It’s time to go back to our childhoods, the 80’s to be exact, and even more specifically: saturday morning cartoons! Just think back a little on those days where you woke up early on saturday, your parents usually still asleep. In your PJ’s you crawled out of bed, went to the television set to switch it on and selected Sky Channel. And not before long the intro music started for your favorite television show (well at least to your child’s mind it was) Fun Factory! The show itself I honestly didn’t care for much, but it’s the cartoons that mattered. So many awesome animated series were introduced there. Inspector Gadget, M.A.S.K., Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, and of course my favorite of the 80’s cartoons, Transformers. Now if you are from that era, you might have noticed there is one missing from that list of mentioned cartoons, namely He-man. So why did I omit this one? Well, there is a very simple reason for that: as a kid I really didn’t like it. I thought it was dumb, and it just didn’t appeal to my young mind at all. I wanted robots that could change into cars, planes and other cool stuff not some beefed up guy with a magic sword yelling that he had the power. And now, more than 30 years later I’m writing a post about that show. Not to hate on it, but to praise it for what it is, an amazingly well made cartoon that we simply don’t see the likes of anymore in these modern times.
He-man a short history

The cartoon for He-man has it’s origins in a toyline that was developped by toy giant Mattel. The first of the figures were released in 1982, and one of the things that was really cool about them, was the fact that they all had a mini-comic included within the package. You can learn more about those in a post that I wrote for a collected edition of those comics right here. The comics created the background for some of the characters and the mythology of the world slowly began to take shape. Soon after that, work began on the animated series that was being created by Filmation studios. In 1983 the series called He-man and the Masters of the Universe, hit the airwaves and began to make it’s way across the world. It was at that moment the first syndicated cartoon series that was based on a toy. Needless to say it became a very popular show, that eventually reached a whopping 130 episodes, and even had a companion series in the form of She-Ra, who was He-man’s sister. Eventually not surprisingly, a live action movie was made that starred Dolph Lundgren as the muscular hero. (One that is honestly a bit cheesy, but had it’s own particular charms). Now that I have talked a little bit about the background of the series, let’s dive more into the story of the show itself.
He-man and The Masters of The Universe

He-man takes place on the mythical world of Eternia. It’s a place where magical energies and all kinds of mystical creatures make a home for themselves. Prince Adam is the son of Eternia’s rulers, King Randor and Queen Marlena, and someone who doesn’t really takes his role all too seriously. Most of the time he comes late on assignments, or likes to just doze off for a while, much to the annoyment of Teela who is the captain of the Royal Guard. However all of this is a front, as Prince Adam has a very important secret. In his possession is the Sword of Power, which allows him to transform into the most powerful man in the universe: He-man. He is Eternia’s protector against one of the most vilest creatures on the planet, the evil Skeletor. This villain is always trying to conquer the secrets of the mythical Castle Grayskull, and if he ever succeeds at that, will make him all powerful and nearly unstoppable. But He-man is not alone. Together with Teela’s father Man-At-Arms, the gentle Orko, and the Sorceress who is Castle Grayskull’s guardian, he tries his best to stop Skeletor and his evil henchmen. The classic battle of good versus evil rages on, and becomes ever more difficult. But He-man never, ever gives up, a fact that Skeletor knows all too well.

It’s strange how, as time goes by, one’s perspective on things can change so much. As mentioned, even though I still watched He-man when I was younger, I really didn’t like it so much. Having recently come into the possession of the entire series on dvd that has now totally changed. He-man is a very well made cartoon, that contains iconic characters, but above all stories that have a lot of depth which is a credit to the writers of the show. One interesting fact is that one of those writers is J. Michael Straczynski, who later created one of the best science fiction series ever made: Babylon 5. So what exactly makes this animated series so much fun to watch? For one thing it’s the many colourful characters. On the side of good it’s of course He-man himself that steals the show. He is a true force of righteousness, with high moral standards and an inspiration for kids at the time. Each episode has a “moral message” at the end, that for instance warns kids to stay off drugs, and even deals with sometimes heavy themes such as suicide. I think it’s something that is very clever, but also something that shows how different this cartoon really was at the time. The evil Skeletor is probably the most recognised villain from the 80’s, an evil looking and menacing figure, that for most of the time never succeeded in his own “clever” plots.

The show while having a serious tone, also has a lot of humour in it. It never becomes too dark, and every episode usually contains some great one-liners that are tough not to laugh at. Throughout the series, He-man has to overcome many challenges. Most of these deal with the threat that his nemesis Skeletor poses, but there are also many other evil forces at work on the planet of Eternia. Recurring themes are friendship, love, and having faith in oneself. And that is one of the other things that I really love about this series. It’s a really positive show, one that is always able to lift your spirits, even when you have a bad day. It’s also a cartoon that has withstood the test of time very well. Sure, the animation might look a bit dated now, but it’s characters and message certainly aren’t and I haven’t had a single moment where I felt someone watching this today would not enjoy it. As an adult there is still a lot to like here as well, if not for the great sense of nostalgia that this show still evokes. He-man is simply put, one of the best and greatest animated adventure series ever made and is a delight to watch for people of all ages. This brings this installment of Retro Raist to an end. I’m leaving you with a look inside the awesome series guide by Dark Horse comics. Next up in Retro Raist is….no, I’m keeping that a secret for a change. Because really: “ I have the poooooooweeeerrrrrrr!!!!!!!”
I was too old for this at the time, but I have been laughing at the recent TV ads featuring them over here.
You might enjoy this, if you don’t get it in your country.
Best wishes, Pete.
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Haha😂 Pete…you made me day with this one! That was too funny lol😂 Thanks for sharing this commercial!
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Thank you Pete! I really needed this today.😂
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There is a series of those ads online. 🙂
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It’s great isn’t it?😂😂
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I never was able to get into this I tried recently again but there is just something that isn’t for me about this one, I mostly have an issue with the line delivery. There is something about this that feels stiff and forced to me.. I loved M.A.S.K. Whole also did those messages but this one .. also the new shows I cant get into.. I am not very big on warriors anyway but yeah this is a show I can admire from a .. distant perspective.. “thats clever and this show did a lot , and skeletor is well known” but thats as far as I can get with it unfortunatly 😦
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Sometimes you can’t describe why you can’t get into something. As mentioned as a child I really hated this one, and out of the big four so to speak(Transformers, M.A.S.K. GI-Joe and He-man) I guess this one will always be my least favorite. That said. I have really enjoyed the series quite a lot, and really got back into it. But well…I guess that’s also something which can’t be explained 😂
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By the power of Greyskull….. did the nightly feeds for my baby whilst watching He-Man! The baby is 34 now 😀
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Time certainly flies by doesn’t it? It’s sometimes great to revisit things like this though. I love nostalgia, and anything 80’s for me is always worth revisiting. This was a really fun cartoon, and it’s crazy how my small mind didn’t appreciate it enough back in the day 😊
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Also you look so different with a beard! 🙂
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Lol…I don’t know if that’s a good or a bad thing…haha😂😂😅😅😂😂
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Well I’m not a great fan of beards myself, and totally refuse to have one 🤣 but each of must deal with our hairy bits as we see fit! Rock it Raistlin! 😉😃
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Haha…thanks. Right now it’s just me being lazy during vacation time😂😂
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You have the power…the power of Greyskull!
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Lol….wish I had, that would be very interesting😂😂
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I remember watching He-Man and the other shows you mentioned when I was little. I didn’t know J. Michael Strazinsky wrote for He-Man. That’s interesting, since Babylon 5 is one of my favorite shows.
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Really? Wow…what a coincidence, as Babylon 5 is definitely one of my favorite shows as well. Next to the (new) Battlestar Galactica, it’s probably for me the best sci-fi series I have ever seen. The story of that show is simply phenomenal😊
As for him writing shows for this, yes that definitely was a surprise to me too. But that only goes to show that it’s a very well written series, that to this day still holds up very well😊
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That haircut though 😄
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Lol…yep, guess there aren’t any good barbers in Eternia😂😂
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Loved He-Man as a child, Mask and Thundercats too though Transformers was always my favourite and will always hold a special place in my heart from my childhood.
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Could not agree with you more! The Transformers was my favorite toy when I was a child, and the animated series I have so many fond memories of. I have the entire series on dvd even including the Japanese follow ups (the show continued in Japan, after the American show ended). Don’t know if you have yet seen the new Transformers series on Netflix? Have to admit that was pretty good. There might be a review coming for that one next week 😊
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I did enjoy the live action film. Different to the series, but fun in its own way. It was a classic franchise though. I used to collect the toys.
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Definitely one of those cult classic movies so to speak. I enjoyed it as well…certainly not as good as the show, but as you say fun in it’s own way😊 I never collected the toys myself, I was more a collector of The Transformers (I still have all of those toys 😊).
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I had a bunch of Transforners too, plus comics and vhs tapes 🙂
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The comics certainly are great too (The IDW comics especially😊)
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I’ve only read a handful of the IDW run, but they are really good from what I’ve seen.
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Nice bit of nostalgia Michel. Now I have to go watch Pete’s video again.😁
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Thanks Kim, sometimes we need a little nostalgia in our lives 😊😊😊
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Your childhood maybe… By the time He-Man hit the airwaves, I had graduated high school and was in the Navy. 🙂
Myself, after the disaster that was trying to re-watch the original Star Blazers, I’ve avoided going back to the shows of my youth. So very few have stood the test of time. Or maybe, I’ve changed too much in the intervening decades.
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Haha, yeah my childhood for sure😊 That’s true though. Not every series has withstood the test of time equally well…that, and we can change ourselves as well. Sometimes things we loved can feel very differently from what we remember, and sometimes (like in the case of He-man for me) we appreciate something more than we did earlier😊 Thanks for your comment!😀
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That guide from Dark Horse does look very nice. Both informative & pretty to look at.
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Dark Horse has released quite a number of He-man guides over the years, and they even better, they aren’t very expensive either. Especially considering the fact that they are massive tomes, and look awesome 😊
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I have never watched He Man because I was born in the 90s. I would love to watch the cartoon. Did you buy the boxed set on Amazon? Where can you get it?
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It’s definitely a cartoon that’s well worth checking out. I did some research for you, and yes you can find it on Amazon. I have provided the link for you:
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Excellent review of this well-beloved franchise! I’m pretty much like your younger self. I can’t seem to find any appeal in the idea behind this guy, even less in his character design, which, I still don’t today 😦 I want to give the guy a chance though, to understand why it’s so good, like you’ve pointed it out in this review though. Skeletor is definitely going to be one of the reasons why I’d want to know what’s up here hahaha
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Yeah, it’s sometimes strange to find out how tastes can certainly change over the years. I have really been enjoying my rewatch of this series, and I certainly have changed my perspective of the show. It’s just very well made, with some fun stories, and good action. Most of the characters are quite well created too. Although this will in all likelyhood still be the cartoon I will always think of last of the 80’s, I have definitely grown to enjoy it. Who knows…you might too? 😊
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I’m cautiously looking forward to the upcoming He-Man movie. The casting of teen movie heartthrob Noah Centineo just makes me nervous. Otherwise, I think it could be a good chance to really capture He-Man and Skeletor the way they should be in live-action.
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I hope they do it justice. Well the original film with Dolph Lundgren was very cheesy, but still in a fun kind of way, it certainly didn’t capture the spirit of the original series. If done well, this could really be a fun story for a movie. Fingers crossed 😊
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Now I feel old…. 😉
This was required after-school viewing for me when I was a kid, along with Dungeons & Dragons and other US cartoons, but I’ll be damned if I can remember a single thing about the live-action film other than it exists.
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He-Man… Oh my…as a kid I was dreaming of him 😊😳
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Lol😂😂 Hope they were good dreams😊
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I loved the cartoons but I remember for some reason I LOVED the movie! It was all great fun. They are supposedly remaking HE-Man soon but I can’t picture Noah Centino in the role ugh. Just pay Hemsworth whatever he asks and make it happen 🙂
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Haha, well as I said, while completely different from the cartoon, the movie did have it’s charms, so I definitely don’t blame your for loving the movie. I haven’t seen it in ages, so might go and check that one out at some point in the future again😊
Yeah. I’ve heard that too, but it’s a project that I have heard rumours for, for ages now. Guess we will just have to wait and see…lol..and I agree, let’s ask Hemsworth!😂😂
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Ah, a true classic there. I watched lots of reruns of He-man and She-ra when I was kid. 80’s and 90’s cartoons were truly special 🙂
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That they were indeed😊 In fact when I compare them to modern day cartoons, they are so much better. They really had a sense of (good) storytelling to them, and I don’t know just more heart to them. When I sometimes see the cartoons that are made in this day and age, it’s not anything I can truly relate too. I don’t know might be an age of generation thing 😅😅
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Yep, I feel old when I complain about today’s cartoons, but I just don’t care for them. Of course, I gravitate towards 80’s and 90’s cartoons the most, but I even enjoy older ones from earlier decades than that. Today’s stuff generally doesn’t have the same substance and doesn’t compare.
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Well said, and I could not agree with you more. I don’t if it’s feeling old or not, but those cartoons just had way much more substance to them, that’s one thing that’s for sure 😊
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