Why I Got The She-Ra Princess of Power Crystal Castle

[@Grindhead_Jim]

Jim gives an overview of The She-Ra Princess of Power Crystal Castle, why he never had one as a kid, why he has one now, and what he will do to bring it up to speed, forty years on.

[@kieronball8962]

I would love to see a follow up video, detailing Grindhead Jim's customization of his Crystal Castle.

[@Grindhead_Jim]

As soon as I get working on it, I will be filming!

[@bobahicks]

It's a cool looking playset. Never seen one in real life myself. Great overview 🏆

[@christabellegonzalez5662]

Lovely review, it's so nice to see men enjoy and appreciate the Princess of Power Playsets. One thing I would like to add though is perspective on why the playset in question brings certain furniture, like the vanity for example. She Ra/ Adora was conceived as a hyper feminine woman, it's clear by looking at her physical appearance, she has long perfectly coiffed hair, wears makeup, has on a pretty dress and high heeled boots. It makes sense to include the vanity in the playset because little girls could simulate She-Ra/Adora dolling herself up prior to starting her day. There's a bed included aswell because the Crystal Castle is She Ra's home, much like the Dream House is to Barbie, and seeing on how coveted and highly sought after the Barbie Dream house has always been to little girls it makes sense the girls department at Mattel wanted to replicate that for She Ra and gain some of those profits. It's not disrespectful to women to allude that She Ra enjoyed indulging in a little vanity every once in a while because their are women like myself who enjoy doing our hair, wearing makeup and glamorous outfits. I liked that She Ra was girly girl, and it made perfect sense as to why she was marketed as more of a fashion doll than an action figure. Men already had a massive array of hyper masculine heroes to choose from in the He- Man line, it's nice that us girls got our own Hyper Feminine female heroines in the Princess of Power line who we could brush their hair, change their outfits while simultaneously also go on adventures with. Mattel made sure to make something for everybody💖

[@Grindhead_Jim]

While everything you say is valid and true, the original lead designer for the She-Ra character, a woman named Justine Dantzer, is on record as saying that she was not going for "girly girl", and that the Barbie team had a lot of influence on the line, which she did not like. I think there's absolutely nothing wrong with being feminine, even hyper-feminine, though I feel that, in the 80's, there were not nearly enough signposts pointing to the possibility of girls and women being strong, independent people. Granted this is my opinion, based on my experience and perspective on others' experiences. Definitely don't want to go into mansplaining territory here. www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B07WW9BM12/ref=atv_yv_hom_c_unkc_1_12

[@christabellegonzalez5662]

@@Grindhead_Jim thanks for the reply, I was not aware who the lead designer for She Ra was. I think it's important to acknowledge that you can be a strong, independent woman and still be in touch with your feminine side and enjoy girly things. There's a common misconception that both are mutually exclusive, which as a woman is why I appreciate the way Mattel handled She Ra in the 80's. They proved you can be powerful and girly, all in 1 character. It never sits right with me when Hollywood takes a pre-established feminine character and masculinizes her and strips her away of her feminine aesthetic to attempt to portray her as more powerful or as capable as the men are. Just my two cents as a fan of the original Princess of Power line. Had Mattel not released She Ra as a fashion doll I would've never showed any interest in the Master's of the Universe line growing up, so it's nice that She-Ra was a gateway into this wonderful property for girls like me💖

[@a_world_made_of_cardboard]

Very neat playset. Playset allow a child to immerse themselves within the universe created by a toyline. Any playset can add to that universe. Great video and great synopsis of what you can do with that fantastic playset.

[@Grindhead_Jim]

Thank you! It has "good bones" as they say.

[@scubapete9500]

Enjoyed the tour of your new addition! 😎😎😎

[@Grindhead_Jim]

Thank you, sir!

[@brendanhaley3668]

Man I have always had a secret admoration for this castle, and after viewibg this and listening to your musings I agree, one is needed in my collection. I believe that the girlier parts could have been avoided to make a kickass castle aimed at 80s ladies, but of course, Im sure it was decisions of "toy gurus" in the industry who "understood" how the toy business really is that forced in hair brushes and mirrors etc. For me the feminine take is amazing but just needs some toning down. The solid door/windows replacing the bifold doors etc will look great. I kind feel like they should be similar to scaled down stain glass windows to keep the filtered coloured lighting coming in. I love the cloud effect on the outside, maybe the castle needs to be high in any display, sitting above Grayskull and Snake Mountain, like Mt Olympus.

[@P4AndreaFerretti]

Great video ❤

[@kevinscott1547]

As a kid growing up in the 80s, I had the Castle Gray skull playset, and I had the Snake Mountain playset and I really wanted the Crystal Castle playset, but for some reason my parents wouldn't buy it for me.

[@Grindhead_Jim]

It's still pretty reasonable to get these days. You should go after it!

[@kevinscott1547]

Just found one on eBay and I bought it.

[@Grindhead_Jim]

Welcome to the club! Yeah!

[@brazenchainsaw]

This is me just being a nitpick, but the comb didn’t come with the castle and is from an entirely different line. Golden Girl and the Guardians of the Gemstones which is absolutely amazing. The figures are more like Teela from MOTU than She-Ra. Definitely more “warlike” than POP

[@Grindhead_Jim]

That's not a nitpick so much as valuable information!

[@brazenchainsaw]

@@Grindhead_Jim haha, fair enough, knowledge is power! I just hate to be *that* kind of nerd that’s always going “well AKSHOOLY….” Anyway, can’t wait to see what you do with it. There’s one on eBay someone painted black, and boy I’m sorely tempted.

[@Grindhead_Jim]

@@brazenchainsaw I can't wait to see what I do with it either! HAH. It'll be a while, but, it's going to be great when the time comes!

[@Chasing80sToys]

Great new video series👍

[@Grindhead_Jim]

Slick way to avoid that Michael French Syndrome, too. ;)

[@bradleyryan3762]

I feel the need to say this as a gay man- you don’t need to quality your butch- ness with tattoos and music taste etc to give yourself some kind of excuse as to why it’s okay you bought the princess of power castle. It’s fine. You’re an adult who collects toys- you don’t need to then justify which purchases you make. She ra was a line aimed at young girls so they included play patterns that were successful with that age group. I think the dolls handled it perfectly. It was still a figure and she could stand alongside He Man justly, she just got better hair and clothes and a much comfier castle. I only wish they’d have made a Teela for the Princess of Power line for a full connection.

[@Grindhead_Jim]

I say this as a queer man: It's called entertainment. I was trying to be entertaining. Thanks, though.