Late He-Man Creator Roger Sweet Made Characters Worth Biting For

Late He-Man Creator Roger Sweet Made Characters Worth Biting For
A man who helped shape millions of childhoods.

By Nadia Oxford

Roger Sweet, the creator and designer behind He-Man, is dead at 91. This news hits hard for '80s kids of any stripe: The He-Man and the Masters of the Universe line (up to and including She-Ra, of course) offered something different for every kid. The toys and Filmation show had boy characters and girl characters alike, as well as monsters, cyborgs, and sentient animals that drift between the fences. 

Sweet’s great design sense and unique blend of sci-fi and fantasy characters are a big part of why Masters of the Universe is seeing a new film and a new game nearly 45 years after the toy line debuted. It definitely spoke to me.

I was expected to get into Barbie like every l'il girl, but I think Barbie tried too hard to appeal to a feminine heart that simply does not beat in my chest. However, I didn't find much solace in "boyish" franchises like Transformers, either. Well, not until Beast Wars. But I damn sure knew I loved the He-Man toys as soon as one of the kids living in our triplex brought his action figures out to play. It wasn't He-Man who captured my attention. And while Skeletor looked pretty damn sweet, it was actually Panthor who sank his fangs into my heart. 

When I saw my brother handle Skeletor's snarling, purple-flocked panther steed, I knew I had to have it. I said, "Gimme" as politely as possible, but as the second-born in the family, there was no way my brother was going to let me play with Panthor any time before sundown. So, I did what I had to. I bit him until he loosened his grip on the toy, then I grabbed it and dashed. My brother instantly squealed on me, so I had about five minutes of frolicking with Panthor before I was marched back upstairs and into my room. But what a blissful five minutes it was!

I have plenty more warm and weird memories about playing strange, disconnected games with the wonderful spray of magic monsters from the Masters of the Universe toyline. But for the moment, please take a moment raise your preferred sword in salute to one of the most creative minds of the 1980s. And let's work towards a world where the masters who create these legends can live comfortably and pass peacefully without leaving their families with massive medical debt.