Mattel has been the home of many important properties and toys for children, from Barbie to Hot Wheels and many more. But for a whole generation of kids, perhaps the biggest deal from Mattel was Masters of the Universe.
The line was the result of a few things. First, and perhaps most importantly, Mattel CEO Ray Wagner had made the mistake of declining to produce action figures based on Star Wars, leading to Kenner enjoying massive success with the film’s toy rights instead. Mattel had attempted a few times to compete with Kenner in that market, to no avail. Then, Conan the Barbarian came along and inspired Mattel designers (which designer specifically is still a topic of debate) to create the character of He-Man. The original pitch included what was called the “He-Man Trio,” which included three prototypes: a barbarian, a soldier, and a spaceman. The barbarian won out, and became He-Man himself.
The original name for the line was “Lords of Power,” but this was changed to Masters of the Universe after some folks in marketing believed the original name was a bit too religious-sounding. Quickly, several other characters were designed for the line, including the archnemesis Skeletor, Man-At-Arms, Beast Man, and Battle Cat; the initial wave of figures also included Teela, Mer-Man, Stratos, and Zodiac.
By the early 1980s the figures had proven so popular to spur a comic book, as well as the successful He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series. Though the franchise essentially went on hiatus beginning in the early 1990s, today it’s as popular as ever, with a new comic series, various new toys, and Netflix’s She-Ra and the Princesses of Power animated series.
Hake’s Auctions currently has a number of Masters of the Universe figures in their Auction #227, with standouts including the Fisto & Stridor Gift Set AFA 80, a sealed Man-E-Faces and Faker department store mailer as well as one for Prince Adam and Orko, plus a rare Skeletor carded action figure. All Masters of the Universe items can be found in lots #1566-1593. These auctions will be closing on July 11, 2019, so fans of the franchise are encouraged to get their bids in soon.
