Roger Sweet, creator of the He-Man action figure and lead designer for Mattel, has passed away at 91. He developed the iconic toy in the early '80s after the company passed on the 'Star Wars' license. He died after a battle with dementia.
Creator of the popular He-Man action figure, Roger Sweet, has passed away. He was 91. Roger Sweet died on Tuesday after a battle with dementia, Variety reported, citing information from TMZ.
The Creation of He-Man
Sweet was the lead designer for Mattel's Preliminary Design Department in the '70s and '80s. In 1976, Mattel turned down a deal to produce toys for "Star Wars," an offer that proved extremely lucrative for Cincinnati-based toy maker Kenner Products after "A New Hope" was released in 1977.
After the fact, Mattel struggled to launch a popular action figure based on original IP. Enter Sweet, who, in pursuit of a fresh idea, experimented by glueing a Big Jim action figure into a fighting stance and adding clay to its body for bulk. This became the prototype for He-Man, which he successfully pitched to then CEO Ray Wagner.
'Masters of the Universe' Cartoon
He-Man officially hit the market in 1982. A year later, in 1983, Mattel and Filmation launched the "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" cartoon as a companion project to the highly popular He-Man toyline.
The show took place on the magical planet of Eternia and followed the young Prince Adam. When wielding the Sword of Power, Adam would utter the now-iconic line, "By the Power of Grayskull! I have the power," which would turn him into He-Man, the galaxy's most fearsome warrior. The show ran for 130 episodes from 1983 to 1985.
Upcoming Live-Action Reboot
Amazon and MGM, in collaboration with Mattel, are set to reboot the iconic He-Man franchise with the upcoming live-action film Masters of the Universe, slated for theatrical release on June 5. Nicholas Galitzine leads the cast as He-Man, alongside Camila Mendes as Teela, Jared Leto as Skeletor, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn, and Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, as per Variety. (ANI)
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