Celebrating 30 Years of Princess of Power

[DisneyBoy]

Woah. Woah woah woah woah WOAH. Woah woah. Woah! There's a new JEM doll??

As for using fabric for She-Ra's skirt, TG has gone on record as saying that using soft goods was not off the table completely, so it would totally be an option in this case.

I'm all for fabric. I wish the standard She-Ra had a fabric cape and skirt. Would have solved a lot of problems, no?

Again the Style Guide & Filmation looks are indeed better suited for MOTUC, I totally agree. But here's to hoping that there's an option to get more of the vintage look in a "companion variant sub line" or as a convention/non-sub 30th Anniversary "Defenders of Good" 3pk.

My fear is that the Filmation characters like Octavia, Huntara and Sunder will never get made in the MOTUC line. So, I tend to prioritize that over all else, but in a better world, you guys would get some classic POP lovin', and I'd be right there to cheer it all on I'd love for everyone to get a bit of sumtin' sumtin'.

If they go ahead with a 6-slot line, by all means, they should do a truly vintage She-Ra.

LOL. Tthis really made me laugh, you have no idea

Wish I'd heard it. Why though? I was totally being serious. THREE TIMES I ended up back on this page going "Wha??!?!" and looking around and then hearing Mila drone on, while I furiously scrolled to find her and make her shut up.

Anyway, here's an idea that I don't think anyone's thought of:

A LIFE-SIZED SWORD OF PROTECTION!!!

[mykan]

Did you have any access as a kid to the storybooks? Many of those featured Hordak as the main villain (even in the one titled The Revenge of Catra). Though, in turn, just like the mini comics, She-Ra never appears in any of the He-Man storybooks.

What's really weird is as a kid I never questioned it at all-- as in why wasn't She-Ra in the MOTU mini comics, etc. Might just be because they were very secondary to me (Filmation being primary). I did ask my father where She-Ra was after we saw the live action motion picture back-in-the-day.



Awesome! Thank you for sticking with us!

I will always stick with you guys. I watch my itunes every week, and the .org to see if you have a new show.

Yes, I had access to some of the She-Ra storybooks. My favorite as a kid was "The Crystal Castle", which did feature Hordak, Shadow Weaver, Horde Troopers, and Queen Angella as the Guardian of Crystal Castle - very Sorceress-like. To this day, that's how I see Angella, with Light Hope being "the spirit of Crystal Castle". I accepted that there were all sorts of crazy continuities out there. Despite all the confusion in the depictions, what guided me was the packaging and the placement of the characters. The marketing, mini comics, package design and placement of the figures at retail TOLD us that POP was SEPARATE from MOTU - I think this is where things went wrong, and played a part in the decline of BOTH lines, since the cartoon suggested the exact opposite.

I COULDN'T get POP figures because they were "for girls". My mother did break down and smuggled me She-Ra - which I always hid from my father. I was not allowed to get the other POP, though I REALLY wanted them. So, in my play time, the Horde were enemies of He-Man - basically, She-Ra had freed Etheria, went home and helped fight against the Horde on Eternia! Sound familiar?

Because I was BANNED from getting POP, I did develop some resentment for the show - though I preferred it to He-Man's show. To this day, I see Catra as the sorceress leader of the Etherian Horde, while Hordak is trapped on Eternia - she becomes She-Ra's "Skeletor" on Etheria. I think our perception of the brand is shaped by our own experiences.

[Darkspecter]

Seeing the new Jem doll makes me think we NEED a She-Ra doll. And not one that looks like Barbie in She-Ra clothes.


http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7...a8024555_b.jpg

I agree. That Jem face sculpt would even look good for She-Ra! Nice cheekbones and a smile. I would love Mattel to make her face something like that.

It does make me quite sad though, that all these other companies realize the potential of their cherished 80's properties and are bringing them back (My Little Pony, Rainbow Brite, Stawberry Shortcake and now Jem). She-Ra is a major property which inspired millions of girls - and boys (some of them celebrities, even!). But...Mattel seems reluctant to try anything with her again, yet will try "new" properties that are similar to Princess of Power (WinX Club, Fairytopia and now Monster High). She-Ra, if handled with the proper love and care, would be a huge success.

[mykan]

My fear is that the Filmation characters like Octavia, Huntara and Sunder will never get made in the MOTUC line. So, I tend to prioritize that over all else, but in a better world, you guys would get some classic POP lovin', and I'd be right there to cheer it all on I'd love for everyone to get a bit of sumtin' sumtin'.

If they go ahead with a 6-slot line, by all means, they should do a truly vintage She-Ra.

Anyway, here's an idea that I don't think anyone's thought of:

A LIFE-SIZED SWORD OF PROTECTION!!!

MOTUC definitely is priority over anything else. If the line isn't lucrative enough to warrant expansion, then it won't happen. But it is ALWAYS good to express ideas and interest of what could be. If fans didn't express their interest in Star Trek back in the 70s, it wouldn't be the massive franchise that it is today.

toonseum_lou-with-shera01_full.jpg

Lou Scheimer opened a Filmation Gallery, and there were replica swords sold there. There have been many life-sized replicas made of both swords. Check out this site: http://www.macdonaldarms.com/armoury/SOP.php

[TheShadow]

Despite all the confusion in the depictions, what guided me was the packaging and the placement of the characters. The marketing, mini comics, package design and placement of the figures at retail TOLD us that POP was SEPARATE from MOTU - I think this is where things went wrong, and played a part in the decline of BOTH lines, since the cartoon suggested the exact opposite.

I agree -- I think there was a bit of a failure in properly uniting the two properties outside of Filmation. I know a lot of fans love the action figure dolls, but I wanted action figures without hair (I cut Catra's off). Then it would have been great to see cross promotion, especially in the MOTU mini-comics.

I COULDN'T get POP figures because they were "for girls". My mother did break down and smuggled me She-Ra - which I always hid from my father. I was not allowed to get the other POP, though I REALLY wanted them. So, in my play time, the Horde were enemies of He-Man - basically, She-Ra had freed Etheria, went home and helped fight against the Horde on Eternia! Sound familiar?

Because I was BANNED from getting POP, I did develop some resentment for the show - though I preferred it to He-Man's show. To this day, I see Catra as the sorceress leader of the Etherian Horde, while Hordak is trapped on Eternia - she becomes She-Ra's "Skeletor" on Etheria. I think our perception of the brand is shaped by our own experiences.

I guess I had it easy - I was allowed to have POP toys. I believe I recall my father objecting to the Crystal Castle, but my Grandma bought it. What I remember thinking it was weird that I really wanted it but I hated that it didn't look like the cartoon (I absolutely hated that it was pink and would have Hordak blow it up -- ie I'd throw it at a tree ). Such conundrums for a 3 year old. My dad also watched the USA Network premiere of Secret of the Sword with me.

I was banned from MOTU/POP in general at one point as I would not shut up about them. That didn't work, I learned how to program the VCR and had it record episodes for me.

[Angel-T]

I had love for the vintage crystal castle, as in the UK ladybird books it looked just like the toy. I hope if Mattel ever does get to a crystal Castle playset they implement a combination design. I could love a Filmation Crystal Castle card holder from icon hero's just like castle grayskull with a sword of protection letter holder.

[DisneyBoy]

Thanks for the link! I didn't realize that guy (guys?) was making those en-masse for fans. Sadly, I don't really think the shape of the hilt of the sword is totally accurate, and the price point is out of my range

I'd be happy with Mattel making decent-sized prop swords for use as accessories to Halloween costume or whatnot. I did drool over the exclusive, limited-edition gallery swords, but again...out of my price range.

[Shadow-Ra]

The purpose of doing a POP 30th Anniversary in 2015 is to focus on Great Rebellion and Evil Horde characters. 2012 essentially put focus on the vintage MOTU line. 2015 should do the same with POP - which is made up of Vintage POP Great Rebellion/Evil Horde characters and MOTU Evil Horde characters. IF they did a separate 30th sub for POP, here's some figs that would work great. On top of these, we could bump up releases in the monthly, variant, oversized and convention slots.

POP 30th Sub Possibilities:
Slot 1: Filmation Princess of Power figure. (Madam Razz!)
Slot 2: Filmation Princess of Power figure. (Red Knight/Josh)
Slot 3: Filmation Princess of Power figure. (Dylamug)
Slot 4: MYP figure. (Calix!)
Slot 5: Princess of Power mini comic. (Seeress)
Slot 6: Princess of Power mini comic. (Impostra/Fak-Ra)

Uh, when did this character appear in a mini-comic?

[oulala]

I LOATHE that Jem doll. It has a generic Barbie face and generic doll body - I even went on integrity's website to check and most of their dolls share that look- which means it's basically a generic doll with pink hair. The head sculpt has nothing to do with Jem. And they want 130 bucks for it? no way. It's as lame as any "barbie as She-ra " if they ever made one. Worst of all, no kid will be allowed to collect dolls that are going for 120 dollars a pop. The original Jem had two different outfits , and light on ear rings. And a music tape. Its sad for me - a child of the 70's and 80's to see how toys are now 10 times more expensive than back in the old days, ans don't even have action features anymore... :-(

[mykan]

Uh, when did this character appear in a mini-comic?

Impostra/Fak-Ra never appeared in a mini comic - that was a copy/paste oversight. Sorry. She IS a fan favorite though, and I think a lot of collectors would love to have her.

- - - Updated - - -

Thanks for the link! I didn't realize that guy (guys?) was making those en-masse for fans. Sadly, I don't really think the shape of the hilt of the sword is totally accurate, and the price point is out of my range

I'd be happy with Mattel making decent-sized prop swords for use as accessories to Halloween costume or whatnot. I did drool over the exclusive, limited-edition gallery swords, but again...out of my price range.

You're welcome! I think it's cool that we all share knowledge about this brand. I'm learning stuff ALL the time.

[EtherianChronicles]

Worst of all, no kid will be allowed to collect dolls that are going for 120 dollars a pop.

1) Have you seen the prices for American Girl dolls? And their clothes, furniture, etc.? Plenty of kids get those.

2) This is not intended for children. It's a intended for adults to collect.

I agree, the price is high. The line was directly inspired by MOTUC (don't ask me how I know - but I can assure you it is true), which is funny because in the 80's Jem dolls used to run about 4-5 times as much as a MOTU figure, so if you think about the mark-up MOTUC has vs. the original prices, it's about equal. Again, it is high - but the doll collectors they are going for routinely buy new dolls priced similarly, or higher.

[mykan]

Here's a combo Crystal Castle:

575759_3061731877015_648337499_n.jpg

- - - Updated - - -

As a cartoon guy, I do prefer the Filmation designs, but a special line of toy based versions would allow those to be made without sacrificing slots in the regular line. I don't know if such a sub would fly, though, especially with the 30th MOTU sub being about 50-50 hit and miss.

The MOTU 30th Sub has been hit or miss because of poor marketing of the characters and how they fit in the MOTUC mythos for one. Another reason for the hit or miss is simply because of the lack of nostalgic connection or association. The most of the MOTU, POP, NA, 200x, Filmation and mini comic characters market themselves automatically.

With this said, a POP 30th sub would be more successful BECAUSE of the nostalgic association - this is of course contingent on Mattel changing the model from focusing on newly created characters to releasing figures based on existing characters. The vintage characters have "put in their miles" and are more "real" to collectors. Those MOTU 30th characters haven't earned their wings yet.

- - - Updated - - -

Here's a mock-up for a vintage style She-Ra:

MOTUC_SRmockup.jpg

[Machinitess]

You aren't the only one to see the beginning of She-Ra in these, but I also see the MOTU girls. Sun Spell has an extra outfit that makes her look like a red version of She-Ra and another that's lion themed that reminds me of a brown Catra. Moon Mystic has one that looks like a pink and purple version of the Sorceress and another that looks like a cross between Evil-Lyn and Frosta. I have them all in box and on card and will take pictures when I get out of the hospital.

I'd just like to express my love of She-Ra and the Princess of Power Universe by sharing my desire to have Mattel create Barbie dolls based on She-Ra and her friends. If they hold out and show She-Ra, Catra, Forsta and Glimmer dolls in 2015 I'd be able to wait. But I wouldn't mind a Teela or Evil-Lynn Barbie doll in the next few years. Maybe at this year's Comic Con if we're lucky.

But, Mattel did make the Guardian Goddess dolls in 1979 and they were spicy saucy hot.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...iangoddess.jpg

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...e/Z0006435.jpg

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...K9Top60_57.jpg

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n...a384a992_z.jpg


I don't know about anyone else but I do see the early beginnings of She-Ra in these dolls.