There are a lot of universes in our pop culture. The DC Universe is moving to HBO. The domninant Marvel Universe seems to be everywhere..
But missing in action since the late 1980s: The Master of all of the universe, He-Man.
So the dazzling amount of toys that are now for sale at Walmart may touch at the nostalgic heart. But will they sell well for modern kids?
THE HE-MAN BLITZ
The new 2020 toy line is a little familiar. A little different. The plastic of the toys seems a bit lighter.. The face of the characters look a little lazier .. The figures stand the same, but movable arms and legs are now in play. And gone are the rubber bands that held legs on during the Reagan era.
Excitement began to build in June with the announcement of the toy line–albeit mostly in adults with kids. Not with their children, quite yet.
Walmart was named the official distributor of the news at this time, until some time in 2021 when the line will expand beyond just one retailer.
However there some anger initially in June. When Walmart listed the action figured online, they sold old immediately.
And now in August, as this image shows from my own local Walmart, the shelves cannot even stay filled. Although Battle Cat doesn’t seem as popular as the figures themsevles.
The boxing looks reminiscent of the 80s. Each figure even includes a comic book! Though not as long as in length, it certainly adds to the air of the past.
HE-MAN RE-ENTERS THE MOMENT
So why the sudden reemergence?
There seems to be a thought that NOW is the hot moment for He-Man’s triumphant return to the small and big screens alike. So why not toys, too.
Noah Centineo showed fans just how he’s transforming into his role as HE-MAN for a new film with two photos posted to his Instagram.. The movie is set for release March 2021 (we will see) ..
Beyond the live action film Kevin Smith is working on a He-Man project for Netflix release.
Information regarding the upcoming Netflix series is still a mystery, though it does boast an impressive voice cast, including Mark Hamill, Chris Wood, Kevin Conroy, Sarah Michelle Gellar and many more. Additionally, the series will serve as a new chapter in He-Man lore instead of being an origin story. Kevin Smith initially announced plans for a new He-Man series in August 2019 at Power-Con.
https://www.cbr.com/kevin-smith-praises-tony-todd-he-man-masters-universe-acting/
PARENT TESTED. KID APPROVED?
We don’t know.
This seems to be a gamble.
There are a number of parents that grew up during the prime time for Eternia in the 1980s that now have their own children.. those kids are consumers of pop culture. Consumers of Youtube. Consumers of all things comic and creative.. But will they consumer He-Man and his masters of the universe?
There seemed to be a sense of death in the He-Man world with the 1980s live action film .. while some secretly like it, it was a huge flop. It seemed to be made at the wrong time, the wrong era.. Kids just…outgrew it by the time it made it to theaters.
When He-Man was brought back in a new cartoon in the early 2000s, it was met well by critics and reviews were strong.. but it didn’t meet the same approval of younger kids the way the 80s version did.
And now we are back to the past: A cartoon is on the way back. Toys are too..
But will kids?
We don’t know.. we are unsure if this will be a hit that some hope for. But as fans of the 80s version, we are sure happy to see HE-MAN on toy shelves again.
The only thing missing is the KAY-BEE or Toys-R-Us store that they were in originally..