Toys R Us Price Stickers on Vintage MOTU Cards: An Under-Utilized Resource

[Universe]

Have you ever come across an "A" sticker sample? Someone in one of the other threads noticed that "Fifth Anniversary" He-Man came out in 1986, which might possibly indicate that some figures may have been released as early as 1981.

I can't tell if it's dipped or sprayed, either. 8-back with warranty could go either way, although I would lean toward sprayed given the timeline as well as how much of the top boot is unpainted.

How can you tell it's short strap?

[Springor Spanior]

How can you tell it's short strap?

I admit it's not crystal clear. I drew my conclusion from the very last picture on the auction, which gives a really good view up the back. However, the 4th picture gives a view from the left side and it is rather confusing. You might see what appears to be a strap hanging off, but I actually think that is the drawing of the sky sled on the comic cover page. Admittedly, the evidence is not conclusive.

This is a G2 card, and by my observation, I have seen G2 carded He-Man figures with long strap harnesses, so that is why I am so interested in this one. I suspect the G2 is where we start to see transition from short to long, and also possibly from painted to dipped.

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Have you ever come across an "A" sticker sample?

Never. That would be a true find, and I would post that immediately.

[Night Stalker]

I've noticed that the C also appears on the Malaysia Fisto cards. And further, what I thought was RI is actually P.I. These markings, whether they be P.I. or C seem to show up only on Malaysia carded figures. I haven't found them on other cards yet. Oddly, I found a Dragstor (also Malaysia) with CIP. I have no idea what they mean. They could have something to do with copyright, as you say, or maybe Mattel had multiple manufacturing facilities in Malaysia.

Mattel utilized at least two factories in Malaysia. Originally it was only Prai Industrial which I believe they later purchased. Production there was later supplemented with Chiyoda, later Chiyoda Integrale in Perai.

[Springor Spanior]

Mattel utilized at least two factories in Malaysia. Originally it was only Prai Industrial which I believe they later purchased. Production there was later supplemented with Chiyoda, later Chiyoda Integrale in Perai.

Night Stalker, you are awesome. Wow. P.I = Pri Industrial. C = Chiyoda. CIP = Chiyoda Integrale in Peral. Another packaging mystery solved. And it is nice to know that other people are actually reading this crazy thread.

[Night Stalker]

Night Stalker, you are awesome. Wow. P.I = Pri Industrial. C = Chiyoda. CIP = Chiyoda Integrale in Peral. Another packaging mystery solved. And it is nice to know that other people are actually reading this crazy thread.

No problem my friend. I'm fairly useless most of the time, but occasionally helpful.

[Universe]

Mattel utilized at least two factories in Malaysia. Originally it was only Prai Industrial which I believe they later purchased. Production there was later supplemented with Chiyoda, later Chiyoda Integrale in Perai.

Wow! That's so specific - how did you know that?

[Night Stalker]

Wow! That's so specific - how did you know that?

I've got friends in low places. When I say low, I mean low. Like Mattel low.

[Universe]

For those who just cannot get enough Toys R Us stickers, here's a fantastic example of an 8-back warranty He-Man with a Toys R Us sticker slapped on the card. The B on the far right denotes 1982. The A 5050 is Mattel's heroic warrior assortment number. The item is currently for sale (not mine), and it appears to be a late 1982 figure without the Free rebate, has short strap armor but honestly I cannot tell if the boots are painted or dipped. Here is a link with more pictures: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Masters-of-...kAAOSwtfRgFwCz.


Attachment 124938

Wow, that one just sold for $7100. That's a lot of $$.

Looking over the pics, I'm almost positive this is sprayed. Later sprayed boots were much closer to the proper line, as this one is, whereas early dipped boots (e.g. most 8-back He-Man, Fakers and special edition He-Man, for example) are notably over-dipped. Although there may be exceptions to this rule, most early dipped boots are noticeably over-dipped, and they didn't get the dip at the proper line until later productions.

Here is another 8-back G2 He-Man. I believe this one also has sprayed boots. https://www.ebay.com/itm/MOTU-VINTAG...gAAOSwVrtgIF43

(edit: if that thing actually sells for $40k, I'm selling my collection today. )

[Springor Spanior]

Here is another practical application of the Toys R Us Sticker theory.

The first picture is a MOC Beast Man with a D sticker, indicating it was stocked on the shelf in 1984. This is a G6 card made in Malaysia.
The second MOC Beast Man is an E sticker, indicating it was stocked on the shelf in 1985. This is a G7 also made in Malaysia.

I had not previously appreciated that production of Beast Man moved to Malaysia as early as 1984. I figured Malaysia Beast Man figures were on the shelves in 1986/1987 toward the end of the line.

I have not come across any Beast Man US cards higher than a G7, although maybe they are out there. Was the last round of production for Beast Man really in 1985? I thought I heard Roger Sweet explain that Mattel hadn't kept up production of some of the original figures, and that may have explained why there was a decline in interest among younger consumers new to the franchise.

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