What is Masters of the Universe to you???

**MegaGearMax** · January 26, 2013, 10:58am

A Pre-Filmation feel, but with a cross of Pre-Filmation and MYP canon.

Although Kenner's Star Wars was my first toyline (I was born in 1975), I was a fan of He-Man from the very first commercials. When I saw the MOTU figures and watched the spring loaded He-Man figure "punch the *****" out of the Skeletor figure, I was hooked! Thanks to the lighting in that commercial, my young mind thought the ripped muscles were fleshy and somehow real! Hungry for more MOTU, I eagerly read the mini-comics that came with the figures so I could read how to play with He-Man and his allies and enemies with my friends. I have such great memories of the darker, older canon, where there wasn't a Price Adam, Orko, Cringer or Sorceress (at least at first for Adam and Cringer, as they showed up in the DC comics). Teela was a blonde, Skeletor was a demon from another dimension and Randor was an elderly king. If there was a canon that I enjoyed, I read their comics and books as well as watched their shows.

The Power of Point Dread/Danger at Castle Grayskull Record book that came with the Talon Fighter and Point Dread was my first experience with MOTU in media. Filmation kiddified the canon that I fell in love with, but I still watched every episode moreso for the new characters that the mini-comics never reached. Unfortunately the focus was on Adam, Teela, MAA, Orko and Cringer all day, everyday. He-Man was largely non-violent and his villains were goofy bumblers that were easily defeated. Episodes with Buzz-Off, Fisto, Webstor, Kobra Khan, Clawful and other characters were a breath of fresh air to me.

In 1989, when New Adventures came around, I was thrilled that He-Man had returned and read those four mini-comics as eagerly as I read the original four. Except for He-man himself, I didn't care that the figures were slimmer. I was happy that things were continuing. My friends hated the Jetlag cartoon, but like Filmation I watched as it explored the world of NA and even developed characters that I liked, such as Hydron, Sagitar and Mara. Compared to other DIC cartoons at the time, NA was lighter on comedy in comparison. However, I hated the DIC comedy that did surface in NA (usually coming from Flogg and Slushhead) and Skeletor's Joker-like personality.

Years later, 200X was such a dream come true to my older and modern sensibilities-- Classic MOTU characters were given unique and detailed sculpts by McFarlane's sculptors and a more serious continuity driven cartoon that didn't constantly focus on the same five cast members! Stinkor, Sy-Klone, Roboto, Two-Bad, Zodak, Fisto and the Snake Men were given origins and regular appearances past their first appearances. Heck, EVERYONE in the canon had regular appearances, even Man-E-Faces, Buzz-Off and Mekaneck. Count Marzo and Evilseed were revamped from their silly former appearances. He-Man had epic, hard fought battles that rooted my friends and I to our seats. It wasn't all perfect though. 200X figures were extremely hard to get at retail. The shelves were filled with variants, instead of characters. I had to get most of my figures from LCBS or eBay, starting with Mer-Man. And MAA was pushed so hard in MYP, He-Man played second fiddle to him; MAA was the leader of the Masters while He-Man was more like the MVP of the team.

When Classics came about, I thought it was an enormous step back. MOTU had lost the detail and uniqueness that I so loved -- it was jarring. Fortunately, the Pre-Filmation fan in me appreciated getting the cardback versions of the chracters. Mer-Man in particular made things much nicer. Still missing 200X, I AGGRESSIVELY pushed HARD for 200X elements to be included along with the figures and fought constantly with "vintage p_____", a pejorative I coined for "close-minded and selfish" vintage fans who didn't want any other eras in Classics. I was also that firebrand who created petitions and pushed for changes on characters before Mattel went into production and argued with Toyguru himself on Mattel's 200X policies.

While I still desire more 200X elements in Classics (particularly 200X heads), I've mellowed out from my "wild days". Now I look at my Classics collection with pride instead of wishing that they were super articulated 200X figures (although I wouldn't ever mind those) and remain just as passionate about Classics as I was during 200X and Pre-Filmation. This is the top toyline that I collect.

**mollusc herald** · January 26, 2013, 01:22pm

Masters of the Universe is the toyline made Star Wars fade into the background for me.

The first 3 waves of minicomics were powerful. Waves 1 & 2 would give me outlines how I would play with my toys and what kind of adventures the Heroic and Evil Warriors would have.
Beastman swinging from vines in a jungle would be recreated in my backyard by a honeysuckle bush growing at the base of trees.
When I saw mountains and hills I could envision Mer-Man battle He-Man and Stratos on the ridge.

MOTU made real and immediate the fantasy worlds of Frank Franzetta, Boris Vallejo, and R. E. Howard- of which I was totally unaware at the time. Mattel took the popular sword and sorcery theme and made the best toys for it.

The 3-D eight back artwork fascinated me. These were real monsters and heroes.
Rudy Obrero and Alfredo Alcala created/fashioned the best haunted castle.

Filmation was another layer that I loved. The music, voiceacting, and artwork were atmopheric. I couldn't get enough He-Man. Filmation holds up better than most of my favorite toyline cartoons.

**Clawful Ofit** · January 26, 2013, 02:08pm

Originally Posted by iron_pride

Now this is a post of the week nominee, no doubt about it.....

I have to agree with my buddy here. I love all incarnations. MOTU, POP, NA, 200X, DC Comics (old and new), mini-comics, books, toys, basically anything and everything that has ever been a part of MOTU...I love. The SoH era stuff though, I am on the fence about, only becasue it's hard to fathom the torch being passed from our beloved heroes to a new age of MOTU.

Ha thanks buddy. And yup that torch passing I'm just not a fan of. MOTU is He-Man to me not his kid. I'll give it a try, but I don't like Young Justice or the Next Avengers or (obscure reference alert) James Bond Jr lol so Dare has an uphill battle. I have come around on Spector though, so stranger things have happened. MOTU sure is a vacuum for my money, can't argue that one.

**Micro-Man** · January 26, 2013, 03:34pm

Considering how big MOTU was in my childhood, I was kinda shocked to discover last year that I only knew one season of Filmation, a couple of mini-comics, and the first 4 or 5 waves of the toys. Since then, I've been learning more about She-Ra, 200X, NA, comic books (UK, MVC, DC, & Brazilian), newspaper comics, and the Son of He-Man storyline. To me, MOTU is one of the most creative fantasy adventures ever made and it immediately makes me think of the wonderful artwork we've been treated to over the years...

**lemure77** · January 26, 2013, 03:46pm

Childhood and Christmas to me. I remember finding this odd wrapped thing under the tree. Flat with a raided thing on the bottom front. I asked mom if I guessed what it was could I open it. "Sure" Coloring book and Crayons? lol..needless to say it got opened Christmas. There he was He Man. The most powerful man in the universe. From there it was all I could want. I remember playing with him battle cat and Grayskull with dad. I remember many a trip to town and holiday after that. Trap jaw, Tri Klops. So many good times. So the MOTUC line gives me almost the same feel just with the updated adult likes in detail and so on. If I had these toys when I was a kid they would have been just as cherished as the originals. Never did get into NA or the POP line though I did manage a She Ra from the Power tour. Got Hordak for a Christmas present in 4th grade. Got Ram Man as one from a church gift exchange. He man Was joy then and it is now

More so with Ram Man due in next month

**King Criss79** · January 26, 2013, 09:00pm

I have to give some love to the STAR comics as well, they were a fun read.I'm sure I watched some filmation but my memory stems from the toys. I didn't follow the canons too much,just used my own imagination.

**Swifty** · January 26, 2013, 11:46pm

I'm a child of Filmation. MOTU represents morality, wholesomeness, and diversity to me. It's a place where anything and everything goes.

**VaultsofGrayskull** · January 27, 2013, 09:36am

For me it was primarily the first three waves of figures and these minicomics: The Ordeal of Man-E-Faces; He-Man Meets Ram-Man; The Power of Point Dread; and The Magic Stealer. I did see Filmation and quite enjoyed it, but it wasn't influential at all because it was in complete opposition of the minicomic world. Other influences didn't really start to seep in until I became an 'adult collector' and set up the vaultsofgrayskull.co.uk website.

**scott metzger** · January 28, 2013, 10:13am

I'm a Filmation man all the way, which is likely why I see MOTU and POP as a single property; one without the other is just half of the mythos. THat doesn't keep me from getting things based on the 2002 series, though. In my MOTU world, He-Ro is Adam and Adora's forefather, and King Grayskull is from an alternate universe, as is anything else that outright contradicts the Filmation story (that DC concept of Infinite Earths comes in handy in a lot of places). Eventually, after the Horde is defeated and Etheria freed, He-Man gets called to the future for NA. I accept that he eventually returns, as I have no problem with the He-Ro, son of He-Man, storyline fitting in with my mythos.

**Benedict Judas Hel** · January 28, 2013, 10:34am

Originally Posted by Berserker79

Vintage line with mini comics and cartoon...

Yup, pretty much for me minus the cartoon. Don't like the cartoon. Whenever I think of MOTU I always think of this:

**SunDevil** · January 28, 2013, 10:49am

Born in 1974 as well, I grew up with the Filmation series and the toys. I didn't have many of the last waves (Ninjor, Blast Attak, etc) but not because I no longer played with toys. My attention had turned to smaller toys as we moved a lot - M.A.S.K., Sky Commanders, GIJoe, etc. But I made sure to carry around my first 4 waves of MOTU for as long as a I could. So count me in the Filmation and 80s toys group.

I respect PoP and am thrilled that they have been included in MOTUC. They just aren't my thing personally. Though, strangely, I really want a Kowl. :P

I'm fine with including NA in the mythos - He-Man gets called into the future, goes to space, whoops some rear, comes back to his time - I can live with that. And the 4H versions of Optikk and Slushhead are fantastic. But those 90-91 toys were absolutely terrible.

I'm torn on 200X - I loved the show, hated the toys. I bought them when they were new, opened them, tried to display them but they just nevver grew on me. Sol dthem, rebught a carded set a few years later to be a completionist but finally just sold all of them just over the last few weeks. But that was mostly due to a lack of articulation and ridiculous standing poses. I do support some terrific 200X design elements in MOTUC like 2nd heads.

So mark me down as 90% 80s fanboy and 10% open-minded and appreciative of the other eras. MOTUC is (almost) the best of all MOTU worlds. I do think we are in serious danger of not getting all the PoP and NA figures (which would be a failure) but we are getting Filmation toys of figures for the first time. So the MOTU brand has as much conflict as the mythos!

**snakeeyes0217** · January 28, 2013, 11:14am

Eternia is a mysterious and beautifully desolate world full of magic and technology where heroes and villains fight savage battles over ancient secrets for ultimate power.

**Lay Ze-Man** · January 28, 2013, 11:27am

For me, the real potential in MotU has yet to be fully realized--possibly to never happen.

But at its best, IMO it's the ultimate heightened combination of the best elements of so many forms of art: heroic epic storytelling, world mythology, imaginative creatures to rival Harryhausen at his best, amazing sculptural and painted representation, archetypal and iconographic characters, and the highest of high stakes between warriors who are the best of the best, either by born talent, skill, or magically gifted with abilities that no others possess.

Little room for comedy, no room for added silliness, less than no room for anachronisms and Earth-specific conceits.

**Ayota** · January 28, 2013, 11:52am

Originally Posted by mollusc herald

Masters of the Universe is the toyline made Star Wars fade into the background for me.

The first 3 waves of minicomics were powerful. Waves 1 & 2 would give me outlines how I would play with my toys and what kind of adventures the Heroic and Evil Warriors would have.
Beastman swinging from vines in a jungle would be recreated in my backyard by a honeysuckle bush growing at the base of trees.
When I saw mountains and hills I could envision Mer-Man battle He-Man and Stratos on the ridge.

MOTU made real and immediate the fantasy worlds of Frank Franzetta, Boris Vallejo, and R. E. Howard- of which I was totally unaware at the time. Mattel took the popular sword and sorcery theme and made the best toys for it.

The 3-D eight back artwork fascinated me. These were real monsters and heroes.
Rudy Obrero and Alfredo Alcala created/fashioned the best haunted castle.

Filmation was another layer that I loved. The music, voiceacting, and artwork were atmopheric. I couldn't get enough He-Man. Filmation holds up better than most of my favorite toyline cartoons.

I really like what you wrote here. Many of your experiences coincide with my own. Thanks

**Cosmitron** · January 28, 2013, 06:54pm

The coolest thing ever when I was a kid. The toys looked so badass and so realistic (back then). Also the thing that really pushed my love for creating stories.
Now it means being the best friend of myself at 10. I've been working for years on comic books as pro but a few months ago I needed a break and to do something "dumb", just for me, with no money involved. The first idea that popped was "HE MAN". It felt so natural and so good and with help from some friends I started collecting the Motuc then start completing the 200x then completing the vintage line. I just can't stop.

**RichieRich** · January 28, 2013, 07:02pm

MOTU for me was He-Man, Battle Cat, Skeletor, and Castle Grayskull with stories based on the mini-comics. I watched the cartoon sure but I turned into more of a GI Joe fan. MOTUC is allowing me to broaden my love for the Masters brand and I'm loving being able to get all the figures my mom and dad didn't buy me as a kid. This is a great time to be a MOTU fan.

**The Hultquist** · January 28, 2013, 07:45pm

To me, MOTU was the toys and the mini-comics. I really didn't care for the Filmation cartoons although, to be fair, I didn't care for the G.I. Joe cartoons or the Transformers cartoons, either. I was, and still am, a 'comic book guy,' so a story without a strong serial plot progression wasn't appealing - the fact that you could watch most of a season's episodes of He-Man out of order and it wouldn't matter bugged me even as a kid. However, the strange thing was that while I disliked the cartoon itself, I still liked the design of most of the characters in the cartoon that didn't have toys, as well as the PoP characters, even though I didn't care for those toys. Same thing with 200X when it came out - I liked the character designs (and collected the stactions), but had next to no interest in the cartoon.

This is a big part of why I can't get enough of MOTUC now. It takes all of those disparate elements from PoP, 200X, Filmation, and even NA (which came along a few years after I first got out of He-Man stuff), and puts them all in one universe, in one aesthetic style, in one big, overarching story (as ham-handed as the writing of the bios is sometimes, it's a lot more 'comic-like' to me, and thus preferrable to the cartoons) like one huge cosmic team-up. It takes all those characters that I wanted a figure of as a kid to play with and imagine about but that didn't have their own figures or that had figures in a different-looking style (PoP especially) and gives 'em to me. With the old favorites I had, I get a chance to appreciate them all over again; with characters that I didn't have or were unmade, it's like I'm getting a second chance now to appreciate how really, really cool these characters are.