He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
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Wikipedia-Article "He-Man"
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He-Man ("The Most Powerful Man in the Universe") is the fictional heroic lead character in the toy series Masters of the Universe and the various spin-off products and media related to it. The most prominent is the animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, produced by Filmation Studios. The syndicated series premiered in 1983 and ran until 1985, for a run of 130 episodes. In the series, He-Man and his friends defend Eternia and the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil forces of Skeletor.
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Overview
As with many parts of the Masters of the Universe story, He-Man's background and origins were somewhat revised in successive versions of the story and it is sometimes difficult to reconcile the various versions.
In the earliest series of mini-comics released with the original toys, He-Man is a wandering barbarian on the world of Eternia, which is dealing with the aftermath of a Great War that has devastated the civilizations that once reigned supreme over all lesser beings. The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull gives He-Man special powers and weapons, and he sets out to defend the secrets of Castle Grayskull from the evil villain Skeletor.
Starting with the third series of mini-comics, the scenario was somewhat revised: He-Man's true identity is Prince Adam, the son of King Randor and Queen Marlena, the rulers of the planet Eternia. Marlena is from the planet Earth, making He-Man only half-Eternian.
In the new version of events, The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull endowed Prince Adam with the power to transform into He-Man by holding aloft his magic sword and proclaiming, "By the power of Grayskull... I have the power!"
Prince Adam's pet is a cowardly green tiger named Cringer. When Adam changes to He-Man, Cringer becomes a giant (and brave) armored green tiger named Battlecat, who serves as He-Man's steed. Adam is friendly with Teela, the female Captain of the Royal Guard, who has a crush on He-Man.
Castle Grayskull, which resembles a gigantic skull, is the source of the Power of Grayskull. Inside the Castle lives the Sorceress. Part falcon and part woman, she possesses the magical ability to fully change herself into a falcon. The Sorceress is among the most powerful magic-wielders on Eternia. She can only utilize the power within Castle Grayskull for its protection. She also communicates telepathically with He-Man, and granted Prince Adam his transformative abilities.
To protect his family, He-Man keeps his double identity secret, sharing the knowledge only with Man-At-Arms, Orko, Cringer/Battle Cat and the Sorceress. The original cartoon series also indicated the dragon Granamyr and the cosmic enforcer Zodak also knew his secret. He-Man was usually accompanied by an assortment of allies in his battles, such as Ram-Man, Stratos and Man-E-Faces.
Adam has a twin sister named Adora, theoretically the Princess of Eternia, but in fact a leader in the Great Rebellion against Hordak on the planet Etheria. Adora, like Adam, has been given the gift of the power of Grayskull and has her own sword which she uses to transform into She-Ra, Princess of Power. He-Man made several appearances in the She-Ra: Princess of Power television series.
He-Man's chief adversary is Skeletor, a blue-skinned sorcerer with a skull for a head, wearing a cowl. He is skilled in black magic as well as all forms of combat. Skeletor's weapon of choice is his Havok Staff, a ram's skull atop a large rod which serves to channel his magic and amplify his powers. Though his origin is mysterious, and the cartoon described him only as a 'demon from another dimension', a tie-in comic implied that Skeletor was Keldor, younger brother of King Randor, thus making him He-Man's uncle.
Skeletor's base of operations is Snake Mountain, a fortress made of polished black basalt, which has a giant stone snake coiled around it. Snake Mountain is located on the Dark Hemisphere of Eternia. Skeletor leads a motley crew of henchmen against He-Man and his associates; the most popular are the sorceress Evil-Lyn, the bumbling Beast Man, the bionic Trap-Jaw, and Tri-Klops.
Powers & abilities
He-Man is the "most powerful man in the universe." However, since he is half earthling, half Eternian it is ambiguous whether his physical abilities limit that of humans or Eternians. Because Eternians seem to have an over-all better physical condition than humans (as evidenced by other Eternians in the He-man cartoons) it may be assumed that He-man is the strongest Eternian man in the universe.
In any event He-man is strong enough to over-power most and nearly all his adversaries. He has lifted and hurled mountains in several of the filmation episodes, and in one instance lifted Castle Grayskull. However he rarely just beats someone up, but instead will try to outwit his opponent - due mostly to the censors of the time. Because of his extreme physical strength He-man has a high stamina and is not easily worn out. Despite his bulging muscles he is quite athletic and agile. He can jump immensely high and is a fast sprinter. In the 1983 cartoon He-man was occasionally displayed as having the ability to fill his lungs with air and release it with such force that he can actually knock enemies off their feet, not unlike Superman's super breath (fans tend to ignore this power, as they consider it to be quite silly). The cartoon also indicated that He-man could spin his sword fast enough to create tornadoes and in various older episodes he could summon a vehicle to his side simply by whistling.
He-man is also known for hiding small helpful gadgets under his vest such as flash-bombs, scanners and others. His lack of clothing however often caused problems for animators when explaining where He-Man carried anything, the episode The Search for the VHO is particularly infamous for containing a sequence where He-Man sticks the VHO, a sonic device roughly the size and shape of a standard flashlight, down his pants. He-Man's sword is displayed as being able to deflect anything from laser-beams to various magical projectiles and even (in the case of dragons) fire (this ability was used quite often as running joke in the original series). He also wears a special harness made of a rare mineral called Korodite which helps add to his physical strength.
History of the He-Man action figure
Original Toy Line
The first He-Man action figure was released by Mattel in 1981, and had a twist waist and power punch action. The figure came with the power sword, a battle axe and a shield, together with a removable harness. In 1982 the figure was re-released in a set with either Battle Cat or the Wind Raider vehicle. Again, the figure was re-released in 1983 together with Teela and Ram-Man. The figure was again re-released in 1986 together with the Jet Sled vehicle.
In 1984, an alternate version, entitled Battle Armor He-Man was released. The chest had three "damage indicators" which rotated round. Again, the power sword and battle axe were included. The figure was also re-released the same year, packaged with the Road Ripper vehicle. In 1986, the figure was re-released again, together with Battle Armor Skeletor and Orko.
In 1985 another alternate version was released, with the name Thunder Punch He-Man. The toy was powered with caps to make a bang when he threw a punch. The power sword and shield were released with the figure, together with some red caps. The same year, Battle Armor He-Man was re-released with Battle Cat, and again in a collector's pack with Man-At-Arms and Man-E-Faces.
1986 saw yet another version, named Flying Fists He-Man. The figure's arms moved as his waist rotated. The figure included a spinning trident mace and a rotating shield. A double-pack was later released containing both Flying Fists He-Man and Terror Claws Skeletor.
In 1988 a final version was released for the original toy line, entitled Laser Power He-Man. The figure was limited to releases in Italy and Spain, although appeared in some major department stores in London, England.
New Adventures Toy Line
The new toy line started in 1989, and He-Man was released as his new space personality, complete with power sword, shield and helmet. The figure also included two-piece snap-on space armor. He was also released in double-packs with any of Skeletor, Flogg and Slush Head.
In 1990 an alternate version was released, named Battle Punching He-Man. The figure had some different joints to allow more points of articulation, and included the power sword and shield.
In 1992 a final figure, again titled Thunder Punch He-Man, was released with a twisting punch action.
Gallery
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See also
External links
- http://he-man.3wpages.com
- http://www.he-man.org
- http://www.masterscast.com - First He-Man and She-Ra Podcast
- http://www.castlegrayskull.org
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe at the Internet Movie Database (1983-1985 series)
- Masters of the Universe at the Internet Movie Database (1987 live action film)
- http://www.new-adventures.de
- http://www.planeteternia.de
- http://www.he-man.de
- http://www.he-man.be
Wikipedia-Article "the Masters of the Universe"
Masters of the Universe is the collective name of the original Mattel toy series, featuring characters such as He-Man and Skeletor. It led to numerous spin-offs, including four animated series and a film. Designer Roger Sweet claims to be the chief creator of He-Man and MOTU, although this is not officially acknowledged by Mattel. See full article: Roger Sweet.
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Characters
Please see He-Man Character Guide.
Versions of He-Man and Spin-Offs
As with many toy franchises transferred to several different media there are a number of story differences between the various versions of Masters of the Universe. Complicating matters further several made implicit attempts to change details to realign with other versions, with the result that some internal discontinuities arrive.
Original minicomics (1981-1984)
All the toys came with minicomics that sought to tell stories involving the characters.
In the earliest comics, He-Man is a wandering barbarian on the world of Eternia, which is dealing with the aftermath of a Great War that has devastated the civilisations that once reigned. He-Man is given special powers and weapons by The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull and sets out to defend the secrets of Castle Grayskull from Skeletor. He-Man is supported by allies such as the Eternian Man-At-Arms called Duncan and Teela. A key task is to prevent Skeletor from linking the two halves of the "Power Sword" which will allow him to gain access to the castle.
The second series of minicomics establish the existence of the kingdom of Eternia, ruled over by King Randor and Queen Marlena. The third series developed the concepts further by giving He-Man the secret identity of Prince Adam, the son of Randor and Marlena.
The original Masters DC Comics take place in this Eternia, though there are a few contradictions stemming from the early alterations to the storyline. In one of the stories Superman is transported to Eternia where he teams up with He-Man, and he later returns for a second adventure.
The middle years of the minicomics adopted the same scenario as the animated series, and even adapted some stories for the comic form. In later years the comics would handle the character and back story of Hordak differently from the cartoon. The final minicomics were released after the animated series had finished and feature many characters and equipment never seen on screen.
Cartoon series (1983-1985)
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, produced by Filmation, made its television debut in 1983.
Eternia is ruled by King Randor and Queen Marlena. Their son is Prince Adam, a cowardly blond muscleman dressed in a Cote d'Azur chemise. However, Prince Adam possesses a magic sword, and when he holds it aloft and says the magic words "By the Power of Grayskull! I have the Power!" he is transformed into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. He-Man is a brave blond muscleman in a baldric and loincloth.
Most episodes are about Skeletor's repeated attempts and failures to enter Castle Grayskull. Apparently, were he to succeed, he would be able to wrest the power of Grayskull from He-Man and conquer Eternia. He-Man invariably defeats these attempts.
Despite the limited animation techniques that were used to produce the series, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was notable for breaking the boundaries of censorship that had severely restricted the narrative scope of children's TV programming in the 1970s. For the first time in years, a cartoon series could feature a muscular superhero who was actually allowed to hit people, though he still couldn't use his sword often. The cartoon was controversial in that it was produced in connection with marketing a line of toys; advertising to children was itself controversial during this period. In Britain, advertising regulations forbade commercials for He-Man toys to accompany the program itself. In similar fashion to other shows at the time (notably GI Joe), an attempt to mitigate the negative publicity generated by this controversy was made by including a "life lesson" or "moral of the story" at the end of each episode. This moral was usually directly tied to the action or central theme of that episode.
The cartoon series was also particularly remarkable because it was the very first animated series produced directly for syndication, as opposed to all other syndicated cartoons of the time which were re-runs of old Saturday morning cartoons.
It is also noted for featuring early script-writing work from later Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, and Paul Dini of the 90s Batman-fame.
She-Ra (1985)
He-Man also has a sister, named She-Ra, who was introduced in the animated feature The Secret of the Sword. This film was a compilation of the first five episodes of the She-Ra television series, which ran for 93 episodes from 1985 to 1986. He-Man often appeared in special crossover episodes of She-Ra, but She-Ra did not appear in the He-Man series.
Just as Prince Adam transformed into He-Man, She-Ra transformed into Adam's sister Princess Adora, who possesses the Sword of Protection, which transforms her into She-Ra when she shouts the phrase "For the Honor of Grayskull... I am She-Ra!" She-Ra lives on the world of Etheria, which is dominated by the Evil Horde, and she fights to free her planet from its tyrannical ruler Hordak.
Live action movie (1987)
In 1987 a live action He-Man film was made by Cannon Films entitled Masters of the Universe. The release date in the USA was August 7th 1987. The film starred Dolph Lundgren in the title role of He-Man, Frank Langella as Skeletor, with future Friends actress Courteney Cox and future Star Trek: Voyager actor Robert Duncan McNeill in early supporting roles. The only other characters from the original cartoon to appear in the film were Evil Lyn (Meg Foster), Man-At-Arms (Jon Cypher), his daughter Teela (Chelsea Field), Beast Man (Tony Carroll), and the Sorceress (Christina Pickles). The character Gwildor (Billy Barty) was included, apparently in place of Orko.
The film was largely a disappointment both commercially and critically. A sequel to the film was written, but by 1989 the He-Man franchise was no longer popular and the script was transformed into the action film Cyborg (now starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and having two unpopular sequels).
Numerous parts of the previously-accepted history of the series are ignored in the film, including all references to Prince Adam, and He-Man even uses a gun in some scenes. However, although many feel that the movie may not have been particularly faithful to its source, it remains fairly popular among He-Man's fan community, although unsurprisingly it is usually disregarded from the fans' meta-text.
Some fans, however, counter with the observation that many of these apparent inconsistencies with the "main" cartoon/minicomic canon could be easily be explained by interpreting the film as simply being set some time after the events of the regular canon. Apart from obvious inconsistencies of design (all the character's costumes and especially the Power Sword and Castle Greyskull), there is little in the film which is wholly unreconcilable with the cartoon & minicomics. There is virtually no material in the film which directly contradicts past canon; rather there are merely few references to it.
This theory points to the fact that at the start of the film Skeletor has already conquered Greyskull (and much of Eternia), which could easily explain the absence of many classic characters such as King Randor, Orko etc. Such characters can easily be supposed to have been captured, killed or driven into hiding prior to the start of the film. More importantly, this argument maintains that the lack of a depiction of (or even references to) Prince Adam does not by any means preclude his existence, and some would argue that under the drastic circumstances of the film's plot He-Man would have no time or reason to adopt his secret identity.
Furthermore, while Skeletor's Stormtrooper-esque legions admittedly had no previous depiction in the MOTU-verse and although their origin or precise nature are not divulged, the very existence of such an army makes Skeletor's unprecedented victory all the more plausible. Furthermore, shuch a shift in the nature of the conflict could well explain the Heroic Warriors' own escalated use of high-tech weaponry, which was, after all, always an element of classic MOTU, going right back to the earliest toys. Given the vague similarity between the filmic Skeletor's black-armoured soldiers and Hordak's robot Horde Troopers (in particular supported by the fact that when stabbed or shot these soldiers give off sparks and occasionally explode, suggesting a robotic nature), some have even speculated that Skeletor's rise in martial prowess could possibly be accounted for by his having defeated his former teacher and rival at an earlier point and, as a result, taken control of his Horde armies.
A new He-Man movie has been rumored as being in development, with John Woo considered as director, and Jason Lewis linked to play He-Man. However, at this stage the project has not yet been green-lit and information remains largely consigned to rumor.
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Connection
The curiosity stems from why, with such a plethora of characters available from the Masters of the Universe toy line, did they have to add new characters such as Blade? It turns out that the Masters movie is actually derivative of "Jack Kirby's Fourth World", featuring characters now found in the DC Comics Universe: Orion (He-Man), Kalibak (Beast Man), Kanto (Blade), and Darkseid (Skeletor). Cross-dimensional travel from Eternia to Earth is via a concept identical to the classic Boom Tube. There are many additional parallels to be drawn from the Fourth World source material to the characters in the film than from the He-Man material.
According to issue #497 of Comic Shop News, Comic Book Legend John Byrne says, "The best New Gods movie, IMHO, is ´Masters of the Universe´. I even corresponded with the director, who told me this was his intent, and that he had tried to get [Jack] Kirby to do the production designs, but the studio nixed it."
"Check it out. It requires some bending and an occasional sex change (Metron becomes an ugly dwarf, The Highfather becomes the Sorceress), but it's an amazingly close analog, otherwise. And Frank Langella's Skeletor is a dandy Darkseid!"
In actuality, scientist Himon is probably a better equivalent to the dwarf than New God Metron.
An additional New Gods, but non-movie, parallel is between MotU character Zodak and Metron. Both are cosmic entities that ride around in flying mechanical chairs. Simply a speculative coincidence?
Later minicomics (1985-1987)
Beginning with the introduction of Hordak the mini-comics began to diverge in someways from the scenario shown in the She-Ra animated series (the animated He-Man was now out of production). Whereas in the cartoons many new Masters toys would now appear as based in an Etheria under the rule of Hordak with a resistance headed by Adora/She-Ra, the mini-comics stayed primarily on Eternia. Etheria only appeared as Hordak's main base of operations.
Many years earlier Hordak had been overthrown by his minion Skeletor and banished from Eternia. He now returned, accompanied by his minions the Evil Horde, and sought to conquer the planet. Occasionally allying with Skeletor, though more commonly seeking to destroy him as well, Hordak met repeated opposition from He-Man.
An even more dramatic addition to the legends of Eternia came in the mini-comic King of the Snakemen. In this Skeletor discovered a pool of energy buried in Snake Mountain which contained the ancient emperor King Hiss. Hiss revealed he had conquered many planets before invading Eternia. Large parts of the planet had fallen to the Snakemen before they were defeated by the "Council of the Elders" and banished to another dimension. Hiss now sought to recover his fellow Snakemen and bring vengeance to Eternia.
Further details of Eternia's ancient past would be revealed in subsequent mini-comics. The most dramatic revelations surrounded the "Three Towers" - Grayskull Tower, "a symbol of goodness", Viper Tower, "a symbol of all that is evil", and Central Tower, holding the "ultimate power". This giant structure was raised from underground by Hiss and Skeletor and became the focal point for further adventures as He-Man sought to prevent both villains, and also Hordak, from acquiring the secrets of the towers. In the process a series of fascinating discoveries were made.
Hordak recognised the towers and claimed to have helped build Central Tower, though little further was discovered. The return of the Towers also enhanced the Sorceress' magic and she was able to help King Randor to search to discover what had happened to his long-lost brother Keldor. Skeletor was determined to stop this search, claiming "that knowledge could destroy me". It was strongly hinted, but not confirmed, that Keldor had become Skeletor.
But the most astounding revelations came when the Sorceress took He-Man through a time portal to visit Eternia's ancient past...
The Powers of Grayskull
This past was to form the basis of the next incarnation of the toyline, entitled The Powers of Grayskull. However the toyline was axed very early on, with only a few toys released. The main story information originates from the very last mini-comic The Powers of Grayskull: The Legend Begins (intended as the first of a three-parter, however only this issue appeared), supported by snippets of information on some of the toy packaging.
Ancient Eternia was populated by many creatures, including cybernetic dinosaurs and giants. When the Sorceress and He-Man arrived, followed by Skeletor, they found King Hiss leading a Snakemen attack on a village in the hope of drawing out "the Elders", using some of the cybernetic dinosaurs to their advantage. Hiss served an "unamed one" and agreed to unite with Skeletor on the basis that he might be an emissary. Seeing Skeletor's interference, the Sorceress allowed He-Man to enter the battle but "for reasons that will be made clear to you in the future" he had to be disguised. He found himself overwhelmed, but then a shadowy figure appeared who turned the odds with a powerful wand. The stranger then sent the Snakemen back to their base and all the time travellers home. The Sorceress described the intervener as "the Greatest Sorcerer of all" and He-Man was left asking "But who is he?"
No further story information was given, and it remains unclear how the giants mentioned and released as toys would fit into the story. However some marketing press releases and prototypes have shed further information.
The wizard was He-Ro, an ancestor of He-Man with the alter ego "Gray". Raised by his mentor Eldor and discovering special powers in a cave, He-Ro would have led the fight. According to the mini-comics' writers it was intended that the central antagonist would be Keldor, though whether he was the "Unnamed One" Hiss served was not clear.
Little further of the back story was developed, though many fans have produced their own theories and continuations.
The New Adventures of He-Man (1989-1991)
In 1989 a second He-Man series, The New Adventures of He-Man, was produced by DIC, and set in a more science fiction-like setting which saw both He-Man and Skeletor transported to the futuristic planet of Primus ruled by Master Sebrian. As He-Man led the Galactic Guardians, Skeletor formed an alliance with Flogg and the Mutants. It was not as popular as the original series, and lasted sixty five episodes. The majority of the episodes were written by Jack Olesker, and as a result, had tight continuity.
Other than He-Man and Skeletor, only The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull made regular appearances out of the characters in the original cartoon. In the new series, The Sorceress acts as a guide to He-Man. Several other characters were featured in the pilot episode, including King Randor and Queen Marlena, who learned of the dual identity of Prince Adam and He-Man in the pilot episode.
A list of the characters can be found in He-Man Character Guide.
2002 cartoon series
In 2002, a new He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series was produced and aired by Cartoon Network. This series ended after 39 episodes and is noteworthy for cementing the fact that Keldor and Skeletor are the same person (though making no connection between Keldor and Randor), showing Skeletor without his cowl, and the first animated appearance of Stinkor. It has also been revealed that Evil-Lyn's father is a powerful sorcerer known as The Faceless One. The action figures are noteworthy, having been sculpted by Four Horsemen Studios.
Later episodes of this series were retitled Masters of the Universe Vs The Snake-Men, and sidelined Skeletor as chief villain in favor of King Hiss, leader of the reptilian Snake-Men, also marking their first appearance in animated form.
The 2002 series was considerably more developed than previous incarnations. The 2002 series based itself heavily on a 'series bible' which fleshed out a far more coherent history of Eternia, King Grayskull (from whom He-Man derives his powers), the Sorceress and Hordak, Skeletor's mentor. There were also several major alterations in character from the original series: Adam and Teela, for example, were rendered as squabbling teenagers, whilst King Randor was transformed into a far more pro-active sort of warrior-king, rather than the stern-faced cipher of old. In addition, the physical transformation when Adam becomes He-Man is far more pronounced than in the original series (as Adam, he is reasonably fit but nowhere near as tall and muscular as He-Man), making it more plausible that no one notes a resemblance between Adam and He-Man. The transformation of Adam and Teela into squabbling adolescents lent an element of caustic humour (usually Teela complaining about Adam's uselessness), but reduces the strong female presence of the original series. While Teela holds a high position within the MOTU in the 2002 series, she appears considerably reduced from the animal-sensate 'warrior goddess' of the original. However, much of this is counterbalanced by the new version of Evil-Lyn. The 2002 series makes it quite clear that, in He-Man's own words, she is 'Skeletor's most powerful lieutenant.' Also in this cartoon, Cringer (Battle Cat) does not talk (as he did in the the original cartoon) - here he simply meows when in Cringer's form, and roars when in Battle Cat's.
Episode List
- 1.01. The Beginning (Part 1)
- 1.02. The Beginning (Part 2)
- 1.03. The Beginning (Part 3)
- 1.04. Courage of Adam
- 1.05. Sky War
- 1.06. The Deep End
- 1.07. Lessons
- 1.08. Siren's Song
- 1.09. The Ties that Bind
- 1.10. Dragon's Brood
- 1.11. Turnabout
- 1.12. Mekanecks Lament
- 1.13. Night of the Shadowbeasts
- 1.14. Underworld
- 1.15. The Mystery of Anwat Gar
- 1.16. The Monster Within
- 1.17. Roboto's Gambit
- 1.18. Trust
- 1.19. Orko's Garden
- 1.20. Buzz-Off's Pride
- 1.21. Snake Pit
- 1.22. The Island
- 1.23. The Sweet Smell of Victory
- 1.24. Separation
- 1.25. The Council of Evil (Part 1)
- 1.26. The Council of Evil (Part 2)
- 2.01. The Last Stand
- 2.02. To Walk With Dragons
- 2.03. Out of the Past
- 2.04. Rise of the Snake Men (Part 1 - Snake Men Escape)
- 2.05. Rise of the Snake Men (Part 2)
- 2.06. The Price of Deceit
- 2.07. Of Machines and Men
- 2.08. Second Skin
- 2.09. The Power of Grayskull
- 2.10. Web of Evil
- 2.11. Rattle of the Snake
- 2.12. History
- 2.13. Awaken the Serpent
He-Man outside the US
In the UK He-Man episodes were occasionally edited which has resulted in some confusion in the series' fan-base, as sometimes entire scenes (such as in the case of "The Beastly Sideshow" and "Quest for He-Man) were omitted (ironically the same phenomena occurred in the US with certain title-cards when the series was put out on VHS). Also in the UK, BBC was forbidden from airing MOTU toy-comercials along with the cartoon.
He-Man was also dubbed in to a number of languages. While most were slavish translations of the original a few are worth of special notice:
- In France He-Man is known as "Musclor", however the show's theme song was not altered and so the back-up singers still chant "He-Man" in the opening and during the cartoon. The French opening also lacks the translated yell of the intro sequence "and the Masters of the Universe" which was included in almost all other dubs (the Danish and Swedish dubs were also missing the additional title-chant). Originally no episodes featuring Skeletor appeared in France, which included the majority of the first season of the original cartoon.
- Germany actually had two different dubs, one for Television and a second for the VHS release. However both versions use the same intro sequence chant "He-Man und die Meister des Universums" although He-Man's voice in the VHS version sounds nothing like the one from the TV dub. The German dub is also notable since it's the only intro which explicitly calls the Sorceress by the name "Zoar" (which more properly is the name of her falcon form). Also the German dub is the only one where Cringers whimping was re-recorded.
- The Italian dub is the only one to have a unique laughter for Skeletor. However the new laughter was mixed with the old one rather than being dubbed over and the old laughter can still be heard in the opening. She-Ra is sometimes called Sheila.
- The Spanish version had the entire theme-song re-recorded with added lyrics. Also rather than saying the Spanish equivalent to He-Man catch-phrase "I have the power" (during the transformation-sequence) He-Man clearly says "Yo soy He-Man" (I am He-Man). This is unintentionally similar to the opening of "She-Ra" where she also says "Yo soy She-Ra" (I am She-Ra) rather than "I have the power".
- In Finland the show was never dubbed but all versions of it (home- and rental-videos and aired episodes) had sub-titles.
MOTU references in popular culture
- In the 1988 film Big, Tom Hanks' child-in-a-man's-body character is given a job as a product tester of toys. In one short scene is is playing with numerous MOTU toys, notably flapping the wings of Zoar, the falcon.
- In the 1989 film Ghostbusters II, two of the Ghostbusters, reduced to making an appearance at a children's birthday party, attempt to perform a routine to their theme song only to have it end with the children chanting for He-Man instead.
- In the 1995 film Death Machine Jack Dante (played by Brad Dourif) has a wide range of deformed puppets scattered all over his lab, among them several MOTU toys.
- In the 80s, the beloved Australian sketch show The Comedy Company featured a short-lived "runner" segment in which two actors portrayed He-Man and Barbie. However, they were not playing the characters per se, but rather copies of the actual toys themselves, who come to life when the children who own them were not around. Most sketches revolved around He-Man trying to take Barbie on a date. In one particular sketch, He-Man appears disheveled and covered in grass, explaining that his owner's Mum ran him over with the lawn mower. When Barbie asks what happened to Skeletor, He-Man looks askance and emotionally declares that "the dog got him."
- In the 80s (German) documentary of Edgar Lück Monster im Kinderzimmer (monsters in the nursery) MOTU toys (beside other action figures of it's time like Transformers) are shown and explored by interviewing kids, a sociologist, a philosopher and a collector (running time of the docu is about half an hour).
- On one skit on Saturday Night Live, Will Ferrell played a husband who always said inappropriate things to get his wife off of the phone. One of the things he said was “I am Skeletor, Spawn of the Hellbeast! Hang up the phone and pay homage to my awful power!” On another occasion SNL featured a mock historic recap of twentieth century events that never happened. One of these events was Mark Twain and “Skeletor from He-Man” wining the “Battle of Dublin.” Skeletor has also been similarly referenced on other comedy programs such as Late Night with Conan O’Brien and The Simpsons', in which Mr. Burns was referred to as that in the episodes Monty Can't Buy Me Love and The Blunder Years.
- In the 2002 film Ali G Indahouse British comic personality Ali G (Sasha Baron Cohen) attempts to rally support over the radio to assist him in taking down the film's villain, Deputy Prime Minister David Carlton (Charles Dance). To elicit assistance Ali declares that: "Da Prime Minister, check it, 'as been chucked out by a geezer; who iz a massive dong. He iz even more eviler than Skeletor."
- Perhaps the most ridiculous comedic abuse of Skeletor is the music video produced by Bam Margera for his band’s album Gnarkill. This video features Brandon DiCamillo dressed as Skeletor and Beast-Man. The costumes and props are incredibly crude. For example Skeletor’s desk is a cardboard box with the words “Castle Grayskull” written on it. The video/song is effectively Skeletor and Beast-Man making rather graphic homoerotic and sadomasochistic overtures to one another in a musical style that bears passing resemblance to rap or hip hop. Despite the amateurish nature of the video and the rather out of character behaviour exhibited by Beast-Man and Skeletor, DiCamillo achieves a surprisingly accurate simulation of the voices and mannerisms of the two characters as they appeared on the Filmation series. Everything from Beast-Man's trademark grunt to Skeletor's use of the phrase "Furry Fool" is present.
- In an episode of Family Guy, "Brian the Bachelor," the producers pay homage to He-Man by recreating part of the opening sequence of MOTU where Adam changing to He-Man and Cringer changing to Battle Cat. The "I have the power" chant is voiced by John Erwin, the original voice of He-Man
Trivia
- Due to the budget-constraints by Filmation, the He-man cartoon only featured a voice-cast of four to five people (after Erika Scheimer joined the cast). Linda Gary single-handidly provided voices for nearly all female characters, but the bulk of the characters were voiced by the show's executive producer Lou Scheimer who in the earliest episodes went under the name Erik Gunden. He-man and Beastman were voiced by John Erwin and Skeletor by Alan Oppenheimer.
- In the 1980s cartoon Adam's mother, Queen Marlena, is in fact an astronaut from the planet Earth called Marlena Glenn (perhaps named for John Glenn), stranded on Eternia at some point following a mission failure. As such, Adam and Adora are half Terran, half Eternian. Marlena is presumably from our future, as the glimpses of her ship and equipment shown were more technologically advanced than current space technology.
- The character of Zodac was originally presented in the toy line as an "Evil Cosmic Enforcer" as per the blurb on his figure card. However in most of his appearances in the mini-comics and the cartoon he was clearly a "good guy" character where he was depicted as sort of an "interstellar policeman". The 2002 version of He-Man presented a Zodac who was neither evil, nor clearly good but somewhere comfortably in between with his own system of ethics and justice. The only occasions when he has been portrayed as evil were in an early DC Comics issue and in a 1986 Ladybird Book entitled He-Man and the Asteroid of Doom.
- Mattel created He-Man when they attempted to make an action-figure line based on the popular comic-book character Conan the Barbarian. However, the sexual and violent imagery of the comic was likely to give the toy-line the wrong image and so the main-character's hair was changed to blonde and he was given a new name.
- The toy line was initiated by Roger Sweet, who was to manage the line throughout its whole original run. The character of He-Man was given three different designs- one an old-fashioned style (barbarian), one a contemporary military man, and the third a futuristic spaceman. The barbarian design was selected as it was the most popular with Mattel's employees.
- The original Man-at-arms action-figure did not have a moustache. It was added by Filmation to make the character appear older (a flashback in one of the episodes displays a young Man-at-arms without his moustache).
- What's interesting to see is that He-Man did manage to "recycle" some of Conan's bad guys. The original Thulsa Doom (not based on the movie) was a skull-faced sorcerer based on the Kull and Conan series seems to be the template of Skeletor and Snake Mountain interestingly would look like a place in Conan the Barbarian. Also King Hiss of He-Man resembles Thoth-Amon and the snake men resembe the servants of Set in Conan the Barbarian in the comics. Also in 2002 the summoning of Serpos could be compared to Conan the Adventurer when Wrath-Amon (based on Thoth-Amon) releases Set.
- Early promotional literature from Mattel referred to Skeletor and his followers as the "Masters of the Universe" and an early version of the opening title sequence for the 1980s incarnation also uses this description (and was accidentally used on the final cut of an episode). However later literature and spin-offs use the term "Masters of the Universe" for He-Man and his allies.
- The original He-Man cartoon series and toy lines were exported to a number of European countries, and translated into German and French. In German, He-Man is still He-Man, but in French he becomes Musclor. The series was also dubbed to Spanish and known to be broacasted in some Spanish speaking countries like Republica de Colombia,Panamá, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico and México where it was very popular.
Mattel MOTU Action Figures '80
The action figures themselves were often repaints and head-swaps of existing characters, outfitted with different equipment; for example, Stinkor was originally a color-swap of Mer-Man wearing a re-colored version of Mekaneck's breastplate.
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