The first of the many daily, half-hour cartoon adventure series designed to sell toys and action figures, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was reportedly intended as a "light" variation on the grim sword-and-sorcery property "Conan the Barbarian." It was introduced as a DC Comics feature in 1981, the first step in a campaign mounted by Mattel Toys. Step number two was for Mattel to hire the Filmation studio to create an animated series based on He-Man, a decision made on the basis of Filmation's impressive work on the ...
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The first of the many daily, half-hour cartoon adventure series designed to sell toys and action figures, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was reportedly intended as a "light" variation on the grim sword-and-sorcery property "Conan the Barbarian." It was introduced as a DC Comics feature in 1981, the first step in a campaign mounted by Mattel Toys. Step number two was for Mattel to hire the Filmation studio to create an animated series based on He-Man, a decision made on the basis of Filmation's impressive work on the previous cartooner Blackstar. Once the cartoon series was in production, it was pitched to the ABC network, which took a pass out of fear that the FCC would look askance at what was essentially a 30-minute toy commercial. Finally, the series was offered to local syndication--and to mollify the FCC, it was agreed that no advertisements for the various "He-Man" playthings would be telecast within any episode of the series proper. As a result, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe debuted on a station-by-station rather than network basis on September 1, 1983. The series took place on the planet Eternia, ruled over by the good King Randor and Queen Marlena; their half-earthling son was the stunningly handsome, pure-hearted Prince Adam. In contrast, resident villain Skeletor was squirreled away in a dark corner of the kingdom known as Snake Mountain, endlessly plotting and planning to invade Castle Grayskull and thereby obtain the wisdom and unlimited power of the Council of Elders. To prevent this, Prince Adam periodically held his magic sword aloft and shouted "By the Power of Grayskull"--whereupon he was instantly transformed into the superpowered He-Man. Our hero's allies included the elusive Sorceress, the "force" behind Adam's good works; Adam's mentor Man-at-Arms, the "Obie Wan Kenobe" counterpart; his comical sidekick Orko, a Trollan magician; Adam's pet tiger Cringer, a nervous sort who more than lived up to his name--except when Adam's sword transformed him into the fierce BattleCat; the morphing robot Man-E-Faces; and human periscope Meckaneck. On the side of e-vil, Skeletor's cronies included the fierce but dimwitted Beast-Man, Evil-Lyn the witch (who, like Man-E-Faces, could likewise morph into different shapes and personalties), Shotoki the Mistress of the Night, the demon Negator, and the stone-visaged Gargon Warriors. At the time this series originally aired, local television was under pressure to include positive, "pro-social" messages in their programming. To that end, Dr. Donald F. Roberts of Stanford University supervised the 30-second information bites or moral lessons included at the end of each He-Man episode. Lasting 130 installments, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe spawned a spinoff in 1985, She-Ra: Princess of Power, introducing Prince Adam's hitherto unknown twin sister Adora, ruler of the planet Etheria, who likewise used a sword and an incanation to become super-heroic. Five years later, DIC Enterprises brought forth The New Adventures of He-Man, a scrupulously non-violent sequel set in outer space. And in 2002, the Cartoon Network brought forth a brand-new He-Man and the Masters of Universe, which despite its title was a prequel to the original show, exploring the origins of the various characters and revealing, among other things, that the odious Skeletor was actually Keldor, twin brother of Eternia's King Radnor--and thus also He-Man's uncle! Last but not least, in 1987 a live-action theatrical film version of the property, Masters of the Universe, was produced, starring Dolph Lundgren as He-Man and Frank Langella as Skeletor. Hal Erickson, Rovi
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Add this copy of The Best of He-Man and the Maste to cart. $1.99, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Southern California rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Los Angeles, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2005.
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Disk is in good condition with minor to no wear. All disks are refinished to improve condition as needed. Case and artwork are in good condition with no tears or cracks. Thank you for shopping Goodwill Southern California. Your purchase helps create jobs and transforms lives through the power of work.
Add this copy of The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (10 to cart. $2.52, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Southern California rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Los Angeles, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2005.
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Disk is in good condition with minor to no wear. All disks are refinished to improve condition as needed. Case and artwork are in good condition with no tears or cracks. Thank you for shopping Goodwill Southern California. Your purchase helps create jobs and transforms lives through the power of work.
Add this copy of The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (10 to cart. $2.55, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Books rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Hillsboro, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2005.
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Good. May have very light or no surface scratches. Case and cover artwork are included but may show minimal signs of wear. If applicable: Digital copy or ultraviolet codes may be expired or not included.
Add this copy of The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (10 to cart. $3.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Bci / Eclipse.
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Michael Bell, George DiCenzo, Jay Scheimer, Erika Scheimer, Lou Scheimer, Linda Gary, Alan Oppenheimer, John Erwin. Very good. 1983 Run time: 215. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (10 to cart. $3.00, good condition, Sold by Bookmans rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Tucson, AZ, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Bci / Eclipse.
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John Erwin, George DiCenzo, Linda Gary, Alan Oppenheimer, Erika Scheimer. Good. 1983 Run time: 215. Buy with confidence-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Satisfaction 100% guaranteed.
Add this copy of The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (10 to cart. $3.37, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Industries rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Eugene, OR, UNITED STATES, published 2005.
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Disc(s) may have light surface scratches unless noted as being NIP (New In Package). DVD's are guaranteed to play as new or your money back. Case conditions will vary. Purchasing this item from Goodwill provides vocational opportunities for individuals with barriers to employment.
Add this copy of The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (10 to cart. $4.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Bci / Eclipse.
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Michael Bell, George DiCenzo, Jay Scheimer, Erika Scheimer, Lou Scheimer, Linda Gary, Alan Oppenheimer, John Erwin. Very good. 1983 Run time: 215. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (10 to cart. $5.00, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Bci / Eclipse.
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Seller's Description:
Michael Bell, George DiCenzo, Jay Scheimer, Erika Scheimer, Lou Scheimer, Linda Gary, Alan Oppenheimer, John Erwin. Very good. 1983 Run time: 215. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Add this copy of The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (10 to cart. $5.95, very good condition, Sold by Book Alley rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Pasadena, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Bci / Eclipse.
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John Erwin, George DiCenzo, Linda Gary, Alan Oppenheimer, Erika Scheimer, Lou Scheimer, Michael Bell. Run time: 215. Everything is in very good or better condition.
Add this copy of The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (10 to cart. $6.49, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Movies rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2005 by Bci / Eclipse.
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Michael Bell, George DiCenzo, Jay Scheimer, Erika Scheimer, Lou Scheimer, Linda Gary, Alan Oppenheimer, John Erwin. Very good. 1983 Run time: 215. Providing great media since 1972. All used discs are inspected and guaranteed. Digital copy/codes may be expired or not included. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!