Wun-Dar

[Darkwolf]

Brilliant! Don't want to get too excited until we get a little more confirmation but count me among the coutiously optimistic.

[King Kahn]

That wouldn't be so bad.
At least he wouldn't be titled "Wun-Dar" on the face of the packaging.

Of course, there's always a solution that may allow the best of both worlds!
I think having some sort of actual public statement on file from Mattel saying this mail-away never existed would be the only real way to put it to rest for good.
Then they could Wun-Dar it up until the cows come home as far as I'm concerned.

That's true. They trademarked "Despondos" back in August, too. That's a pretty darn good guess, actually! Savage He-Man from an alternate universe Eternia known as "Wun-Dar"...works for me!

yeah see, this is what i thought they were gonna use the name wun-dar for from the beginning, as a "real name" that is why i thought it'd be a great nod. i would rather have the name on the front say "savage he-man".

[Croaker]

Must say that Wun-Dar reminds me of other barbarians -

Thun-darr, the barbarian
and
Dar (from Beastmaster)

[Jii Dee]

I understand the arguments against releasing a figure that validates, however minutely the fabled WB He-man, but to be brutally honest...i don't care! This concept is freakin hilarious and props to mattel for it.
Considering that the myth of WB has endured for so long i kinda doubt that even an official statement from mattel will disaude people from believing the WB tale. This is doubley so when you consider that one of the versions of the WB tale has the WB figures being the result of the first run of "Conan" figs that mattel were trying to get rid of. Yet another motu myth that isn't going to go away any time soon, yet due to legal problems were said myth(and i don't believe this) true; then any denial would only strengthen the resolve in the minds of those who believe the myth.

If one is so concerned about possibly feeding bootleggers then the answer is simple. Just come clean. Put a folded sheet of paper in the bubble behind either the figure or maybe even the nameplate/greyskull designs that details of the supposed origins of the WB varient(or lack of) and explain that there never was such a figure, but due to the fact that the toy has passed into motu legend they felt it appropiate to pay homage to it.

You could even call it a Legends figure..put a sticker on it... Legends of MOTU...i.e figures that were never made. Granted He-Ro would probably fall into this catagory too but what the hey.

[KingRandor82]

Val, believe me when I tell you I totally understand how you feel about people suddenly believing something that easily.

In fact, many people seem to believe that the movie Ghostbusters got action figures back in the day, because the bottom of the Real Ghostbusters figures have "1984" stamped on them.

They didn't, but a lot of people believe they did.

Here's the thing though: people who want to believe the myths and rumors are gonna believe 'em.

I just figure the whole Wun-Dar thing would be sort of an inside joke for those that know.

To top it off, even if one day the original figure was indeed revealed to be some cheap bootleg from Venezuela or something, the fact that the figure managed to last as long as it did, and become such a piece of mystery and folklore throughout the collector's community culminating in its cult following alone would likely make a tribute figure worthy in the collections of many fans. I'd certainly see it as a major conversation piece for my MOTUC collection, not to mention if I could eventually score the "original"!

[Leoghan]

i really hope Mattel finally " adopts " savage he-man and puts him into the mythos.
he is one of my all time favorites (something about the color scheme )
it will be interesting to see what kind of bio they do give him, (if made)
i hope they give him he-mans original background of the barbarian leaving his tribe to fight evil in the world

[Brian Ozone]

bring on the bread man

[Orko's Magic Hat]

I'd be happy with this, if it happens

[danielsan52]

What I'm wondering is if this figure would get a He-Man head, or a different head. Should Wun-Dar be a He-Man or a different character entirely???

[Orko's Magic Hat]

What I'm wondering is if this figure would get a He-Man head, or a different head. Should Wun-Dar be a He-Man or a different character entirely???

a He-Man head for the sake of having WB He-Man

and a new character head for "the Savage"

[Irian]

Even with all what Val said, I still do not see a problem with Wun-Dar.

[Uki]

Taking into account the thoughts stated by Val (and I see his point and agree for the most part, especially since his last clarification), I certainly hope this is true! Awesome!!!

[bcrduke]

MAYBE, "Savage He-Man" is He-Ro before he was made He-Ro by the Trollans!!! LOL! HAHAHAHA

Most collectors have shelled out a lot of money because they think this is actually a rare mail-away item that was part of the line.

Any validation of the rumor lends to this problem.
I promise you this.

I totally appreciate all the work you've done on this figure/legend/rumor. It must drive you CRAZY not being able to really know. I wonder if it is possible at all. Anyway, don't want to veer too far off into WB He-Man lore...

As for the vintage Savage He-Man losing value, I disagree. The fact that its origin changes does nothing to decrease the value, if the value is based mostly on the fact that the figure is so rare.

There are several Bootleg MOTU type figures that appear on ebay from time to time, that are EXTREMELY rare and cost a LOT of money.

If anything, the confirmation of any of Savage He-Man's proposed origins, would only help to affirm the value of these figures.

The only thing, I think, that would decrease their value, would be the sudden revelation that they are ALL fakes and ALL recently made. However, there would still be a market for them... because then they'd be the rare bootleg-hoax figure. LOL!!

I think you can rest-assured that your investment was a sound one!

[LORD FALLEN ELDOR]

If this is the name of the future repaint i think it's the first intelligent creative decision Mattel has made with these new bios yet. I understand Val's concern, I just don't share them. If somebody wants WB/Savgae He-Man then they would know enough to read up on him I'd think.

We don't know the figure's actual origins.
If it is in fact just a bootleg, and was verified as such, it's perceived value will go down.

Not necessarily. It is still a rare item. It's value would be determined based on it's commonality. We have no evidence to suggest it is a boot leg. We do have numerous eye witness accounts that suggest it was a giveaway of some kind. Circumstantial sure, but its some evidence to be considered.

As to the origin of the figure; I subscribe to the theory that it was made as part of an early production peace used market research. We have herd the story before how market testing (or was it something about the VP of Mattel at the time?) that lead to the change in He-Man's hair hair color from brown/black to blond.

I gotta chime in here real quick because honestly, at least in terms of his name, Wun-Dar, first makes me think of Dar which reminds me of the never produced "He-Ro: Son of He-Man" character (if that was even his name,) and Dar in general, just sounds like a "barbaric" name,

Close, It was Dare.

[Vending Machine]

You both are pointing out the problem.

We don't know the figure's actual origins.
If it is in fact just a bootleg, and was verified as such, it's perceived value will go down.

Most collectors have shelled out a lot of money because they think this is actually a rare mail-away item that was part of the line.

Any validation of the rumor lends to this problem.
I promise you this.

But, I did point out a solution above.

While I agree that your solution as outlined above is probably the best course of action, I do feel the need to point out that validation of a rumor's existence and validation of a rumor's accuracy are two separate things. Also, while I can understand the potential problems that may arise, the fact of the matter is that, bootleg or not, positive or negative, Wonder Bread He-Man is a part of the He-Man mythos now. The urban legend was (potentially) created by fans, adopted by the fan community, and, if this thread is any indication, still very much loved and respected by fans. Therefore, I feel that this name (whatever or whomever it may reference) was and is, in Mattel's eyes, further recognition of the fanbase.

[Jamps]

I think this is gonna pay homage to the most famous bootleg figure ever, probably the only one that actually became part of the line it was based of.

[zodak74]

I was poking around the site this was culled from and found that Panthor has very recently gone "LIVE" trademark-wise
Also the same day as Wun-Dar, we have (to name a few that seem MOTUish):

Fist Fire
Dragon Blaster
Clawdeen Wolf (?!?)
Beak Bash
Kalus
Vikor

Hmm...

[Toymaker]

I was poking around the site this was culled from and found that Panthor has very recently gone "LIVE" trademark-wise
Also the same day as Wun-Dar, we have (to name a few that seem MOTUish):

Fist Fire
Dragon Blaster
Clawdeen Wolf (?!?)
Beak Bash
Kalus
Vikor

Hmm...

A MOTUC Dragon Blaster Skeletor would rock!
Not to sure about Clawdeen having a surname!

[Multibot]

see....now THAT is how to make a clever "real" name Mattel!

it gets around the fact having to name him a copyrighted/trademarked name and we get our fan wink and nod. win/win

it also is something we have HEARD of before unlike demo-man etc so we have at least some vested intrest in the name.

ugh.. no thanks....A 3/4 naked weaponless He-man called 'Wun-dar' would be the stupidest thing ever imo. What's he going to come with, a loaf of wonderbread to feed his tribe?

please, oh please, by the power of Grayskull & the Elders of Eternia, let that bad conan ripoff He-man story die once & for all......just because it's the 'original' pre-he-man he-man, doesn't mean they need to make a figure of it. give me He-man, not some random caveman. oh, wait they did!

still, we don't need a more naked version than the one they made. He'd look even more plain than before. people think Zodac looks plain, wait till they make savage He-man, and then we'll see some comments about how plain he looks. i don't see the appeal myself, but i suppose fans of that version shouldn't be denied it if they like it.

Demo-man wasn't used on skelly's bio so no biggie, but wun-dar (wun-dar, wonderbread, huh huh, yeah, real clever...not!) is equally as bad. Neither one are suitable names for characters imo, real or otherwise. Still, Demo, as in demon,-man sounds 100% better to me as a name than 'He-ro', real name 'Ro'; or 'Wun-dar' ever will.

I can't believe nobody would know where the WB/savage He-man came from or if it's even real. i find that hard to swallow. If Mattel made it, then somebody sure as hell should know. someone out there would have it mint in packaging. If they didn't make it, then it's just a bootleg, and should just die off quickly. we don't need a wink & nod to something that's a rumor from over 20 yrs ago. nobody is going to remember what it's about anyway, except that we get yet another 'new' character with a bad name.
anyway, there's many more important characters I'd rather see made than that. even Photog would rank above that imo. and he's at the very bottom of the barrel in terms of must have figures.

lol, trap-jaw was originally X-man.... talk about bad.....lol, maybe he was a student of prof. Xavier...how the hell did they come up with X-man as a name for him? Anyway, some things were tossed for good reason, and should remain so imo. just because they 'found' some old stuff doesn't mean it's suitable for use.
I hope they're not wasting too much money on trademarks for unbelievably bad names to use for this line, because it deserves much better than that. If they come out with characters called Wun-dar & X-man, i'm done......


....well, maybe not done, but a little ticked off, for sure. MOTU is too cool to ever give up, even with a few bad names.

[Eterniandreams]

A 3/4 naked weaponless He-man called 'Wun-dar' would be the stupidest thing ever imo.

• He-man body
• Zodak armour
• Black Zodac gun or Burgondy axe and sword

isn't half naked or weaponless... He even has more gear than Faker...

[artodron]

• He-man body
• Zodak armour
• Black Zodac gun or Burgondy axe and sword

isn't half naked or weaponless... He even has more gear than Faker...

I'd so be up for a Savage He-man or what ever they wanna call it. Ive always thought he was cool looking. How about he comes with black Zodac gun, burgundy axe and sword ! I mean no new tooling straight up repaint.

[Neutro]

Close, It was Dare.

Cool thanks! I knew it didn't sound quite right, then someone mentioned "Dar the Beastmaster" and then I realized that that was the barbaric Dar I was remembering....

still, we don't need a more naked version than the one they made. He'd look even more plain than before. people think Zodac looks plain, wait till they make savage He-man, and then we'll see some comments about how plain he looks. i don't see the appeal myself, but i suppose fans of that version shouldn't be denied it if they like it.

You just gave me an idea!
I personally don't think he ever came with the black Zodac armor (since that came from the weapons pack,) so in place of armor, this new Savage He-man/Wun-Dar character/figure ought to instead come with some cool, but minimal (maybe only one, or two) "painted on" tribal tattoos (kinda like what they did with the 200x, German, Dragon Walker He-Man figure.)

He could have a simple chest and/or back tattoo of one of the ancient symbols: He-Mans crest, or Grayskulls crest, or Zodacs, or IMO, I think He-Ro's Grayskull-looking cape-back logo would look best and seem most appropriate; such a cool new logo!

[Eterniandreams]

I really expect the Zodac armor, since they posted a WB figure wearing it during the Mattel presentation:

[Multibot]

• He-man body
• Zodak armour
• Black Zodac gun or Burgondy axe and sword

isn't half naked or weaponless... He even has more gear than Faker...

ahh, yes.... but that wouldn't be savage He-man now would it? Savage He-man would have no armor, wristbands, boots, weapons, or belt. He'd be wearing nothing but his furry undies, and carrying a spear. so yes, mostly naked & very plain looking.... not at all appealing to me.

that is, if WB & savage He-man are one & the same.

Seriously, come on people.... anyone can paint zodac's armor & gun black & put it on their He-man. They don't need to waste money on something that we all can make ourselves. to me the WB He-man looks like a foreign knock off. they certainly don't need to waste their time making that when there's so many legitimate characters to make.

[Mike Bock]

that is, if WB & savage He-man are one & the same.

As a matter of fact they are the one and the same.