He Man and the Masters of the Universe for Beginners. A 101 guide to toys and entertainment + She Ra
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 พ.ค. 2021
- Want to learn about He-Man, She-Ra and the Masters of the Universe Brand originally from Mattel toys? Well click on through for a beginners guide to ensure you are up to speed on one of the greatest pop culture brands of all time!
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The He-Man reboot that came out in the 2000s was how I first discovered He-Man as a kid. I bought as many of the toys for it as I could find and played with them until they virtually fell apart. And then from there I literally went back and read as much about it as I could, watched the live action movie, saw the New Adventures, etc. So this brand is literally something that still inspires me to this day.
That remains my favorite content for the brand
You found toys for that show? I couldn't find a single one. Also same here in regards to the 2002 show being the first time I heard of He-Man. It took watching Robot Chicken to realize it was originally a toyline and Cartoon from the 80's.
Same here me and my brother would watch the cartoon on Cartoon Network back in the day he would pretend he was he man and I will pretend I was skeleton and we duke it out we always wanted to get the toys but we never did sadly!
@@connormetcalf7049 I watched the show with my little brother and it's something to this day he still wants to watch with me.
@@spectorcreative1872 mine too atleast for the screen adaption. i loved how they fleshed out all the characters. I used to love the comics but the one character that was my evil warrior favourite was tri klops. I remember my cousin getting one as a kid. And i was bummed out back then he was part of the evil warriors. But they never did him justice in any of the shows. In his mini comic he was shown to be a match for He-man. Strength and skillwise as a master sword man. Even warning He-man at the end of the mini comic for skeletors attack. They showed a shimmer of it in 2002 first episode. But he got best by mecha neck... But then they made him an inventor... in filmation he was a bumbling goon. When i saw Henry Rollins cast i had high hopes.... but now he is a Jim Jones Tech cult pope.
I remember back in the mid 80’s my older brother had a sleepover with a few of his friends. I was too young to hang out but the next morning I woke up early & snuck in the room where my older bro & his friends slept & there it was! I remember seeing castle gray skull sitting there on the floor with all of the figures & battle cats! I had no idea they brought them over & I remember that feeling of excitement seeing them. The 80’s were so magical!
Such an amazing time to be a kid. We were blessed
Spector Creative Amen!
My brother and I formed many happy memories from this toy line. Now his children are enjoying the same toy we had as children.
Now that is wonderful
By the time they "shrunk" He-Man, the damage had already been done! Much like how Barbie affected the self-image of females, He-Man, etc. did the same for boys in a certain age range. I have been lifting weights and bodybuilding for years because deep down inside, the kid in me still associates being buff and having muscles popping everywhere as a primary necessity for being a manly man lol
It is one of those things that once it is done it can't be undone
I never developed body image issues, but I do have an unhealthy affinity for sharp & Pointy things
yeah, motu and gi joe ended up inspiring body dysmorphia in many a boy 😄
I was thinking about this yesterday as I had to explain a few times why we don't want Barbie toys for our little girl. MOTU was a big inspiration for me to body build. Not to be a "real man" at all. That's at the other end of the spectrum as Barbie though. We can be fit and stronger if we want, but girls can't just make themselves 8 foot tall and lanky with a foot tall neck driving a car with their feet at the front bumper. Barbie freaked me out.
It is such an honor to be your Aunt and godmother. We r so proud of you and what you have done for the toy industry!!!!!
Love you
AS
Well love to have you in the comment section to the best Aunt of all time!
I can imagine being hired to write/draw a basically cheap, pulpy Barbarian-type micro-scripts (mini comics) doing it for a week’s cash, not thinking “In 40 years they’ll want to know the reason for every last pen-stroke!”
Ha!
You are the Phil Jackson of action figure brand managers.
Ha! And thanks
Not the NY Knicks Phil Jackson, I hope.
You'll always be our go to resource for the Masters of the Universe be they action figures (Pixel Dan too), the lore etc. Also, I want to personally Thank you to our "Toy Guru" Scott that's you 😊, The 4H and Mattle for giving us the definitive Masters Action Figures that we dreamt about as kids; nothing since, has even gotten close to topping such amazing toys. I've got action figures of all sorts in the collection, but each time I see He Man and Battle Cat, or She Ra and Swifwind on my desk...I whisper to myself, I can't even believe they got made, made with so much effort, Love and unbridled passion. Scott, you're absolutely pivotal in making this happen and you made us the happiest of toy collectors 🥂. I seriously can't ask for more. Thank you again 🙌🏿
Well thank you! It was all made with love I promise!
@@spectorcreative1872 I absolutely feel it lolz. You're a fantastic educator too, we're all like little children🤭 (but full grown working professionals) glued to your channel just listening to everything you're constantly sharing, what an education we're all getting just Wowz ! and I'm so glad you've decided to be on TH-cam 😊 Have a great week ahead Scott and Thank you "Toy Guru" 🙌🏿
Nice overall wrap up. I got into them in 83/84 based on old Christmas pictures. So i was a bit late to the game. Funny thing is how many toys you remember looking at them almost 40 years later.
Glad you enjoyed! Topics always welcomed
Didn't realize girls were into this line. I'm too young to have watched the Filmation series, but my oldest sister loved it and had a lot of the toys and I loved playing with them until they were sold at a garage sale for $0.25 each with all my TMNT 😒
Yeah they were really into it!
Like you, I sold 40 GI Joe figures for $0.10 each to some bargain hunter at our garage sale. I was a kid and priced them for my friends to buy, not knowing about bargain hunters. I'm sure she re-sold them for $1 each. That made me lose faith in adults right then.
I'm just hoping the origins line gets as far as possible since I lost practically all my original figures on account that we moved way too much when I was a kid.
Same with my He-Man, Transformers, and Voltron!
Iplayed with it as a kid ...I got some figures soon the first wave came out here in germany! that would have bin in 1993 or so! I was the only girl in my class who played with masters ... but I "infected" my younger cousin. she had much more Masters toys than me (cause they could afford so much more)! and still today with 46 years I'm still collection MotU
Thanks for all the MOTU videos, awesome work . I listen to them while working 13 hr factory work and it makes time go by in a more enjoyable way.
I"m glad to hear that they help. Topic suggestions always welcomed.
I'm also looking forward to the tabletop RPG game Legends of Grayskull: The Master of the Universe Roleplaying Game coming some time this year.
Oh that will be cool!
Had an RPG MOTU in the 80s got it from my local comic book store. Artwork was epic. Never really played it was at the age of 1st finding Heavy Metal n pot so ......
Interesting. I have the one from the 80s. I had not heard there is a remake in the works.
Oh same here I can’t wait to make my own masters of the universe character!
It is delayed to 2022, CMON is still releasing a game this year
The very best TH-cam channel on this topic ..hands down
Well thank you! Feel free to share with others, it helps the channel a ton
I wish they would rerelease Classics with a figure of the month. I could afford them that way
Oh me too
The "He-Man in space" reboot was insulting to most fans. But there was little pushback, unlike the upcoming Netflix series.
Today you are somehow a bad person if you want an established series to remain faithful to the original...
I always wanted a version that followed the original mini-comics. Orko and Adam are worse than A.I.D.s and Ebola combined also death to Snarf!
Crazy I know!
@@earhornjones totally dude. A barbarian with some enchanted gear on a post apocalyptic world going up against a Lich with some mutants. That's my personal MOTU.
@@warface4881 yep! The early minicomics ruled. Loved the art as a kid. The picture Spector had in this video with him waving goodbye (and one not shown where he's a ripping open a beast's mouth) will always be in my head.
I remember sneaking to read my friend's father's Savage sword of conan magazine collection back around that time, and He-Man quickly became my Conan.
@@grrrraffe my man, SSC is still the bomb. CONAN, HE-MAN,THUNDARR & GATH of BAAL to name just a few but MOTU gave us the chance to really create our own stories in a fantastic setting.
This video is amazing. Thank you very much. I love He-Man and the Masters of the Universe very much and this video was a real celebration of the brand.
I am so glad it has been enjoyed!
Working in the film industry, I could see a MOTU film gaining momentum when the rights move to Universal. Unfortunately, both Sony and Universal have difficulties fleshing out their properties, like the Spider-Man films for Sony and the Universal Monsters for Universal Pictures. Hopefully MOTU can break that streak, but their track record doesn’t leave me optimistic.
The issue is the money. It would be so much to shoot and market
Refreshing information! You can really tell you are NOT reading your lines from a script but from the heart!
oh no script here!
I like this summary, simple & straight forward.
My point exactly!
The picture of you in the mouth of Castle Grayskull in the classic "BY THE POWER OF GRAYSKULL!" pose is 🐐 status.
Complete with photo bomb
Toy companies seem to have moved away of showing all of the toys available in a series on the back of cards/boxes. Is there a reason for this? As a child I always wanted to get all the characters in a series of toys, but today it isn't done as much as it used.
Basically due to legal reasons of showing something that might not come out
I'm biased but Classics to me will never be topped no matter how many reboots the franchise gets. Having a cardback Mer-man and an Alcala Skeletor were a chidhood wish come true that i had wanted since I was six years old!
Oh I wouldn't call that biased, just observent
When Super 7 stopped making MOTUC figs, I figured Mattel was going to try & relaunch MOTU (based off of the popularity of MOTUC). Now we have 2 animated series coming out, w/ their own separate toy lines. Hopefully when Universal gets the MOTU movie rights, they'll make a blockbuster movie, that pays homage to the fans (who kept the line alive all these yrs).
Yeah didn't quite go that way
Hey Scott, maybe you could make a future video on the Classics standard bucks (excluding Granamyr, Ram Man, Procrustus, etc. ) based on partial vs complete tools? An example being the He-Man, Beast Man, Buzz Off bucks being 100% tools (loin cloths aside) vs partial tools like the Skeletor/reptile buck that only had different forearms, hands, boots/feet.
I don't own all of the Classics figure line but a video featuring the most involved bucks vs the bucks that required only partial tooling would be interesting. I almost included Man-E-Faces as a 100% tool but realized that his legs were already partially tooled with Trap-Jaw, meaning that both Trap Jaw and Man-E were partials. I believe I counted 14 bucks that required 100% tooling.
I can add that to the list!
Great video enjoyed the story!
Glad to hear it! Topics always welcomed
Cool video man thanks for the video
Glad you liked! Feel free to repost/ share online if you can!
My introduction to He-Man was the UK comic. I didn't really care for the cartoon, but the comic was really engrossing.
Would love an omnibus edition of the UK comics.
Oh I so hope they publish that!
I wasn't a a MOTU Fan as a child, the only figure I had was the 200X Skeletor, because he looked cool, now, after watching so many of your Videos, I really like it, interesting Characters and Origins. I like the Designs
They were pretty timeless
When I was a kid and first saw "the new adventures of He-Man" figures in the store I thought they were knockoffs.
We didn't have the cartoon in Sweden so I had no idea about it being reimagined.
Yeah it wasn't always the same everywhere
Origins is amazing. Been buying them up like crazy
Hopefully kids will too!
I truly look forward to your posts about MOTU every week while I'm working at the DOD FD. We all cast it to the main TV and watch it. So please keep up the good work! May I ask a small favor? Can you post some other 80s toys? Videos about M.U.S.C.L.E, LJN WWF Figures, GoBots, Schumer Stompers, KidCo Key Cars, Stretch Armstrong and characters, Blackstar, Bravestarr, Spawn, and my favorite KNOCKOFFS of MOTU (any is the KO 5.5 figures!). I know you would kill it!
I will work on it!
@@spectorcreative1872 you rock!
I only had Battle Armour He-Man and Dragon Blaster Skeletor when I was a kid in the 80s. Correction, I still have them, as well as my MOTU Lunchbox. For the past five months, I have been collecting MOTU Origins and MOTU MegaConstrux.
I think the story of how He-Man was created would be a great movie. Scott, you should write a spec script & pitch to one of the streamers.
Like this:th-cam.com/video/uGYXv7mHt0Q/w-d-xo.html or do you mean behind the scenes? Cause Netflix did that already, twice.
@@spectorcreative1872 I mean a live action biopic/feature film. Something along the lines of The Social Network.
Great basic round-up. Glad to hear MOTU is finding new fans. Do u have a playlist for your MOTU lore vids, Scott. I think that'd be a good idea.
I have several playlists!
Also keep an eye on Kickstarter this year for a board game of MotU produced by CMON games, complete with highly detailed miniature figures of all the main characters. I'm pretty excited for that one, myself.
I will!
Solid video
Well thank you! Feel free to share with others, it helps the channel a ton!!
I’m a big masters of the universe fan I sure hope someday it’ll let super seven in the four horsemen relaunch or continue the masters of the universe classics line they just got to someday!
Me too
@@spectorcreative1872 Do you think somebody will ever bring it back?
Wow, haven't heard Cheshire, CT in quite some time. I went to high school there in the early 90s. Guess I'll add you to my mental list of people that went on to do popular things.
Still my home town! But I left in 3rd grade. Still it is where I played with all my MOTU and SW toys
Can you do a video on all the different plastics they use to make figures? How they chose which plastics to make into different figures. I know this is off the subject but I thought it would be interesting.
I'll add it to the list!
nice history lesson Toy Guru, especially to late 80s kids like me..to me MOTUC stands w/ Transformers MP, figures w/c stood the test of time, glad I got into it..didn't much w/ She-Ra figures, but still glad I found some of them in Big Lots, they look great on my shelves
Glad it was entertaining! Topics always welcomed
@@spectorcreative1872 Im not sure, but would it be too sensitive of a matter, to make a video, why some Pop figures went on sale at BL? I got She-Ra, Arrow, Bo, & many Horde Villains from Matty, as they're cool looking characters..but if not its fine..
@0:17 I don’t know if that was deliberate or not but I got a really good chuckle of the title card
I aim to please!
I wish I had watched the 1990 series back when it was originally on! The continuity was great!
Well it is avail on DVD
@@spectorcreative1872 I bought the DVDs when they came out…..
Great video. I think Classics was the ultimate Masters of the Universe figures. Unfortunately I have none, and nowday are expensives, mainly the figures I like. But Origins are nice at most. I never liked the anime type figures as the 2001 or the next Netflix series figures. Oh and aboutl He-Man in the space... that already existed before Masters of the Universe first toy line, it used to be called Flash Gordon... :/
Oh I can't disagree there
Awesome video Scott! Thank you for taking time to explain the various lines over the years. One thing I was hoping to learn more about was the lines with the "Filmation" look. When I go hunting for these figures online, it appears that Super 7 and Mattel both had versions, and it seems to me the Super 7 one more closely mirrored the tv series? Is this accurate or am I just mixing things up?
Oh very much so (for Super 7)
It depends a lot whether you prefer the vintage style figures or the more modern larger scale 'Classics' line. 'Classics' is very comprehensive and includes pretty much everything in the MOTU universe. If you like the vintage style however, Super 7 did a fairly small range of 'Filmation' figures that complement the 80s toys.
Since then we now have the current 'Origins' line from Mattel, which is at mainstream retail and affordable and includes a lot of 80s and Filmation influences. Hope that is of some help.
I’m going to attempt to withhold my seething animosity for ALL things Super7 and just say this: if you pre-order anything from them, it WILL BE 10-18 months late, it will come full of quality control nightmares (as they have none), bad paint, the cheapest cheap plastics, and both Dollar Tree and Big Lots would be ashamed to sell them, and the owner’s only concern is money, NOT customer satisfaction. Hot Topic wannabe. You can see it in his eyes in every interview he (S7 owner) does. And their version of the “Filmation” He-Man has 3 very different skin tones: torso: pea-soup green, limbs: extra greasy tan, head: way too light! When I first brought that up they actually sent a statement to fans assuring them I was wrong. I wasn’t. And they knew it.
Awesome
Many thanks!
Do you know how well the larger products like Castle Grayskull, Snake Mountain, and Eternia sold originally? I know it’s also tricky given that they each came out at different points of the toyline’s popularity, but I’m still curious.
Int he 80's they sold hundreds of thousands
I just hope that we'll be able to complete the motu origin toy series before the rights are reverted back. It's been hard collecting them but so far so good( except for the power con exclusives).
Time will tell but right now I don't know if retail will give it a second year
You left out any Arbor Day or Spaceballs references. :) Another great video sir. Any idea of how certain minor/ background characters are picked to revive or make figures? I figure tooling plays into it. Also probably a big dragon guy looks cooler than a disguised hooded lady (like Evil Lynn's reoccurring classic MotU).
Not every video can be about the greatest holiday of the year
@@spectorcreative1872 I just looked up Arbor Day on Wikipedia because I know nothing about it. Apparently we've had it here in New Zealand since 1890. Guess I must have missed it every year since I was born.
The Classics line is the best MOTU-based toy line. Of course, the original toy line will be the most nostalgic, but if one wants to have a definitive He-man figure, the Classics line is the way to go.
I agree
MOTU origins, also known as “good luck at finding the figures before the scalpers and the collectors that buy more then what they need until others can get them…..” line😚😚😚😚😚😚
I've only ever seen he-man, Skeletor, and Evil-Lyn from the origins line. I've never seen any other figures.
@@yellowmartian Of the $20 figures I’ve only seen a single battle armor he-man and some with help and good timing for Waves 2 - 4 of the $14.99 figures not in some time
I hope things improve, I really do!
@@spectorcreative1872 As do all of us who genuinely care about the line vs the scalpers and other vultures!
I just managed to order a He-Man and Skeletor for close to retail prices here in New Zealand. Unfortunately other figures, even at the same place, are going for at least twice as much, and more often 3 or 4 times what I paid.
Since I was young I wanted to be muscular due to he-man and Arnold.
Me too. I was very skinny
What do you know about the factories where these things are made? Thanks.
Well back int he 80's Mattel had them made in HK and Taiwan. Today they are all in China
hey scott all good?, have you seem the netflix series Ragnarok? dont you think that the guy who plays the main character is a perfect choice for he man?
I have not seen this series but willl check it out!
@@spectorcreative1872 the dude who plays magne the main character looks axacly like the he man action figure, the face structure is praticaly the same
Hey Scott, who created the original He-man bucks? They are genius, and set the line so far apart from anything else before it.
It was a combination of a few folks working at Mattel in the 80's based on designed by Roger Sweet and Mark Taylor
I love the oil painting shown at 2:20. Sadly this fantastic piece is not shown in Dark Horse's Art of He-Man book, which is in almost all ways an outstanding collection of MOTU art. O Mighty Neitlich, can you tell us where that piece appears? Is it perhaps a bit of fan art (and if so: wow!)? Or did you just yank it off the intertoobz from source unknown? Thanks for all you do, have done and will do for this amazing brand.
It is one of the many cross sell posters done for the vintage line.
@@spectorcreative1872 Right, I figured as much. The DH Art book is heavy on the Earl Norem posters (which I love) but other artists get overlooked. Thanks for clarifying.
0:45: I HAVE THE POWER!
4:18: Thank you Toys R Us for the mini comics! …Oh wait there’s no one to thank now.
Sad
i had none and didn't watch the show, lol never missed it, guess because I was into comics and dc superhero action figures, had em all.
We all have our #1
No mention of the ReAction series?
Great video 😀 but you didn't mention the Super7 Filmation line of vintage-style, 5 p.o.a. figures that they released before losing the licence... they only released 24 figures and the line sadly ended.
Yeah I wasn't going to cover 100% everything, was going for more of an overview
@@spectorcreative1872 and a very good overview it was too! Very informative and entertaining. All the best dude 🙏
Mattel, like Hasbro with G.I. Joe, just can't seem to make Masters of the Universe relevant for kids anymore (I don't care what they say, Origins is being supported by adult collectors). Transformers, though, seems timeless and while no doubt many adult collectors support it, kids are still into it. Star Wars too, although there are various price point entries for that brand. I'd be interested in your take about why certain toy properties can sustain over generations and others cannot. Again, another great video, Thank You.
He-Man's success was a product of its time
So I have always heard the live action movie was suppose to be a Jack Kirby Fourth World movie made by DC but the company couldn't get the license from DC and then adapted the script to be a He-Man film and that is why the movie is mostly on Earth. Essentially Orion became He-Man and Darkseid became Skeletor etc. Would you know if any of that is true/how much of it is true?
Do you mean the 1987 movie? Yes some if the ideas were from a 4th world concept
@@spectorcreative1872 yea the 87 movie :)
Thx for the recap 🙏 What about the Conan licence origin? Is it a myth?
See here:th-cam.com/video/jCI8WOomeaI/w-d-xo.html
I had the 1989/90 sword. I loved He-Man and the cartoon was on tv in the US at least until 1990ish on USA I think? Of course our local video store had the VHS releases. Never liked the NA toys (they broke too easily) and I dont think the NA cartoon aired on a station we got.
Me neither
Is there a reason you did not mention the 2018 series, She-ra and the Princesses of Power?
No reason in particular
One Fact that was mentioned but never confirmed was that He-Man (and in turn some of his friends. Stratos to be said) was artistically inspired by the 1980's Flash Gordon Movie. Can I get some confirmation for this. The video seems to be missing this if it was true.
I hadn’t heard this direct, but the timing wouldn’t rule it out
Was there much precedent for a vehicle-heavy line built at this scale? These toys were waaay bigger than Star Wars, right?
If I recall correctly, MOTU’s scale was fairly unique to MOTU at the time. Most other lines I remember either were specifically geared towards vehicle sales (Star Wars, G.I. Joe) or coming off of the Mego/12-inch doll scale. A lot of the copycats and also-rans in the MOTU scale scale (like Remco’s “Warlord” line) didn’t last long enough to develop a robust line of vehicles/playsets around them. I would say that MOTU set the precedent for things in that scale, particularly where successful vehicles were concerned.
Star Wars was the first line that was heavily vehicle based, MOTU took it to a new level with bigger figs
@@BrianGeers thanks for the detailed explanation. Interesting, that MOTU was the first to do this. It seems gutsy on Mattel’s part to build the entire first run around Greyskull, considering there wasn’t much of a precedent at this form factor. None of their internal or press documents shown on this channel even highlight this fact.
Kevin Smith needs to watch this.
I'd love to show him!
I could have sworn i heard somewhere that Mattel's license for MOTU expires in a couple of years. Wouldn't that mean that Mattel's current push for MOTU toys is simply to squeeze as much revenue from the brand while they still can?
Very much so. Universal gets the brand in 2023
Can we get a complete video on the fiction of Castle Grayskull please.
Here you go:th-cam.com/video/P6cMWRzFJPc/w-d-xo.html
my entire life passed on 18 min and 47 sec. XD
Ha!
Yeah, that movie. It was like somebody had a Lot of fun disappointing people who'd been looking forward to it.
OH dear...
But that movie has one merit: it gave us the best Skeletor and the hottest Evil-Lyn ever
Have you found the MOTU dollar tree figures yet? I'm on the hunt for those suckers. I'd like to customize some of them too. For a buck, it can't go wrong.
Also, great rundown of MOTU!
No, I didn't know they had some!
i just finished reading the newer dc comics of motu and they really hated the 1990 line to the point that in eternity war hordak blows up planet primus and don't get me started on what happens in masters of the multiverse
I know it gets complicated
Its funny if i see the mega construx masters of the universe line i wish i had that scale as a kid.
I would have been sweet!
you knew who the rich kid of your group was by who got the castle grayskull playset 😄
Plus all those vehicles
For my generation it was the playset that was the inside of Super Buu
I cant stand he whole prince adam thing. I may be the only one but i would have loved an enslaved Teela figure in thrall to Skeletor. You explain all this so well.
You are not alone in this~
You're definitely not the only one who hates the whole Prince Adam was He-man thing. I may have watched the cartoon but I got into He-man before the show and my "play pattern" as Scott calls it was to include Prince Adam (once he was released as a toy) as he portrays himself in the cartoon; lazy, more interested in goofing off than learning how to rule, and finding himself running afoul of Skeletor due to kidnapping attempts and constantly needing to be saved by He-man. That said, I much preferred the kick butt and take names Teela of the cartoon over the "damsel in distress" of the earlier comics.
Do Mattel still have the rights to Wheel Warriors?
I am honestly not sure, I'll see what I can find out
Can you talk about the He-Man tabletop rpg?
I'll add it to the list!
What's the difference between MOTU and LOP?
MOTU means Masters of the Universe, I don't know what LOP means
@@spectorcreative1872 Lords of power?
Basically it's the Fourth World crossed with Frazetta paintings
Quite litterally
It's almost like Mattel never understood what made MOTU so great.
Part of it is a frequent turn over they have in brand managers
Fun Fact: The actually DC comic primer of He-Man had his facing off With Superman. Spoilers: Superman can't battle against magic and Skeletor Turns Superman against He-Man. In the end they become friends.
In the end we all become friends
Gosh I wish we could have got the MYP characters as figures.... at least the main characters in that style.
Me too
Hi, Scott, why are many brand managers adverse to turning cool-looking D-list characters into a new A-league?
To a child experiencing MotU for the first time isn't shining knight Extendar just as captivating an avatar for their imaginative play as the more commonly seen Mekaneck?
Their goal is to hit sales and no one wants to take a bet on something that might not sell
Is it because the kids don’t know the difference, but their parents who do have the wallets?
@@sideswipe1261 A child who doesn't know the history of the brand shouldn't know the difference, they would just be drawn to a cool-looking character who inspires imaginative play.
So, are we producing the coolest-looking toys to attract the eye of children, or are we making toys to attract the mercurial eye of the nostalgic parent?
The brand I billboard is Transformers, and I would love to see some of the 1992 characters get a revisit.
But, those brightly-coloured, vibrant 'Turbomasters' and 'Predators' characters are dismissed as being "too obscure" to revisit, so instead we just get more retreads of the characters from 1984-87, the same characters over and over again.
Scott really had the right idea when he managed MotU Classics, mixing late-range MotU and 'New Adventures of He-Man' characters in with many usual faces (and the usual Man-E-Faces) we see across all the different form factors.
@@spectorcreative1872 Yet why SO many sure-fire (100% chance of selling all for large profit) #GIJoeClassifieds are there that Hasbro *refuses to produce or release*? Not a clean thumb in this pie. Why did #Walmart SIT on #MOTUOrign’s exclusivity license for 6 months, peg nothing, and let the exclusivity expire?
There’s a reason when companies turn down profits; more profits:
A big toy maker with mega-hyped products can actually make more money either *owning* or dealing dirty with scalpers and bots. Let me explain (the “Covid not a factor” version):
1. Hasbro builds huge hype and demand via online tubers and empty store shelves.while online sellers always have one for 4-5 or 10x the MSRP price.
2. Hasbro quickly realizes they can make and save at least 3x at least, if not 7-10x as much money in production doing the opposite and *not making enough toys” as long as they own or control scalping. Shell companies. eBay accounts, online merchants. And all the while letting these other companies eat the cost of advertising and promotion to ensure their small %’s.
3. Hasbro has another cozy day, knowing they’ve exploited Covid as far as safe for the next 3 days, keeping lines closed, not paying workers of shut-down production lines, not paying to run or power the production lines of many, facilities, complimenting each other on their successful plan to spend near-nothing more to sustain brand interest for a couple great golfing months, and celebrating their decision to start up a bunch of LLC’s or some other business with no legal/direct link to being Hasbro-owned (part or whole) while making every penny (as they’re in fact Hasbro owned!).
There’s a Wally Street term for this, but I really know nothing about the stock market except that Evil Always Wins.
🙂
Chapter: Lips- the redone summary likely longer:
1. They wouldn’t have to pay former employees to work ghost factories. That’s their materials, production costs, machinery, equipment and manpower, shipping cut out instantly. As well as hundreds of other costs getting high-demand product from “A” to “B.”
2. Hasbro makes just enough to cause a 40 Year Itch, fuss and hunger to prompt prospecting hyenas into action *and* starve the big, simple “I just want 1 for retail$!” Community.
3. Hasbro’s business model is proven by $40 “Baroness w/cycle” hitting $360+ easy online.
4. Hasbro sells the remaining produced toys (they *DO* exist) through the online scalpers they either created, purchased (under ANY NAME but HASBRO!) or have “deals with”. The only party that always wins is Hasbro. And it’s their own fully-owned property, so nobody can squeeze them for a higher licensing fee because it’s their own brand!
5. In the end, Hasbro makes far more money by producing far less product and secretly joining online sales letting the collector feeding frenzy to make them more online washed cash than they could make ever make producing more retail $20.00 figures while the small batches made are selling $160-$280.
@@ShatteredTrousers I surely can’t disagree! I still have my G2 Megatron green/purple Camo tank with lights and sounds mint in NM box, sealed! G2 was a nice mix of ‘84 repaints (not sure about blue Grimlock, but could be worse/BeastWars, lol!) and G2 threw in some cool new to me molds (some great smaller jets come to mind). I really need a product poster of all G2 releases if they made any).
I do hear your point about how ideally, kids will see “new to them” toys and hopefully latch-on without a parent needing to nudge them into certain lines. My main concern for He-Man currently (Origins specifically) is that if all a kid ever sees in the toy aisle is He-Man (Ape face) and Skeletor (equally bad head sculpt), kids will assume the brand stinks. “Collect all Both!” Why? To take them to play with your friends’ He-Man and Skeletor? And currently without a cartoon or movie to draw kids in, they’ve little reason to care. If Mattel would ensure stores had 3-4 waves of different figures in stores, kids would get excited. Mattel is still winning the whole 80’s relaunch debacle compared to Hasbro’s GI Joe’s (or as Target managers and employees call them, “GI MINE!!!”). It’s not all Covid’s fault. They need to get off their duffs and... dunno, *make toys* as people are quite willing to buy them!
Lastly, Walmart and Target (I could shred them for 20 pages) need to get their precious Apps working properly instead of constantly feeding misinformation for well over 16+ months. Both companies’ apps have told me certain items are “in stock!” At my local stores. But they never are! Those companies can afford to hire capable website/app teams to keep inventory updated in real-time for each product in each store. Walmart removed their “find a price?” Scanners to force shoppers to use their app (management’s words). If you go right now to Walmart.com (not the app), and look up ROKU devices, they as of June 3, 2021 still have ads for Black Friday sales on Rokus from November. I bought a 3 pack of little die-cast GI Joe vehicles at my local store, and while holding the pack in one hand, their app in my other hand clearly stated “This item is not available for purchase at your store.” Huh? No need to rush to the stores based on what the apps or websites say for the 3rd dozen time to find nothing.
"I'll probably get a fact or two wrong, please correct me in the comments."
Oh. Oh my. Oh dear.
Yeah stepped in it
brand manager, so you know about establishing a brand?
I do very much. It is one of my areas of expertise and experience!
@@spectorcreative1872 did you retire from that, or just no longer do that any longer,,,, or was it just a part of your past?
Omg I had that power sword
And that means you have the power!
Can you do more vids like this on other toy ips?
I'll see what I can do!
I would agree! I know you are biased on MOTU because of your career but I’d love your perspective on GI Joe, MASK, etc.
Unpopular opinion: I don't mind the new Teela having a modern-trendy hairstyle. She had a trendy-ish hairstyle back in the day (well, to the execs), after all.
And her backside was rather, well a backside
What is the origin of Teela's name? Out of all the characters, her name seems like a standard one instead of a pun... I feel like it is a pun that I just don't get!
See here: th-cam.com/video/5kderiJWJms/w-d-xo.html
If you had to choose to live with either He=Man or Skeletor who would it be? But note, He=Man gives you a moral message every 20 minutes, and Skeletor constantly cackles, even in his sleep.
Can I just live with Teela?
@@spectorcreative1872 No. Sorry LOL
As Judge Gaffney said, “We shall see. We shall see.”
Indeed.
Truly
sir can you please make a he man lore recap
I have quite a few videos on that. See the He Man History play list!
The commemorative line was not TRU only, btw... www.he-man.org/collecting/toy.php?id=2556
Point taken!
So I missed MOTU Classics, but I have to admit Origins is the best idea ever! Mattel's horrible Powercon exclusives that no one can get are a HUGE disappointment - and hopefully they will fix this. Origins ideas and concepts are incredible. Feeding the nostalgia. Here is my fear: they are about to flood the market with He-man toys. Now in addition to Origins, 2 more He-man toy lines. My question: can the market support all this? Can three He-man toy lines coexist? Or will this just make all three crash and burn?
Well hopefully origins will catch on with kids and have a long life!
Why has there not been a epic videogame yet!!??
I blame the Ninja Monkeys
I seriously wish MOTU reboot movie materialize before I die.
Me too
You left out the mighty Spector lol
Shoot!
Maybe Kevin Smith needs to watch this...
I am available anytime at Spectorcreative.com
Were you the brand manager that put forth into motion Origins or was that the one after you?
Well after me.