In
1983, before "Masters" became a series, Mattel
had produced the action figures. Once they were on the market,
children contacted the company because they were confused.
Who were the good guys? Who were the bad guys? Where did
they come from?
What
was your job?
Mattel
asked me to come in and create the back story (bible) for
"Masters" that could act as a device for merchandising
the figures as well as the premise for the TV series (Filmation
had begun the process of designing the cartoon characters
-- but they had no stories). I was Creative Consultant to
the series during its first year (65 episodes) with the
job of approving all story lines. I'm proud to say that
I brought Larry DiTillio into the series. His Dungeons
and Dragons gaming background proved invaluable as
a writer. He was what I looked for in story creation. I
worked with Larry on the development of the "Granamyr"
story although it was his original idea and he deserves
all the credit for a great character. I was intimately involved
with Filmation. Although I had a contract with Mattel, my
position was as liaison with Filmation. Meetings were held
at least two or three times a week. I worked with most of
the writers, Lou Scheimer, Art Nadel, etc.
Several
stories in the bible become episodes. Teela's origins, for
example, when she's discovered by Man-At-Arms after following
Zoar (the Sorceress) into the mountains -- that's when we
find out that Teela is the daughter of the Sorceress. They
also did the story of Marlena's landing on Eternia, but
skipped the origins of Evil-Lyn, Tri-Klops, and Beast Man
(real names: Evelyn Powers, who was a brilliant chemist,
physicist, and biologist; Dr. T. E. Scope, optical inventor
who was the Hubbell of his time; Biff Beastman, Chief Technician
who retreated to his farm when off-duty)
What
are the main stories you developed?
I
developed the story of how Prince Adam became He-Man; the
origins of Teela; why Castle Grayskull existed in the first
place; the "secret" of Castle Grayskull which
I believe has never been revealed; how Queen Marlena arrived
on Eternia; the topography and geography of Eternia; Snake
Mountain, the abode of Skeletor; the origins of Evil-Lyn,
Tri-Klops, and Beastman, etc.
How
was the cartoon in fairness to your scripted bible?
The
original notion behind "Masters" was to create
a series more aligned with mythology and legend -- but who's
going to argue with success? Regarding the sci-fi elements:
they were part and parcel of the original notion. I would
have preferred a more mythic environment. In addition, Adam
was supposed to look like a seventeen year old boy. When
he makes the change, he would become He-Man (muscles, armor,
and definitely would not look the same). Economics changed
that.
Any
thoughts on She-Ra?
I
had nothing to do with She-Ra and subsequent permutations
of the series. Later, Mattel requested I help develop some
other characters, but they never made it to reality for
a variety of reasons. Many of them were research and development
ideas.
What
happened to Orko, or should I say Gorpo?
Yes,
Orko was originally called Gorpo. Filmation created him
because they had a deal with Mattel that they would have
royalties on any characters they created which made it into
the toy line. He wasn't part of the original bible. However,
he worked because they needed a "court jester"
type although in the original, Adam was the practical joker
and prankster. Why the name change? There's a saying in
comedy: "words with a K are funny -- Alka Seltzer,
chicken, pickle." That's as good a reason as any.
