material.
“Death of Mark Taylor From Night Visitation.” Artwork by Colin Bailey, January 23, 1981. Given to Mark when he was working on his “dark project” (He-Man). Image courtesy of Rebecca Salari Taylor.
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Mekaneck is one of those figures that I never owned as a kid and had limited exposure to in general. I remember seeing him only once in the wild – when visiting some distant relatives for the first time. I remember their son showing me his He-Man collection, which included Mekaneck and Buzz-Off (the first time I had seen either figure in person).
My exposure to him as a character otherwise was mostly punctuated by his appearance in the Filmation cartoon episode, “Disappearing Dragons”, and his inclusion in the He-Man and the Insect People mini comic that came with my Prince Adam figure. More on those later.
In online interactions I see a lot of people claiming that Mekaneck is a second wave figure, released in 1983 along with Tri-Klops, Man-E-Faces, etc. I don’t think that’s true, for several reasons:
Mekaneck is stamped 1983 on his back. The year on the back of MOTU figures is almost always the year before the figure was released, when it was in development. 1982 figures are stamped 1981, 1983 figures are stamped 1982, and 1984 figures are stamped 1983:
Mekaneck features snap-together clamshell armor. No other 1983 figure has that kind of armor, but many of the 1984 figures have it
Mekaneck does not show up in the 1983 Mattel Dealer Catalog. He does show up in the 1984 Mattel Dealer Catalog.
Mattel filed a trademark on Mekaneck’s name on August 22, 1983. They filed trademarks on the same day for other 1984 figures and toys like Clawful, Buzz-Off, Fisto, Jitsu, and Roton.
Mekaneck’s cross sell art does not appear on the back of 1983 packaging
Mekaneck does not appear in the mini comics until 1984 (not conclusive evidence, as the same is true of Evil-Lyn).
There are a couple of evidences that indicate that Mekaneck may have come very early in 1984 – one is that he appears in the 1983 Mattel Licensing Kit, along with Orko, Sorceress and Dragon Walker. This seems to indicate that Mattel was ready to promote him as a figure before many others in the 1984 line. Additionally, while Mekaneck first appears in the 1984 Mattel Dealer Catalog, he is not marked as “New for ’84” as all the other figures were (thanks to Matthew Martin for first pointing that out to me).
Update: Contrary to my earlier arguments, Mekaneck was actually released as early as Christmas 1983, from the Mattel Fall Promotion mini catalog below.
In searching through newspaper archives, the earliest Mekaneck ad I was able to find dates to December 14, 1983 (in the image below). It turns out that Mekaneck isn’t the only figure released just before the year/wave it officially belongs to – 1987 figures like King Randor, Ninjor and Clamp Champ were available as early as December 1986.
I still think it’s sensible to group figures according to yearly waves as defined by Mattel’s official dealer catalogs. So I would consider Mekaneck to be a part of the third wave, even if he came out a little earlier than the other figures.
Mekaneck’s early working name was Spy Man. The late 1982 Michael Halperin Bible describes him this way:
“SPY MAN – an able fighter, he has the ability to literally periscope his neck above obstacles in order to survey the landscape. This trait comes in handy when he’s with He-Man and they have to know the enemy’s location.”
In this concept illustration by Roger Sweet, Mekaneck has a red shirt, yellow boots and armor, a relatively simple armor design (like the final design, it covers the figure’s mouth when his neck is not extended), and a helmet design that looks a bit like it was cobbled together from a traffic cone and some ski goggles:
Image from The Power and the Honor Foundation Catalog. Concept art by Roger Sweet.
Mekaneck’s periscoping neck worked by twisting his waist. The mechanism was designed by Tony Rhodes for Mattel, and a patent was filed for it on December 29, 1983:
A hand-painted prototype appears in this Rotoplast catalog (image via Jukka Issakainen):
The cross sell art used for Mekaneck shows a more or less finalized version of the figure, with the exception of his extended neck, which is red:
Image courtesy of Axel Giménez
He features a quite angular, almost Devo-esque helmet and goggles and fairly bulky and angular armor that obscures the character’s mouth when his head is in its lowest position. As in Roger Sweet’s concept art, Mekaneck reuses He-Man body, but has a unique head, armor and weapon.
The final club design is quite ornate and, again, angular. It’s a strange weapon choice for such a futuristic-looking character, although one could imagine that some of the geometric shapes on the sides of the club are actually buttons that activate hidden functions.
You can see the hand-painted final prototype in this image from the German Mattel 1984 catalog (image courtesy of Olmo):
He has a superhero-esque color scheme, which represented something of a departure for the MOTU toy line, stylistically. As mentioned earlier in the cross sell art, Mekaneck’s mechanical neck is red, but it was colored silver in the final toy.
The exposed area on Mekaneck’s face, in my opinion, very much resembles He-Man’s face. I suspect that whoever sculpted the head used a He-Man head as a base, and added the mechanical elements over top.
The illustration on the back of the card, as with many others, was done by Errol McCarthy:
Errol produced several illustrations featuring or including Mekaneck:
Mekaneck was also available in several gift sets, including a three-pack with Moss Man and Buzz-Off, a two-pack with Roboto, and another two-pack with Ram Man:
On the instructions on the back of the three-pack, Mekaneck is depicted with quite a different color scheme (Beedo Sookcool in the comments pointed out that the color scheme corresponds pretty closely to Roger Sweet’s original concept artwork):
In the Filmation episode, “Search for a Son,” Mekaneck’s neck is badly injured in a storm, and Man-At-Arms finds him and gives him a bionic neck. I suppose that’s as good an origin story as any for a character with such an unusual super power, although if I were Mekaneck I’d be questioning whether Man-At-Arms had ever heard of a simple neck brace.
In various stories over the years, Mekaneck was frequently paired up with Buzz-Off. That’s true of the Filmation “Disappearing Dragons” episode (one of my all time favorites), and it’s also true of Mekaneck’s appearances in the mini comic He-Man and the Insect People.
In He-Man and the Insect People, Mekaneck uses his neck to propel his head into enemies rather than as a means to spy on them:
Mekaneck uses his head as intended in The Obelisk:
Mekaneck also appears alongside Man-E-Faces and Ram Man in the 1985 mini comic, Skeletor’s Dragon.
In at least one German comic book and catalog, Mekaneck is described as an astronaut, which seems to track with his general appearance:
Mekaneck makes an appearance in the Golden Books story, Maze of Doom. Strangely, he seems to have his helmet on backwards in this panel:
In box art, Mekaneck appears most notably in the illustration for Night Stalker (1985):
He also appears as one of many characters in posters by William George:
He appears in the following line art used for black and white newspaper and flier advertisements:
