He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
| He-Man and the Masters of the Universe | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Mattel, Filmation |
| Starring | John Erwin Linda Gary Alan Oppenheimer Lou Scheimer Erika Scheimer |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of episodes | 130 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 22 min. |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syndication |
| Release | September 30, 1983 – December 8, 1984 |
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's successful toy line Masters of the Universe. It made its television debut in 1983 and ran until 1985, consisting of two seasons of 65 episodes each. The show, often referred to as simply He-Man, was one of the most popular animated children's shows of the 1980s and has retained a heavy cult following to this day.
Show profile
The show takes place on the fictitious planet of Eternia, a land of magic, myth and fantasy. The show's lead character is Prince Adam, the young son of Eternia's rulers (King Randor and Queen Marlena). Prince Adam is a seemingly cowardly, blond muscleman dressed in a Cote d'Azur chemise. However, Prince Adam possesses a magic sword, and when he holds it aloft and says the magic words "By the Power of Grayskull! I have the Power!" he is transformed into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe. He-Man is a brave, blond muscleman in a baldric and loincloth. Together with his close allies, Battle Cat, Teela, Man-At-Arms and Orko, He-Man uses his powers to defend Eternia from the evil forces of Skeletor, a tyrannical warlord with a skull for a face. Skeletor's main goal is to conquer the mysterious fortress of Castle Grayskull, from which He-Man draws his powers. Were he to succeed, Skeletor would be able to conquer not only Eternia, but the whole universe.
Despite the limited animation techniques that were used to produce the series, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was notable for breaking the boundaries of censorship that had severely restricted the narrative scope of children's TV programming in the 1970s. For the first time in years, a cartoon series could feature a muscular superhero who was actually allowed to hit people, though he still couldn't use his sword often. The cartoon was controversial in that it was produced in connection with marketing a line of toys; advertising to children was itself controversial during this period. In Britain, advertising regulations forbade commercials for He-Man toys to accompany the program itself. In similar fashion to other shows at the time (notably G.I. Joe), an attempt to mitigate the negative publicity generated by this controversy was made by including a "life lesson" or "moral of the story" at the end of each episode. This moral was usually directly tied to the action or central theme of that episode.
The cartoon series was also particularly remarkable because it was the very first animated series produced directly for syndication, as opposed to all other syndicated cartoons of the time which were re-runs of old Saturday morning cartoons.
The show was so successful that it spawned a spin-off series, She-Ra: Princess of Power following the adventures of He-Man's sister. Mattel's subsequent attempts to relaunch the He-Man toy line have also led to the short-lived 'sequel' series The New Adventures of He-Man in the early 1990s, and an update of the series for a contemporary audience in 2002.
It is also noted for featuring early script-writing work from later Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski, and Paul Dini of the 90s Batman-fame.
Cast list
- John Erwin as He-Man, Prince Adam, Ram-Man, Faker, Beast Man, Webstor, Whiplash and others
- Alan Oppenheimer as Cringer, Battlecat, Man-At-Arms, Skeletor, Mer-Man, Buzz-Off, Roboto and others
- Linda Gary as Teela, Evil-Lyn, Queen Marlena, The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull and others
- Lou Scheimer as Orko, King Randor, Stratos, Man-E-Faces, Mekaneck, Zodak, Sy-Klone, Moss Man, Trap-Jaw, Tri-Klops, Kobra Khan, Clawful, Jitsu, Spikor, Two-Bad, Modulok and others
- Erika Scheimer as various other female voices
- George DiCenzo as various guest male voices
- Jay Scheimer as an alternate Queen Marlena
Episodes
In production order
The following is a list of episodes of the television series. (Note: the episodes are listed here in production order, which differs greatly from the broadcast order. The pilot episode is "Diamond Ray of Disappearance" (MU004)).
Season 1
| Production Code | Episode Name | Writer | Director | Moral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MU001 | The Cosmic Comet |
Tom Ruegger (story) |
||
| MU002 | The Shaping Staff | |||
| MU003 | Disappearing Act |
David Chappe (story) |
Man-At-Arms | |
| MU004 | Diamond Ray of Disappearance |
Robby London |
Lou Zukor |
|
| MU005 | She-Demon of Phantos |
He-Man | ||
| MU006 | Teela's Quest |
Paul Dini |
||
| MU007 | The Curse of the Spellstone |
Man-At-Arms | ||
| MU008 | The Time Corridor |
Larry DiTillio |
Lou Zukor |
He-Man |
| MU009 | The Dragon Invasion |
Gwen Wetzler |
Orko | |
| MU010 | A Friend In Need |
Ed Friedman |
He-Man | |
| MU011 | Masks of Power |
Marsh Lamore |
Teela | |
| MU012 | Evil-Lyn's Plot |
Paul Dini |
Lou Kachivas |
Teela |
| MU013 | Like Father, Like Daughter |
Lou Kachivas |
Teela | |
| MU014 | Colossor Awakes |
J. Brynne Stephens |
Lou Kachivas |
He-Man |
| MU015 | A Beastly Sideshow |
Peter L. Dixon (story) |
Gwen Wetzler |
He-Man |
| MU016 | Reign of the Monster |
Marc Scott Zicree |
Steve Clark |
Orko |
| MU017 | Daimar the Demon |
J. Brynne Stephens |
||
| MU018 | Creatures from the Tar Swamp |
Richard Pardee (story) |
Marsh Lamore |
Prince Adam |
| MU019 | Quest for He-Man |
Paul Dini |
Steve Clark |
|
| MU020 | Dawn of Dragoon |
Robby London |
Ed Friedman |
He-Man |
| MU021 | The Royal Cousin |
Robby London |
He-Man | |
| MU022 | Song of Celice |
Michael Reaves & J. Brynne Stephens |
Gwen Wetzler |
Teela |
| MU023 | The Return of Orko's Uncle |
Douglas Booth |
Marsh Lamore |
Orko |
| MU024 | Wizard of Stone Mountain |
Janis Diamond (story) |
Lou Kachivas |
Teela |
| MU025 | Evilseed |
Teela | ||
| MU026 | Ordeal in the Darklands |
Marc Scott Zicree |
Gwen Wetzler |
Teela |
| MU027 | Orko's Favorite Uncle |
Douglas Booth |
Steve Clark |
Orko |
| MU028 | The Defection |
Ron Schultz, Sam Schultz |
Marsh Lamore |
He-Man |
| MU029 | Prince Adam No More |
Paul Dini |
Gwen Wetzler |
Orko |
| MU030 | The Taking of Grayskull |
Janis Diamond |
Ed Friedman |
Orko |
| MU031 | A Tale of Two Cities |
Richard Pardee |
Marsh Lamore |
He-Man |
| MU032 | Search for the VHO |
Jeffry O'Hare (story) |
Gwen Wetzler |
Man-At-Arms |
| MU033 | The Starchild |
J. Brynne Stephens (story) |
Lou Zukor |
|
| MU034 | The Dragon's Gift |
Larry DiTillio |
Lou Zukor |
Teela |
| MU035 | The Sleepers Awaken |
Douglas Booth |
Ed Friedman |
Orko |
| MU036 | The Search |
Steve Clark |
Zodak | |
| MU037 | It's Not My Fault |
Ron Schultz, Sam Schultz |
Ed Friedman |
Orko |
| MU038 | Valley of Power |
Douglas Booth |
Lou Zukor |
He-Man |
| MU039 | Trouble in Arcadia |
David Wise |
Gwen Wetzler |
He-Man |
| MU040 | House of Shokoti Part I |
Larry DiTillio |
Lou Kachivas |
|
| MU041 | House of Shokoti Part II |
Larry DiTillio |
Marsh Lamore |
Prince Adam |
| MU042 | Double Edged Sword |
Robby London |
Gwen Wetzler |
He-Man |
| MU043 | The Mystery of Man-E-Faces |
Paul Dini |
Lou Zukor |
Orko |
| MU044 | The Region of Ice |
Ernie Schmidt |
Man-At-Arms | |
| MU045 | Orko's Missing Magic |
Larry DiTillio |
Ernie Schmidt |
Orko |
| MU046 | Eternal Darkness |
Lou Kachivas |
Teela | |
| MU047 | Keeper of the Ancient Ruins |
He-Man | ||
| MU048 | Return of Evil |
Steve Clark |
Teela | |
| MU049 | Return of the Gryphon |
David Wise |
Gwen Wetzler |
Man-At-Arms |
| MU050 | Temple of the Sun |
Jeffry O'Hare (story) |
Lou Kachivas |
He-Man |
| MU051 | City Beneath the Sea |
Larry DiTillio |
Gwen Wetzler |
Man-At-Arms |
| MU052 | Teela's Trial |
David Wise |
Marsh Lamore |
Man-At-Arms |
| MU053 | Dree Elle's Return |
Robby London |
Lou Kachivas |
Orko |
| MU054 | Game Plan |
Lou Kachivas |
He-Man | |
| MU055 | Eye of the Beholder |
Jeffry O'Hare (story) |
Marsh Lamore |
Teela |
| MU056 | Quest for the Sword |
Ed Friedman |
He-Man | |
| MU057 | Castle of Heroes |
Ernie Schmidt |
Prince Adam | |
| MU058 | The Once and Future Duke |
Lou Zukor |
He-Man | |
| MU059 | The Witch and the Warrior |
Paul Dini |
Marsh Lamore |
Teela |
| MU060 | The Return of Granamyr |
Larry DiTillio |
Ernie Schmidt |
He-Man |
| MU061 | Pawns of the Game Master |
Paul Dini |
Steve Clark |
Orko |
| MU062 | Golden Disks of Knowledge |
John Berwick (story) |
Ed Friedman |
He-Man |
| MU063 | The Huntsman |
Larry DiTillio |
Lou Zukor |
Teela |
| MU064 | The Remedy |
Ron Schultz, Sam Schultz |
Bill Reed |
Teela |
| MU065 | The Heart of a Giant |
Robby London (story) |
Ernie Schmidt |
Orko |
Season 2
| Production Code | Episode Name | Writer | Director | Moral |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MU066 | The Cat and the Spider | Larry DiTillio | Gwen Wetzler | Prince Adam Katrina |
| MU067 | The Energy Beast | Rowby Goren | Marsh Lamore | Teela Orko |
| MU068 | Day of the Machines | David Wise | Lou Kachivas | Teela |
| MU069 | The Gamesman | Antoni Zalewski | Steve Clark | He-Man Teela |
| MU070 | Fisto's Forest | Douglas Booth | Lou Kachivas | Teela |
| MU071 | The Rarest Gift of All | J. Brynne Stephens | Gwen Wetzler | Orko |
| MU072 | The Great Books Mystery | Harvey Brenner | Bill Reed | Teela Orko |
| MU073 | Origin of the Sorceress | J. Michael Straczynski | Marsh Lamore | He-Man |
| MU074 | Island of Fear | Antoni Zalewski | Bill Reed
Lou Zukor |
Prince Adam Teela |
| MU075 | To Save Skeletor | Paul Dini, Beth Bornstein | Lou Kachivas | Fisto |
| MU076 | The Ice Age Cometh | Robert White | Ed Friedman | Prince Adam Teela |
| MU077 | Trouble in Trolla | Larry DiTillio | Ernie Schmidt | Man-At-Arms Orko |
| MU078 | Betrayal of Stratos | David Wise | Steve Clark | He-Man Orko |
| MU079 | Disappearing Dragons | Larry DiTillio | Ernie Schmidt | He-Man |
| MU080 | The Shadow of Skeletor | Rowby Goren | Steve Clark | Man-E-Faces Ram-Man |
| MU081 | The Arena | Warren Greenwood | Ernie Schmidt | Man-At-Arms |
| MU082 | Attack from Below | Michael Kirschenbaum | Marsh Lamore | Teela Orko |
| MU083 | Into the Abyss | Robert Lamb | Steve Clark | He-Man Man-At-Arms |
| MU084 | Fraidy Cat | Phil Harnage | Ed Friedman | He-Man Orko Cringer |
| MU085 | The Rainbow Warrior | Robert Forward Jr., Leslie Wilson | Gwen Wetzler | Teela Queen Marlena |
| MU086 | A Trip to Morainia | Steve Bussard | Steve Clark | Teela |
| MU087 | Things That Go Bump in the Night | John Curtin | Lou Kachivas | Prince Adam |
| MU088 | Three on a Dare | Misty Stewart | Marsh Lamore | Prince Adam |
| MU089 | Just a Little Lie | J. Brynne Stephens | Bill Reed | Teela Orko |
| MU090 | One for All | Robert White | Ed Friedman | Prince Adam |
| MU091 | Jacob and the Widgets | Harvey Brenner | Ed Friedman | Teela |
| MU092 | The Littlest Giant | Douglas Booth | Lou Kachivas | Orko Squinch |
| MU093 | Trouble's Middle Name | J. Michael Straczynski | Steve Clark | Teela |
| MU094 | Journey to Stone City | J. Michael Straczynski | Ed Friedman | Man-At-Arms Orko |
| MU095 | A Bird in the Hand | Phil Harnage | Richard Trueblood | Teela Hollywag |
| MU096 | Battlecat | D.C. Fontana, Richard Fontana | Richard Trueblood | Man-At-Arms Orko |
| MU097 | The Time Wheel | Mel Gilden (story) Mel Gilden & Larry DiTillio (teleplay) |
Bill Reed | He-Man |
| MU098 | Search for the Past | Misty Stewart (story) Misty Stewart & Larry DiTillio (teleplay) |
Ernie Schmidt | Orko |
| MU099 | Hunt for He-Man | Antoni Zalewski | Marsh Lamore | He-Man Cringer Drak |
| MU100 | The Greatest Show on Eternia | Rowby Goren | Gwen Wetzler | Prince Adam Orko |
| MU101 | Not so Blind | Robert Lamb | Gwen Wetzler | Prince Adam |
| MU102 | Revenge is Never Sweet | Douglas Booth | Ernie Schmidt | Orko Teela |
| MU103 | The Good Shall Survive | Richard Pardee | Bill Reed | He-Man Orko |
| MU104 | The Secret of Grayskull | John Curtin | Richard Trueblood | Man-At-Arms Orko |
| MU105 | No Job Too Small | Don Heckman | Marsh Lamore | Man-At-Arms |
| MU106 | The Bitter Rose | Michael Chase Walker | Ed Friedman | Man-At-Arms |
| MU107 | The Gambler | Antoni Zalewski (story) Antoni Zalewski & Larry DiTillio (teleplay) |
Richard Trueblood | Prince Adam Orko |
| MU108 | Teela's Triumph | Joseph Botsford | Gwen Wetzler | Man-At-Arms |
| MU109 | Orko's New Friend | Shelley Karol & Warren Greenwood | Ernie Schmidt | Orko |
| MU110 | The Problem with Power | Robert Forward Jr. & Leslie Wilson Tom Tataranowicz (based on his idea) |
Gwen Wetzler | Orko |
| MU111 | Double Trouble | J. Michael Straczynski | Ed Friedman | Man-At-Arms Orko |
| MU112 | The Eternia Flower | Barbara Chain | Ed Friedman | Teela |
| MU113 | Happy Birthday Roboto | Larry DiTillio | Lou Kachivas | Teela |
| MU114 | Battle of the Dragons | J. Michael Straczynski | Steve Clark | Man-At-Arms |
| MU115 | Time Doesn't Fly | Jina Bacarr | Marsh Lamore | He-Man |
| MU116 | Here, There, Skeletors Everywhere | Cinnamon Wengrod | Steve Clark | Man-At-Arms Orko |
| MU117 | Beauty and the Beast | Don Heckman | Ernie Schmidt | He-Man Orko Teela Prince Morrogor |
| MU118 | Orko's Return | J. Larry Carroll | Ernie Schmidt | Orko |
| MU119 | Visitors from Earth | Mike Hazy | Gwen Wetzler | Queen Marlena |
| MU120 | Monster on the Mountain | Rowby Goren | Lou Kachivos | Orko Teela |
| MU121 | The Magic Falls | J. Michael Straczynski | Ernie Schmidt | Man-At-Arms Orko |
| MU122 | Search for a Son | Drew Lawrence | Bill Reed | Teela |
| MU123 | Mistaken Identity | J. Michael Straczynski | Bill Reed | Prince Adam Cringer |
| MU124 | The Toy Maker | Karen Willson & Chris Weber | Lou Kachivos | King Randor Orko |
| MU125 | Bargain with Evil | Larry DiTillio | Bill Reed | He-Man |
| MU126 | Capture the Comet Keeper | Robert Lamb | Lou Kachivos | Teela |
| MU127 | The Ancient Mirror of Avathar | Robert Lamb | Steve Clark | He-Man |
| MU128 | The Games | J. Michael Straczynski | Richard Trueblood | Man-At-Arms |
| MU129 | To Save the Creatures | Don Heckman | Gwen Wetzler | He-Man Orko Teela Ricky |
| MU130 | The Cold Zone | J. Michael Straczynski | Marsh Lamore | Man-At-Arms |
Episodes
In broadcast order
There is a lot of confusion over the exact order of the episodes. The production codes allocated appear to indicate nothing more than the formal clearance of an episode's script. Often, this order is directly contradicted on screen. For example, "The Return of Orko's Uncle" (MU023) has an earlier production code than the introduction of "Orko's Favourite Uncle" (MU027).
Season 1
Template:Multi-column numbered list
Season 2
Template:Multi-column numbered list
DVD releases
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has been released on DVD by BCI Eclipse LLC.
- The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: 10 Episode Collector's Edition - released July 12, 2005
- The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Top 5 Episodes Season 1 - released August 23, 2005 (UMD)
- The Best of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Top 5 Episodes Season 2 - released August 23, 2005 (UMD)
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season One Vol 1 - released October 18, 2005
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season One Vol 2 - released February 14, 2006
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season Two Vol 1 - released June 6, 2006
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season Two Vol 2 - not yet released
- He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special - released December 6, 2005
Trivia
- The episode "Diamond Ray of Disappearance" (MU004) is the nearest thing to a debut episode. It was written as the first episode for the cartoon and has an extended sequence at the start which carefully introduces all the villains. Curiously, little effort is made to introduce the heroes.
- From mid-1999 through until the beginning of the war in Iraq in 2003, an American special forces compound located in war-torn Kosovo was called "Castle Grayskull", because its heavily guarded fortifications provided an ominous look reminding personnel of the castle in the cartoon. [citation needed]
- The order is further confused by successive VHS and DVD releases which have often followed the production code order with little regard for the chronological sequence of the episodes. As a result of this, the first episode shown is often The Cosmic Comet (MU001).
- Lou Scheimer credited some of his voices to his pseudonym, Erik Gunden.
- Filmation had previously produced Star Trek: The Animated Series (1973–74).
- Occasionally, modified background character and set designs can be seen in MOTU. The series also used many of the stock sound effects used by both Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek: The Animated Series.
- Several MOTU stories are notably similar to Star Trek ones. Most notable is the second season episode "The Arena", in which a godlike entity forces He-Man and Skeletor to do battle; very similar to Star Trek: The Original Series’s first season episode "Arena", in which powerful entities force Captain Kirk to battle a lizard-like monster on a desolate planet.
See also
- He-Man
- Masters of the Universe
- List of He-Man characters
- She-Ra
- The New Adventures of He-Man
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (2002)
- Skeletor
- Eternia
- Masters of the Universe (film)