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.
Tag Archives: He-Man
MOTU 1983 View-Master Gift Set
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 …
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!
A mixed bag of MOTU for your viewing pleasure
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!

Masters of the Universe 7 inch record story book. 1985. France.
1983 Masters of the Universe 7 inch record from France, and Secret of the Dragon’s Egg Super Adventure

Masters of the Universe 7 inch record. 1983. France.
Masters of the Universe Danish comic cover 1987
Two ads, Masters of the Universe toys
“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.
He-Man and Masters of the Universe transfers
Castle Greyskull maze puzzle page
Thanks for looking!
Masters of the Universe – vintage toy and merchandise adverts
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
Action figures, Dominatori Dell ‘Universo, Italy.
- Masters of the Universe original action figures. Italy. 1984.
- Masters of the Universe original action figures. Italy. 1986.
- Masters of the Universe original action figures. Italy. 1986.
- Masters of the Universe original action figures. Italy. 1986.

Masters of the Universe original action figures. Intertoys Speelboek 1987 Autumn Catalogue. Netherlands.
MOTU knockoffs?

Mighty Laser Lite Sword 1986 and Mighty Force Weapons Set 1987. Netherlands.
Updated October 2021 with new images.