By the Power of Mattel: How He-Man Was Created and Became a 1980s Icon
In the late 1970s, Mattel was looking for its next big boys’ action brand. The company had already proven it could dominate shelves with Barbie and Hot Wheels, but it wanted a powerful fantasy hero who could compete with the growing wave of science-fiction and adventure toys. A turning point came after Mattel passed on the chance to make action figures for a major space movie license. Executives realized they didn’t want to rely on someone else’s universe again. Instead, they decided to build their own world from scratch—one that…
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