He-Man Action Figure Collecting Guide
Ever since He-Man and his crew first appeared on the scene as toys and comics, He-Man action figures have been highly collectible. Today, toys, TV series, and movies have made He-Man a bit of a legend, and as a result, his popularity continues to grow.
Just check online. There are literally dozens of sites, mostly fan-run, dedicated to He-Man’s legacy. With each TV series or movie, Mattel, the creators of He-Man, released a new selection of He-Man action figures, and so the collection continues.
He-Man himself has undoubtedly enjoyed the most incarnations and remains the most collectible, but there is a wide variety of characters that make up the complete He-Man action figure family.
The first animated series appeared in 1983 and ran until 1985, and this inspired a new range of He-Man action figures that were considered innovative for their time. The He-Man cartoon was also considered revolutionary as it was the first animated series to be accompanied by a toy set.
Apart from He-Man himself, some of the action figures that were in the range included Battle Cat, He-Man’s constant companion, also known as Cringer; a selection of evil warriors including Skeletor, Beast Man, Blade, Blast-Attack, Buzz Saw Hordak, Clawful, Crocobite and Dinosorb.
There was also an array of heroic warriors and they included Buzz-Off, Cliff Climber, Extendar, Fisto & Stridor, Flying Fists He-Man and Gwildor. It was also possible to purchase some of the battle theaters such as Castle Grayskull and Eternia.
The next range of He-Man action figures is inspired by She Ra, the Princess of Power who is He-Man’s sister. This more feminine range of collectibles included Angella, Arrow, Blue Lightning, Bow, Castaspella, Catra and Clawdeen. These He-Man toys appeared between 1985 and 1987.
The next series, which appeared in 1989, was called The New Adventures of He-Man and this new incarnation inspired its own range of He-Man action figures, albeit with a lukewarm response. Some of the figures in this collection include Artilla, Battle Bird, Flipshot, Flogg, Hoove, Hydron, Karatti, Kayo, Lizorr, and Nocturna.
In 2000, Mattel released a commemorative series of He-Man action figures that were closer to the original Masters of the Universe series released in the early 1980s. In addition to some of the old figures, Mattel has included special gift sets with Prince Adam. Some of the figures include Man-at-arms, Mer-Man, Stratos, Teela, Trap Jaw and Zodac.
Then in 2002, to mark the new millennium, Mattel released a new, more modern range of He-Man action figures. These include Battle-Armor He-Man, Battle Armor Skeletor, Battle Cat, Battle Fish, Battle Glove Man-at-Arms, Battle Hawk and Battle Ram Chariot.
Most recently, Mattel decided to introduce He-Man action figures line went back to their roots and released the classic range. This lineup looks the most like the original and includes characters like Beast Man, Chief Carnivus, Count Marzo, Evil Lyn, Faker, Gygor, He-Ro, Hordak, and Keldor.
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