200X Masters of the Universe (MOTU) Origins. What it taught us about kids, collectors and toys.

[@AT-gk1tw]

I absolutely love this line and i owe it alot. I work in primary schools in the u.k with kids with learning and behavioural special needs (autism, ADHD etc). Two years ago I decided to bring in some spare figures from my collection to use as play therapy. The kids absolutely LOVED them, like obsessed over them, even their classmates without special needs were well into it. I introduced them to the characters and I was able to explain safe behaviour and what to do with their destructive emotions through he-man, skeletor, zodak and man-at-arms. Because of their interest I even showed them some episodes of the cartoon which they got to watch as a reward for good behaviour. After a while of using these tools I was able to significantly help these children with their social and emotional issues which enable them to cope better than ever in school and with other children. They certainly made my work life easier! That certainly showed me that there is definitely a place for masters of the universe with kids today. Last week I introduced this cartoon to some kids in another school that I'm currently working at and they absolutely loved it and these were older kids in the later year groups (grades?) Of primary school.bu the way these were girls and boys who liked it. O e of the reasons why I got my current job is because of this. I 100% believe that he-man has a place with kids today and this line would have done well if it came out today. just a little story I wanted to share 😃

[@spectorcreative1872]

And an awesome story that was! Thanks for sharing and being part of the channel

[@AT-gk1tw]

@@spectorcreative1872 you're welcome! Thank you for making these videos. Its nice to see someone in the industry sharing their passion

[@josephlytle1436]

Sad that the 2000X series ended that way. It was how I was introduced to MOTU. And I do remember seeing toy selves being clogged up with those battle smasher variants of he man and skeletor.

[@spectorcreative1872]

More 200X would have been so nice

[@Casual_Violence]

I loved this line and series. I was a MOTU fan since the beginning, and was with the original line from start to finish. When this came out, the nostalgia hit me hard.

[@ioncewasmikey]

That SNL skit you used a screenshot from is probably the best thing from that show in 20 years. So good

[@ryanlemay6296]

I really need to digitize and upload the toy commercials my friend and I made for the 200x line. Grayskull's action chip feature was a lot fun to film.

[@spectorcreative1872]

It was. Kids just weren't that into it alas

[@tawdryhepburn4686]

You made the commercials? Please do upload them!

[@AaronJediKnight]

I was a little kid when 200X was at retail where I live, I remember looking at the figures but not being too interested on them, by that time I was transitioning from Spiderman to The Lord of the Rings so I found them quite curious, but they didn't have the right aesthetic for me. My mom gave me a Sword of Power and I liked it, but it wasn't Anduril and some weeks later my uncle handed me his vintage Star Wars toys (that matched my Burguer King LotR toys) and Lightsabers became my go to weapon (I still want to buy a Larp Anduril) in the end this channel has made me want to watch the 200X series so probably I will do it soon

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yup, lack of kid interest is why the line tanked

[@randymoses3972]

Currently on my desk in my home office: He-Man, Man-at-Arms, Skeletor, and Trap-Jaw. They are great figures!

[@spectorcreative1872]

Trap Jaw 200X I think is one of the best of the decade

[@imoraljuptorion2053]

I am glad that I became an adult in the time period where there are a lot of places making spaces for adults to find these kinda things to enjoy like Gamestop, several Targets and Walmarts, as well as book stores like BAM and B&N. It is really nice to be able to go to a Target and find figures I would enjoy, although most times these products are more in the electronic and/or book sections of the store

[@spectorcreative1872]

More distribution would be great of course

[@eriklarson7023]

I worked at Toys R Us while this series was in stores, and I can affirm that distribution was a huge problem. Our pegs were filled to capacity with He-Man and Skeletor figures, while secondary characters were nigh impossible to find. IIRC, the case distribution was 3 He-Mans and 3 Skeletors for every one or two other characters. I love the show and I collected the figures myself, and even as a store employee who could get first dibs on an open case, it was hard to get certain ones. Evil-Lyn was REALLY hard to find. By the time the Snake Men wave was out, they didn't seem to be at toy stores anymore. I only ever found Snake Men figures at stores that specialized more in collectibles, like Media Play. I actually just sold off the last of my MOC 200X figures a few weeks ago. Their value seems to be increasing slightly recently, but for the most part I couldn't even give the figures away for years. It's a real shame the demand is so low, since the figures themselves are really cool.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah the 200X line was treated too much like a Batman line with unlimited variants of the main hero. That isn't the way people collector or play MOTU

[@tommywalker5348]

you seem so sincere and care about that line you helped with, and I'm truly sorry I didn't know about or had gotten into the series, I feel the passion you have for it and it shows in ALLyour videos u put out. so from a vintage he-man collector and now finding out about origins a month ago🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️ thank you for your dedication to making these videos and please continue to do so. I enjoy them👌

[@spectorcreative1872]

It was a true honor to get to work on them!

[@hordakalpha]

Samurai He-Man is awesome! I had to get Samurai Battle Cat years later for a proper display treatment. 200x may not have been a hit with kids but it gave collectors like me some new MOTU stuff to get excited about in the early 2000’s long before Classics was even a concept. I think 200x paved the way in showing Mattel that there was still interest in MOTU and helped bring us all of the merchandise and media choices that we have with MOTU now.

[@spectorcreative1872]

It was a fun variant

[@adelakinagbonbioka2696]

The Four horsemen are simply the best to have ever done it. I just love the sculpts and artistry. I agree that 200x was probably one of the greatest cartoons ever. I was hoping Revelation was going to be a continuation in that vein.

[@juagguproductions9713]

This line was the reason I got into he man, I don't remember watching the show, but I loved the figures, and my love for Motu soon followed!

[@spectorcreative1872]

Still the best to me

[@juagguproductions9713]

@@spectorcreative1872 it's great ain't it? Actually just watched the first few episodes last night!

[@ronsorage78]

I would mind having the sorceress figure from this line. She's been one of my favorite characters for a while

[@spectorcreative1872]

I wish we could have gotten to that design in classics

[@nicholasdickens2801]

@@spectorcreative1872 Me too, the 2000X look was amazing.

[@MrVice123456]

Have a look at the staction version.

[@superjoe7]

Cartoon Network certainly did this brand a huge disservice. But what came first the low ratings or the drop in toy sales. Same thing happened with the 2011 Thundercats brand. Who screwed up the other first the toy manufacturer or the tv station

[@spectorcreative1872]

I am going to think the TV network

[@domls1317]

@@spectorcreative1872 no the toy line failed due to too many He-Man and Skeletor variants and not being able to get the other figures due to the ratios not being even. So they canceled the series because of this. Mattel failed the cartoon not Cartoon Network.

[@kevinthomas4239]

This was my intro to MOTU. Really loved the look that they designed for the show & toys. Four Horsemen did a really amazing job. It's a shame that they canceled it so soon, just as they were setting up the appearance of She-Ra. Also just imagine the figures we could have gotten!

[@rupturefarms21]

I think the bigger lesson that it taught us was that you need a cartoon with a stable time slot, you need a commercial to teach the kids how to play with the figures, you need an even assortment, and you need a consistent picture list on the back of the card that shows kids and purchaser all of the other figures/products so that they know what available and subliminally suggesting they're missing out by not getting them all. I have a question that apparently has not been asked or at least not openly and often discussed which is why aren't the Toy companies collectively going after the children's television act to put an end on the hinderence of the toy industry???

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yes indeed. A stable time slot is a must!

[@husseinadib7666]

As a 200X collector, I'll tell you what happened in 2004. 1- The figures, were great, but hard to play with because of the posing. Many could not fit in vehicles! Think Tri Klops and beast man. As a collector, I cared about possibility, that was cool. But not for my kids. 2- Lack of figures. You could find a million He-Man, Skeletor and man at arms, but the rest you had to search long and hard for. 3- Things got supper crazy with the release of the snake men line. I could not find the figures anywhere until I gave up! I love the show, I love the toys "When I can find them"

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yes! I agree with all of that. 200x had so many reasons it fell apart.

[@vincentfranklin17]

Learned a lot from this video! Thanks.

[@daximil]

Another great video that I caught way too late. Keep up the good work.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Glad you liked! Any help sharing videos, especially older ones are most appreciated

[@adrionjones]

This was the first line that got me back into MOTU and into toy collecting in general. Had long outgrew my vintage collection and no longer possessed them. Always would still watch cartoons though. When the series started, I thought it was really cool and it really made me miss my vintage collection. I tried to find the commemorative figures, but only could find them at scalper prices. After that, I started looking up the 200X figures on Ebay and they were still very cheap, so I just said I would start over with these. The only problem was sifting through all the He-Man/Skeletor variants. I think the only variants I got were the Snake and Ice armor variants, which in my opinion, were the best ones including the standard of course. Then Classics came...

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah I think this line brought a lot fo folks back to MOTU

[@Dented_Battle_Armor]

Thank you for the great insight Scott!

[@spectorcreative1872]

I aim to please!

[@allmusicfan88]

Great Batman 1966 artwork!! I wish Mattel would have made that toyline huge when they had it in 2013!!!

[@spectorcreative1872]

The main figures did not sell well, so doing secondary beyond that was a bit tough! Lots of tooling too.

[@The_Burning_Sensation]

Just found your channel and I'm really enjoying it-- thanks!

[@spectorcreative1872]

Well thanks so much. Any help reposting is most appreciated

[@MRay-zj4ro]

Anyone know how many 200x Keldor SDCC figures they made? I need to grab before too late. I love that figure, it covers all the bases with the three heads.

[@spectorcreative1872]

This was before my time, sorry!

[@Dan140183]

Such a great series and toy line, I remember how excited I was about seeing the redesigns - just a shame about how poorly landed it was. The only thing I hated was the new power sword, but then I learnt years later about the four horsemen idea about the ‘tech’ sword which was dropped from the show

[@phantom1592]

Problem was that Skeletor's swords were also an... interesting design for Skeletor, but a garbage design for 'THE POWER SWORD'. So even if they had gotten their way, I'd have still been disappointed with the power sword design.

[@Dan140183]

phantom1592 very good point! I’d have liked it if they’d worked it in because it would’ve been great to see the ‘two halves of the power sword’ make a comeback but I think it would have been lost on the children it was marketed to. Definitely wouldn’t have saved the line!

[@spectorcreative1872]

I felt the sme way when it appeared

[@shenanitims4006]

Snake Armor He-Man. “Kids don’t want He-Man in furry underpants? Let’s put him in a shiny skirt! That’ll fix that problem!” Also, thanks for making such great videos. They scratch that nostalgia itch for me, while also explaining a lot about how design and retail work and interact.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Glad you like. And yeah, I had the same thoughts on that new armor. Weird how half the chest is bare...

[@ronsorage78]

This same failing happened with the rework of Thundercats as well. Shame as the redoo of Thundercats was really good.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah that Thundercats redo was an exact shadow of what happened with MOTU

[@cable30]

I think i personally was more for the cartoons then the toys any cause never really tried get the toys i think for some reason idk why. but had friends who by chance had the toys so played with the figures with them anytime. back in the days i by chance had star wars og figures, and random other cartoon ones any.

[@PozerAdultRacingTeam]

That was a great series.

[@spectorcreative1872]

One of the best

[@thegillmanedits]

Somewhere in the ocean depths there is a massive deposit of discarded projectile launchers. I've always wondered if those action chips deteriorate and harm the figure over time like, say, a battery would if it was left in. Was there ever any research in regards to that?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Oh batteries do deteriorate over time and should be replaced at least once a year even if not using the toy!

[@ChapMeifan]

My biggest gripe with online only collector series is that they tend to be US only. As a Canadian, we pay almost double if we want the figures and you have to make the hard choice to just abandon the line. This is why I didn't collect the Mattycollector line that was out there. But I do agree that the 2002 MOTU animated was amazing. Soooo many great stories and ideas. They made Hordak frightening and King Hiss an actual threat. Great writing on that show.

[@spectorcreative1872]

international distribution is a whole other issue!

[@WiiMan25]

Just revisited this video. Now that I've gotten into Origins, I'm seriously considering getting another Origins He-Man just so I can custom paint him into a Smash Blade homage. (Considering my local Targets all have a SURPLUS of Origins He-Mans/He-Men and Skeletors, this shouldn't be hard to find)

[@spectorcreative1872]

I do like Origins more and more as I get a few of them

[@peterrohloff6205]

I had to go to Aldi food mart to grab the Snakemen lol. The case ratio was terrible back then there was like 1 Merman to 25 He Man.

[@spectorcreative1872]

I think at the time the line was being thought of like Batman. But MOTU is a different type of brand where the main hero is not the only toy people want!

[@MarkVersion1]

That's why we need a new cartoon for the new 2020 MOTU origins figs

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yup. Without content it is indeed hard to sell toys to kids. See Filmation as an example!

[@3dpprofessor]

I caught the show on DVD and, I gotta admit, it was as good as I remember the original being. That is to say, the original wasn't good, but I remember it being better than it was, and the 200X cartoons were actually that good. I liked everything about it and mourned that it didn't last.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Me too. It went to early...

[@Tim85-y2q]

I think this show was just a bit before its time. It's much more common to have heavily serialized kids' cartoons with complex narrative arcs now, but back in the early 2000's that still wasn't the done thing.

[@spectorcreative1872]

In many ways, yes it was

[@craigcharlesworth1538]

It's interesting to hear about the problems kids had with He-Man's nakedness. I wonder whether that was the reason the Netflix show gives him a blue bodysuit under the traditional harness and underpants?

[@cable30]

All the cartoons u have mentioned i think i was more for the cartoons and watching those then chasing down toys any. cause didnt have to pay to see cartoon just be up before it started or home before it started lol. but now slowly if find i can grab the media to rewatch anytime by chance. and so far have collected some cartoons i used to see hehe.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Well it does keep them relevent

[@Leo-iZ177]

well i was in 2nd grade in 2002 and i didn't think He-Man was just a shirt less guy i loved He-Man 200x as soon as i came home after school i used to set infront of TV to see it

[@spectorcreative1872]

Hey not every kid sees things 100% the same way. But a lot did. At least according to the focus groups

[@mathieu4204]

The peg warming of this line was caused by too many He-Man and Skeletor variants compared to the the availability of other characters. I remember seeing a lot of Ice He-man at TRU while there was barely any other figures. I understand the need to have your main hero and villain present on the pegs for new comers, but the pegs were flooded with them.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah, this line was treated like a Batman line. Too many variants of the main character!

[@mrspeigel3593]

Yep you'd go to the store and shelves would literally be full of He-mans

[@flynnryan]

Same problem with the original line. And now with the current line. The one thing they never seem to learn.

[@xenofett7008]

It's still a problem with the Origins line. All you see is He-Man & Skeletor clogging pegs. Mattel never ships enough of the supporting characters, which is what everyone wants. Mattel and Hasbro's distribution is terrible. You hardly ever saw this issue in th 80's.

[@cable30]

the whole variant thing reminds me of comic books to try sell a issue they used or stil have too many different covers made for one issue and shops or readers kinda hate cause they feel gotta have al covers while others only got certain covers for any reason. when i got comics close to end of stop buying for now i went be cover art, who did cover, and character anytime. so basically was selective to stretch funds any.

[@jacobedgar2724]

I cannot speak about other countries, but in Spain it was a failure for a very simple question; the cartoon was not aired on open, only through a very expensive cable subscription which to very few kids and people would access. Without a show to support, only a bit of nostalgia of people who remembered was left. They even tried taping promo videos to Battle Armour He-Man and Skeletor to it to improve sales. In the time, I managed to get Battle Armour He-Man, Skeletor, Roboto, Two-Bad, Mer-Man, Man-at-Arms and Trapjaw. Which is a lot for at the time. About pegwarming, only a bit the first wave, Stratos, Beastman, Skeletor, He-Man, in some stores were there for a few years. Castle Grayskull was also in many shops for a long time. Waves 2 and 3 arrived in very small numbers, and wave 4 was almost invisible. That I know, a lot of He-man and Skeletor variants didn't even reach Europe.

[@Tayfrog]

Very I interesting. That one reason why I am a little confused about the new Origins line. It is acting as if it is a children's toyline, but it is modular for customizers. The fact that it is in stores makes me feel as if Mattel is trying to reach out to the child audience again.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Any toy line in stores (in the toy aisle) is designed for kids. Collectors are gravy. So in the case of origins, kids need to be into this line for it to succeed

[@Tayfrog]

@@spectorcreative1872 I so agree! I'd value hearing your opinion on the petition to make Origins more racially diverse. Can you share your thoughts?

[@peerboom]

0:37 the 200X series came out in 2002, and went until 2005-2007 if you want to include the stuff NECA put out. At 5:47 the Moss Man exclusive was a way to get people to buy the peg warmers of Smash Blade He-Man, NOT Prince Adam.

[@spectorcreative1872]

From a certain point of view

[@peerboom]

Spector Creative how so?

[@domls1317]

Prince Adam wasnt as prevalent as Jungle Jungle Strike He-Man

[@prototypebodyhammer]

The origins line got me into collecting newer figures because they were close to the vintage toys which drums IP nastolgia AND because I could go up to walmart and easily grab them.. also the thrill of the hunt for figures from store to store... not thrilled about seeing 0 wave 2 figs so far though lol

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah there really is nothing like the thrill of the hunt!

[@ominous-omnipresent-they]

I enjoyed this version more than the original.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Well so glad! Lots if love went into it

[@Pegwarmers]

Back in the early 80's my sister and I would always make a big deal about He-Man being naked anytime he was missing the power harness... and in a lot of the early coloring books the art too cues from the original mini comics where the bad guys would steal his magical armor.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah, and kids these days saw that as a major issue

[@kriscostello1786]

Heman 2002 was incredible, I wish so much they continued it. Had to settle for just the comics

[@spectorcreative1872]

you and me both!

[@leiwolf27]

Being a 80s child, I use to love the 80s series and I thought 2000x series was better then the original

[@elfang0r]

I loved this show and the tots as a kid. I find the loincloth issue really weird. I got it, it was like Tarzan.

[@QuartzRoolz]

A weird I guess sort of "exception that proves the rule" thing I think its worth noting when it comes to action features (oversized weapons, etc) is the recent Diaclone revival toys by takara in japan. these are 100% aimed at adult collectors, they retail for well over £200 and also takara distribute transformers in japan which they market towards kids. despite this, the diaclone figures have play features, and are the only strictly adult oriented line I can think of that do.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Oh yes, once there is a rule it gets broken

[@RetroActionUK]

“With Masterverse, are you worried that history is repeating itself with 200X? Well about I am worried. I sold my Mattel stock a long time ago, better price. I sold my stock. But as you said us as collectors thought the line was for us but actually it was designed for kids.”

[@spectorcreative1872]

I did too

[@PelinalDidNothingWrong]

10:07 Didn't Star Wars toys have something similar in the early 2000's?

[@spectorcreative1872]

The potf2 line?

[@phongbui-quang1924]

Sp many factors killed this line. My biggest gripe was that figures other than He-Man and Skeletor were short packed initially basically making them peg warmers and other figures hard to find. I did love this line though and have most of the figures still in storage.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yup that was a big reason

[@williamallen5570]

I remember never wanting these toys as a kid because they didn't have elbows. That was really important to tweenage me for some reason.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Needing Elbows is tight

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

Great video again! Thank you! Living outside the USA at the time, I was unaware of the Cartoon Network scheduling nightmare; I'd just put it down to "Kenner Batman Syndrome." 08:00 - Ah, the TransFormers Masterpiece collection . . . right before they ruined the line and went for flat, undetailed cartoon accuracy. 🤣

[@spectorcreative1872]

Ha. Yeah lines do die quick

[@somemotufan4880]

To me the 200X toyline really is the best Motu toyline ever so far. They weren't even that much more expensive than the origin figures now... All the fantastic details from the 200X figures, in comparison the origin line looks like... well in lack for a better word, "toys"... Yes the chances may be slim, but still... I sincerely hope there will be a 200X relaunch (not classic). It could work even alongside the new origin toyline.. Maybe brand them the definitive 202X line or something. Even the first seasons of the really great cartoon episodes are already there. So it should be a win-win situation..

[@spectorcreative1872]

Oh I agree. Classics was even just an extension of this story.

[@cesareonthemidway]

I remember the actual show accurate Snake Armor He-Man either didn't hit US shelves or did in too small numbers because it was in wave 2. Wave 1 had a peg-warming garbage variant.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yup. History repeats itself

[@cedarstuff]

On your point about the long shadow of Nigel Bruce's Watson, UK viewers had their view of Watson changed with a TV series in the 80's with Jeremy Brett superbly playing Holmes and David Burke/Edward Hardwick playing Watson. It wasn't until I saw that show in the 90s that I realised Watson wasn't quite as bumbling as in the Rathbone/Bruce era.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Crazy right! And in the books he is not bumbling at all.

[@PelinalDidNothingWrong]

I loved this line as a kid! The cartoon was brilliant too despite the fact Cartoon Network seemed to screw it over. The toys were great but I think what killed it was the variants of He-Man and Skeletor that flooded the shelves. That really bugged me as a kid as it seemed like most places only had those figures when I really wanted a Trap Jaw figure.

[@spectorcreative1872]

I so miss it!

[@spectorcreative1872]

Still bitter I am

[@ElBlogiante]

Funny that Mattycollector was closed and now everyone has a website to sell collector figures directly.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Fate is not without a sense of irony.

[@EternalRoman]

@Spector Creative I got my 200X Prince Adam at a comic convention, cause I never saw the figure in retail at all, and many other people had said the same so it would be interesting to know where was that figure plaguing the toy isles. Evil Lyn appeared only once and I practically convinced a guy that lived across the street of the late Toys 'r Us store I went to to let me have her. My understanding of why the show was cancelled and its ties to the retail was that in Cartoon Network, they had slotted the premier series of Teen Titans before the 2002 MOTU series, and the ratings fell for MOTU because Teen Titans was more for kids than MOTU was, so it was why they tried to find a different slot for it and none appeared. So Teen Titans were the first to kill the show, the other reason was on retail and it was similar to what you said in the sense that there were WAAAAY too many He-Man variants and not enough looked after known characters, key examples were Prince Adam and Evil Lyn. These overly produced variants began with the Talking He-Man, which to me was a wasted design cause they could had repurposed it for King Randor perfectly...Heck I saw Ice Armor He-Man and I had thought right off the bat on King Grayskull as you mentioned smh. These overly produced variants were plaguing the MOTU Isle, and for such a looooong time. So I believe that Mattel was to blame for that stupidity on retail, I also had read that supposedly Mattel was doing that because they blamed on the originality of the designs and they couldn't use preexisting molds to repurpose them into other figures as the original 80s MOTU line did. This to me holds because with the MOTU Classics you can clearly see how the figures have been doing exactly that too, but 2002 MOTU was too original and apparently too expensive to produce and in a way I can see that...as far as I understand Moss Man was the only 2002 figure that was created using a preexisting mold. Evil Lyn and Teela seemed different enough and if they were to have continued bringing all of the characters from the show, especially cool ones like battle Armor King Randor and Queen Marlena, they might have been done using preexisting molds, but we know that other characters would have their own. In the End, I believe that even as the series was a cartoon to be aimed at kids, Mattel was stupid to instead aim it at the adult collectors even with a cartoon show. As such we could have had a continuation of the show and even more products. The show itself had few campy moments but it was clear that it was targeted to an older audience and as such Cartoon Network along with Mattel wrongly handle the line.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Oh yes, Mattel was of course happy with collector interest in 200X toys. But collectors are not a large enough group to maintain sales on a retail line. This is exactly why we did MOTUC online only.

[@EternalRoman]

@@spectorcreative1872 Oh I know, cause adult collectors though existing really were not such a demographic as it is nowadays. And you can even see it more even on retail specifically with NECA, though around the beginning of the 200X time McFarlane had been a bit more direct on it with his Movie Maniacs line, which also sold at Toys 'r US, but they were clearly not for kids especially when you saw the Cronenberg/Goldblum The Fly figure and his other Spawn characters. I believe he was the one that targeted more the Adult collectors in the beginning of the 2000s. So in this process when MOTU came back at first with the relaunch of the og classic figures, and then the new 2002 series, I think it all got really fuzzy to as to whom they should had target. Could they have been afraid more at that new concept in that time? Cause as you said, it had the following of collectors and the show was more mature but maybe to them it was a scary concept till you came along.

[@EternalRoman]

@Shiva Kumar Indeed, and you know? The Sorceress and Queen Marlena could had also benefited from using the pre existing molds of Teela/ Evil Lyn...I can understand the issues with originality but I believe they could had handled matters way better and the line could had been expanding. They had some cool vehicles and Playsets weren't bad at all, but Cartoon Network panders more to kids than adults in cartoon shows, and I believe that was the part that was mishandled even more with the show. The moment you slot Teen Titans as a premier series for an action adventure with very little comedy that seems to be aimed at Teenagers and adults, you lose the show.

[@johnrazvaliaeff]

I agree with the fur underwear thing completely. I collected He-man in the 80s as a kid and even then got bored of them cause 90% of the characters ran around in the same fur underwear and boots. Now I'm in my 40s and started collecting action figures again. For MOTU I want something more updated, detailed, and different looking before I start collecting these again.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Exactly why I stopped wearing furry underwear. That and it itches

[@robertwishin2868]

It is interesting to look at what survives over time and what doesn't for various reasons. Star Wars and Transformers have always seemed to be around in some form. Ninja Turtles always have something cooking. Then you have fan favorites like GI Joe which has been around forever and just disappeared for a few years (though a close friend is pulling out his hair trying to find the Cobra Island stuff). Thundercats is a fan favorite that struggles to get out to the main market. Rebranding/updating has to happen over the years as the audience will grow and change, and Masters has done that multiple times. I suppose it is a question of what makes some brands ongoing and others fade away despite popularity and high sales at different points in history.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Trends come and go. No one is asking for Major Matt Mason these days but it was the best selling boys toy line for a while in the late 1960s.

don't turn the power sword into a giant boat paddle.

[@spectorcreative1872]

How else will you canoe?

[@williamsimkulet7832]

As I recall, 200X MOTU had cases of 6 figures.... 2 Heman, 2 Skeletor, 2 other shortpacked figures 1x each.

[@spectorcreative1872]

In other words, not enough!

[@williamsimkulet7832]

@@spectorcreative1872 It was, quite possibly, the single stupidest case assortments I had ever seen. (Keep in mind Heman & Skeletor also came w/ vehicles and their cats if I recall correctly).

[@WeHadThat]

As a collector years after they left retail, it's easy to see that He-Man was over-produced. It's easy to find a He-Man figure of some variation from the 200x line and almost as easy to find a Skeletor, but once you get past those two characters, the numbers drop and the prices rise!

[@spectorcreative1872]

It took until I went on vacation in another state for me to find Buzz Off!

[@WeHadThat]

@@spectorcreative1872 Interestingly, I picked up 200x Buzz Off for $1 at a swap meet, but haven't had that kid of luck with any of the other 200x figures. :)

[@SimbasGuardWT]

I did not know that is why Snake Armor He-Man was created

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yup. No more neekid He-Man!

[@wordwriter1471]

By the time 2003 rolled around, I had pretty much turned the corner on the 200X line (I already had the original versions of He-Man and Skeletor plus the Martial Arts He-Man variant)and turned my attention and dollars to Toybiz's Lord of the Rings Line. Years pass and just a few years ago, I ran into the one He-Man variant that surpasses all others (in my opinion. No its not Snake Armor, although that was a homerun as well) : Ice Armor He-Man. The whole design just viscerally roars ""Warrior Barbarian." The Power of Grayskull expressed to the Nth Degree. Zodak, my God, was simply superb and it rivals the Classics version. So, for this Wordwriter, as far as the "golden" 200x figures, Ice-Armor He-Man and Zodak are at the top of the action figure heap (so to speak.).

[@spectorcreative1872]

200X Zodak was one of my favorites too. A big reason I pushed to get him into Classics!

[@vanthdreadstar8039]

I'm really enjoying these vids. I was just in Toys-R-Us Canada this afternoon. I did see a battle cat figure but no others for that line. Stupid amount of Thanos figures and Cara Dune (Mandalorian) figures on the shelf. I didnt see one Mandalorian figure. I dont get that at all.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Wow, I only saw 6" Cara Dune once (and bought her) Never seen the 3 3/4 Cara.

[@vanthdreadstar8039]

@@spectorcreative1872 It was the 6" figure with the metallic green. I would say they were 3 across to 3 high, but not sure how far back (3 deep for sure). There were a lot of a Fortnite figure as well (I think the girl with the blue hair and grey hoodie).

[@hankg.5055]

I used to own the toys back when they came out in 2002. It's a shame I threw them all away years ago. I had most of the villains from Skeletor and Mer Man, to Evil-Lyn and Whiplash. I even had three different He-Man figures from the one in the first wave, to Smash Blade, Jungle Attack, and Ice Armor He-Man. I tried to find Teela and Buzz-Off but they were harder to find, and there were too many repaints and lame armor figures of He-Man and Skeletor, especially Disco Skeletor! I couldn't even find the Snake Men near the end of the line! Mattel definitely dropped the ball on MOTU 200X. I couldn't even afford the statues online because they were too expensive! I gave up on the line years after the cartoon ended. If only I would've kept them for the Masters Of The WWE Universe ring I now have. But I had room for other toys which was the reason I got rid of them.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Maybe one day we will get a 6" line based on the 200X look. Its a lot of tooling but would be cool! We did get one for the Filmation Look 35 years later!

[@4thecollectors]

The way I see it us adults made He-Man what he is kids are still not getting into this line my kids hate heman so far has the 200x line I think Lowkey they was targeting adults because they were sculpted so well looking back on them the last figure I brought for 200x was buzzoff I am 22 figures in I just got into that line 5 months ago excellent content

[@nhaer042]

Here is a question for you Scott: Do you think kids would have been more receptive to the 200x He Man if he had a more Lord of the Rings inspired design? Those movies were being released at the tire and were very popular. I had several of those LotR toys as a kid.

[@spectorcreative1872]

I actually do. No one in Middle Earth runs around in their underwear. Except Gollum I guess.

[@nhaer042]

@@spectorcreative1872 I'd be curious to see a LotR esque He Man design.

[@WiiMan25]

I loved the 200X show as a kid. But even back then, I wasn't a fan of the "too many He-Mans" thing. I had the standard regular normal He-Man, and he was the only He-Man I ever intended on getting because it was the only one I ever saw on-screen. I was like "why are there all these other ones, they're not in the show!" Now as an adult, I can see the collector's appeal to all those crazy variants (and wouldn't mind owning one of them just for kicks), but as a kid I didn't see the point. Also about the Naked He-Man problem, one time as a kid, I was playing with my He-Man toys with my friend who was totally unfamiliar with it. The main thing he complained about was that He-Man was naked.

[@spectorcreative1872]

put on some clothes He man!

[@markmichel3855]

This show ran from August 2002 to January 2004

[@spectorcreative1872]

Thank you!

[@tezlascube]

Speaking from a non-fan and non-collector standpoint (I've only recently found an interest for MOTU), He-Man 2002 felt a bit too niche in terms of appeal, despite the attempt to follow some early 2000s trends. I can see kids liking it back then but not enough to meet expectations. Maybe if the time slots weren't so random, it would've break even? Then again, from what I hear, the two Hot Wheels tv shows in 2005 and 2009 had high ratings yet failed too in toy sales (Ian Richter worked on one of them). Not sure exactly though.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Hindsight is always 20/20/ Especially if you are TriKlops.

[@XFactorz17]

200x is the best cartoon series I've ever seen...and I've seen a lot. lol Scott, I have a question regarding the latter part of the video. Have you been paying attention to the scarcity of the new G.I.JOE Classified line and the issues with the NECA Turtles at retail? If so, I'm wondering how that fits with what you are suggesting that 80% of toys are bought by kids and that adult collector lines should be online? I'm not arguing I just don't see how that all works together with what you're suggesting. As always, keep up the good work!

[@spectorcreative1872]

Collectors always buy first. So think of it this way, the first 20% of the shipment gets bought up by Collectors leaving the backend 80% to be bought by kids.

[@XFactorz17]

@@spectorcreative1872 hmm...that's definitely not the case though with these items that aren't even making it to the shelves in most cases. Adults are literally lining up outside of stores right now and buying everything they can grab of the G.I.JOE line or TMNT. Plus these are adult collector lines that are highly detailed, highly articulated figures at a higher price point than what kids are getting.

[@rez6541]

@@spectorcreative1872 - Scott I definitely agree with what you're saying but I just think your #'s are slightly off. Your 80/20 split used to be correct but I think as of the last 2-3yrs that 20% has doubled for collectors and speculators.

[@oansun]

Were the head sculpts pure Horsemen or was it changed a lot?

[@Rocket1377]

Mostly the Four Horsemen, with some minor input from Mattel. Mike Young Productions also influenced the designs, as they chose the colour scheme for the cartoon Sorceress using a black and white sketch of the planned action figure by the 4HM. The Horsemen's original concept art for He-Man ended up being reused for King Grayskull.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yup

[@mrfcauthen]

My 5 year-old niece used her Christmas money to buy herself Origins He-Man and Battle Cat with no nudging from her parents. She says He-Man is "handsome and beautiful". I guess his outfit doesn't matter to today's kids.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Good! That means Origins might have a chance!

[@outerzevin1366]

So hypothetically, if Mattel had tried to relaunch He-man a few years earlier, in the height of Attitude Era WWF, when every kid was watching wrestling, do you think the "naked dude in his underwear" thing would have been as much a problem?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Prob not as much. But in 2001, kids were not into this look

[@droidzilla22]

I appreciated this line. I couldn't afford the new line you created though. There's no way I can justify spending $100+ on one figure. I'm not made of money.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Only Monielar is made of money.

[@robertmarkold3408]

I have some of these MOC

[@spectorcreative1872]

Keep em how you want!

[@jimgillespie6109]

I didn't have the Internet when MOTU Classics came out, so I missed them. I can't agree on making collector lines exclusive to the Internet. Some other method needs to be developed to supplement online sales.

[@Vampiranhador]

Stinkor, Hordak and the Horde, the Snake men... All got integrated in the MY cartoon one way or another. Would 've really loved to see them integrate Faker into this cartoon too but unfortunately they didn't get to it.

[@spectorcreative1872]

They did have big plans!

[@joebojito]

WASNT THIS SHOW DEBUTED IN 2002. I REMEBER BEING 13 AND SEEING IT

[@spectorcreative1872]

I want to say 2001, but I could be wrong

[@joebojito]

@@spectorcreative1872 2002 to 2004 i think the cartoon lasted on cartoonnetwork

[@darkwoods1954]

I don't think we ever had the action chips in the UK.

[@spectorcreative1872]

It may have been a US only feature. The chips were dropped pretty quickly in the US anyway and internationally is usually a year behind.

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

I recall the first Castle Grayskull touting the chip interaction, but I never bought it, so I can't vouch for the rest of the line.

[@Rocket1377]

No, they removed them from the UK release, which was launched in 2003, almost a full year after the US line started. Some specialty stores like Forbidden Planet got the action chip versions in the UK in 2002.

[@Beedo_Sookcool]

@@Rocket1377 Fair enough. At the time, one of my friends in the USA was sending me issues of ToyFare magazine, and not paying much attention to the Grayskull at the time, I may have conflated the two versions. It's been a while, and my memory is probably unreliable on the matter.

[@oldschooltommyim]

Only 200X figure I got was He-Man with the cross on his chest. 200X jumped the shark when they changed the cross to an asterisk.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Serious! That still bothers me

[@Fenris30]

Those kids who clothed He-Men are now called Millenials.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Ha!

[@matthewteply8460]

An important component you missed....The toys made better statues than action figures. Trap Jaw was awesome to look at but his legs didn't move, he would only stand with his shoulders pushed back, the action features (for the WHOLE line) were: arm swing, spring loaded missile, and action chip...that's it. I guess what I'm saying is...they weren't that much fun to play with. That, and the anime styling was taken to a bit of an extreme...shrunken heads? Oh yeah, and the gimmicky He-Man and Skeletor variants...all of them. By the way...I like the line.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Very true points. For some the non articulation worked. Others, not so much.

[@mrfixitishere]

i wish tmnt would do an adult cartoon and line. i also wish that toys in general would do more budget friendly lines, and not just charge full price for McDonald's toys. i also hate the marvel legends modal of having to buy 4 figures i don't want to get one i do. on the subject of Mattel bring back monster high i loved the line but didn't adopt till i saw the movie on nick which wasn't till line three because i was unaware of it.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Turtles has done some adult stuff, but yeah splitting the audience is tough.

[@AntiLifePower]

Gotta say I loved the show and the toyline when I was a kid. I get that maybe it wasn't that popular with my generation back then, but I think a bigger factor might have been the distribution, not that different from what killed the original 80s. I was a big fan of the show and wanted all the toys, but I could never find He-Man on the pegs. I was lucky to get Battle Cat, but couldn't get neither He-Man nor Skeletor. So my family ended up getting me the Samurai versions of both. I was ok with them, but frustrated that I couldn't get the Regular looks. I'm sure that had I gotten the regular He-Man and Skeletor I would have continued buying the side characters... But I just lost interest in all the line because of not getting the "classic" looks.

[@stephenturner757]

I think we liked MOTU because there wasn't another show that was airing every single day, right after school like MOTU. I certainly was aware of him wearing fuzzy shorts and wondering why, too. MOTU was successful because they were around at the right time and saturated the market. No chance today's kids would ever go for that now. Far too many better choices out there.

[@spectorcreative1872]

It was a concept for its time

[@xenofett7008]

I loved the 200X MOTU line and was seriously bummed when it crashed. I blame the shitty case assortments sent to retailers which predominantly consisted of He-Man and Skeletors clogging shelves and nowhere near enough of the supporting characters.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah I agree. I was bummed too

[@BlackSuperman2099]

While I grew up on the 80s & New Adv. of He-Man cartoons, the 200X version is my fav interaction of the animated series (thus far). 200X was a pretty good series, so I hate that it got cancelled. I'm a bit surprised Netflix didn't pick up the property, but I guess most folks aren't that interested in He-Man anymore. That's probably why MOTU hasn't gotten a new movie since that horrid 1 from the 80s (which was a total disgrace).

[@spectorcreative1872]

Yeah I wish 200X could get a second life. Even after all these years! Hey it worked for Animaniacs...

[@BlackSuperman2099]

@@spectorcreative1872 I thought the Animaniacs revival was going to be good, but it's a bit lackluster. Now I know why, it's a blatant "cash grab". And they think it's "cute" & that they're being "transparent" by mentioning it in their new theme song. Now Family Guy, got a major 2nd life because of the success of their home video sales. MOTU 200X probably has to wait until "the anime craze" dies down a bit more.

[@goboy45]

I feel like these action features made the toys cost more. Even to this day, action features are involved in “kids marketed” toys, but those toys tend to be sold for cheaper prices. Ironic, because most of the adult toys don’t have action features, yet they cost more. Sticking it to the adult collector lol

[@goboy45]

I feel like adult marketed toys, to a large degree, get adult sized price tags....just because.

[@spectorcreative1872]

Well I don't know if sticking it to them is in the marketing report

[@proudhug]

Would you be able to talk about the safety rules with toys? I found it odd that Boba Fett was redone to make his projectile non-firing, but every single figure, vehicle and playset in MOTU 200X came with thirty launching projectiles. What gives? I'd love to hear you talk about what sort of safety rules are in place for making toys and how they've evolved over the years. What other features or characteristics are banned from being a part of children's toys?

[@spectorcreative1872]

I'll add that to the list!

[@proudhug]

@@spectorcreative1872 Awesome! Thanks!

[@shtdaprdtr]

Based on what you said...Mattel didn't learn their lesson. Because then how do you explain origins and revelation figures???

[@spectorcreative1872]

Well no one ever learns. Except the characters on Sesame Street

[@blackcatgraphics1483]

I'm a huge fan of the Mike Young show, I think it might be the best reboot of any property ever done. I'm 50/50 on the sculpts for the shows toys, I think the horsemen really progressed as they went on in other lines, but I can't stand the way He-man's shoulders are so proportionally inaccurate, and they should've passed on the homage to the bent knees. My question to anyone who might know is did they use the head sculpt from snake armor He-man on any of the other variants? This head sculpt is the only one of his I really dig, because it looks much closer to the show's design, and I'd like to get more to customize some variations with other bodies, but that particular figure is a bit pricey and harder to come by.

[@spectorcreative1872]

I still hope we can get a true collector line of this show one day!

[@luckygnome]

As kid I thought as well about the fur underwear but wasn't hung up on it.

[@spectorcreative1872]

At least you didn't wear it

[@luckygnome]

@@spectorcreative1872 i thought about it. 🙃

[@countofdownable]

I own the He-Man, Teela, Skeletor and Evil-Lyn from this series.

[@spectorcreative1872]

A good batch of figures

[@jeremyjamesdewitt]

So, now they’re trying to get kids into Origins, right? But, there’s no entertainment (cartoon/movie) out for that yet. That worries me. I almost feel like Mattel are going to be wiping their hands clean of MOTU if/when it fails this time. I hope I’m wrong. I mean, do kids really collect action figures right now?

[@spectorcreative1872]

Well if kids don't get into this line yes that may mean the death knell

[@dannyolortegui3776]

Damn ... we did this to ourselves