Princess of Power Toys Timeline

Posted on July 25, 2024December 30, 2024 by Adam McCombs

Written by Adam McCombs

In previous articles I have put together quite detailed timelines for the Masters of the Universe toyline, drawing from sources like Mattel internal documents, concept art, patent filings, trademark filings, copyright filings, and vintage newspaper advertisements. I thought it would be worthwhile to do the same for the vintage Princess of Power toyline.

This is by no means an exhaustive timeline. I included only those pieces of information that were dated in some way. Unfortunately the amount of material to draw on here is modest compared to the sources I was able to use for my MOTU timelines. Dated concept art is in particularly short supply for POP. I actually did the initial research on this when I was contributing to the Dark Horse Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe book, but I’ve since updated that work with dates from vintage newspaper ads and other newspaper material.

The “first use in commerce” dates from come from trademark filings. The meaning of this term is somewhat ambiguous. The US Trademark office defines it this way:

“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.”

From my research, “first use in commerce” doesn’t coincide with the dates that the toys were sold, as the dates listed are universally too early for that. Maybe Mattel used these dates to refer to factory production or shipping.

Some notes on the newspaper advertising dates: I used the Newspapers.com database as my source of information. So it is limited to a) what newspapers they have archived, b) the extent to which the text has been made accurately searchable and c) my ability to suss out variant spellings, such as “Sheera.” In one case there was a July 10, 1985 advertisement for ALL of the first wave of She-Ra figures. However they may not have really had the entire wave actually available for sale, as I didn’t find any other ads for figures like Kowl until late fall. In that one case I’ve indicated the July 10 date in parentheses as a possible earlier date for certain first wave figures. My guess is they probably just used all of the line art given to them by Mattel for the year to help fill out the ad, even though not all figures had shipped to them yet.

In general, it’s certainly possible that some figures were available in stores days or weeks prior to the earliest newspaper dates I could find. But I will say that the newspaper ads in general are the best resource for understanding approximately when the toys were first sold in stores.

A couple of other things – I don’t think the newspaper ad data for 1987 is particularly good. The frequency of POP newspaper ads is quite sparse. Advertisers were already winding down their ad spend as the line was dying. So, the 1987 dates may be less accurate in representing something that is close to a probable release date. Also, the only ad I found for the Defenders of Good three-pack was October 1987, in a “Mattel Toy Closeouts” ad, indicating that it wasn’t a new item and it was being sold at deep discount. My understanding is that this set was originally released in 1986, but I couldn’t find earlier ads for it.

For illustrative purposes I will include some sample advertisements, some POP illustrations kindly shared by Allison Troy, and other images from He-Man.org and Charles Zembillas. Special thanks to Allison Troy for giving this a once over before I published it. Update: Thanks also to James Eatock for providing four additional dates related to the She-Ra cartoon!

1983

xx/xx/1983: Crystal Castle concept art, Justine Dantzer (pre-Mattel)

1984

xx/xx/1984: Charles Zembillas She-Ra concept illustration
xx/xx/1984: Princess of Power Bible written
03/23/1984: Castaspella concept art, Justine Dantzer
04/xx/1984: Crystal Castle concept art, Justine Dantzer
05/25/1984: “Into Etheria” first draft completed
08/30/1984: Angella first use in commerce
08/30/1984: Castaspella first use in commerce
08/30/1984: Catra first use in commerce
08/30/1984: Double Trouble first use in commerce
08/30/1984: Frosta first use in commerce
08/30/1984: Kowl first use in commerce
08/30/1984: Swift Wind first use in commerce
08/30/1984: Princess Adora first use in commerce
09/10/1984: Castaspella trademarked
09/10/1984: Catra trademarked
09/10/1984: Double Trouble trademarked
09/10/1984: Kowl trademarked
09/10/1984: Princess Adora trademarked
09/10/1984: Swift Wind trademarked
09/12/1984: She-Ra first use in commerce
09/12/1984: Angella trademarked
09/13/1984: Frosta trademarked
10/23/1984: She-Ra trademarked
10/29/1984: First mention of She-Ra and Princess of Power in a newspaper article (referencing the planned cartoon series)

1985

xx/xx/1985: Spinerella concept art, Sylvia Shapiro
01/23/1985: Arrow first use in commerce
01/23/1985: Crystal Castle first use in commerce
01/23/1985: Enchanta first use in commerce
01/28/1985: Arrow trademarked
01/28/1985: Crystal Castle trademarked
01/28/1985: Enchanta trademarked
02/07/1985: Live-action She-Ra appeared in parade (Hackensack, NJ)
02/11/1985: Princess of Power line debuts at New York Toy Fair
03/08/1985: She-Ra copyrighted
03/22/1985: The Secret of the Sword released in US theaters
04/05/1985: Catra copyrighted
04/05/1985: Angella copyrighted
04/29/1985: Swift Wind copyrighted
04/29/1985: Glimmer copyrighted
05/16/1985: Bow copyrighted
05/29/1985: Princess of Power, She-Ra copyrighted
05/30/1985: Clawdeen first use in commerce
05/30/1985: Crystal Falls first use in commerce
05/30/1985: Flutterina first use in commerce
05/30/1985: Mermista first use in commerce
05/30/1985: Peekablue first use in commerce
05/30/1985: Perfuma first use in commerce
06/06/1985: She-Ra first newspaper ad
06/06/1985: Catra first newspaper ad
06/06/1985: Bow first newspaper ad
06/17/1985: Clawdeen trademarked
06/17/1985: Crystal Falls trademarked
06/17/1985: Flutterina trademarked
06/17/1985: Mermista trademarked
06/17/1985: Peekablue trademarked
06/17/1985: Perfuma trademarked
08/03/1985: Crystal Castle first newspaper ad
08/20/1985: Castaspella first newspaper ad (possibly as early as 07/10/1985)
08/25/1985: Angella first newspaper ad (possibly as early as 07/10/1985)
08/25/1985: Glimmer first newspaper ad (possibly as early as 07/10/1985)
08/25/1985: Swift Wind first newspaper ad (possibly as early as 07/10/1985)
08/25/1985: Storm first newspaper ad (possibly as early as 07/10/1985)
08/29/1985: Enchanta first newspaper ad
09/12/1985: Arrow first newspaper ad (possibly as early as 07/10/1985)
09/15/1985: Frosta first newspaper ad (possibly as early as 07/10/1985)
09/02/1985: She-Ra: Princess of Power premieres in the UK with “Duel at Devlan”
09/23/1985: She-Ra: Princess of Power premieres in the USA with “Into Etheria”
09/28/1985: Double Trouble first newspaper ad (possibly as early as 07/10/1985)
10/10/1985: Crystal Castle copyrighted
10/12/1985: Catra and Storm set first newspaper ad
10/12/1985: She-Ra and Swift Wind set first newspaper ad
11/03/1985: Bow and Arrow set first newspaper ad
11/06/1985: Kowl first newspaper ad (possibly as early as 07/10/1985)
11/06/1985: Crystal Moonbeam first use in commerce
11/06/1985: Crystal Sun Dancer first use in commerce
11/06/1985: Crystal Swift Wind first use in commerce
11/06/1985: Entrapta first use in commerce
11/06/1985: Sweet Bee first use in commerce
11/12/1985: Crystal Moonbeam trademarked
11/12/1985: Crystal Sun Dancer trademarked
11/12/1985: Entrapta trademarked
11/12/1985: Sweet Bee trademarked
11/22/1985: Double Trouble copyrighted
11/29/1985: Enchantra (Enchanta) copyrighted
12/02/1985: Kowl copyrighted
12/02/1985: Castaspella copyrighted
12/31/1985: Scratchin’ Sound first use in commerce

1986

01/13/1986: Scratchin’ Sound trademarked
02/07/1986: Crystal Swift Wind trademarked
02/14/1986: Sea Harp first use in commerce
02/21/1986: Flutterina first newspaper ad
02/21/1986: Perfuma first newspaper ad
02/21/1986: Entrapta first newspaper ad
02/21/1986: Sweet Bee first newspaper ad
02/21/1986: Flutterina first newspaper ad
02/21/1986: Scratchin’ Sound Catra and Clawdeen set first newspaper ad
02/21/1986: Scratchin’ Sound Catra first newspaper ad
02/28/1986: Sea Harp trademarked
03/07/1986: Starburst She-Ra first newspaper ad
03/07/1986: Fit To Be Tied first use in commerce
03/07/1986: Fantastic Fashions first use in commerce
03/07/1986: Flight of Fancy first use in commerce
03/07/1986: Butterflyer first use in commerce
03/07/1986: Deep Blue Secret first use in commerce
03/07/1986: Flower Power first use in commerce
03/07/1986: Hold On To Your Hat first use in commerce
03/07/1986: Ready In Red first use in commerce
03/07/1986: Rise & Shine first use in commerce
03/07/1986: Veils of Mystery first use in commerce
03/14/1986: Flight of Fancy trademarked
03/17/1986: Fit To Be Tied trademarked
03/17/1986: Fantastic Fashions trademarked
03/17/1986: Flower Power trademarked
03/17/1986: Butterflyer trademarked
03/17/1986: Deep Blue Secret trademarked
03/17/1986: Hold On To Your Hat trademarked
03/17/1986: Ready In Red trademarked
03/17/1986: Rise & Shine trademarked
03/17/1986: Veils of Mystery trademarked
03/23/1986: Crystal Moonbeam first newspaper ad
05/28/1986: Clawdeen copyrighted
05/28/1986: Flutterina copyrighted
05/28/1986: Peekablue copyrighted
06/05/1986: Blue Lightning first use in commerce
06/05/1986: Colorful Secret first use in commerce
06/05/1986: Frosty Fur first use in commerce
06/05/1986: Heart of Gold first use in commerce
06/05/1986: Hidden Gold first use in commerce
06/05/1986: Reflections In Red first use in commerce
06/05/1986: Secret Messenger first use in commerce
06/05/1986: Windy Jumper first use in commerce
06/04/1986: Crystal Swift Wind first newspaper ad
06/23/1986: Blue Lightning trademarked
06/23/1986: Colorful Secret trademarked
06/23/1986: Frosty Fur trademarked
06/23/1986: Heart of Gold trademarked
06/23/1986: Hidden Gold trademarked
06/23/1986: Reflections In Red trademarked
06/23/1986: Secret Messenger trademarked
06/23/1986: Windy Jumper trademarked
08/12/1986: Clawdeen (individual) first newspaper ad
09/17/1986: Bubble Power first use in commerce
09/17/1986: Shower Power first use in commerce
09/21/1986: Crystal Falls first newspaper ad
09/22/1986: Bubble Power trademarked
09/28/1986: Sea Harp first newspaper ad
09/28/1986: Butterflyer first newspaper ad
09/28/1986: Mermista first newspaper ad
09/30/1986: Loo-Kee first use in commerce
09/30/1986: Netossa first use in commerce
09/30/1986: Royal Swift Wind first use in commerce
09/30/1986: Silver Storm first use in commerce
09/30/1986: Spinnerella first use in commerce
09/30/1986: Jewelstar first use in commerce
09/30/1986: Tallstar first use in commerce
09/30/1986: Glory Bird first use in commerce
10/06/1986: Loo-Kee trademarked
10/06/1986: Netossa trademarked
10/06/1986: Royal Swift Wind trademarked
10/06/1986: Spinnerella trademarked
10/06/1986: Jewelstar trademarked
10/06/1986: Tallstar trademarked
10/06/1986: Glory Bird trademarked
10/10/1986: Peekablue first newspaper ad
10/31/1986: Crystal Sun Dancer first newspaper ad
11/02/1986: Fantastic Fashions first newspaper ad
11/15/1986: Peekablue & Crystal Moonbeam first newspaper ad
11/15/1986: Starburst She-Ra and Crystal Swift Wind set first newspaper ad
11/15/1986: Sweet Bee & Crystal Sun Dancer first newspaper ad
11/17/1986: Shower Power trademarked
11/17/1986: Silver Storm trademarked

1987

01/11/1987: Shower Power Catra first newspaper ad
01/15/1987: Bubble Power She-Ra first newspaper ad
02/09/1987: Jewelstar packaging mockup
02/09/1987: Starla packaging mockup
02/09/1987: Tallstar packaging mockup
02/27/1987: Glory Bird packaging mockup
03/20/1987: Filmation completes work on She-Ra: Princess of Power
10/04/1987: She-Ra, Perfuma, and Sweet Bee (Defenders of Good) “Mattel Toy Closeouts” newspaper ad
11/11/1987: Netossa first newspaper ad
11/11/1987: Spinerella first newspaper ad
11/11/1987: Loo-Kee first newspaper ad
11/11/1987: Royal Swift Wind first newspaper ad
11/11/1987: Silver Storm first newspaper ad

Other timelines:

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Catalogs

1986 Mattel Spain Catalog (She-Ra Section)

Posted on May 26, 2020September 12, 2024 by Adam McCombs

Many thanks to Richard Sánchez Guirao and Fernando Seage Tomé from La Cueva del Terror and Mundo Masters Magazine for sharing this scan from the 1986 Mattel Spain catalog with the readers of Battle Ram: A He-Man Blog. As always, their partnership is greatly appreciated. Be sure to check out their excellent podcast, website and magazine at the links above!

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Reviews

He-Man and She-Ra: A Complete Guide to the Classic Animated Adventures

Posted on February 26, 2017September 11, 2024 by Adam McCombs

Review by Adam McCombs

He-Man and She-Ra: A Complete Guide to the Classic Animated Adventures is a nearly-600 page love letter to the 1983 and 1985 Filmation He-Man and She-Ra cartoons. James Eatock, the author (the She-Ra section was co-written by Alex Hawkey) has been reviewing and researching the cartoon since at least 1997, and knows more about the series than perhaps any living person. In fact, Eatock published his own Unofficial Guide to He-Man and the Masters of the Universe back in 2010, so it’s fitting now that he has been able to publish an official guide through Dark Horse.

The book takes an exhaustive look at each episode of the He-Man and She-Ra cartoons, offering a synopsis for each episode, a list of characters, memorable quotes, reviews, morals, deleted scenes, information on animation reuse, trivia, artwork and more. There is also a forward by storyboard artist and writer Robert Lamb, as well as some information on abandoned episodes.

I’ll always have a soft spot in my heart for these cartoons. I remember well the power struggles over control of the TV when I was a kid. My big sisters would always steer us toward episodes of Three’s Company, Different Strokes, The Monkees or Gilligan’s Island, but when I had a choice, I would always be watching He-Man.

Having said that, the Filmation cartoons have never been the focus of my own research in this blog. My research interests lie mainly in the development of the toys and packaging and comics. So for me, the book is actually a godsend. Anything I could possibly want to know about any episode in the series seems to have already been uncovered by Eatock and Hawkey (or if it hasn’t, it’s probably unknowable).

The book is called a guide, and it works very well in that capacity. I’ve found that the best way to digest this book is to read about an episode and then go immediately watch it, so you can catch all the behind the scenes facts and surprising connections across the series.

One of my favorite things about the book is all the marvelous artwork (in fact, I think a sequel that focuses entirely on artwork would be warranted, particularly rarer pieces from the animated commercial and Filmation’s highly detailed backgrounds). Dušan Mitrović illuminates the black and white character model sheets with colors that are authentic to the look of the series:

There is a great deal of development artwork in the book, including some lovely pieces by Fred Carrillo, known primarily among fans for his work illustrating many of the Golden Books series of He-Man stories:

Eatock’s enthusiasm for the series is infectious, and even non-Filmation fans will find themselves being drawn into the depths of the series through the eyes of the author. Even if you don’t consider yourself much of a fan of the cartoon, this book is a must-own.

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Heroic Warriors

Stonedar: Heroic leader of the rock people (1986)

Posted on February 11, 2017September 8, 2024 by Adam McCombs

Written by Adam McCombs

Name: Stonedar
Faction: Heroic Warriors
Approximate US release date: February 2, 1986

The last Masters of the Universe figures I would ever get as a kid were Rokkon, Stonedar and Modulok, for my birthday in 1986. All three were a surprise, and they were all a bit out in left field compared to the figures I had until that point, which mostly reused the same few basic muscular body types that originated with He-Man, Skeletor and Beast Man.

Of the two rock/comet warriors (more on that distinction later), Stonedar was my favorite, mostly because I liked the cratered surface of his outer shell, as opposed to the quartz-like surface of Rokkon’s shell.

It seems that 1986 was the year of the transforming rock toys. That same year, Hasbro released their Inhumanoids toyline, with the heroic character Granok, who could transform from a pile of rocks into a tall rock creature. Tonka also released their Rock Lords toyline, a spinoff from the GoBots series:

These transforming rock toys seem to get regularly panned in articles about 80s toys today (particularly the Rock Lords and Mattel’s rock warriors), but I’ve always liked them. Granok was the only character I owned from the Inhumanoids line, and he was one of my favorite toys growing up. He didn’t make a very convincing pile of rocks, but he was a pretty great-looking rock warrior. Stonedar was kind of the opposite – he made for a very convincing comet or rock, but as a warrior he looked a bit awkward.

Stonedar emerged from a series of designs for transforming rock characters by Ted Mayer. None of the extant concepts below is identical to either Stonedar or Rokkon, but the basic idea is evident:

stonedar-ted-mayer-ph — *Image source: The Power and the Honor Foundation Catalog*

*Image source: Tomart’s Action Figure Digest*

Both Ted Mayer and Roger Sweet are listed as inventors on the patent application, which was filed January 14, 1986.

Stonedar was sculpted by Steve Varner, a former business partner of Eddy Mosqueda and an outside vendor at the time. The prototype (or at least one version of it) seems to be nearly identical to the final toy, with the exception of the pupils, which are unpainted. It is possible to find production examples like this as well, although they are uncommon:

The cross sell artwork for Stonedar is quite faithful to the toy design, as you can see below:

Stonedar was initially packaged on a card that proclaimed him the “Heroic leader of the rock people.” Moreover, the front of the card said, “Invincible boulder transforms into mighty warrior!” However, on subsequent versions, Stonedar was called the “Heroic leader of the comet warriors” and “Invincible meteor transforms into mighty warrior.” The change may have been made to capitalize on Halley’s Comet, which passed close to the earth in 1986 (thanks to Matthew Martin for pointing out that connection to me). The first version features artwork by Errol McCarthy on the front, while the second version features (I believe) artwork by William George on the front.

Stonedar’s transformation into a rock was achieved simply by posing him in the fetal position. For me the play pattern with Stonedar was to leave him as a boulder until an unsuspecting evil warrior walked by. Then Stonedar would leap into action, getting the best of the bad guy using the element of surprise.

Some releases of the figure had lighter blue skin. I have found both versions from the Malaysia factory. Interestingly, the plugs on their weapons are a different size and cannot be interchanged:

In the minicomic that accompanied the figure, Rock People to the Rescue, Stonedar and Rokkon would hurl themselves downhill in rock form at their enemies. In this issue they put the hurt on Kobra Khan and Webstor, which is in contrast to later stories that would paint the rock warriors as pacifists.

In Escape From The Slime Pit, the rock people are pacifists who hesitate even to defend themselves from the Evil Horde. In the end they defeat the Horde by dazzling them with their shiny armor – a feature that is also mentioned on the back of the packaging. It’s not the most compelling idea for an attack strategy. It perhaps doesn’t help that the armor on the toy isn’t particularly shiny, making the “feature” feel like something of a stretch.

Note the inclusion of a female rock warrior here.

The 1987 style guide, illustrated by Errol McCarthy, describes Stonedar and his people in much the the same way as the Slime Pit minicomic:

EDIT: Thanks to Jukka Issakainen for providing a higher-quality image of Rokkon and Stonedar’s Style Guide page.

One day, a spectacular meteor shower was seen in the night sky over Eternia. This shower was actually the arrival of the Comet Warriors. Stonedar is the leader of this peaceful clan. Though his race tends to shy away from conflict of any kind, Stonedar has offered to help He-Man in the great struggle against the forces of evil. Stonedar is an exceptionally wise old man.

Stonedar can use his “blazing” armor to temporarily blind attackers in battle. He can also use his rocky arms and legs to deflect blows.

Aside from the style guide illustration, Errol illustrated Stonedar in a few other contexts for use in T-shirts and possibly other licensed products:

There is also a fact file for both Stonedar and Rokkon in the 1989 UK MOTU Annual:

Stonedar did not appear in the original Filmation He-Man series, but he did make a couple of appearances in She-Ra. As in the Slime Pit comic and style guide, the rock people are characterized as pacifists. They come to Etheria because the star of their home solar system is on the verge of exploding. The comet warriors immediately get into trouble with the Evil Horde.

Earl Norem illustrated both Stonedar and Rokkon for a poster for the winter 1986 Masters of the Universe Magazine, and, as Matthew Martin points out in the comments, the scene is reminiscent of the illustration that Errol McCarthy did for the style guide (or perhaps, considering the dates, it’s actually vice versa).

Stonedar also appears in William George’s Eternia and Preternia posters:

Stonedar, like many other figures released late in the He-Man line, was rather gimmicky, but he was still a a lot of fun to play with. Even if you don’t like the figure itself, he also works great when in rock mode as background scenery for a diorama.

Special thanks to Larry Hubbard for providing the Stonedar figure photographed for this article.

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