Review > She-Ra (Masters of the Universe Classics)

June 21, 2010 | Poe

Due to the notoriety the much-maligned 1987 live-action Masters of the Universe movie, it’s easy to forget it was actually the second Masters of the Universe film to be released to theaters. The first was The Secret of the Sword, an animated film that came out in March 1985 and introduced He-Man fans to his twin sister, She-Ra. The movie comprised the first five episodes of her series, She-Ra: Princess of Power.

Mattel was and always will be the House that Barbie Built. While they’ve had successful boy brands–Major Matt Mason, MOTU and, most importantly, Hot Wheels–Barbie has always been the company’s most successful and iconic brand. With so much experience with the girls’ toys market, it’s not surprising they decided to take their (at the time) incredibly successful Masters of the Universe franchise and see if they could market it to girls, too. Thus was She-Ra born. (Legend has it she was originally going to be called the more mythologically resonant He-Ra, but the name was already being used by another toy company–just as well, because in retrospect She-Ra was a much more marketable name, and less subject to transvestite jokes and feminist criticism.)

On a more personal note, while I had several of the Horde figures as a child, I’m afraid I have no nostalgia for She-Ra. I don’t remember watching the show; by 1985 I was all about Transformers. But I can certainly recognize the significance of the character and the show, which continued the story of the MOTU universe (and supposedly with much better writing).

Looking back, Mattel and Filmation did something that no other toy company has even come close to trying to do with a boys’ brand: offered a girls’ version of the brand that was more than just a hollow marketing gimmick (actually, I can’t even think of any attempts to do this at all, hollow or not). While I didn’t continue to follow She-Ra myself, and I’m sure there were many boys who ignored it under the “girls are icky” principle, I’ve met enough male fans to be sure She-Ra was able to appeal to both genders (even if those boys could never bring themselves to get the toys, which were far more girlish than the show).

Also, now that I’m not six years old anymore I can point out that, in retrospect, She-Ra was pretty hot. (more…)

The Goofiest MOTU Commercial Ever

June 21, 2010 | Poe

…and let me tell you, MOTU commercials know from goofy. But this one…well, you’ll just have to watch it for yourself.

I don’t know whether to feel sorry for the announcer (who I believe is Victor Caroli, who did a lot of these ’80s boys’ toys commercials–and the narration to Transformers: the Movie), or to respect him for being willing to rap a disclaimer. Still, I have to believe there was a lot of laughing in the recording booth for this one.

P-p-p-p-p-power, Master Power. Some guys got it, some guys don’t.

Toy Aisle Trolls > Gotham City Dive

June 21, 2010 | Poe

Toy Aisle Trolls is a feature highlighting acts of vandalism to in-store toy items. If you find a ruined package, a stolen figure, a swapped-out figure, or any other such acts, take a photo (cell phone photos are fine if they’re not blurry) and email them to poe AT poeghostal.com. Also, please note: I’m deliberately being over-the-top with my condemnation of these people–I don’t actually wish bodily harm upon them. Just severe mental anguish.

Reader 3B returns with another fine example of humanity at its best:

Man, they don’t quit! I snapped this pick a few hours ago at my local Walmart. My only question is, why would they take two of the most common figures and leave behind the exclusive Lex?

A good question, Mr. 3B. A good question.

Guest Review > The Wonder Twins SDCC Exclusive (DC Universe Classics)

June 20, 2010 | Novelty

The Wonder Twins should be no strangers to regular viewers of the Super Friends in the mid-to-late ’70s. They were the teenage alien replacement to Wendy and Marvin to the Saturday Morning Cartoon lineup. Unlike the two characters who they replaced, the twins had superpowers that were only activated when they touched each other and uttered the catch phrase “Wonder Twins Powers – Activate!” Zan could transform into any form of water in any of the three phases, while Jayna could morph into any living creature. (more…)

Oo-Larr-La

June 19, 2010 | Poe


I don’t know…it reads weird to me. –PG

Holy crap–Gygor IS big

June 18, 2010 | Poe

Via Facebook:

Hey He-Fans!

So one of the big things we wanted to do for the MOTUC line is to introduce figures that never quite made it into the vintage line. Much like He-Ro, Gygor the gorilla made it as a prototype into the vintage line but no toy has been made…until now.

Originally based on the “Big Jim Gorilla” (much like Battlecat or Zoar) Gygor was set to be a large gorilla figure in the 1982 line. While he was cut due to logistics, we are proud to present the first ever MOTU Gygor figure in the new Classics line. Truly, this is what the MOTUC line is all about.

Gygor will be the third oversized beast in the 2010 line and will go on sale September 15th. He will not be part of the subscription (but the beasts will be added to the subs in 2011 per fan demand!)

The final oversized beast/pack for 2010 will be an army builder two pack shown off at our fan panel at SDCC on Friday July 23 at 1:00 in room 29ABC. See you all at Mattypalooza 2010~!

Matty

I don’t know whether this will silent the speculation that Gygor is a retool of the DCUC Gorilla Grodd (Mattel and the Four Horsemen say it’s a 100% new sculpt), but he sure is bigger than Grodd. The torso sculpt is definitely different.

But wait, there’s more! Read on for the bio…such as it is. (more…)

Mattycollector mod speaks out on recurring problems

June 18, 2010 | Poe

For those of you who don’t visit the Mattycollector forums, it appears that ToyGuru has stopped posting as frequently, but another moderator, “Catra’s Wrath,” is a font of interesting information. You can check out some of her posts by clicking here.

I’m not sure whether CW works for Mattel or Digital River–she could just be a fan they hired as a moderator, for all I know. But oddly enough, CW’s posts have provided a more intimate peek into Mattel’s behind-the-scenes thinking on MOTUC. Here’s a sampling. (more…)

Interview > Matt Doughty, Part II (The Outer Space Men)

June 18, 2010 | Poe

You can read Part I of this interview, about the history of Onell Design, here.

PG: So tell me how Outer Space Men came about.

MD: I love toys that go all the way back into the 1920s. Anything that was a toy, I was fascinated. The Outer Space Men came out after Major Matt Mason…

And they were supposed to be kind of like those old Remco He-Man knock-offs–“plays with” Major Matt Mason.

Exactly. But what happens when someone “knocks off” someone else but they are superior to it? That’s sort of unprecedented now. Outer Space Men was so damned cool, it would replace playing with Major Matt Mason. (more…)