![]() Two-Bad had – you guessed it – two heads. Ram Man was a literal battering ram, springing across the floor to smash into targets. ![]() The characters, no doubt fueled by Mattel’s need to discover ever-more cockamamie things to capture childhood attention, were a delight. Our kid selves recognized by instinct what our adult selves can now examine and acknowledge Masters of the Universe is unabashed fun, tying together science-fiction and fantasy tropes in a glorious mix of lasers, swords, spells, tanks, and more. Without fail, afternoons brought the opportunity to see the castle brought to life in the cartoon, with He-Man, Skeletor, and the rest of the heroes and villains duking it out, often against the backdrop of that familiar structure. To this day, few children’s playsets match the style and excitement of the Castle Grayskull set, with its trapdoor, opening “jawbridge,” and other tricks. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe debuted as an animated series in 1983, delighting kids like myself who were excited by the myriad characters, colors, vehicles, and playsets that continually flowed out from Mattel. While I could point to any number of fallow cartoons as fertile ground for revival, none is as ready for the big time as Masters of the Universe. ![]() Those properties often arose from the need to sell related toys, but the power fantasies they engendered also happen to be excellent fodder for video games. The 1980s were rife with crazy cartoon properties that were all about big battles, crazy genre settings, and over-the-top characters.
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