The Strange and Wonderful Origins of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was created by Filmation in 1982 to capitalize on the popularity of their new show, She-Ra, Princess of Power and the recent live action movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Conan the Barbarian. It started as an international success and soon became one of the most popular shows on television. It’s popularity stems from its unique story, characters and catchphrases that were used throughout the series, along with its creative animation style that set it apart from other cartoons of its time.

The Creation of He-Man

In 1976, when Mattel decided to create a toy line for their new cartoon series He-man and the masters of the universe, they turned to veteran toy maker Jack Ryan. Ryan had a history with Mattel, having created Barbie in 1959. The original idea for He-man was very different from what we know now: he was an astronaut who gets stranded on planet Eternia. After this incarnation failed, the show went through various other ideas until finally settling on a barbarian character. Ryan came up with this incarnation as well as many others before coming up with He-man's sword and power staff which were originally called the power sword and the power staff.

To get the cartoon ready for television by Christmas time, some last minute changes were made to character designs like changing Skeletor's hood into a robe so he looked less like Darth Vader. They also changed Prince Adam's voice actor because the first one sounded too much like Luke Skywalker. Another change was to change He-man’s word power to mighty.

In addition, after repeated complaints from parents about how violent the cartoon was turning out, producer Lou Scheimer added a moral at the end of every episode that is still used today. The most popular additions were made to the design of Cringer (now called Battle Cat) which grew bigger eyes and whiskers, giving him a more friendly appearance. Also Princess Adora is renamed Teela so she sounds more fierce and masculine.

Originally she was named Princess Amore, but her name would have been pronounced Amour and not Amore. As these changes happened, it became clear that the original name of the show, He-man and the Masters of Space didn't make any sense anymore. Producer Lou Scheimer eventually settled on just He-man which explains why his signature phrases are I have the power! and By my power I have the power!.

In 1990, Mattel released an animated movie called He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special. It features characters from both shows battling each other because the bad guys couldn't find Santa Claus or Easter Bunny so instead they steal them both.