In 1982 Star Wars was huge. Their toys dominated sales & Mattel needed an answer to compete.
After researching how young boys played with toys they settled on a much bigger, stronger figure than normal & names it He-Man.
An initial range of toys needed 8 figures with 4 major characters and 4 minor characters representing both good and evil.
However when Mattel showcased the line to ChildWorld, a snag was hit. How would kids know who these characters are they asked? On the spot Mattel replied we will have comics. & so comics were created.
2 weeks later at the showcase with Toys R Us, another snag was hit, if these toys are for 5 year olds, how will they read the comics? Again on the spot Mattel replied we will have animation specials. And so a Saturday morning cartoon was created.
With the cartoon capturing the imaginations of young minds, sales shot through the roof.
An estimate was made for $13 million of sales in their first year. They hit $38 million.
Unlike Star Wars which the content came first, Mattel created the Masters of the Universe line first and fueled the content from there.
Unintentionally Mattel created a new framework for the toy market.
They had the power indeed.