From deep in the archives of He-Man.org, here is Q&A conducted with Roger Sweet back in 2005. It begins with Roger giving his account of the history with He-Man. Then he answers questions submitted by fans on He-Man.org. Enjoy!
In regard to the following questions, it is a good idea for me, Roger Sweet, to first explain my role relative to He-Man and the Masters Of The Universe.
I originated and named He-Man. Also, I originated the general concept of He-Man, which later was re-named the Masters Of The Universe. This concept was presented and embodied as the three prototype He-Man figures of the He-Man Trio at a Mattel Product Conference in late 1980.
Of the Trio, one figure was a past time, ancient barbarian, low tech. One figure was current military-enhanced, medium tech. And, one figure was futuristic space military-enhanced, high tech. These three figures were super-muscular, super-well defined and broad, tanned, in an action pose with a battle action facial expression. They represented combining all themes, all time periods and all degrees of technology into one dynamite male action line.
After presenting the He-Man concept Mattel upper management and Marketing decided to pursue it for further development. I then worked with Mattel Visual Design and Marketing to establish the general direction of 1982 first year’s characters. The final names and appearances of those figures, with the help of Marketing, were finalized by Mattel Visual Design. I and members of my Preliminary Design group worked with Visual Design to co-originate the prototype of Castle Grayskull. Its final layout and appearance changed little from the prototype. Visual Design originated and designed the two 1982 first year vehicles, the Battle Ram and the Wind Raider. The Battle Cat was a concept that I originated, using the Big Jim tiger re-vamped. But, its styling was done by Visual Design.
I then was put in charge at Mattel of managing the creation of the Masters product for Mattel for the 1983 through 1987 lines. This meant that I and my Preliminary Design group did the preliminary design. That is, my group originated each product’s concept at Mattel. It was given a name. Then it did a works-like model and full color illustration. And, my group had a preliminary costing done for the product by Mattel’s Costing department. After my group performed these functions, and management bought into the concept, then the Visual Design group and Engineering did a “takeover” of the product if they agreed with what Preliminary Design had done. Next, Engineering engineered the product for production. And, Visual Design worked with Engineering to arrive at the final styling appearance of the product.
Throughout all of these Preliminary and Visual Design processes Mattel Marketing oversaw the direction of the product. Once the line got going, though, Marketing received outside submissions from outside inventors. Some of these outside submissions could be given directly to Engineering and Visual Design for development, by-passing my Preliminary Design group.
Also, after Filmation began their cartoon series of Masters Of The Universe, they originated many characters and other product, such as Orko and Gwildor, completely independent of my Mattel Preliminary Design group. Regarding the Filmation Masters cartoon series, I only watched 15 minutes of one episode. The show was on at 4:00 PM in the afternoon, while I was at work at Mattel.
Also, the Masters line was being delineated in small comics which were sold with Masters product, and large comic books that were sold wherever that type of publication was marketed. I had no pre-production knowledge of or coordination with these publications. I only saw them after they reached the market. And, being extremely busy, I did not keep track of them.
The reason is that during that time I was at work at Mattel, and was working a lot of overtime developing specific products. Further, my group was busy creating the product that would be later on the market, in the Masters cartoon and in those publications. Concerning the Masters Of The Universe movie starring Dolph Lundren, the Masters characters in it had already been created at Mattel or at Filmation. Therefore, relative to the following, if I appear to not know about some concept being invented for the 1983 through 1987 lines, the above information gives the reasons why.
One other point: The He-Man name and concept that was later renamed the Masters concept was planned from its inception to be very generic and open-ended as illustrated in the prototype He-Man Trio. The concept and its products, as also stated elsewhere, could go practically anywhere and be practically anything. They represented an “Eternia” even before the name had been coined. This extremely important factor allowed, enabled and encouraged the line to expand as it did, like the wild Blackberry bushes encroaching on my back yard, into all types of scenarios, themes, environments, appearances, characters, vehicles, animals and accessories.
I managed a Preliminary Design group at Mattel for five years for the 1983 through 1987 Masters lines. At one time or another I had 18 designers and model makers working with me. There was also a Visual Design group and an Engineering group, or department, among many other departments, each with a different function. The function of the Preliminary Design group was to originate the SEED IDEA of product concept, develop it far enough to construct a works-like model if necessary, do a styled illustration which was usually 19” X 24” in full color, get a preliminary cost and give the product a preliminary name.
After those functions by Preliminary Design were performed regarding a product, then if Engineering and Visual Design agreed that there was enough of the “right stuff” to develop, Engineering did a “takeover” of the concept. After that point, those two departments worked together to finalize the styling, engineering and design of the product for production. At that stage, usually Preliminary Design was out of that loop, no longer contributing input.
Once in a great while the overall configuration of the product changed radically from the prelim version. This occurred, for example, with the Blaster Hawk. But, very often only the appearance changed radically. Also, additional features might be added from the prelim version. Add to this information the fact that very often the following would happen: I would get the Seed Idea for a product. Ideas could come from anywhere by any means.
There was a myriad of ways that I and others got them. Listing all of the ways ideas are originated gets into the entire mechanics of creativity, which can easily fill a book of its own. A Seed Idea could occur to me at any time or anywhere, day or night. As with all Seed Ideas that I got, I would normally list a descriptive name for it on a sheet of paper. Once I named that concept, I could almost always remember exactly what the concept was. However, if necessary to remember the Seed Idea, I would also do a quick, extremely rough thumbnail sketch of it to accompany the name. I originated and right now have thousands of these Seed Ideas for all the Mattel and other toy company categories as well as a huge number in other product areas outside the toy industry. I never fail to write a Seed Idea down no matter where I am.
I would then often take that idea to one of my group’s designers, like Ed Watts or Ted Mayer, and verbally describe to him the Seed Idea and roughly how I envisioned it. If necessary, I would do a very fast thumbnail sketch of it with a ballpoint pen, maybe only 2 or 3 inches in size on a sheet of paper. This might take a minute or two. But, I made sure that the designer understood what the concept was. Then, I would ask the designer to work out the details and do a rendering of that concept. I developed and rendered many of my own Seed Ideas. But, my group’s designers also ended up drawing many of my Seed Ideas and many of their own. Then, we would present all of these illustrations to Marketing. They would select the ones they liked for further development to presentation to upper management in a product conference. And later, if accepted, a concept was taken over by Engineering.
The foregoing is the way things normally worked. However, in some cases one group, such as Charles McHose’s group, would handle both the preliminary and visual design of a product concept. This happened, for instance, with the BraveStarr line. However, there is another factor to be considered, and that is where the Seed Idea for a product was originated. Usually, only one, or at the most, two people would originate the Seed Idea of a concept. Very seldom were there three of more people involved. Perhaps 90 % of the time it was one person.
By the Seed Idea I mean the following: Let’s take an extremely pertinent example – the original He-Man figure. The Seed Idea of that concept was a super-muscular, super-well-defined, super physically powerful heroic male human with about a 2-to-1 body proportion in a battle action pose named He-Man. (All heroic male action, comic figures and real human males until then had a 3-to-1 body proportion.) Even the battle-action waist is slightly secondary in importance to that Seed Idea He-Man figure. And, all other factors were secondary, even the theme, the height or scale, and the décor of the figure. From this example you may have discovered that there are actually two types of Seed Ideas for a product line. There is the Seed Idea required for each product in a line. But then, senior to this there is the KEY SEED IDEA upon which the entire product line depends and is based, and from which the entire line grows.
The He-Man figure was the Key Seed Idea from which all of the He-Man/Masters line grew. Without the He-Man figure, there would have been no He-Man/Masters Of The Universe line. And, all of the necessary key elements had to be present in that Key Seed Idea. To illustrate, if Skeletor had been presented instead of He-Man as the Key Seed Idea concept figure with an average athletic physique and a barbarian theme for an evil Skeletor line – Nein!
Let’s take another less important example – the Fright Zone. The Seed Idea concept of this playset was the large-mouthed monster hand puppet that could come out of a cave to attack any poor, unfortunate Masters figure. Juicy! All other features and details of that set, such as the jail, were secondary. Without that Seed Idea feature, the set would never have happened. Also, worth noting, hand puppets had been done a million times and had a lot of play value. But, they had never been done the way the hand puppet was done relative to the Fright Zone. A brand new twist on a tried-and-true old idea! On the Fright Zone, here is how it went. I got the Seed Idea. I then explained it to Ed Watts, a member of my prelim group, who developed it and did a sensational full color 19” X 24” rendering of it.
In the product conference presentation, to illustrate how the idea worked, and to save time, we might just show a very rough hand-sewn cloth hand puppet monster with a large opening mouth and hand-drawn teeth which could come out of a hole in a piece of cardboard. Just enough to get the idea across and sell it. Time was of the essence. Upper management bought the idea. It was taken over. Then, Visual Design and Engineering somewhat changed the styling and configuration in the production version. One point of explaining all of this is that a single product concept passed through many hands and got strong multiple inputs along the way to production from people in several Mattel departments. Therefore, if you ask me, did I do the entire design of a particular product, the answer, of course, is no. And, the same answer would apply to any other designer in my Preliminary Design group or in the Visual Design group, as well.
Originating Key Seed Ideas and Seed Ideas of product concepts was my strongest contribution to the He-Man/Masters and other lines at Mattel. But, I was very versatile and excellent at developing any concept all of the way through from seed to production. And, I did a lot of that as well. Also, coupled with that, my group and I were extremely efficient, well-organized and productive within the set of factors with which we dealt. Before I got into toy design at Mattel I had spent thirteen years doing general consumer product and graphics design in other entirely different industries. And, during that time I worked five years doing straight design and operations engineering. Therefore, I had a lot of varied experience to bring to Mattel. Then, at Mattel, before created and managed the Masters line, I had spent seven years in the old Preliminary Design department of 60 people under VP Denis Bosley. So, when you ask what my contribution was to Masters and Mattel, the above gives a partial answer.
Now on to the questions!
1. How were the 3 prototype figures you displayed (at the 1st meeting to present MOTU) constructed?
eg: What were they made out of, what parts came from Big Jim, what colors were they, what weapons did they have, etc.
The three prototype figures of He-Man I first presented and displayed at the 3rd Mattel product conference of 1980 were constructed of hard plaster parts (Hydrocal). They were casts made from molds in the Mattel Mold Shop. Those parts were sprayed with a gloss fairly dark tan paint. Then, 1/32 sheet wax outfits, also sprayed with paints of various colors, were put over the figures to partially cover each of the them, but with much sinewy flesh and muscle showing.
All three basic figures were the same tan color. But, (1) The Barbarian He-Man had an outfit and double-bladed battle ax painted satin chrome metallic. However, the chest halter, fur shorts and shoes were leather brown. And the chest halter had satin chrome plates on the leather. The figure also wore metallic helmet, shin guards and wrist bracelets. The helmet had no horns. The Barbarian He-Man had no shield as he was holding the battle ax with both hands extended out in front of him. Worth noting: the Barbarian He-Man had black hair, not blond.
(2) The Current Military Enhanced He-Man had a very heavy mechanical-looking outfit that was dark olive drab and black. It looked like it was made of heavy welded sheet steel, like a military tank. His head was completely covered by a large helmet formed from a German Panzer tank plastic model assembly. His weapon was a large black automatic rifle.
(3) The Futuristic Space Military He-Man had a very flashy futuristic-looking outfit with sweeping automotive-type curves that was bright red and white. Also, the Space Military Enhanced He-Man had a head completely covered by a helmet from a Star Wars Bobafet figure modified with vertical fins added to it. Further, the Futuristic Space Military He-Man had mounted to his back a large winged jet backpack, painted metallic satin chrome, so that he could fly. His weapon was a large, black hand-held particle beam weapon.
The Barbarian He-Man looked similar in style to the later 1982 He-Man, which grew from him, but with a much more elaborate outfit. The Current Military Enhanced and Futuristic Space Military Enhanced He-Man figures looked like no other figures anyone has seen before or since. No parts came from Big Jim. I presented the three prototype He-Man figures standing side-by –side on a horizontal base that had a vertical backboard which had a desert scene at dusk or dawn photo. The Barbarian He-Man figure was standing in the middle.
2. What was the image of the background, painted by Ed Watts, that was used at this presentation?
As stated above, the image that was on the backdrop of the stand upon which the three above prototype figures were presented was a photograph of a desert scene at dusk or dawn showing a large, natural stone arch. Something like one might see at Lake Powell. The photo was in colors of yellows and browns. I borrowed the photograph from a calendar. This presentation was in very late 1980. A painted background by Ed Watts was not used. Ed did not come to work in my group until at least two years later.
3. What did you reference or use for inspiration in the designs of the original 3 prototypes, other than Frank Frazetta paintings?
For example, what did you look at when creating the military figure, what did you look at for the futuristic space figure? etc
The Barbarian He-Man did use the Frazetta paintings as reference, but the figure was considerably enhanced. However, I had little precedent to create the other two He-Man figures.
For the outfit of the Current Military Enhanced He-Man I borrowed welded sheet steel styling elements from a current military tank. But, the look of that military figure was far different from any realistic military figure ever done, such as G.I. Joe.
For the outfit of the Futuristic Military Enhanced He-Man, I used elements of futuristic automotive styling, but with an entirely new look for the figure’s outfit. The look of that futuristic military figure was far different, flashier and more striking than any realistic futuristic Star Wars-type military figure ever done.
As extremely strong evidence that these three figures were strikingly different, original and appealing, they were able to get Mattel management to decide to do them as a major, very chancey, internally-generated product line.
4. Did you create and/or help design any of the figures and/or vehicles from the toy line itself? If so, please go into detail for what you can recall on the creation process for each figure.
I created the Seed Idea of a huge number of the products that went into the He-Man/Masters line. I discussed the creation process in my above introduction.
5. Who were the other designers who created the concepts for the toy line characters and vehicles?
In the Mattel Boys Toys Design Group in both Preliminary and Visual Design there were many designers, perhaps 30–40, or more. As apparent from my above introduction, they all had a hand in the creative process.
6. Who were the sculptors who sculpted the figures in the toy line?
Tony Guerrero, Michael “Larry” Welch, Earl Wolf and Sergio Lopez-Mesa were four very productive, superb Mattel sculptors, among others. Tony, of course sculpted the 1982 first production He-Man. And, they were all great guys to work with. Also, Hal Faulkner, among others, on the outside was terrific, too. And, Marge Burgeson, another outside person, though primarily a designer, did an excellent job on sculpting the first 5 ½ tall He-Man clay figure.
7. What size were the figures sculpted at in comparison to final product? 1:1? 2:1? Etc.
I don’t recall. This was a function of the Sculpting department and the Mold Shop. And I was usually far too busy to hang around those areas chewing the fat and scratching my nose to keep up with what the latest technology, processes and methods were in those areas. As an example, at the height of the fray for me, I was managing as many as 60 product concepts at one time in various stages of development for Masters as well as Marvel Secret Wars, Mad Scientist and the Boglins lines. It was a handful! …Even two handfuls!
8. What was the manufacturing process back then for figures and vehicles from sculpt to consumer product?
The following is an extremely brief description of a very involved process: As I recall, concerning the figures, solid waxes were sculpted of the figures’ parts. Then, epoxy molds were made of the parts. Then, ultimately, production aluminum molds were made from those molds. If a figure had a solid arm or leg, then only an outside mold in two halves would be made.
But, if the figure had a hollow chest that was to be injection-molded and have joined front and rear halves, the following would occur: Let’s take the front chest part, as an example. An epoxy mold would be made of the solid wax chest front. Then, sheet wax would be tightly pressed/laid into that mold cavity of the outside chest. And, another mold would be made of the inside of the chest part.
For a front injection-molded chest part, you then ended up with an outside mold and an inside mold that was very slightly smaller. Then ultimately, injection molds would be made from these epoxy molds. And, plastic material would be injected into the thin space between the outside and inside molds.
The result would be a front torso part with a fairly uniform wall thickness, perhaps .060 to .080 inch thick. The same process would occur for the rear chest part. Then, in production in assembling the figure, the two parts would be glued together. In the case of a large vehicle housing, instead of sculpting the housing, it might be vacuum-formed from a sculpted shape form or fabricated in some other way.
9. Are any of those manufacturing processes still being used today? And were any new ideas in toy design/manufacturing created while MOTU was being produced?
To answer the first question. Yes, absolutely. To answer the second question, making the arms and legs solid on the first Masters figures may have been a new idea in manufacturing male action figures. When the project engineer Villenueva said he was going to do it and did it, I had never seen it done before. However, that does not mean it had not been done before.
10. What input exactly did Marketing have on the toys? For example, what figures did they make changes on, and what were the changes?
Marketing had extensive input in regard to many aspects of the toys, even the styling and aesthetics. However, it is difficult for me to say exactly what their changes were because they were usually done after the product was taken over from my prelim group into ngineering/Visual Design. At that stage, I did not know which changes were made by Engineering/Visual Design and which ones were made by Marketing. Also, some of the changes could have been made in unison by the two groups. One product that I do remember, though, was the Roton vehicle. Ed Watts and I originally rendered it in a dark plumb and yellow color combination with a very faceted mechanical look. But, it was changed in Visual Design with marketing strong input to a more organic, animalistic look. And, it was given a black and red color combination. Also, it ended up looking very pre-schooly. I believe that black is often a poor color choice as it shows 3-D detail poorly. I greatly preferred the somber, gutsier, more colorful, more faceted, original version.
11. Who designed the packaging for the figures, and did you and your team have any input on this design?
That process was done through the Mattel Packaging department headed at that time by its director, Arvin Carlson. But, I have no idea who specifically conceived, designed or did most of the art work on the Masters packages. However, I do know that Bill George did some of the packaging art. The Dragon Walker art was a beautiful, dynamite example of his great talent. When the first Masters packaging was done, the Packaging department was in a separate area from prelim across the third floor in the former Mattel headquarters building in Hawthorne off of the 405 Freeway. I spent almost no time in the Packaging department. However, when I first saw the packages I really liked them.
12. Who designed the original MOTU logo, and can you describe other ideas that were being tossed around for how the logo should look?
Same answer as above.
13. Why were rubber cords used to hold the legs to the torso instead of ball joints like the Big Jim line used to have?
At the early stages of the He-Man/Masters figures engineering design I spoke with Juanito Villenueva, the project engineer for them in Joe Cannizaro’s engineering group.
By the way, Juanito was an excellent and very conscientious engineer and a dream to work with. He told me that he designed the legs that way to make them extremely pose-able in many directions. Further, because the legs were so muscular, it would be difficult to have them rotate very far forward and backward using a Big Jim-type pivot arrangement.
Also, as a prime requisite, the He-Man figure had to able to sit. And, because the legs were so muscular, that cord design allowed the figure to do so.
Further, by manufacturing the legs that way, the rubber cord could be inserted into an empty mold. Then, each leg could be molded around the end of the cord to make for a very strong “link” between the two.
Consequently, it was extremely difficult to break the legs apart from the cord. In other words: good reliability. Further, the legs being molded as one piece was a lower cost manufacturing method than having hollow leg parts which required being assembled and bonded together a la Big Jim, G.I. Joe, etc.
Another factor about the legs, the single cord could be laid between the molds for two opposite legs, and then both legs could be molded in one operation. Then, the two legs/cord assembly could be removed as a single entity, That simplified handling. (Whether this was done, I am not sure).
At any rate, then in assembling the whole figure, that legs/cord assembly could be captured between the front and rear halves of the hips (lower torso) assembly. Whether Juanito originated that design and manufacturing method for the legs I am not certain. However, my hunch is that he borrowed the idea from something else. But, I don’t know what.
14. Why did the figures have hard plastic bodies but soft rubber heads, only to later be switched to completely hard plastic for everything?
At the start of Masters, I believe it was considered that better detail would end up on the faces and heads using the rotocast manufacturing process, instead of injection-molding. The 1989 re-intro heads, to me, seemed to have poor detail. It may be because the heads were hard, injection-molded parts.
Another factor: I believe it was considerably less expensive to manufacture an injection-molded part than a roto-cast one. Injection-molding is a much faster, less labor-intensive, less expensive process. Having made these statements, I have based them on my past engineering experience; but I have scant knowledge of what transpired with the manufacture of He-Man/Masters figures after I left the Masters Preliminary Design group in about 1987.
15. Did old stories of the Knights Templar / Holy Grail factor in to the creation of the MOTU storyline?
The story line was largely developed by Filmation. I did not keep close track of their work. The answer could be yes, no or maybe.
16. Was Fang Man an early concept for the Kobra Khan’s figure?
I don’t recall a specific “Fang Man” character. But, in our Preliminary Design group there were several figures developed that were reptilian or snake-like and had fangs.
17. Was the Evil Horde based on the classic Universal Monsters?
No. The Evil Horde was a concept originated by Dave Capper, who was VP of Marketing at Mattel. Also, I believe he named the lead evil character, Hordak. But, the general appearance of the Horde characters and their features were worked out by my Preliminary Design group and the Visual Design group. I originated the face of Hordak, basing it roughly on an African Witch Doctor’s mask. Ted Mayer, a designer in my group, did the final styling of Hordak’s outfit.
18. Were toys for Queen Marlena or Cringer ever considered?
I don’t know. As far as I know, both of these concepts were originated by Filmation.
19. What was the deal with the “Brown” He-Man (Conan-Like). He was the same He-Man figure, just brown color. He’s also been called Wonder Bread He-Man.
I have no knowledge of him. But, the Clamp Champ figure had brown skin.
20. Why did the Merman toy look so different from the illustration?
The only illustration I know of relative to Merman was done by Mark Taylor of Visual Design. As I recall, the final figure looked close to that illustration. Filmation, however, may have changed the character’s looks for the TV cartoon series.
21. Who was the artist that did the early box art?
I’m not sure who did the early box art. One of the terrific artists that did early Masters box art was Bill George. He is the only artist with whom I am familiar. He was terrifically great. One package for which he did the art – and it was dynamite – was the Dragon Walker.
22. Was there a clear storyline set when you came up with the concept?
Absolutely not. But the three prototype figures of the He-Man Trio were meant to show that the concept could be practically anything, go practically anywhere, have all degrees of technology at once and be in all time periods past, present and future, at one time. And, preferably go to powerful places. That was the purpose of the models.
23. Where did the Teela name come from? I really like it.
As far as I know that was one of Mark Taylor’s outstanding contributions to the line. But, the original idea for putting a female in the He-Man/Masters line was mine. It is stated in Mattel Idea Disclosure No. 10385, Title: He-Man Characters & Accessories, Date of Conception: 12-30-80, Contributor: Roger H. Sweet
24. What was the real idea for Scareglow? Was he going to be another Skeletor variant or was he not associated with Skeletor and just a henchmen?
The original main purpose for Scareglow was that he was a neat new character with a great feature that required little new tooling. At that time, the Masters line started taking off like a swarm of Rabid bees, and Marketing requested from my Preliminary Design group ideas for figures that were appealing, but required little new tooling and a short lead time to get them to market. Scareglow was one of the candidates. As far as how Scareglow fit into the Filmation or comic storyline, I have no idea.
25. Was “He-Ro and the Powers of Grayskull” supposed to be a spin-off line like She-Ra or was it supposed to be part of the MOTU line (like the Evil Horde)?
I am not familiar with either He-Ro or how the Powers of Grayskull fit into the big picture.
26. Why were He-Ro and Eldor never produced?
I don’t know.
27. Did you have any influence on the content/plot of the mini comics that came with the figures?
No. But, I can tell you that I would have fought against having Superman knock He-Man, the strongest man in the universe, down on the ground. What kind of baloney is that? Superman weighed probably about 230 and He-Man weighed in at about 750 pounds! He-Man would have kicked Superman’s posterior and pulverized him into the ground!
28. Did you invent all the names of all wave 1 characters?
No. I originated, designed and named the key character of the line, He-Man. Also, I originated the physique and its characteristics that went into all seven of the first year 1982 line’s male figures. But, the other names were possibly invented, as far as I know, by Mark Taylor of Visual Design, but with possibly very strong input from Paul Cleveland of Marketing.
29. Are you surprised by the direction Mattel went with the 1989 re-launching of the toy line?
No. Considering the circumstances and the people involved, I expected it. But, I was very disappointed. He-Man was emasculated and greatly lessened. And, the space theme, as treated in that re-launch, was weak. Concerning that 1989 main figure, He-Man, on Adobe Photoshop, I did a visual, full-color, side-by-side comparison of a 1989 re-launch He-Man at 5 inches tall in comparison with the 1982 5½ inch tall first production He-Man. This comparison tells the full story. I showed this visual comparison to my wife. She instantly reacted by exclaiming, “Were they out of their minds!?” The positive side of the 1989 He-Man re-launch, though, was that it made classic Masters product through the 1987 lines look so terrific in comparison. What happened to the 1989 He-Man reminds me of a humorous true story from my own life. There was a master model maker at Mattel when I was there named, Ray St. Pierre. He was of French Canadian extraction. Ray was quite a stud and lady’s man. And, we became very good friends as we had many like views. One day Ray came up to me and said, “Rog, you should get a vasectomy!” I looked at him, thought for a moment, and then replied, “Ah… No… I think I’ll pass. I don’t want to become half a man.” To which he instantly retorted, “You wouldn’t be half a man! You would be twice the man!”
30. If you were in charge of the Masters 2002 re-launch what would you have done differently?
Many things.
31. Do you know of any other characters, vehicles, etc. that were planned for the Powers of Grayskull besides He-Ro, Eldor, Bionatops, Turbodactyl, Tyrantisaurus Rex, and Gigantisaurus?
It was not possible for me to keep track of the storyline or what was going on with Filmation. That was handled by Mattel Marketing, and I was not in that loop. Also, I was extremely busy creating and getting dynamite product concepts produced for the Masters line.
32. Was there a cartoon planned for the Powers of Grayskull line?
Again, I have no idea.
33. How does it feel to know that the “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe” line still retains such a huge, worldwide and loyal fanbase after 23 years?
It makes me feel terrific, and full of gratitude. The He-Man/Masters experience was wonderful. The key people in my design group were terrific. I will be forever grateful for the huge help that they were to me. And, the product overall was all-time outstanding during Masters’ best classic years. But, without the great fans, it would be worthless. Thanks, everybody!
34. Of the many concepts that may have never made their way past the drawing board or prototypes, are there any concepts that you felt should have been released to the public?
There were many dynamite concepts that we originated in my Masters Preliminary Design group, that never made it to market. But, there is not the space here and this is not the time or place to state them.
35. In the later mini-comics we learned about Keldor and the Unnamed One, were there any concepts drawn up for these characters on paper?
This is the first time I have heard of Keldor. What is he, a cross between a Kelvin and a door? Also, how would I know about the Unnamed One as he is unnamed? Give him a name and maybe I would recognize him.
36. Have you any idea what happened to certain prototypes? Such as He-Ro, Eldor, Gigantisaurus?
No, I don’t.
37. Why was the “Sorceress” action figure created so late in the series run…
My opinion is that many ideas were candidates for the Masters line. Male figures usually had priority as Masters was a male action line slanted mainly toward boys. Also, fairly early in the line, there were Tee-La and Evil-Lyn. Therefore, it may have been that it was a while before more females were considered to be needed by Marketing for the line.
38. Surely there must have been a demand for her prior to this?
Again, I don’t know.
39. Who drew the art on the backs of the original cards?
I have no idea. This area was far outside my realm.
40. What was the idea behind He-man’s iron cross?
If you are referring to the iron cross on the front of He-Man’s chest halter in the 1982 first production He-Man, you would have to ask Mark Taylor. He added that detail to that figure’s outfit halter. Also, the iron cross was a German military medal. And, it probably was a symbol that dated back to very early historical, even pre-medieval, times.
41. Where did you come up with the name ‘Eternia’?
I did not originate the name, “Eternia”. It was a name that was originated either by Mattel Marketing, Filmation, Mattel’s advertising agency or elsewhere. Maybe, Mr. Glut even originated it. However, the concept of the original prototype figures of the He-Man Trio indicated such a place as could be named Eternia. Because eternity means all time, past, present and future.
42. Skeletor, from one of the first mini comics, came from another dimension with others that looked like him. And, for the longest time, I thought Skeletor won the rights to concur Eternia from his skull-faced race. Why were there so many Skeletors coming out of that portal? I need to know this for my sanity… please tell me.
I would love to help you answer this one, but I can’t. As I stated before, I was little involved in the specific and on-going storyline of Masters. However, the Masters products that my group originated inspired and filled storylines. For instance, my group originated the idea of doing a strong prehistoric animal segment for the Masters line. And this was before the prehistoric theme was broadly popular a la Tonka’s Dino-Riders and Spielberg’s Jurassic Park.
43. In retrospect what toy do you wish had not been made and what about one you wish had been?
Stratos in the 1982 Masters line was to me a very weak solution for a flying character. Strap a pair of plastic feather wings to a character’s arms? And then give him a pair of passé goggles on his face? The space military prototype figure that was shown as part of the original He-Man Trio was excitingly futuristic and had a high tech jet back pack so that he could fly. He was a far more dynamic and a much better flying figure, in my opinion, than Stratos.
Another extremely weak character in the 1982 Masters line was Zodak. What was his function and significance? Difficult to tell.
44. What do you think of updated designs by the Four Horsemen and Mattel’s in-house design team?
Let’s take the case of He-Man figure: The 2002 re-introduced He-Man was a weakened, emasculated shadow of his former physical self as presented in the 1982 first production He-Man. If you don’t believe it, in Adobe Photoshop, do a same height, side-by-side comparison between a 1982 first production He-Man and the 2002 re-intro He-Man. Further, giving the 2002 He-Man a young boy’s face was patently ridiculous – He-Man was a man. Also, giving the 2002 He-Man a messy, straggly hairstyle looked like a glob of dried, blond spaghetti on his head was mis-guided. And, in a side-by-side comparison it is seen that the form from an aesthetic point-of-view of the 1982 He-Man, though he was a bit short-legged and his head was slightly too large, was far superior to the 2002 He-Man. The 2002 He-Man is considerably more slender, lankier and weaker-looking than the 1982 He-Man. Particularly, the legs of the 2002 figure are almost skinny. They are not much more muscular than my legs – and I have skinny legs! The 2002 He-Man fur shorts are too large and dominant. However, on the plus side, the ripped striation of the muscles and detailing of the outfit on the 2002 He-Man are superior to the 1982 first production He-Man. Also, the 2002 He-Man, needless to say, was superior to the 1989 re-intro He-Man.
45. Can you elaborate at all on the government debates that Peggy Charren and Robert Krock, of Action for Children’s Television, brought upon the He-Man franchise in the 1980s and what affect it may have had on you and/or other toy designers?
There are always those who disagree and belittle with anything positively significant. As far as I know, that publicity had no impact on myself or any designers with whom I worked. However, if one is looking for evil, there are many other places much more fruitful to investigate than at He-Man and Masters – including the widely accepted Halloween.
46. Did any of this negative press affect the toy line early on? Were there designs or features that you wanted to implement to the line, but couldn’t because of the short-sightedness of these so called “experts” at the time?
No.
47. How do you feel about the seemingly higher quality movie figures that were some of the last MOTU-figures to be released? And how is it that those were so good when the ones just prior to it seem to have been on a very much smaller budget?
I don’t know.
48. Is it plausible to believe that we would have continued to see a steady increase of more detailed sculpts had the line continued?
I have no idea. I was long gone at that time from being in a position to contribute to and influence He-Man and the Masters Of The Universe.
49. Has the idea about Zodak always been that he should be neutral, or would he originally have been completely evil as his card states?
Therein lies the problem. What was this guy besides weak. Who can say?
50. What exactly does “cosmic enforcer” mean? Does he get his orders from the stars themselves or something?? In the DC mini-series he states that the stars have told him that he-man will die etc.
I have no idea what or who the “cosmic enforcer” is or means. Sounds awfully filmy and ethereal to me. But, if someone gets his orders from the stars, boy, he is really onto something, huh!
51. I see MOTU as still being a very magical, wonderful idea. I’ve seen discussions about aiming the show at younger audiences vs older audiences. Do you think there will ever be talk of animating MOTU again with another company or picking up where the 2002 show left off or both?
Hey! There are always the 30th, 40th and 50th anniversary He-Man/Masters re-introductions coming up in 2012, 2022 and 2032! With male action lines that were once huge, anything is possible! Concerning aiming a highly successful male action line at a certain audience, I say that, if done right, the line can be aimed effectively at all audiences and all genders. Also, categorizing product into age niches can be a somewhat artificial exercise and it limits the line’s potential for market spread.
52. In that same light, is there a possibility of a toy company, other than Mattel, getting the MOTU toy license? Would you like to see this happen?
I have no idea. I would like to see it happen if it were done extremely well.
53. What was the reason that sometimes a toy from the MOTU line would make it into the show, but never a variant of He-Man or Skeletor? Such as Battle Armor He-Man or Thunder Punch He-Man.
Again, I have no idea. I was never involved with the TV show or storyline.
54. Was there ever going to be an official “ending” to the MOTU story? For example, Tee-La finally finds out about her mother, becomes the Sorcoress, but not before falling in love with Adam and having a child…etc..etc..
Again, I have no idea.
55. Why weren’t people able to put two and two together and figure out that Prince Adam and He-Man were one in the same?
I certainly did. And, it sounds like you were smart enough to, too. This has always been a pet peeve of mine. Dress Arnold Schwarzenegger up like Pee Wee Herman, and try to pass Arnie off as Pee Wee? Give me a break!
56. If you could do it all again, would you change anything about MOTU? If so, what?
One thing I would do is concentrate on the strengths that made He-Man and Masters great in the first place. And, that includes some real, break-frame creativity and new directions, not re-hashes of past concepts.
57. How well did the female characters, The Sorceress, Evil-Lyn and Teela sell on mass market? To go even further, can you give us an idea where these girls ranked sales-wise amongst the sea of male characters? – Like were there any figures that sold less than these three, and if so, can you list a few?
When I was at Mattel, I was told by Marketing that 38% of all He-Man/Masters figures’ purchases were by girls. This statistic is amazing and questionable to me. The first question I would have to ask is how would one know that a He-Man/Masters figure is bought for a boy or girl. Often, toys are bought by parents, and it is probably usually the mother who buys them. The sales receipts give no indication of what gender bought the product.
58. What is in your opinion strongest hook of MOTU?
Brute physical size, force, strength and action in a heroic male human figure.
59. Who is your favorite character?
Need you ask? He-Man, of course. Without He-Man, there would have been no He-Man or Masters Of The Universe line. He-Man made Masters possible. The prototype figures of the He-Man Trio were the breakthrough that clearly pointed the direction and from which all else relatively easily and logically followed.
60. Why does Snake Mountain have 2 totally different appearances (in toy and toon)?
The designers probably had two different points of view. Also, in a product that must be sold for a certain low price, it must be limited. But, in a cartoon series, the environment can be a large and expansive as can be illustrated.
61. Were there any unpublished minicomics?
I have no idea.
62. Why did Mattel abandon the whole Infinitia idea?
This is the first I have heard of the Infinitia idea. I know nothing about it.
63. Why did the Sorceress have green skin in the first minicomic? In the early MOTU promotional material, the woman in the snake armor was referred to as The Sorceress, but the name on her packet was Teela. Which was she? Or was Teela originally supposed to be a sorceress?
I have no idea.
64. Was it intentional, as in there was to be a green “Teela” released as an easy Sorceress before Filmation came along and created her Falcon motif?
I have no idea.
65. Were the second 2 parts of the Mini-Comic of the Legends of Grayskull storyline ever created? If so, what was supposed to happen in the second 2 parts?
I have no idea.
66. What was the original plan for Battle Cat? Was he supposed to be just He-Man’s friend and transport or was he meant to be used as a universal cat that there were a lot of? In his box art he’s shown being ridden by Beast Man, so I never understood what was originally meant by that.
I do know that when the Battle Cat was first created for the 1982 Masters line, he was to be He-Man’s good animal. However, the next year came came Panthor, using the same Big Jim tiger tooling. And Panthor was originally supposed to have been Skeletor’s evil cat. When a child plays with either cat, or a designer takes either cat, he can put whatever Masters figure, good or evil, he wants to on it.
67. What was the original plan for the Evil Horde? I ask this because 3 unknown Horde members show up in the episode Origin of the Sorceress. This was before there was a She-Ra series. Were they intended to be MOTU villains? If so, can you tell something more about this?
As I mentioned earlier, the concept of the Evil Horde was originated by Mattel Marketing VP, Dave Capper. Dave was the best marketing person I ever worked with. And, he was very perceptive, creative and excellent to work with. I think his idea was to introduce a new evil figure segment into the line to give the line more freshness, appeal and interest. Relative to how the Horde fit into the storyline, I have no idea.
68. I read somewhere that the Eternia playset, aka The Three Towers, was intended as a second and renewed Grayskull. What was the reasoning behind scraping that plan?
The general concept of the Eternia playset was another idea originated by Mattel VP, Dave Capper. Again, as the Masters line was aging, he wanted to add a large, fresh new environmental product to it. Also, Dave reasoned that a lot of Masters fans already owned both Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain. Therefore, why not create a playset that could incorporate both of those earlier sets. The overall idea of the Eternia playset was that, when one is facing the front of the set, Castle Grayskull could be added on its left. And, Snake Mountain could be added on it right. My Preliminary Design group and I elaborated from that first initial direction adding the working features and styling. I originated the idea of the double-figure eight track monorail with vehicle and the front entrapping arms. Then, later Earl Wolf in Mattel Sculpting did a great job on sculpting the lion’s face at the base of the center tower and the rest of the sculpting.
69. Were the Towers supposed to have something to do with the Power of Grayskull line? It seems that a lot of things for that line were supposed to be huge; Tytus, Megator, Gigantisaur. So that would make sense. If so, why doesn’t the box have a reference to the POG line, like the dinosaurs have?
I have heard the term, “The Powers Of Grayskull”, but I don’t recall any information about it.
70. Why didn’t Mattel give the Powers of Grayskull line a chance?
I have no idea.
71. Why were the mini-comics packaged with the first two waves of figures so different than what appeared on the cartoon? In the mini-comics, there was no Prince Adam or Orko, He-Man had no secret identity, and Skeletor was constantly trying to find both halves of the Power Sword to enter Grayskull. I’ve always wondered why the cartoon changed things so drastically.
Possibly there was a lack of coordination between the people at Mattel, the comic producers and Filmation.
72. The DC comics miniseries of 1982 seemed to have story elements of both the mini-comics (such as the dual halves of the Power Sword) and the cartoon (such as He-Man’s secret identity), as if to bridge the gap between the two. Was that its purpose?
I have no idea.
73. Were there more He-Man and Skeletor variants planned for the line?
I don’t know how many He-Man and Skeletor variants you are familiar with. However, if the line would have continued, these figures could have been re-invented ad infinitum, just as action figures like Batman have.
74. Was Granamyr, the dragon from the cartoon, ever considered for a toy back then?
Not to my knowledge. Or, at least not in my Masters Preliminary Design group.
75. Could you please tell us more about Clamp Champ. We don’t know enough of this guy.
I don’t know about the storyline on this character. But, from a design point-of-view, he was a good guy character created using existing tooling. His main unique feature was, of course, the large clamping accessory offered with him.
76. Did you have more playsets in mind after Eternia (Ultimate Battle Ground)? If so can you please name a few?
Before or after Eternia, a giant prehistoric animal playset named “Gigantisaur” was planned. A works-like, looks-like prototype of it was shown in a Mattel catalog. The set was about four feet long and it had a Masters figures’ headquarters in its body. And, a Masters figure could be swallowed into its mouth and down the inside of its neck. But, I don’t believe the set was ever produced. About that time the Masters line collapsed.
77. Filmation’s Attak Trak was awesome. Was Mattel ever interested in the cartoon version? Cause we have the small Trak, but was the bigger one considered for production?
The Attak Trak product I am familiar with was an outside submission. It was an excellent, creative powered vehicle that had a lot of appeal due to its four working flipping oblong “wheels”. That’s all I know about it.
78. Could you tell us the origins of Megator and Tytus? And, why was there low production of their figures?
Tytus, the good giant, and Megator, the evil giant, were my ideas to be put into the Masters line. However, I borrowed the idea from Diana Troup, another Mattel designer, who had earlier shown a “giants” concept as a line by itself. But, the idea was rejected by Mattel upper management. I wanted to bring a dynamic, new, impressive scale into the line. Unfortunately for these two characters, about this time the Masters line collapsed. Therefore they were produced only in extremely small quantities.
79. What is Hordak? And why are the Horde so fascinated with bats for their logos and crossbows for their weapons?
The Evil Horde was a group concept created by Dave Capper, VP of Marketing to add freshness to the Masters line. I originated the Hordak face based on a Witch Doctor’s mask. Ted Mayer in my group styled the rest of the Hordak figure. Bats and crossbows were liked by designers in my group who worked on those products and decided that those devices would work for those figures.
80. Were their plans to make a Royal Palace playset?
I doubt it. But, I don’t know for sure.
81. Why does the Man-At-Arms figure have no mustache?
The designer that styled that product decided that he did not need one.
82. Who came up with the idea of giving him the name “He-Man”?
I originated and named He-Man. I selected the name from a two-page, handwritten list of possible names that I had brain-stormed. And, when I got that name in my mind for the first time, a giant bell went BBBBOOOOONNNNNNNGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!
83. How did you come up with the Skeletor and his looks? Why the Ram/Havoc staff?
Mark Taylor of Visual Design, working closely with Paul Cleveland of Marketing, invented Skeletor and his looks, but, of course, based on the He-Man physique. Mark designed the figure around a human skull, as he also did with Castle Grayskull. Mark apparently decided that Skeletor needed a staff.
84. What is the origin of Evil-Lyn and why was her skin yellow?
Fairly early in the life of Masters, new figures were needed. To keep the tooling cost of figures down and cut the lead time to get new ones, it was decided to re-style existing figures. Evil-Lyn was an example of this. Take Teela and make her into an evil counter-part.
85. Will you be interviewed for the classic He-Man cartoon DVDs?
I don’t know.
86. I went to an MOTU toy promotion at a toy store when I was a child. At this event, there was a short video story featuring the Masters toys themselves animated in stop motion. This story was structured quite similarly to the mini- comics, and was my first glimpse of the new toys. Do you know of this video, and do you know if any copies exist that we he fans could obtain?
There could have been several videos or movies done promoting Masters. However, I know of only one. Very early in the life of Masters in 1981, Brian Reynolds, a fellow in the Mattel Photography department, did a terrific video presentation utilizing the new Masters figures that was shown at the 1982 Mattel pre-toy fair at La Costa, CA and at toy fair. Brian even built the set that was used for the show. He was an incredibly talented guy. It was dynamite! But, I doubt whether a copy of that particular presentation was made available to the public.
87. How did creating He-man impact and change your life? When you were a young man, did you ever dream of something like this? What were you aspiring to be before it all took off?
Creating He-Man and the general concept of Masters considerably and temporarily impacted and changed my life for the better and worse. However, I have ended up in very good condition. And, the He-Man/Masters experience has been a great, amazing ride! When I was a young man I never dreamed of something like this. I have always loved product and graphics design, but had no desire to design and create toys. In fact, I would far rather have designed medical, construction and high tech equipment. Also, earlier in my design career, I was in charge of 17 designers for two years working at Boeing designing the first interiors for the Boeing 747 jumbo jet airliner. We designed the interiors for 15 of the top airlines in the world, including United, American, Delta and the now defunct TWA and Pan Am. When we started on that interior, it was longer than the Wright Brothers first flight! The airplane was designed to hold a maximum of 490 passengers. In addition, I was in charge of the design of a two-floor galley system for United and American Airlines to quickly feed that many people. And, I worked on the upstairs pilots’ flight deck and stateroom. My group and I had to coordinate the work of hundreds of engineers. Further, we worked with brand new materials and technologies. Personally, I consider that a greater accomplishment than creating and working on He-Man and Masters Of The Universe. However, I could make more money designing toys, so I went in that direction. Also, I have a great love of music. I have played acoustic, classical and flamenco guitar. Further, I have played popular and classical piano. And, I have played ukelele, trumpet and harmonica. I have written a revolutionary book on how to play piano by ear.
88. What inspired you to create He-man?
Mattel needed a strong, new, revolutionary male action line. In 1980, domestic sales of Mattel male action figures was at zero. In addition, I had always been relatively scrawny. And, I always wanted to be a real, super-beefy He-Man. So, I knew that an incredibly physically powerful heroic figure would be a huge turn-on to humanoids. And, needless to say, it was. But, also I realized that the line needed far more than just muscles and bulk. So I purposely conceived it very open-ended and generic so that any neat thing could be added to it. And, it could.
89. Do you know which were the best-selling and worst-selling figures during the run of the line?
No. But, I would bet that He-Man out-sold every other figure. And, I would bet that Skeletor was next.
90. How accurate are the statements made by Donald F. Glut in this interview: http://www.donaldfglut.com/MOUinterview.html ? He claims that he came up with the names Eternia, Merman and Castle Grayskull, and that he invented Teela from scratch because he thought that a female character was necessary for the line.
I have never met Donald F. Glut. I don’t know where the name, Eternia, originated. I thought that either someone in Mattel Marketing originated it, or someone at Mattel’s advertising agency. But, it could have been Mr. Glut. However, I am almost positive that Mark Taylor originated the name, Castle Grayskull. I think that he borrowed it partially from the name, Greystoke, the ancestrial mansion of Tarzan in England. And I believe that either he and/or Paul Cleveland originated the name, Merman. However, I could be wrong on both latter names.
91. Why was Filmation allowed to change the original 4 mini-comic story?
I have no idea.
92. Is the bat in the Skeletor’s armor the Evil Horde symbol?
I have no idea.
93. What was the reasoning and origin of Laser Light Skeletor and Laser Power He-Man? Why didn’t they come with mini-comics?
I have no idea.
94. Is there any genre you feel didn’t get enough representation in the original toyline? Pirates? Desert Raiders? Etc?
Both Pirates and Desert Raiders could have been made into excellent Masters figures! You are a creative toy designer, but maybe just haven’t realized it! But, there were many alternative directions that the Masters line could have taken. Many good ideas were selected. Many other excellent ones were rejected. Overall, I was very pleased with how the classic Masters product turned out through the 1982 and 1987 lines.
95. If an end date for the series was made clear, how would you have ended the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe tale?
I have no idea or preference.
96. With a possible new movie happening, what direction do you think that they should take? A serious attempt or a more family friendly version?
I prefer that a serious attempt be made, not some watered-down approach. My view is that any new He-Man figure should be supremely muscular and brute force physically powerful, making “Schwarzenegger look like a wimp”.
97. Why were the Snakemen called “Snake”Men and what sparked the idea of the Snakemen?
The Snakemen, I believe, was a concept originated in my Preliminary Design group or by Dave Capper of Marketing. However, I don’t recall the exact details. But, throughout Masters creation and design history, many reptilian snake-like characters were originated in my design group with different catchy and lethal features, as we knew they had appeal. Maybe Dave Capper just decided to put them into a group.
98. Were there any thoughts to make a heroic Snakeman? Or any plans to make more Snakemen in general?
I have no idea.
99. Why was the Snakemen leader, King Hiss, human-like?
Almost all of the Masters characters were kept human-like. It was a Marketing, upper management viewpoint.
100. Any thoughts on what female Snakewomen would look like?
I can imagine and draw Snakewomen all day long in many different forms. I could do it until the cows come home.
101. Whose idea was it to include Medusa (Snakeface) as a Snakeman?
I don’t recall.
102. Were the Snakemen the original rulers of Eternia before humans came along?
I have no idea.
103. Did the aspect of “Reptiles are evil” appear before the Snakemen were created?
Oh, yes. Evil reptilian humanoids preyed upon my brain very early in the development of Masters characters. I have several large full color illustrations of them. Of course, there were also hundreds of other weird characters preying on my brain throughout Masters, as well.
104. Any thoughts on fan-created Snakemen or fan-created toys in general?
It sounds like a fun, great idea. It is a question of Mattel re-launching the line once more. Then allowing that approach to create figures.
105. I’m certain that when I was a kid, I saw Stratos with brown feathers (not grey) on his body in my mum’s home-shopping catalogue. Was this a prototype of some kind?
I have no idea.
106. How do you get into this line of work?
The most expeditious way is to go to design or art school after high school and study industrial or product design. One terrific school, from which I graduated, is Chicago’s Institute Of Design (ID) of the Illinois Institute of Technology. Another excellent one is the Pasadena Art Center College Of Design. Next, work up an impressive portfolio. Then, get a job in the toy or entertainment industry. Or, one could get a job in a graphics design or art studio out of high school and work into a design position.
107. Would we have (potentially) seen a figure of The Nameless One/Keldor if the toyline had continued?
I have no idea.
108. He-Ro’s bio was pretty well fleshed out with supporting characters named and all, and his transformation process by Mattel. Was the possibility of a cartoon discussed?
I have no idea.
109. Was it the drop in overall sales, retailer reluctance, or a desire to put more resources into “innovative” things like Captain Power that signaled the Power of Grayskull’s death before it got going? Or a combination of those factors?
I have no idea.
110. Were variants ever discussed/planned for other characters besides He-Man, Skeletor & Hordak? (I.e., Man-At-Arms, Teela, etc?)
I have no idea.
111. Were there cases where the character preceded the ‘gimmick’? Or did most of the later characters come about based on their action features? (In other words, for example, did Sy-Klone evolve based on the concept of a spinning action figure, or was the character created, with the feature added in?)
Whatever approach works. The concepts were originated both ways, and, in addition, many other ways.
112. This could be my own perception, but it seemed to me that some characters were more heavily plugged than others…for example, Jitsu seemed to be largely overlooked. Was there a reason that some characters were more heavily favored than others, such as market research, advance sales, etc?
Probably a lot of decisions were made solely based on personal preference and judgement.
113. What were the 13 ‘New Directions’ your team came up with in 1987 to revive the He-Man line? (What were some of DiCamillio’s 5 ‘New Directions’?) What was your favorite?
I have a list of the directions that my group pursued. Also, I have illustrations of them. But I will pass on divulging them at this time. Concerning DeCamillo’s five directions, we know that one of them was futuristic space, the theme used in the 1989 re-launch.
114. If MOTU had been better marketed and managed, how long do you think the line could have lasted originally?
I believe it could be a staple lasting indefinitely and being re-invented, just as Star Wars, Turtles, Power Rangers, Transformers, G.I. Joe and various comic characters are.
115. What do you think about the Staction (6” mini statue) figures by the Four Horsemen and NECA?
I have no knowledge of them.
116. Did you want Fang Man, Icer, General Tataran, Queen Marlena, Gelen Nightcroft, and Strongarm to come out as figures?
The only figure of the above ones that I might be familiar with is a Fang Man-type character.
117. Did you want the Skeletor’s Robot knights, the Collector, the Doombuster, and the Basher to be a part of the accessory and vehicle line?
I have no idea.
118. Was there a character you wanted to come out on the cartoons etc.?
So many I wanted came out, why should I get greedy? However, I did one character that I absolutely loved that never made the Masters line. I mentioned him in the book – The Glob. He was the quintessence of obeisity and gluttony. Yum! My idol.
119. Did you have any input to the 1987 movie at all?
No.
120. With the first of the mini-comics Eternia was a competely different universe. Why was there a switch? Were there other mini comics, like them, that were scrapped for the more comic book style mini comics?
I have no idea.
121. Did you have a general sense of story when you began or at any point in the creation of the line? For example, Teela wears snake armor while wielding a snake staff, and later the Snake Men come out. Was Teela supposed to be an allusion to Eternia’s past, or were these decisions more like, “Kids like snakes, so let’s use them”?
My view of my job was to generally create a line where practically anything appealing would work. I did not get much into story line as much as creating a line which made and inspired any storyline possible.
122. Were you ever afraid, with making the main villain a demon with a skull for a head, that MOTU would be considered too violent or scary for your target audience? What age group was your target audience?
My view was that most people love pretend violence and scariness. Every year Halloween shows concepts that are far more scary than anything in Masters. And, the product is marketed partially toward children. Also, horror movies are hideous. Yet, no one bats an eye. If one wants to find true evil, there are far more likely places to look than at the Masters line.
123. If you could go back, would you change anything to the appearance of He-Man or the Power Sword?
Yes. Let’s take the case of the original 1982 He-Man. He was somewhat short in the legs and his head was a little too big. Also, the fronts of his thighs were bulbous and poorly defined. Further, the Stone Age swaddling boots that he wore were far too low tech. Those boots were difficult to design around in higher tech figures because they were so crude. Also, the pageboy haircut should have been designed differently. The outfit was rather bare-bones. In addition, both the Power Sword and shield were rather crudely designed. Another factor: as I recall, there was a problem with the shield coming apart.
124. Skeletor – he is as characteristic villain as Darth Vader. Who got idea and how to make such character?
I agree with you – Skeletor is an all-time great bad guy! As far as I know, Mark Taylor in Visual Design finalized and named the Skeletor character. However, of course, it was based on the He-Man physique, qualities and features. But, he may have had strong input from Paul Cleveland in Marketing.
125. What was the deal with He-Man and Skeletor’s swords being able to clip together?
I have no idea.
126. Many fake MOTU toys were released in the 1980’s, most were easy to spot due to inferior quality. However, I’ve got a few figures which are actually quite good. Did you ever create a He-Man character with purple skin and a really well sculpted bat face, or is this another fake?
I don’t recall anyone in my design group creating a figure of that type.
127. Is there a reason why the StiltStalkers and the Jetsled were differently themed as compared the other vehicles? I mean, they can be snapped onto each other and the color scheme is different from the entire line. And were there more vehicles or accessories planned to fit with them? Looking at these two accessories it seems like MOTU was going in another direction (New Adventures?). Are the Laserlight figures related to this?
The Stilt Stalker and Jetsled, and also a Megalaser Beam Blaster weapon, went along with that group. They may have been colored differently than anything else in the line so that they could be used by any good or bad figure. During my time on Masters, we never pursued the creation of any other non-powered accessories. However, later we did the three powered accessories – the Cliff Climber, Tower Tools and Scubattack. All of these concepts were originated by me so I know a lot about them. Regarding the Laserlight figures, I am not familiar with them.
128. I saw some sketches of unproduced vehicles and there was “for new ventures” written on them. What does that mean?
Mattel for a short time had a separate marketing and design group whose function was to develop “new ventures” or new toy directions for Mattel. Tomy’s Action Figure Digest showed a few rough concept drawings of vehicles drawn by a designer who had been in my Preliminary Design group, Ted Mayer. My group at one time or another had a total of 18 designers in it, and Ted was one of them.
129. Why didn’t the Horde castle get made instead of the Frightzone? I saw a sketch of this.
Many concepts that were developed to a sketch stage were never produced as products. The Fright Zone was produced because it had an excellent, simple feature: a monster hand puppet out of a cave that could attack a figure. And, it had a simple but effective jail. The set had a lot of play value for the money and was not mechanically complex.
130. Can Evil-Lyn control Skeletor’s Havoc Staff,or does ONLY Skeletor have the power to control his own staff? Or can Skelly control Lyn’s Crystal Ball,or only she can control it? Can anyone else control the Power Sword or is it just limited to only He-Man?
I have no idea.
131. What kind of fish is MerMan?
I believe that Merman was a part fish. However, I don’t believe it was ever determined that he was part Bass, Shark, Baracuda, Marlin, Salmon, Catfish or Guppie.
132. Is Beastman half man, half ape?
I like to think he is.
133. Are any of the Snakemen poisonous?
I don’t know for sure. But, I suspect that some of them could be. And, I like to think that they are.
134. Tri-Klops: What was your idea behind his 3 eyes? Was it supposed to be like goggles that he wears, with his eyes underneath? Or is he blind without the goggles? Or are those actually his 3 eyes that he spins?
I originated this character so I know a lot about him. My view is that the three eyes rotate on the ring on his head. Then, whichever eye is facing forward, that‘s the eye he sees with. But, if you prefer another scenario, use that instead.
135. Two Bad: Was he supposed to just be a two-headed monster and born that way, or was it two separate beasts fused together later on?
This was another concept that I originated. However, Two-Bad was originally conceived as Schizo, a figure that was half very bad and half very good – he had the classic split personality, much like many of us. The bad guy held a heavy steel blugeion club. And, the good guy held a flower. But, Marketing couldn’t figure out how to position the figure. Should he be good or bad? So they decided to make him all bad and name him Two-Bad. Too bad! My view of the figure is that he was a freak of nature, born that way. What fun! Can you blame him for wanting to be All-Bad?
136. I was curious as to why you dislike the idea of Adam transforming into He-man so much (at least that is the impression that I got in your book)? You compare this to Superman and other superheros having a secret identity, but they just change clothes, whereas Adam goes through a magical transformation.
The reason is that when I look at the actual three-dimensional Masters figures at 5 ½ inches tall, their physiques are the same. And, it takes magical powers to make one stronger than the other. I guess I have trouble believing that true magic really works.
137. Whose idea was it to add Star Wars level technology into a Frank Frazatta inspired world?
It was my idea. And, it is covered in Mattel Idea Disclosure No. 10247, Title: MAF – Fantasy Make Believe. Dated May 22, 1980, Contributor(s) Roger H. Sweet and Diana Troup.
138. Who designed the logo and the exploding rock toy packaging?
I have no idea. But, I believe it was handled by Mattel’s Packaging department at the time.
139. How important were Ted Mayer and Mark Taylor in the creation and development of the toy line?
They were very important to the development of the early and later Masters line, but not to the initial creation. When I originated and named He-Man and originated the general concept of the line, I was working in the Mattel ”old” Preliminary Design department. The VP in charge of it was Denis Bosley. My boss was Derek Gable. I was a Manager. Our job was to create product, develop it to works-like model, do an illustration, give the product or line a name and get a preliminary cost. Then, if Engineering agreed with what we had done, the product would be turned over to them to be engineered for production. At that time, Mark Taylor and Ted Mayer were in the Visual Design department. The job of that department was to work with Engineering after a product was taken over from Preliminary Design to assist Engineering and design, detail and style the product for production. This being the case, Mark Taylor and Ted Mayer developed the line after the following parameters had already been established by myself: The key character to the line that made the line possible, the He-Man character, had been originated, named and designed. The idea that he and his cohorts could go practically anywhere and do and be practically anything relative to theme, positioning, time period and degree of technology had been established. The barbarian theme as the main theme mixed with a confluence of any other desired themes had been established. He-Man and his Masters cohorts’ super powerful, well-defined, tanned physique had been established with about a 2-to-1 body proportion. (Until this time all heroic male action figures had a body proportion, like a real human male, of about 3-to-1). The figure’s bent–limbed battle-action stance and battle-action waist to punch, along with battle ready facial expression, had been established. The figures’ feasibility and general manufacturing direction, including the one-piece arms and legs, had been established. Also, the figure’s height had been established by Marketing Senior VP, Joe Morrison, with my assistance. Tony Guerrero was working on the sculpting of the final He-Man figure based on input from himself, myself and from the prototype He-Man Trio. After these parameters had been firmly established, I worked with Mark Taylor and Paul Cleveland to establish the general direction of the figures. Then, as far as I know, except for He-Man, Mark decorated the other figures, gave them their final appearance and named them. Also, it must be realized that all seven of the first year 1982 male figures were based on the He-Man figure and his features and properties. Mark also developed a female for the line, Teela. But, the original idea of a female for the line was by me as given in Mattel Idea Disclosure No. 10385, Title: He-Man Characters & Accessories, Date: 12-30-80, Contributor, Roger H. Sweet. Then, Mark, I, and members of the Preliminary Design group co-originated and developed the prototype Castle Grayskull. The skull motif used on the castle’s exterior was Mark’s idea. The set’s interior and features were managed by me. The set’s layout and configuration changed little into production. Ted Mayer worked little or not at all on Castle Grayskull. But, he originated and designed the Battle Ram, a great styling job. Mark Taylor originated and designed the Wind Raider. The Battle Cat was a concept I originated. The idea was to adapt the Big Jim tiger for He-Man. Proof of this is in the above-cited Mattel Idea Disclosure No. 10385. But, Mark did the final styling on the animal. Mark Taylor’s last contribution to the classic Masters line was the 1983 Ram Man. Later, in late 1981, after the first year 1982 Masters line had been designed and engineered, Mark Taylor left Mattel. He then returned in about 1986. But, he did no more work on the classic Masters lines of 1983 through 1987. Nor did he have anything to do with the creation and design of the 1989 He-Man re-launch. Later, when he was in a high design management position at Mattel, he may have had jurisdiction over any He-Man/Masters re-launches and/or re-introductions after the 1989 re-launch. Ted Mayer, conversely, stayed at Mattel considerably longer. Sometime in 1982, he joined my Preliminary Design group. He was one of 18 designers that were in my group at one time or another. While in my group, to my knowledge, Ted never originated the single seed or germ of a Masters concept. However, he had been schooled at the Los Angeles Art Center. And, in addition, apparently, he had an engineering degree. As a result, he was sensationally terrific at developing a concept once the seed or germ had been established. He could draw, render, style and engineer superbly. And, he could design any concept, whether it be a figure, vehicle, animal, accessory or playset in any style whether it be low tech and brute force crude or slick and high tech. To sum up, he was incredibly talented, versatile and prolific. He made a huge contribution to the Masters line. Ted left Mattel in 1986 to go to Coleco. He had worked on the Masters line for six years. Less well known, in his spare time, Ted was a terrific jazz guitarist. It should be pointed out at this point that there were also several other designers in my group working on the 1983 through 1987 Masters lines that were fully as talented, versatile and prolific as Ted. Among them were Ed Watts, Dave McElroy and Alan Tyler. All of these designers were other-worldly good at what they did. The work of each could fill a coffee table book. As a group, they turned out hundreds of large, beautiful, full-color design illustrations, some of the best ever done in the toy/entertainment industries. The Masters line of 1982 that was Mark Taylor and Ted Mayer’s main contribution did $38.2 in sales, a modest success. After I was given responsibility for the creation of Masters product at Mattel for the 1983 through 1987 Masters lines, the product took off and did a total of over $2 billion in total sales for Mattel and other companies. One other note: I was very sad to hear that Ed Watts recently died of brain cancer. It was the loss of a very great talent and a superbly fine, very high quality person.
140. How did you feel about the reuse of Big Jim toys in MOTU like Beastman’s whip, the Battelcat/Panthor and Zoar/Screech toys?
I thought it was a very good idea. The product worked well. And, it used existing tooling to keep the cost down on the as yet dicey, unproven Masters line in its early phase.
141. Whose idea was it to reuse Big Jim concepts like in the creation of the Attak Trak or the unproduced Iron Jaw character that was the basis behind Trap Jaw?
The Attak Trak was not a Big Jim concept. It was an outside submission. Regarding the Trap Jaw character, I originated it. However, an un-produced Iron Jaw character was not the basis for the Trap Jaw character. My inspiration for the Trap Jaw character was the huge evil character in a James Bond movie who had a steel jaw.
142. Did Thulsa Doom of the Conan comics inspire the idea of Skeletor?
No.
143. Was Castle Grayskull originally intended to be Skeletor’s as the early box art might imply?
I agree with you that the exterior of Castle Grayskull looked in appearance like it should have been Skeletor’s lair, not He-Man’s. However, Marketing, from the start, considered it be He-Man’s abode. So, we worked on that basis.
144. Did cartoons like Thundarr The Barbarian and Filmation’s Blackstar provide any inspiration for MOTU? The two halves of the power sword are strikingly similar to Blackstar.
Both of those lines came after Masters was introduced. I doubt whether they influenced Masters. But, I could be wrong.
145. Who’s idea was to make the power sword the key to the lock on Castle Grayskull’s Jawbridge? Is there a story behind that concept?
I have no idea. The idea was not in the prototype model of Castle Grayskull that I co-originated. After that, I lost contact with the storyline relative to the castle.
146. Was Stratos originally intended to be evil?
I believe he was originally intended to be good.
147. Why does Ram Man look so unlike a MOTU toy? Did somebody else sculpt him then the regular sculptors at the time?
This was the last figure that Mark Taylor originated before he left Mattel in late 1981. Marketing, in this one early case, just bought into a really different-shaped figure. However, as far as I know, Ram Man was sculpted at Mattel in the Sculpting department, just as the other early figures were.
148. Was Tri-Klops originally intended to be a Heroic Warrior?
I am not sure, but I think so.
149. Who came up the idea of Keldor (Skeletor’s original human name, and brother to King Randor) and the Unnamed One (true leader of the Snakemen that King Hiss served in ancient time) from the mini comic Search for Keldor and The Powers of Grayskull: The Legend Begins part one?
I have no idea.
150. Who came up with the idea of Man-E-Faces? Was the original idea to make him a side-defecting warrior with a split personality, rather than an actor who uses his faces to play different roles as he appeared in the cartoon?
I originated the concept of Man-E-Faces. However, the final look and positioning were done by Marketing and Visual Design. The original idea was that he just had three different faces with three entirely different personalities. Then, the faces could be rotated to the open front of a helmet. Also, as he was somewhat bizarre, I considered that he was probably a bad guy.