He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: 80’s Television Personified…
With incredible shows like The Real Ghostbusters, Thundercats, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Transformers…we were truly spoilt as kids!
“By the power of Greyskull!” He-Man: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
What were your favourite shows of the eighties and how did they inspire you?
Growing up in a time that boasted the pinnacle of musical ballads, we were exposed to many exceptional television shows that brought us many of the most iconic characters of pop culture. These incredible characters, broke new ground for the genre and established a standard that has proved to be hard to live up to for our current crop of cultural entertainment shows. Many of these vibrant characters are, whether via reboot or reimagining still part of our modern culture today and still grace screens all over the world influencing our children just as they did ourselves.
In this, my first in a series of articles, I will be taking a retrospective look at the shows that inspired, not only myself, but a generation of children and single out the tent-pole shows that defined a generation and established themselves within the upper echelons of what we regard to be the all-time classics.
It promises to be an exciting ride, so without further ado…let’s start the countdown with an all-time classic:
He-Man and The Masters of the Universe
The one that started it all. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was born from a new range of action figures mass-produced by toy manufacturer Mattel. After declining the offer to produce a range of toys for George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise, Mattel CEO Ray Wagner commissioned a new range of figures to capitalise on its success. Concerned that his chiselled figures wouldn’t reach a large enough audience, an animated adventure series was commissioned to grow a fan base of children, all clambering to get their hands on the exciting new action figures.
It was an overnight success!
Making its debut in 1983, the colourful series boasted characters that were as bizarre as they were alluring to fans of all ages, and within a matter of weeks, they had become household names. Set in the fictional land of Eternia, a place of myth, magic and fantasy, a young and inexperienced prince had been bestowed with a magical sword that had the ability to transform him into a muscled super warrior charged with defending both his home and the ancient Castle Greyskull from the forces of evil. Raising his magic sword aloft and uttering the words “By the power of Greyskull” transformed him from his innocent persona into the heroic protagonist of the series He-Man. Prince Adam’s cowardly talking cat companion Cringer, was also transformed. He became the mighty Battle Cat, a larger, fearless and armoured version of his former self that would serve as He-Man’s noble steed whom he would ride into battle.
He-Man was accompanied by many vibrant and colourful companions on his journeys. His most trusted ally was Duncan, better known as Man-At-Arms, a master of weaponry whom preferred to seek a peaceful alternative opposed to a physical confrontation. Not only was Duncan an ally, but he was a trusted friend and confidant whom would offer an alternative to physicality. He was one of only a few individuals trusted with secret of He-Man’s true identity.
Another faithful companion was Orko, a mystical and bumbling magician who offered a degree of comic relief with his colourful antics. The levitating “Trollan” was another trusted with the secret of Prince Adam’s true power and would aid He-Man on his many adventures.
As is always the case, a larger than life hero needs an equally powerful archenemy to test his wits against, and in Masters of the Universe we were treated to a true icon of our culture. The main antagonist was the evil Skeletor, a blue skinned humanoid with a yellow skull for a face. Skeletor was the Lord of Snake Mountain, a dark and sinister structure sculpted into the form of a coiled snake built into the side of the mountain, and hidden within its depths was an army of evildoer’s eager to serve their master.
Skeletor’s minions were as colourful as they were monstrous, however their lack of intelligence rendered them powerless against the forces of He-Man and his devoted companions. Regardless of the sinister plot conceived by Skeletor, his underlings always came up short with victory within reach and left their gruesome leader to fume at their incompetence. The narratives written for these adored characters, were as thought provoking as they were imaginative and boasted the writing talents of Paul Dini and Brynne Stephens, both of whom would go on to be instrumental contributors on the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, a show that would be regarded as the quintessential incarnation of the DC Comics character.
Masters of the Universe, boasted a positive message with a final thought of reflection from the main characters themselves. Much in the same vein as the great Hanna-Barbera Scooby-Doo cartoons of the sixties, each episode explained the dilemmas faced by the main characters and explained the moral implications of the dramas that had unfolded. On the strength of this positive message and the mix of elaborate, larger than life characters, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe ran for two seasons with a total of one hundred and thirty action packed episodes. Both He-Man and Skeletor became household names, and sales of the Mattel action figure range reached lucrative heights to rival that of the Star Wars franchise.
In short, the series was a cultural phenomenon, and despite a live action movie and rebooted animated series being released, the original series is regarded as a trail blazer. At a time when Star Wars was at the height of its popularity, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe arrived upon our television screens and captured the hearts and imaginations of an entire generation. To this day, the colourful characters are remembered with an unrivalled affection which evoke a feeling of nostalgia for the hordes of devoted fans.
An all new live action reboot has since been proposed, and yet despite the fans demonstrating an insatiable appetite for an authentic interpretation of the renowned source material, the project is yet to commence filming. The concept art alone, which has revealed the all new interpretation of the mighty Battle Cat, has sent the fans wild with delirium and yet the wait goes on for a release date.
But, there is good news on the horizon. The streaming service Netflix, has since acquired the rights to stream the classic original series on their platform and as a result, all sixty-five episodes from the first season are available to view at the touch of a button.
Thank you, Netflix!
Join me next time for a reflection on the next cultural phenomenon on our list of classics…The Transformers. Truly an article that is more than meets the eye!
Until then…by the Power of Greyskull!
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