what age suits MOTU Best? How old were you?

[ravenloft]

Mark which age you started collecting MOTU and all ages you still played with them as a kid until you stopped. What age did you feel you were too old or that they were for younger kids? when did you or your parents get rid of your collection?
multiple choice

What do you think is the best age for playing with the MOTU toys or watching the cartoon? Which ages do you feel were captivated and enthralled by the line and cartoon? What age do you feel you were "aged out" and started hiding your He-Man pajamas, lunchbox or He-Man bedspread when your friends came over? What age did you stop playing with MOTU? write a comment

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I started loving MOTU in 1982 at age 5, watched the show ages 6-7 and was young during the best early waves. We had the kid sized swords and shields, the pillow cases and sheets, underroos, pajamas, lunchbox, ball vecro game, etc. We were still playing with or getting figures as gifts until I was nearly 12 years old in 1989. I think I was the prime age for MOTU at 5-11. by Junior High school we became aware that they were for younger kids. Our attention shifted to Nintendo. We still collected a few super heroes and G.I. Joes toys until the early 1990's but MOTU was done for us by 1989. My mom gave the entire collection to the younger kid of her best friend. we didn't mind then too much, but as an adult collector I sure regret that today.

[Night Stalker]

I was three when my parents got me my first MOTU figure. Most of my earliest memories revolve around MOTU. It was a significant part of my life every day. We moved 12 times by the time I turned 10, in seven different countries. The one constant was always He-Man. Every kid in every country knew him, even if it was under a different name like "Musclor." It was how I made friends with people whose language I could barely speak.

I "played" with my MOTU figures until they started gathering dust around 1988. I had a bookshelf that I placed them on and displayed, and I occasionally bought new MOTU stuff if I was in Europe (the two giants, the laser figures, some late '87 releases) as late as 1990. But I was about nine years old when Playmates released TMNT, right as my interest in MOTU was waning and the line was shutting down. For the next few years it was mainly TMNT, GI Joe/Action Force, and Monster in my Pocket.

The last "new" figure I bought as a kid were the Kenner Aliens line, and even then I felt like I was getting a little too old to buy action figures. If I hadn't been such a fan of the Alien franchise, and if the figures were cartoonish or goofy, I doubt I would have bought them. I stopped playing with toys altogether around age 10, and for the next couple of years was just opening them and displaying them.

I started having girls over at about age 12, unsupervised. I didn't want a room full of action figures to discourage my young lady friends from... well, you get the picture. So everything went in a box in the attic.

So as far as playing with toys, I guess 3-10 years old. By age 12, they were all boxed up and hidden. I was in my early twenties when 200X launched, so that was what brought me back into buying and collecting once again.

[Brasco]

I was 4 years old when I got some for Christmas. That was in 1984. I would agree with you that the prime ages were 5-11. I remember I started getting away from toys right around junior high school.
I set up this elaborate village with my gi-Joes and my brother mentioned that around my friends and they started making fun of me. That was the exact moment when they got put in storage.

As for my mom getting rid of my collection, my brother found them in a paper bag out by the street with the rest of the garbage. Luckily he grabbed them before garbage pickup. Unfortunately that was all he was able to save. My transformers, Joe’s, Voltron and everything else was gone. I was around 20 at the time and that was when I got in to collecting again. Still bums me out to this day that she threw out all of my childhood toys.

[Granamyr's Helmet]

MOTU was extra special for me as a kid because it was kind of my "last hurrah" of those childhood action figure/cartoon days. I think I'm a few years older than a number of people here judging by the birthday notices I've seen, and that would make sense. I was collecting Star Wars figures at 5, and MOTU came out when I was 9.

While I was also into Transformers, G.I. Joe, etc., MOTU was like a second wave of Star Wars for me. The imaginary world it occupied in the mini comics and the show, the toys...it kept me hooked until I was about 12 and my friends overnight seemed to bail on toys/cartoons. In fact, I clearly remember a day my best friend and next door neighbor coming over to visit and I had all this new MOTU stuff I had just picked up and was showing him. After about 10 minutes, he said, "aren't we getting too old for this?" (we were both 12).

I wasn't ready to quit yet! But the days were getting quickly numbered, and shortly after that I was moving on to other things (particularly playing guitar, which would dominate a lot of my time thereafter).

[Rikki Roxx]

I was pretty much born into it. I remember walking home from Toys R Us with my Mom or Dad with Castle Grayskull, but even then I would've been like two. My Dad was buying me He-Man toys way before I was old enough to ask for them.

I never "got out of it", either, they just stopped the line. I remember some of the last figures I ever got were King Randor, Sorceress, and Saurod. Then one day they just didn't have MOTU toys at the stores anymore, and I was furious. I never would have stopped buying them if the option had still existed.

I very rarely "played" with my toys much after age 12 or so, but I still always collected and displayed them, although in the 90s my focus mostly switched to wrestling toys over anything else. So most of my MOTU stuff was safely boxed in the closet, but when the 200X line came out I immediately put Castle Grayskull and those figures on display as I picked them up.

I personally never "outgrew" MOTU; "they" just took it away from me without asking me how I felt about it. I think the amount of people who remain passionate about it into their 30s and 40s - despite it ostensibly being a brand for 5-year olds - illustrates that there really is no "right age" for it, it speaks just as well to adults as it does to its target audience, thanks to the density of its lore and the vast scope of its mythology. I never gave up on it and never will.

[MJOLNIR]

Got into Motu at age 7 in 82. Felt it was a great age. Was very invested in the mini comic canon before the Filmation cartoon. I would have kept collecting but felt the brand got very campy and gimmicky after the second wave. Not that there weren't some gems after 84 but I just doubled down on GI Joe at that point, which I also collected since 82.

[Mikey]

I became a MOTU fan as a kid in the 80's too, but I never grew out of it. I voted for *never grew out of MOTU, it is for any age* which is how I feel about all my favourite childhood things. There was a time when MOTU memorabilia became next to impossible to find, but my passion was always there. Then I got onto the internet, I discovered He-Man.Org and a whole wonderful world of MOTU and POP nostalgia, and I even discovered NA, and then MYP MOTU came out.

[ravenloft]

MOTU was a cultural phenomenon that exploded on the scene in the 1980s. I think starting at 4 through 8 years old in 1982 would be the best, because then you get maximum benefit of the toy line, associated merchandise and cartoon.
That probably was Mattel's likely target age group.
Most of the MOTU branded products such as pajamas, board games, coloring books and lunchboxes work best kindergarten through Elementary school age 5-12 yrs.

Coincidently I was 5 years old in '82 and 10 years old by 1987 the year the line ended in North America. The perfect age; MOTU was literally made for us.

Born in 1977-1978 at 4 or 5 years old when MOTU was first released you aren't too young to really understand the mini comics/cartoon or play safely with small parts, but still years left to get and play with new figures. You grew up with MOTU. Perfect.

if you were born in 1980-1981at 2 or 3 when it started you likely missed out on all the best toy figures from the early years, and have only fuzzy memories of the cartoon as your start. Perhaps your older siblings had all the toys.

Born after 1982 or 1983 and you really missed out on the best He-Man years.TMNT was more likely your main jam.

Born in 1975 you were 7 in 1982 and you were 13 when the line ended in '88 and probably a little old to be playing with them in middle school/Jr. high school anyways but still had all the best years '82-'85 for toys, merchandise and the cartoon as a 7-10 year old. Not bad at all. An older kid that age could really love MOTU. You probably didn't chew on your weapons either.

Born in 1974 you'd be 8 years old in 1982; that would be the last age to really appreciate the whole line.

Older than than 9 in 1982 you likely only played with MOTU toys for a year or two and perhaps watched the cartoon but skipped most of the merchandise; you really missed the MOTU boat. Star Wars toys were likely your main jam.

<1982-1988 toy line years>
<1983-1985 cartoon years>
..........1982 '83 '84 ... '85 ..... '86 '87 '88
1982 2yrs 3yrs 4yrs 5yrs 6yrs 7yrs 8yrs
1983 3yrs 4yrs 5yrs 6yrs 7yrs 8yrs 9yrs
1984 4yrs 5yrs 6yrs 7yrs 8yrs 9yrs 10yrs
1985 5yrs 6yrs 7yrs 8yrs 9yrs 10 11yrs
1986 6yrs 7yrs 8yrs 9yrs 10 11 12yrs
1987 7yrs 8yrs 9yrs 10yrs 11 12 13yrs
1988 8yrs 9yrs 10 11yrs 12 13 14yrs

[Lokus]

I feel the dark gothic horror themes even though it was softened by filmation makes this brand suited for teens aged 11 and up . I could guess American children can handle it a bit younger because they celebrate Halloween ? Not the rest of the world . Ages 4 and up is ridiculus .

I was aware of HeMan toys in the local shop around the end of 84 . I got my first HeMan for Christmas 84 . The toons soon followed . I was 6 years old . I stopped playing with them at around 10 or 11 ? My very last Toy was a loose Grizzlor and his weapon in a toyshop in a small town . I was sad I could only have one , There was also a Spikor . Computer and console gaming did not help much .

I always kept all my toys in a toybox close to me HeMan included even though I stopped playing i would pull em out now and then to look at them . But the cartoons and merch were of more interest . If i found something MOTU related i would buy it . When my VHS rentals sold HeMan off i snapped em up . I only every saw most of season 1 on TV and about 6 She Ra , the Christmas special and secret of the sword . I felt i missed out and would never see them again ...... and then the age of internet and DVD happened . When internet came out if i ever went to an internet cafe , I looked up MOTU and found this very very new forum although it would be maybe a decade before we hooked properly onto the net and i could join . This was my late teens

I was in my 20,s when Amazon DVD orders became available my very first order was Buffy and a bootleg Brittish HeMan episodes making up half of season 1 with very interesting MOTU DVD art . Lator the best episodes of MOTU came out i assume to test the buyer market I grabbed that too . Then they officially released HeMan and She Ra , Since i owned part of season one which were good quality enough , I just grabbed the others .