TIMELINE: 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1985. TOYS: DC Superhero cars, Golden Girl action figures, Karl May action figures, MOTU merchandise, Die Cast cars, Playmobil figures. MANUFACTURERS: Corgi, Mattel, Siso-Trend, Bburago, Inventive Concepts. COUNTRIES: US, Germany, Netherlands.
US. Weird War Tales. 1980.
Germany. 1985.
Germany. 1978.
Germany. 1982.
Germany. 1982.
US. Weird War Tales. 1980.
US. Weird War Tales. 1980.
Netherlands. 1979.
The latest addition to TVTA’s toy room is this superb 1983 View-Master MOTU gift set.
I must have been about nine the first time I looked through a View-Master – Planet of the Apes and Disney images are what I remember seeing, all in wonderful 3-D colour. It was like staring through two keyholes that promised magical lands, heroes and creatures… a whole new dimension to the wide-open eyes of the nine-year old me. If kaleidoscopes were the Stickle Bricks of the optical toy world, then View-Master was the Lego 🙂
So, onto the MOTU gift set, and fabulous secret powers were revealed to TVTA when we attempted to photograph a few sample images of He-Man and his pals direct from the View-Master. No easy task. Here are our (2D) results …
Onto the box, which hasn’t fared too badly over the years, and some attractive artwork along with a very pleasing overall design …
Front
Reverse – note the cut-out window through which light could enter, enabling you to view the images of a reel before purchasing the gift set.
Sides
Ends
And finally, a French ad featuring the gift set …
France. Pif Gadget. 1984.
Thank you for inserting “up for viewer” with us 🙂 Please check out our main View-Master page which has tons of stereoscopic delights for your eyes!
Masters of the Universe 7 inch record story book. 1985. France.
I love how they used the actual toys to illustrate the cover of this!
1983 Masters of the Universe 7 inch record from France, and Secret of the Dragon’s Egg Super Adventure
Masters of the Universe Danish comic cover 1987
Two ads, Masters of the Universe toys
Denmark. 1987.
Denmark. 1988.
“He-Man”
Mattel relaunched the Masters of the Universe toy line with a 1989 line called He-Man, which featured a more streamlined look for the action figures. The storyline shifted the adventures of He-Man and Skeletor away from Eternia and into outer space.
Denmark. 1990.
He-Man and Masters of the Universe transfers
Denmark. 1988.
Castle Greyskull maze puzzle page
Denmark. 1988. Image supplied by Jaltesorensen.
Masters of the Universe, sometimes referred to as MOTU or He-Man, is a franchise created in 1982 by Mattel. The brand quickly became, and still is, hugely popular, providing a range of action figures and playsets, video games, comics, books, an animated TV series, a feature film and many other items of merchandise sold internationally.
Fabulous secret powers were revealed to TVTA when we managed to get our mitts on a number of super cool MOTU adverts from around the world! Enjoy.
Action figures, Denmark
Denmark. Anders And & Co. 1984.
Denmark. Anders And & Co. 1987.
Denmark. Anders And & Co. 1985.
Denmark. Anders And & Co. 1987.
Denmark. Anders And & Co. 1986.
Denmark. Anders And & Co. 1986.
Denmark. Anders And & Co. 1986.
Action figures, Dominatori Dell ‘Universo, Italy.
Denmark. Master of the Universe. 1987.
UK. Hamleys Christmas Book. 1983.
Intertoys Speelboek 1987 Autumn Catalogue. Netherlands.
US. Amethyst. 1984.
US. Legion of Superheroes. 1984.
France. Pif Gadget. 1985.
France. Pif Gadget. 1983.
UK. Eagle and Tiger. 1985.
France. PIf Gadget. 1988.
Germany. 1982.
Germany. 1982.
Secret Wars N°14. 1985. UK.
Speelboom Club Journal. 1987. Netherlands.
Masters of the Universe. The Motion Picture. 1987
Mighty Laser Lite Sword 1986 and Mighty Force Weapons Set 1987. Netherlands.
Updated October 2021 with new images.
