Collector's Note: This figure is from a MOTU toy line from Portugal. The figures are very small, about an 1" or 1.5" tall. I'm not sure if is a legit, Mattel-licensed line or an unlicensed line. The quality and details of the sculpts are actually very nice, especially at such a small scale. I have more of the figures, all red, that I'll be posting more pics of in the future.
Edit: Be sure to check out Nuno Mata's informative post regarding these figures at his excellent blog, My Best Toys.
Name of Card Set: Masters of the Universe Production Company: Mattel, Inc. Distribution Company:The Topps Company, Inc. Year of Production: 1984 Pack Contents: 10 Cards, 1 sticker, 1 stick bubble gum
Details:
It’s barely longer than one minute, but to children who grew up in the 80’s, it is quite possibly the most recognizable one minute ever. Aside from the fact it is one of the best introductions to a show (ever!), it also captures the ‘feel’ of 80’s nostalgia better than almost any other piece of memorabilia. Just have a look:
Seriously…what kid wouldn’t get completely psyched at what was to come!!?? The show of course is He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Without a doubt, one of the best cartoons of the 80’s…based on one of the strongest and most collected toylines of the decade. Of course Topps released a card series to capitalize on the success…but sadly, it doesn’t quite hold up to the strength of the toys and television show.
At first glance, the set seems pretty strong. Topps used the familiar ‘multiple-wrappers’ strategy to draw in collectors (main image above). Also, the set was fairly large, consisting of 88 cards and 21 stickers…but once the initial ‘wow-factor’ wears off, the flaws in the production value begin to show through. The set is riddled with miscuts and lack of effort from the design team. Sure, all of the popular characters are captured in card-form, but aside from that there isn’t really anything to jump up and shout about.
The entire set tells a story…similar (if not identical) to one of the cartoon shows. The card fronts feature a picture of a particular scene, and the back contains a little synopsis…followed by a “continued on the next card…” message. The set is fairly plain – and sadly, one of the most unique features of the set is the interesting variation Topps took when it came to the checklist. Just take a look at how different it is from the typical checklist:
Don’t get me wrong…it’s still an incredibly cool set – but it just doesn’t come close to living up to how amazing the cartoon and toys were. That being said, a kick-butt non-sport card collection is NOT complete without a few samples from this undeniably-cool piece of the 80’s.
Name of Toy Line: M.U.S.C.L.E. (Millions of Unusual Small Creatures Lurking Everywhere) Production Company: Bandai Distributor: Mattel Characters and Elements: Yudetamago Years of Production: 1985-1987 Countries/Regions Available: United States, Canada, and the UK. Size/Scale: Approximately 2" tall Figure Trade Markings: (c) Y/S . N. T Approximate # of Figures: Hundreds
Details: There were approximately 230 M.U.S.C.L.E. sculpts available. M.U.S.C.L.E. figures were first produced and released in a Pink/Flesh color and then in 8 additional colors: Dark Blue, Red, Purple, Green, Light Blue, Magenta, Salmon, and Orange. (A few sculpts in an additional 9th color, Light Purple, were also available with a MUSCLE board game.)
Also of note, several unique Super Rare sculpts have been found that appear to be genuine M.U.S.C.L.E. figures -- not bootlegs -- but exist in extremely small numbers or are one-of-one.
Finally, M.U.S.C.L.E. has a unique history that includes roots in a Japanese keshi toy line called Kinnikuman.
They were released in 3 types of packaging: a 4-pack, a 10-pack, and a 28-pack. Pictured below is the 4-pack and the 10-pack garbage can. (You can see complete coverage of the 28-packs at Nathan's MUSCLE Blog! linked to below.)
Before you go, have a look at the three M.U.S.C.L.E. commercials that graced our television sets in the late 80's!
