When He-Man first appeared on television screens in 1983, he took the cartoon world by storm. First of all, it was the first cartoon series aimed at children that had a toy collection, the He-Man action figures to go along with it. In general, advertising aimed at children was heavily censored, so the creators of the He-Man action figures, Mattel, used the cartoon to promote the brand which was considered innovative at the time.
It was also the first cartoon to have any amount of violence. Until that point, cartoons generally fit the Tom & Jerry slapstick mold, but He-Man had a cast of characters and stayed true to his comic book origins. To circumvent strict censorship on violence in children’s cartoons, most episodes ended with a ‘moral of the story’ or ‘life lesson’ to justify the plot lines.
It was also the first cartoon to be produced for syndication, which meant that a massive 65 episodes were made for the first series, which meant the show could air for thirteen weeks, allowing it to build its fan base. and establish the brand. This series was hugely popular and before long every kid in the UK and US wanted their own He-Man action figure collection.
The series is also believed to have been one of the cheapest cartoons to produce when, in fact, it was the most expensive animation production of its time. However, the voice cast that was used was kept to a minimum, so for example, a woman named Linda Gary provided all the voices for all the female characters.
The production company that Mattel used for the first series was Filmation and when they decided to turn the story into cartoons, they decided to expand the plot to make way for a new range of He-Man action figures.
The story begins on Eternia where Prince Adam/He-Man lives with his parents, King Randor and Queen Marlena. Prince Adam is considered by all who know him to be lazy, clumsy, and generally useless. However, the prince has a secret power that the Sorceress of Grayskull who lives in Castle Grayskull gives him.
When he raises his magical sword, with the words “By the power of Grayskull! I have the power!” the prince transforms into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. The plot of the first series deals with protecting Eternia from the evil Skeletor who is determined to steal the power of Castle Grayskull.
When Mattel wanted to expand the range of He-Man action figures, they sought out He-Man’s sister, Adora, who was kidnapped at birth and raised by the evil Hordak. She also has special powers and transforms into She-Ra.
After She-Ra, the creators of He-Man looked to the past for inspiration. So the next He-Man series is based on Preternia, which is the old Eternia. This series explains He-Man’s origins, how he got his special powers and was also the inspiration for a whole new range of He-Man action figures..
