In 2008, Mattel revived their super popular ‘Masters of the Universe’ toy line, as a collector-aimed online-only collection, offering one new action figure every month. The line proved an instant smash, with figures selling out in a matter of minutes! In 2009, Mattel offered fans the opportunity to sign up for ‘Club Eternia,’ a subscription that would ensure collectors that they would get every toy without the threat of sell-outs.
Initially, the line focused solely on newly sculpted versions of the classic ‘Masters of the Universe’ action figures, crafted by popular toy designers The Four Horsemen. But since then, it has grown to include toys based on ‘The New Adventures of He-Man,’ non-toy characters from comics and the various cartoons and in 2010, She-Ra, Princess of Power, joined the lineup. In the original cartoons, She-Ra was He-Man’s twin sister and possessed similar super powers. Whereas He-Man lived on Eternia and battled Skeletor and his minions, She-Ra (secretly Princess Adora) lived on Etheria, a planet that had been conquered by Hordak and his Evil Horde. She-Ra led The Great Rebellion, freedom fighters, seeking to free their planet from Hordak’s rule.
In the 80s, She-Ra had her own separate cartoon and toy line, which is why it took so long to get her into the ‘Classics’ collection. Currently, she and her cast members are simply a sub-set within the greater collection.
Originally, Mattel stated that they could only base their designs on the original ‘Princess of Power’ toys or publications that Mattel issued, not the look of the characters from the Filmation cartoon series. (Some of the original ‘Princess of Power’ toys looked vastly different than their cartoon counterparts.) This meant that characters that appeared on the cartoon but that never had Mattel toys were also off-limits. Luckily, Mattel had published a “style guide” that rendered the character in a manner similar to their cartoon counterparts, so that allowed Mattel to, for example, depict Princess Adora as she had looked on the popular cartoon, versus the more obscure comic book version.
Then at last year’s ComiCon, Mattel thrilled fans with the revelation that they had finally received the rights to produce the Filmation characters! The Sorceress was to be issued in her popular “falcon” costume and fans at long last would get a figure of She-Ra’s second most recurring foe, the sorceress Shadow Weaver, who’d never received the toy treatment before!
In addition, Mattel announced the Star Sisters three-pack. The Star Sisters– Starla, Jewel Star and Tall Star– had appeared on the Filmation ‘She-Ra, Princess of Power’ cartoon and on a poster in ‘She-Ra’ magazine, but store orders for the action figures were too light, so Mattel scrapped the entire line and these figures never saw the light of day, making them practically legendary to fans!
Sadly, since ‘Princess of Power’ is simply a sub-set, only a handful of ‘PoP’ characters have been produced, thus far; She-Ra, her alter ego Princess Adora, male love-interest Bow, foe Catra and winged steed Swift Wind. With the Star Sisters arrival in February, I decided to ask the ‘Princess of Power’ fan community which characters they most hope to see in the line. Thanks to all the wonderful “She-Ravers” at He-Man.org for their input!
I present to you, The Top 10 Most Wanted Princess of Power Action Figures! (But first…)
Honorable Mention – Sweet Bee:
This one is for he-man.org-er Bcrduke, who lobbied so hard for this character to make the list! She only missed out by a single point, so I’m giving her an Honorable Mention. Sweet Bee was originally part of the second year assortment of ‘PoP’ figures and was a scout for a race of bee people, who befriended He-Man and She-Ra and helped her people colonize Etheria.
10. Netossa:
If produced, Netossa would actually be only the second brown-skinned character in the toy line, after Zodac, who was re-interpreted as dark-skinned in the 2002 ‘Masters of the Universe’ series. Netossa was part of the rare third series of ‘PoP’ figures in the 80s. She doesn’t possess any super powers, but has unwavering aim when tossing her net/cape.
9. Sea Hawk:
While Bow, as the token male in the Great Rebellion, was She-Ra’s presumed love interest on the cartoon, Sea Hawk, the dashing rogue of a pirate, really seemed to get her blood rushing! Fans have long wanted a toy based on this frequently reoccurring character from the original cartoon series and he would join Bow as the second male ‘Princess of Power’ character. (Not counting the Evil Horde members, whom most fans consider a separate sub-set.)
8. Madame Razz and Broom:
What Orko was to He-Man, Madame Razz was to She-Ra, a sometimes bumbling witch who provided “comic” relief. Unlike Orko though, her spells usually worked… when she could remember them! She provides a challenge, in that she would have to be molded from scratch, but no She-Ra collection would be complete without this never-produced character, who would obviously come with her sidekick/ride Broom!
7. Mermista:
People love mermaids, and as part of the second year assortment of ‘PoP’ figures, the original Mermista actually had legs with a fishtail skirt that went over them. More sophisticated adult collectors, however, would prefer a molded fish tail, possibly detachable and interchangeable with a pair of legs. (On the cartoon, she could morph and sport either.)
6. Octavia:
The first of two villains on the list, Octavia appeared on the cartoon, but never received a toy in the original collection. This fishy member of the Evil Horde possesses long tentacles, which she can use to ensnare her opponents! The Four Horsemen excel at rendering monstrous characters, so they could probably work wonders with this frightful female!
5. Castaspella:
Ah, but which one? The very literally-named heroic sorceress Castaspella was one of those characters whose action figure looked most unlike her cartoon image. The prototype for Castaspella, part of the first series of ‘PoP,’ was originally rendered in the above blue and yellow color scheme, which is what Filmation based her look for the cartoon on. However, for unknown reasons, Mattel decided to change the toy’s color scheme to the yellow and orange look below. So which do fans prefer? Well, if they’re greedy like me, both! The blue costume should probably be the main collection version, with the “toy costume” offered as a non-subscription variant at a later time.
4. Frosta:
While her power is to create ice, Frosta is pretty hot-blooded, especially when He-Man is around! A wildly popular fan-favorite, Frosta has been heavily hinted-at as coming up in the line. (That’s why, I suspect she didn’t get as many votes, because fans already considered her a shoo-in.)
3. Queen Angella:
Queen Angella was the leader of the Great Rebellion before She-Ra’s arrival. She rules the free kingdom of Bright Moon and is the mother of Glimmer. Like Castaspella, her look from toy to cartoon varied greatly. The image below is from the cartoon, with blue tights and blond hair, while her toy, below that, wore solid pink and had long flowing brown hair.
2. Scorpia:
With Shadow Weaver on her way, the most requested Filmation-based Horde member is Scorpia! This nasty customer has a long scorpion tail and snappy pincers in place of hands! She was never produced in the original toy lines, but was a major villain on the cartoon, leaving fans clamoring for decades for a plastic representation of this wicked lady!
1. Glimmer:
Frequently depicted as She-Ra’s second-in-command and BFF, Glimmer appeared in more episodes of the cartoon than most of the other characters with the exception of She-Ra herself and maybe Bow. She was one of the first-year toys in the original collection and fans are clamoring for this major character to get the Four Horsemen treatment in the new line, sooner than later!
So there you have it! The fans have spoken! So Mattel, get cracking! We want more ‘Princess of Power’ toys and we want them now! Which are your favorites?? Lets us know in the comments!
