How many MOTU (inc cartoons, POP & NA) characters are there?

[Reboot]

Serious question - how many distinct MOTU (incorporating POP/NA/POG/etc) characters are there?

Note: I don't mean "how many can be made into toys" (i.e., I'm including Filmation characters like Shadow Weaver & co), and nor do I mean "character designs", i.e.:

• So Filmation, Battle Armour, Movie, NA, 200X, MOTUC etc He-Man are all just one Adam/He-Man.
• Similarly, Filmation, Movie, NA, 200X, etc Sorceress are all just one Teela'Na/Sorceress, but Kuduk Ungol and Veena are separate characters.

So, just how many are there?

EDIT: Since there was confusion:

From cartoons, comics, etc, anyone that got (a) a name, (b) lines *and* (c) a fairly distinctive character design counts. Something like "Rebel extra59", seen only in the background of POP ep 27 using a stock "peasant" character model, doesn't. Extras are props rather than characters, really.

[Darkspecter]

Oh my, that will be one gigantic, crazy list! Do you mean all the villagers in the backgrounds from minis, DC comics, Filmation, Golden Books, MYP, MVC, etc. too?

We're probably talking thousands then!

[SAMURAI36]

Oh my, that will be one gigantic, crazy list! Do you mean all the villagers in the backgrounds from minis, DC comics, Filmation, Golden Books, MYP, MVC, etc. too?

We're probably talking thousands then!

Really, are you sure? Hundreds, I can see.. But thousands?

[bribri4u]

in my opinion id say maybe 150 -200 but i just want the big Filmation Characters and stuff the ones that round out the existing factions Shadow Weaver, Queen Marlena, Dree Elle, Strong Arm, Fang Man, Icer, Lizard Man, Madame Razz, Sea Hawk, Mont Ork, Scorpia, Octavia, and the like not villagers and such characters.

[Old Bolty-Neck]

Really, are you sure? Hundreds, I can see.. But thousands?

With a total of over 300 animated episodes? If each provides an average of 4 unnamed extras, you're over 1000 right there, right? And that's not counting the movie and books (and comics), etc., just the Filmation, NA, and MYP television shows. And although I haven't counted, I'm betting the average number of extras that episodes supply is in fact well over 4, but just for purposes of guesstimating whether the number goes into the thousands or not, I'd say yes, thousands is probably right.

[SAMURAI36]

With a total of over 300 animated episodes? If each provides an average of 4 unnamed extras, you're over 1000 right there, right? And that's not counting the movie and books (and comics), etc., just the Filmation, NA, and MYP television shows. And although I haven't counted, I'm betting the average number of extras that episodes supply is in fact well over 4, but just for purposes of guesstimating whether the number goes into the thousands or not, I'd say yes, thousands is probably right.

Okay, maybe I'm reading the OP's question wrong, but I'm thinking he's not including all the nameless villagers and shop keepers and other misc. people that were seen running for their lives in any particular scene, that are irrelevant to the canon.

In terms of recurring characters, I still say hundreds instead of thousands. TG has said that MOTU is a relatively small franchise, in comparison to GIJOE, TF's and Star Wars.

[Swanmarsh]

This is an excellent question! Toyguru says they have this line planned out to 2016. With 12 monthly figures, 4 quarterly variant 'bonus' figures, 1 subscriber and 1 SDCC exclusive per year, I suspect Mattel will be struggling to release MOTUC versions of all the vintage MOTU, POP (and NA) figures, let alone releasing deserving characters from the various media.

I think it would help to establish exactly how many potential MOTU characters there are to choose from across the mythos. I know it will be a long list but if we all contributed some, in a progressive fashion & numbering as we go, we should avoid long individual posts & eventually reach an end point in the list.

I'm happy to start but hope other members can keep the list going ...

1. Kothos (evil wizard - Filmation 'The Witch & the Warrior')
2. Sibyline (witch - Filmation "The Defection")
3. Gorgon (evil dictator - Filmation "The Defection")
4. Prince Stefan (Lord of Dyperia; uncle of Prince Adam; presumably Randor's other brother - Filmation 'Just a Little Lie')
5. Batros (villain with brains; Filmation 'The Great Books Mystery')
6. Lord Tyren (energy vampire - Filmation 'The Sleepers Awaken')
7. Lady Valtira (energy vampire; spouse of Tyren - Filmation 'The Sleepers Awaken')
8. Sago (pet of Lady Valtira - Filmation 'The Sleepers Awaken')
9. Mallek (Teela's 'boyfriend'; 'Wizard of Stone Mountain' Filmation)
10. Starchild (Filmation 'The Starchild'; MVC comics?)
11...

Anyone else want to play?

[Reboot]

Okay, maybe I'm reading the OP's question wrong, but I'm thinking he's not including all the nameless villagers and shop keepers and other misc. people that were seen running for their lives in any particular scene, that are irrelevant to the canon.

Correct. That really WOULD get silly

Anyone that got (a) a name, (b) lines *and* (c) a fairly distinctive character design counts. Something like "Rebel extra59", seen only in the background of POP ep 27 using a stock "peasant" character model, doesn't. Extras are props rather than characters, really.