The History of Masters of the Universe: 1982 Edition 

When I was 4 on Christmas morning I rush out to living room to find both Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain already set up with action figures all around them. Best Christmas ever!

Best toyline ever made. He-man is my childhood.

I m a 2000s kid who's in love with the 80s. I love these history videos, they're so informative and entertaining!

Feel so lucky to have been born in 1978, the 80s were probably the best decade in the whole of human history to have been a kid. Awesome music, movies, toys and still have the freedom to go out and play without all the paranoia that the Internet age has created.

I was born in 1978 and grew up watching this show. So many good memories of the toys.

Those little comics were awesome.

I gave my Masters of the Universe toy collection away to some kids in the neighborhood who had nothing !! I still remember how happy those children where to get them !! It was worth it to me !! Great video !!!

The thing I liked about Castle Grayskull was that as kids, me and my brother could use it with Star Wars and GI Joe figures, and whatever else was on hand. 🙂

In 1982, I did well on a report card at school so my Mom took me to Toys R Us to choose a toy. I saw the MOTU toys new on the shelves, and I instantly grabbed the Skeletor figure. I played with that action figure for so long before I ever got He-Man! That was a great Christmas because I received the rest of the figures that were out at that time! Great memories!

Castle Grey Skull is still here ,save in my living room ,never captured by Skeletor. since 1986.

I remember making my communion and my farther took me to Toys R us. Bought almost the whole collection, even a He-man duffle bag . Thanks Michael for another awesome trip down memory lane!

My first toy I remember getting was Skeletor, I got him for "being a big boy" and not making a fuss about my booster shot at about 3 yrs old. My parents bought him for me from Burgess Drug store, I still have him today.

I asked for these as soon as I saw them, long before the cartoon. My moms words”are you sure? They’re so ugly.” Lol!!

Zodac is Metron. Something I didn't know until I got into the New Gods. There's a big Kirby influence found in Masters of the Universe.

I was born in 1982 so I don’t get to enjoy the first run. But my dad was a geek collector. So he bought double of every figure in the line knowing that one day when the time was right I’ll enjoy MOTU also. So Christmas of 87 he brought out this huge box of everything MOTU and I was blown away. I instantly loved the line. Until Tmnt came into my life but I’ll always have a soft spot for MOTU.

Somehow I was born in 2006 and still grew up with this show

I am an artist. I can draw anything. That led to tattooing. I've owned and worked in 2 tattoo shops. Not recently cause i got burned out on it. But still draw and paint. .. But what led to me being an artist is he-man. We couldn't afford a he-man action figure. So i drew him. Never drawn b4. But i wanted him so bad that i would draw him. When i finally got him it was the best toy ever. I love all the he-man stuff. Cartoons toys everything. Big part of my childhood. But I'm grateful that we couldn't afford him because it led to a talent i might not have discovered. Plus i appriciated him more when i did get him.

My personal favorite He-Man mini comics were the ones drawn by Mark Texiera. They’re *fantastic*, gorgeously drawn with a classic heavy ink, deep shadows style.

I remember this one night my older brother had a sleep over & being young I wasn’t able to stay up late but the next morning I went into his room & there was a whole He man set with the castles & just about all of the action figures. I’ll never forget that feeling when I saw the play set sitting on the floor! So cool & the 80’s were awesome!

I used to have the He-man figurine, and had always wondered if the power sword was meant to combine with another half of itself but never found out what it was. Until I saw this video. After introducing Skeletor I thought you weren't gonna combine the swords until the part on castle grayskull! Finally! Thanks for removing one more thing off my bucket list!

I still have my eternia play set

My dad and i saw castle grayskull at a flea market back in the 80s .i must have been like 4. It wasnt in good condition but i wanted it so bad and New it was more than we could afford. My dad got the guy to lower the price to $6 and . . . Man i was the happiest kid in the world .

its crazy to me these came out in 1982, i was 3, yet i remember having a bunch of these, although i may have had later figures, i know i didnt have castle greyskull, but i did have snake mountain, i remember the snake head microphone vividly

This stuff should be taught in schools.

Man. I absolutely loved the grayskull playset.

This was my childhood. I remember to stay awake until 7pm to watch He-Man every fridays on my local channel back then. Both He-Man and Thundercats are nostalgic to me.

This comment is from Brazil: First, I'm 41 (present year: 2020), i have to say that your channel is epic! everyone borned between 1975 and 1985 should revive great memories watching your videos! You are doing a fantastic job! keep uploading plz!

As a kid, I thought Mer-Man's sword was made of corn/niblets. ;D The yellow color and shape hinted so much to it.

I remember a time back in December 1982, waking up just before Christmas morning seeing He-Man & Teala in my dad socks as Christmas socking on a chair in the Motel room where my family use to live. That was the first time in the middle of the night seeing my childhood hero. I also remember having a dream about the theme of He-Man, but that is another story.

Almost a decade before Chun Li's succulent thighs, we got Teela's. 😜

Great episode!!! I have watched a lot of video specials about the origins of Masters of the Universe and, without a doubt, this is the best look at and presentation of the actual 1982 toys.

I'm 44 and still a MOTU-Fan! And that will never change for the rest of my life.....

Great video! As a kid of the 80s, I never tire of watching these types of videos, brings me back to a simpler time. I’m currently in the process of collecting all of the early release 81 figures, have four so far!

Those 80’s Christmas with these toys waiting for me in the morning of 25th. I still can feel inside of me that rush of waking up just to run to the living room. And the holidays spent playing with the Masters. Dad was still alive and well, Mom was fine… It did seem that it could be last forever. But forever it’s a very short frame of time. I also remember the Christmas of ‘90-92 where instead of the Masters i got vinyls and cassettes of bands like Winger, Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, Judas Priest, Whitesnake. Different vibes but still magical. I wish i could live all of that again. Nowadays Christmas it’s just a sad day, i wonder who feels this way.

They were, by far, my favorite toys. I loved the Star Wars movies, but was in love with Masters of the Universe. I had most all the figures and nearly all the vehicles

Masters of the Universe....this is where the toy collecting began for me back around '84... Still got me figures from back then...and few years ago I got all the stuff I never got as a kid hahaha ;) By the way...does anybody else here had their parents give away about 90% of their favourite toy collection to nephews? I still recall when I was about 20...living on my own..coming home to my parents' house.... I was like....mom....where is my star Wars B-Wing, AT-ST's and M.A.S.K Outlaw and all the other stuff? Well...yeah your nephew came along and he liked them, so we gave it to them..... I didnt freak out but was clearly dissapointed ....well at least they knew to NOT give away my G1 Transformers and Masters of the Universe, since they knew those were always my favourite.... But OMG...how sorry I felt for all the M.A.S.K, vintage Star Wars and G.I. Joe stuff.....

Fondly remember my friends and I reenacting episodes with our MotU toys

You did this so fast! I appreciate your focus on things that were not covered very well in other places. I still learned a lot!

Loved them the moment I set my eyes on them as a kid. I mean the Star Wars figures were tiny and appeared flimsy by comparison. Suddenly you had toys which looked like they could be played with and which wouldn't break with slightly rough use. And you could actually grab them with your hand instead of just using your index finger and thumb like with the Star Wars figures. I must say though that I preferred the original "mystic world of Ethernia" portrayed in the early booklets which came with the action figures to the Filmation cartoon which was a minor shock to me as a kid because suddenly He-Man the Conan like warrior was reduced to a prince(!) living at some court with his friends with a Clark Kent like "secret identity". And unbeknownst to me Orko was my first encounter with a Jar Jar Binks like character who never should have been there - i.e. annoying, comical sidekick who couldn't do anything right. They should have kept the darker theme of a hostile alien world with magic, ruins from ancient civilizations and rivaling forces. It left more open to the imagination and kids have a wonderful imagination. Even as a kid I found that original setting much more interesting than the do-gooder Superman clone living in some Medieval court. And history proved me right - the cartoon has aged terribly.

I got what was very likely the first HE-MAN & BATTLE CAT Set ever to be seen in my land. My dad bought it for me on a bussiness trip abroad and I never before had seen such a cool toy in my then short life. Since the set didn't have a mini-comic inside and the toy line was not gonna be available until much later in my homeland I was so fascinated by the wonderful characters and vehicles on the back of the box thatI started my own fan comic inspired by the dark, epic Frazetta-esque painting in the box. I made lots and lots of exciting comic pages for years and I still love the inspiration fuel these figures made on a very impressionable young me back then. This Toy Collection really had a magical Power in it.

When He-man toyline was released in Sweden it changed the world of toys. Everybody had them, even girls. When American cartoons were introduced beyond Disney that is EVERYBODY was watching He-man. This is the greatest toyline ever created.

I absolutely loved He-Man when I was a kid. Makes me wish I hadn't sold all my figures years ago.

Stratos and Trap Jaw. My favorite action figures. I had Trap Jaw repelling everywhere with the hole in his helmet. The Christmas of my 2nd grade, my house caught on fire. I had just gotten so many He-man figures. I also got Snake mountain that year, I think it was 1983. That year Christmas was a curse. I lost everything, and only tasted the joy of having everything. December 26 we were homeless. Only my father could possibly make it seem adventurous. He bought us each BB guns, and stated that we are mature enough to have them after surviving the house fire. This was our first day in our rental several miles in the sticks. It was not expected, nor did each of my two brothers thought asking for a gun was an option, despite A Christmas Story being the most popular Christmas movie, which he obviously drew interest from. In the course of a week, we moved from the town to the country. Hotel to very old farm house rental. I was never happier, and now I have bought and sold, and bought again just about everything I've lost in that Christmas fire. I am still a fan of He-man and have made thousands buying and selling Masters of the Universe items.

I remember seeing He-Man and Skelator at Woolco and automatically wanted both. Talked my Mom in to buying both since I said my older brother would want one too. Which I knew He wouldn't :-)

Brilliant work man! I love the detail and quality !

What a wonderful video Michael! I must say, your collection of figures looks like they were just made yesterday. The condition is most impressive.

I remember walking into a local 3-D store as a kid and discovering The Masters of the Universe. With a little begging, I convinced my mom to buy me Skeletor. I loved the mini comics that came with and eventually bought many others from the line. Unfortunately, I was duped into eventually trading my Skeletor for several Eagle Force figures. Great memories. Thanks for sharing!

I try to imagine all the effort and work you put only in a short video, I cannot imagine all the work behind a 16+ minutes video. Congratulations for your awesome channel, keep the great work.

Great vid

Loved this. I had all these when I was a kid. They were the best. Great video as always.

Just found out an hour ago putting my kids to bed that Evil Lyn's staff GLOWS IN THE DARK! Never knew this as a kid. Anyway, my search for other he man toys that glow in the dark led me here. If anyone knows of other glow in the dark he man stuff let me know. Not Scare Glow either...everyone knows that :)

Another great, qualitative video! Thanks for sharing, Michael!

Omg when i was a kid i just had He-Man Battlecat man at Arms and beastman for Christmas I believe that was one of the best years of my life

I always enjoy your videos; especially the way you pepper in the animated clips with sound bites appropriate to your narration. Keep up the fun work!🖒🖒

Awesome review! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

I enjoyed this review! Thanks Michael!

Michael, Great job on the these segments!!! Love the added movie clips and humor! Very cool👍😁 Bill

thank you for another great video!

The best about "Masters of the Universe" was the audio play series. Only available in Germany. :D

Nicely done. Great video that both enjoyable to watch and informative.

This was by far the best he-man Doku i have ever seen . Man all my nice nostalgic childgood memories came back. Keep continue i like it😍👍✌

Very good video. It demonstrates love and respect. Especially talking about the mythic castle grayskull.

Someone just earned themselves a new subscriber. Thanks, Michael Mercy.

Love your videos man. Always very well done. I remember getting Castle Greyscull for Christmas. Still have some of my figures

So glad I found your channel. Best of it's kind on youtube. Subscribed!

Outstanding as always!

Another great video! As a kid I was mostly a Star Wars and GI Joe super fan so that was the majority of my toy collections, and even though I loved the He-Man cartoon only had a couple of the toys. But I want to start a new collection now primarily based on your videos!

Great video.It brought back all those fond memories of the 1980's.Thanks a lot...😄😄😄

These vintage MOTU is awesome, they were so cool to look at and very playful.

Love your creative cartoon-inputs lines. :) And thanks for the vid; it wakes tons of memories in my Grey skull. :D

I had all the Masters of the universe toy's when I was young from Andi they were great fun to play with and kept me occupied for hours

By far the best Action figures and cartoon series ever. And here I am 35 years later with wave 1 and wave 2 on preorder through super 7. Great video.

What an Amazing job you did! You do He-Man justice

Thanks for giving us more knowledge about HE-MAN. THE TOYS THAT MADE US Netflix series gives all an over view. And you added more info to supplement the things they said in the show. As always, your toy history videos are great!

Brings back my child hood for sure. Shoot brings back memories of me just learning how to use the phone and calling my 1st grade friends when thriller came on tv

Thank you for this detail information about "Masters of the Universe" As a newcomer to the franchise this was great.

Fun fact (not sure how widely known). Did anyone have the he-man toothbrush? I lost He-man's power suit. Found out that the suit on the toothbrush figure looked and fit perfectly on the figure! Maybe this is no secret, cause it also took me months to realize there were weapons taped behind one of the curtains in castle grayskull!

Well, thank You. This was a childhood era revisited. 😊👏👍

Great work! Made my childhood memories comeback,. There was also Skeletor's ride/cat. It had a really dark packaging too!!

What i think is funny is that the whole "Castle grayskull belonged to he man" was more of a by product of the later comics and cartoons. The initial idea was the have Grayskull be more of a ambiguous base that could belong to He-man or skeletor, and it would just depend on who was in charge of it at the time. It's also why various things on vehicles/playsets were interchangeable such as the 'head' and sides of the sky sled and the reversible flag on Castle Grayskull.

Very good videos!! Good job !

The Masters of the Universe was by far my favorite toyline growing up. I had all the figures in the original line up. I never could get Grayskull though. I did have snake mountain however.

i had them all back in 1987 and brought them to school. pretty popular child thank these toys back then.

Nostalgia Level: OVER 9000

Awesome video, very well done. Kudos!!

Your figures are in amazing condition! I'm guessing these are the re-releases from the early 2000's? (MOTU Commemorative)

I voted for this on Patreon and I'm glad it won even if it was a very tough decision. Another great video, Michael. I'm impressed with your research and hard work telling the backstory of MOTU. I look forward to the 1983 edition down the road. For any and all He-Man fans out there, please check out the excellent POWER OF GRAYSKULL doc on Netflix as well as the He-Man episode on THE TOYS THAT MADE US. Nerdmaste!

Loved the video! Well done!

Another amazing history video Michael! Thank you! I never did collect any He-man toys when I was a kid, although I did watch the cartoon quite regularly. It's amazing to see the toy lines that I missed as a child brought to life through your videos. I focused mainly on GI Joe, and Transformers. Not much money left for anything else. My allowance didn't stretch as far as I'd have liked it to! Loved your skit again! Since we have seen him twice now I wonder if we should come up with a name for 'skit man'? He could be the official Michael Mercy tribe mascot! LOL Just a thought. Thanks again for all the time, talent, and effort you put into your videos. You truly make Saturday mornings magical for me again like when I was a child. Only thing different now is a few grey hairs, and instead of a bowl of cereal I have my trusty sidekick 'Coffee' to go on adventures with 😁 Have an amazing weekend Michael! Thank you again for everything you do! Nerdmasté my brother 🙏

Your videos are so awesome, you gained another subscriber

What a very thorough overview of the entire origins to the MOTU franchise. Even though the toys & cartoons don't hold up today, the nostalgia still makes me love MOTU (& the spin-off POP). With everything from the 80s being remade, I'm somewhat surprised no one has made a new He-Man movie. I guess it's because the newer cartoon got cancelled--even though it was pretty good & reinvisioned the campy old 80s cartoon into a more anime-esque cartoon, with a far better & more cohesive story.

Brilliant video, really enjoyed visiting my childhood 😊😊😊

He-msn was my hero as a child..I had alot of the figures growing up..but didn't realized the made more after I stop collecting them..

This was awesome! Loved the flashback :)

I have so many of these in my parents' attic it's crazy, I've really got to find them all again.

The good old times....

Love watching your videos. Reminds me of my childhood. I had a lot of the toys that you are featuring. I had to subscribe haha Man I miss the 80s! Cheers man!

Teela was indeed produced in an effort to coerce young girls into enjoying the line, but as Mark Taylor noted during market tests they found that boys loved playing with the Teela figure just as much as the Skeletor and He-Man figures. Heck, they even tried stealing the toys from Mattel during these focus group testing sessions.

Thanks for the video!

Great job on this video , the part with the Dad freaking out on the scary looking Skeletor figure so true L0L (: