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The Masters of the Universe Book
Celebrate the incredible world of the beloved 80s franchise with this treasure trove of images and stories from Masters of the Universe.
Relive childhood excitement and enjoy more than 30 years of He-Man, She-Ra, Skeletor and all the Masters of the Universe!
By the Power of Grayskull! The war for Eternia begins again in 2021! Officially licensed by Mattel, this stunning guide is a visual celebration of Masters of the Universe's enduring legacy, including artworks, sketches, posters and merchandise from the official archives.
With the continuation of He-Man's epic story, and a new CGI animated series both scheduled to release on Netflix in 2021, it's the perfect time to familiarise yourself with all the heroes, villains, amazing battles and incredible locations from your childhood. Explore the full history of the toys, minicomics, TV series and movies. Meet characters including Skeletor, Man-At-Arms, Teela, Battle Cat, Beast Man and She-Ra and track how they change through the decades, from 1982 to today. Go behind-the-scenes to discover what it took to create a franchise with phenomenal worldwide impact. There's also a sneak peak at the reboots, to find out how He-Man, one of the biggest icons of the 80s, is being restored to his former glory.
(c)Mattel. All rights reserved.
Relive childhood excitement and enjoy more than 30 years of He-Man, She-Ra, Skeletor and all the Masters of the Universe!
By the Power of Grayskull! The war for Eternia begins again in 2021! Officially licensed by Mattel, this stunning guide is a visual celebration of Masters of the Universe's enduring legacy, including artworks, sketches, posters and merchandise from the official archives.
With the continuation of He-Man's epic story, and a new CGI animated series both scheduled to release on Netflix in 2021, it's the perfect time to familiarise yourself with all the heroes, villains, amazing battles and incredible locations from your childhood. Explore the full history of the toys, minicomics, TV series and movies. Meet characters including Skeletor, Man-At-Arms, Teela, Battle Cat, Beast Man and She-Ra and track how they change through the decades, from 1982 to today. Go behind-the-scenes to discover what it took to create a franchise with phenomenal worldwide impact. There's also a sneak peak at the reboots, to find out how He-Man, one of the biggest icons of the 80s, is being restored to his former glory.
(c)Mattel. All rights reserved.
- GenresNonfiction
200 pages, Hardcover
First published December 28, 2021
3 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
Simon Beecroft
99 books13 followersSimon Beecroft is the New York Times bestselling author of LEGO Star Wars: The Visual Dictionary as well as many other Star Wars titles for children, including Star Wars The Clone Wars: Watch Out For Jabba the Hutt, Star Wars: Luke Skywalker’s Amazing Story, and Star Wars: Beware the Dark Side. He has also written books on subjects as diverse as dinosaurs, extreme weather, future technology, Nelson Mandela, Power Rangers, and the Fantastic Four.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 28, 2025
"I hope you enjoyed today's adventure. You know, television is not the only way to be entertained by an exciting story. There is another way -- it's called reading." -- He-Man's homily from the conclusion of the first season episode 'A Tale of Two Cities,' in 1983
Although sometimes cynically lumped in with other toy lines that became multi-product franchises during the mid-1980's - see also G.I. Joe and Transformers for arguably the most popular of the bunch - The Masters of the Universe usually placed a respectable third on that short list. Initially born out of toymaker Mattel's desire for a Conan the Barbarian-inspired line AND to rake in some of the mad cheddar earned since 1977 by competitor Kenner - who held the rights to the wildly favored Star Wars action figures, vehicles, and play-sets - they concocted a fresh strapping sword & sorcery adventure/drama involving a lead character with certain similarities to a few traditional comic book mainstays. (I won't be convinced otherwise that Superman / Clark Kent did not have some influence on the He-Man / Prince Adam dueling identities angle.) Experiencing a three-season run (1983-1986) as an afternoon TV cartoon, a 1987 silver-screen adaptation, several comic books series, and five good years worth of action figure mass production, The Masters of the Universe is at times fondly remembered by the Reagan-era kids who are now Gen-Xers reaching and/or well into middle-age. This book - loaded with illustrations and photographs, but somewhat superficial in its text - serves as a great print companion piece to the more thorough and much-recommended 2017 documentary Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. ⚔️💥
Although sometimes cynically lumped in with other toy lines that became multi-product franchises during the mid-1980's - see also G.I. Joe and Transformers for arguably the most popular of the bunch - The Masters of the Universe usually placed a respectable third on that short list. Initially born out of toymaker Mattel's desire for a Conan the Barbarian-inspired line AND to rake in some of the mad cheddar earned since 1977 by competitor Kenner - who held the rights to the wildly favored Star Wars action figures, vehicles, and play-sets - they concocted a fresh strapping sword & sorcery adventure/drama involving a lead character with certain similarities to a few traditional comic book mainstays. (I won't be convinced otherwise that Superman / Clark Kent did not have some influence on the He-Man / Prince Adam dueling identities angle.) Experiencing a three-season run (1983-1986) as an afternoon TV cartoon, a 1987 silver-screen adaptation, several comic books series, and five good years worth of action figure mass production, The Masters of the Universe is at times fondly remembered by the Reagan-era kids who are now Gen-Xers reaching and/or well into middle-age. This book - loaded with illustrations and photographs, but somewhat superficial in its text - serves as a great print companion piece to the more thorough and much-recommended 2017 documentary Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. ⚔️💥
January 1, 2022
A beautiful overview of the art and toys of MOTU- not a completely thorough guide, but interesting enough overview. Really enjoyed paging through the amazing concept art and being wowed by the execution of ideas, especially the She-Ra art. A terrific gift, and a good value for the cost
January 15, 2024
Fun and started me on my nostalgia berry rabbit hole trip to my past. But, a few typos, fluffy advertising text disguised as information and a general emptiness make it clear this isn’t meant to be read the way I read it. Still, was fun and pretty to look at. It springboarded me into more He-Man which will hopefully prove more entertaining.
September 19, 2022
I was going to give this book more stars before it ignored She-Ra and the Princesses of Power,the best series in the franchise.
July 28, 2022
El libro más poderoso que he leído este año, quizás en toda la década.
January 18, 2022
By the power of Grayskull, let’s discuss The Masters of the Universe Book written by Simon Beecroft, designed by Lisa Lanzarini, and published by DK and Penguin Random House. This comprehensive book is about the history of He-Man, She-Ra, and other Masters of the Universe characters.
The book starts at the beginning of He-Man, his origin story. After Mattel passed on making Star Wars toys, the company needed a fresh new franchise to rope in little boys, thus He-Man was born. Mattel researchers found a group of five-year-old boys marveled at super strength and suddenly lightbulbs went off for the toy designers and comic writers. The history of He-Man was interesting, however, the history of She-ra wasn't introduced until the middle of the book.
As with any franchise, the toys, figures, and dolls are an important part of the culture. The Masters of the Universe Book takes the time to spotlight individual figures throughout the chapters. Near the end of the book, the 2016 Super7 toy line is presented in all its glory. The figures are a crucial piece of the franchise and retail on sites like eBay for around thirty to two hundred American dollars. Despite the numerous pages about He-Man merchandise, one measly page is dedicated to She-Ra paraphernalia. As we will discuss in the next paragraph, the entirety of the 2018-2020 reboot of She-Ra is ignored including its toys, figures, and other limited merchandise. The Masters of the Universe Book could only scrounge up eight items of memorabilia, not even mentioning the official dolls of the original series. The book also conveniently fails to mention how She-Ra and her merchandise was all a marketing ploy by Mattel to sell more Masters of the Universe toys to young girls. Don’t get me wrong, a ploy I’m happy for as a She-Ra fan, but a ploy nonetheless.
Towards the end of the book, focus shifts to the modern day forms of He-Man and the Netflix reboot: Masters of the Universe: Revelation. The storyline resumes where the 1980s show left off and premiered on Netflix almost six months ago. Some of the games are discussed and the excitement for the new series is palpable. However; the book only briefly mentions the She-Ra reboot She-Ra and the Princesses of Power by showrunner Noelle Stevenson. Do Mattel, Dreamworks, and other media such as this book ignore the reboot because of the excellent LGBTQ+ and POC representation despite its large queer fandom? In the five season reboot, Adora, also known as She-Ra, is a young lesbian raised by the Horde. She later shares a kiss with fellow lesbian Catra in the final moments of the show. Bow and Glimmer, her best friends, are both people of color, along with numerous other princesses. The reboot also toned down the sex appeal of Adora and her She-Ra form seeing as she was a teenager in the beginning of the show, which upset many older grown men who were used to the 1980s She-Ra who was always only one misstep away from an exposed breast or a sword to the vulva. Could the She-Ra reboot have been left out on purpose to appease the oldest He-Man fans or was it purely accidental? We may never know for sure but speculation is certainly welcome.
Instead of a rating using ten stars, I’ve elected to use Castle Grayskulls to match the topic of the book. I have no choice but to rate The Masters of the Universe Book six Castle Grayskulls out of ten. Seeing as She-Ra was largely ignored meaning only half the universe of Masters of the Universe was discussed, I find this to be a fair rating. Despite my review, Simon Beecroft has written a number of fantastic books for fans of multiple universes such as Star Wars, Peanuts, and Tintin. I suggest you check him out.
The book starts at the beginning of He-Man, his origin story. After Mattel passed on making Star Wars toys, the company needed a fresh new franchise to rope in little boys, thus He-Man was born. Mattel researchers found a group of five-year-old boys marveled at super strength and suddenly lightbulbs went off for the toy designers and comic writers. The history of He-Man was interesting, however, the history of She-ra wasn't introduced until the middle of the book.
As with any franchise, the toys, figures, and dolls are an important part of the culture. The Masters of the Universe Book takes the time to spotlight individual figures throughout the chapters. Near the end of the book, the 2016 Super7 toy line is presented in all its glory. The figures are a crucial piece of the franchise and retail on sites like eBay for around thirty to two hundred American dollars. Despite the numerous pages about He-Man merchandise, one measly page is dedicated to She-Ra paraphernalia. As we will discuss in the next paragraph, the entirety of the 2018-2020 reboot of She-Ra is ignored including its toys, figures, and other limited merchandise. The Masters of the Universe Book could only scrounge up eight items of memorabilia, not even mentioning the official dolls of the original series. The book also conveniently fails to mention how She-Ra and her merchandise was all a marketing ploy by Mattel to sell more Masters of the Universe toys to young girls. Don’t get me wrong, a ploy I’m happy for as a She-Ra fan, but a ploy nonetheless.
Towards the end of the book, focus shifts to the modern day forms of He-Man and the Netflix reboot: Masters of the Universe: Revelation. The storyline resumes where the 1980s show left off and premiered on Netflix almost six months ago. Some of the games are discussed and the excitement for the new series is palpable. However; the book only briefly mentions the She-Ra reboot She-Ra and the Princesses of Power by showrunner Noelle Stevenson. Do Mattel, Dreamworks, and other media such as this book ignore the reboot because of the excellent LGBTQ+ and POC representation despite its large queer fandom? In the five season reboot, Adora, also known as She-Ra, is a young lesbian raised by the Horde. She later shares a kiss with fellow lesbian Catra in the final moments of the show. Bow and Glimmer, her best friends, are both people of color, along with numerous other princesses. The reboot also toned down the sex appeal of Adora and her She-Ra form seeing as she was a teenager in the beginning of the show, which upset many older grown men who were used to the 1980s She-Ra who was always only one misstep away from an exposed breast or a sword to the vulva. Could the She-Ra reboot have been left out on purpose to appease the oldest He-Man fans or was it purely accidental? We may never know for sure but speculation is certainly welcome.
Instead of a rating using ten stars, I’ve elected to use Castle Grayskulls to match the topic of the book. I have no choice but to rate The Masters of the Universe Book six Castle Grayskulls out of ten. Seeing as She-Ra was largely ignored meaning only half the universe of Masters of the Universe was discussed, I find this to be a fair rating. Despite my review, Simon Beecroft has written a number of fantastic books for fans of multiple universes such as Star Wars, Peanuts, and Tintin. I suggest you check him out.
January 15, 2022
A comprehensive history of MotU. From the very beginning of the toyline & mini-comics, through the Filmation series, and right up to modern day with the 2 new Netflix series.
Not quite as throurough as a normal DK visual dictionary, and a bit too simple & repetitive at times. Even so, the photos of all the toys and characters are sure to bring back some good memories and make you laugh at how ridiculous they all are.
Not quite as throurough as a normal DK visual dictionary, and a bit too simple & repetitive at times. Even so, the photos of all the toys and characters are sure to bring back some good memories and make you laugh at how ridiculous they all are.
January 5, 2026
This is a nice summary history of all things Masters of the Universe. Beecroft starts by describing how the impetus was to create a new toy line at Mattel to compete with the success of the toys from the new Star Wars films. Readers are brought through the design process and how that actully led the way to the character building and storytelling, which came later. Beecroft brings readers through the history of the expansion of characters over the seasons of the original He-Man cartoon and the ensuing spinoff for She-Ra before touching on the movie with Dolf Lundgren and a number of follow up cartoons on the Cartoon Network and Netflix.
I really enjoyed reading this. It was filled with nastalgia and brought back memories of watching the shows and playing with the toys. The book is filled with design drawings, pictures of action figures, and screen shots from various shows.
The author was surprisingly generous in not critiquing the Masters of the Universe movie that came out in 1986, but I could live with that. In the process of describing its development, it is easy for fans to see why it turned in to what it did.
Fans of the He-Man and She-Ra really need to read this one.
I really enjoyed reading this. It was filled with nastalgia and brought back memories of watching the shows and playing with the toys. The book is filled with design drawings, pictures of action figures, and screen shots from various shows.
The author was surprisingly generous in not critiquing the Masters of the Universe movie that came out in 1986, but I could live with that. In the process of describing its development, it is easy for fans to see why it turned in to what it did.
Fans of the He-Man and She-Ra really need to read this one.
January 14, 2022
I LOVE this book and am so HAPPY to have it!
Whether you're new to "Masters" or were part of the fantasy from the beginning, this hardback book is a perfect tome for both casual and hardcore fans alike. Each incarnation of MotU is touched upon, from its earliest Frazetta concepts * to its fleshed-out Filmation heyday and subsequent revivals * to the newest Netflix shows (the good CGI one and the bad Revelation one - only the ugly She-Ra remake isn't included). Plus there's loads of cool artwork, photos, behind-the-scenes stories, and character bios. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of the original, unproduced 1980s Princess of Power toy designs which I had never seen before. Well designed, well written, and filled with magic!
I did notice a couple of misspelled names (attention, editors).
Whether you're new to "Masters" or were part of the fantasy from the beginning, this hardback book is a perfect tome for both casual and hardcore fans alike. Each incarnation of MotU is touched upon, from its earliest Frazetta concepts * to its fleshed-out Filmation heyday and subsequent revivals * to the newest Netflix shows (the good CGI one and the bad Revelation one - only the ugly She-Ra remake isn't included). Plus there's loads of cool artwork, photos, behind-the-scenes stories, and character bios. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of the original, unproduced 1980s Princess of Power toy designs which I had never seen before. Well designed, well written, and filled with magic!
I did notice a couple of misspelled names (attention, editors).
January 6, 2023
A great general overview of the He-Man franchise over the years. Lots of great pictures and fun tidbits of information I hadn't previously read elsewhere. If you have any nostalgia for He-Man at all, you'll love this book.
January 27, 2022
Essential for any He-Man fan
February 20, 2022
My review of this book can be found on my YouTube Vlog at:
https://youtu.be/DL7hiC0rUy4
Enjoy!
https://youtu.be/DL7hiC0rUy4
Enjoy!
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March 14, 2022A nice overview of the He-Man (and connected) franchise(s), including comics, shows, and merch.
April 9, 2023
This is a wonderful trip down memory lane. There is some She-Ra toy art that I don’t recall having seen before. The one thing that’s missing is coverage of the Dreamworks She-Ra series.
September 1, 2023
Good overview of the He-Man franchise, but frequent typos in the text are distracting.
October 29, 2023
This is a wonderful book that gives an overview of all the Masters of the Universe toys, cartoons and comics. More detail would have been good, but it is still a great book.
January 14, 2024
Really good reference and guide to the history of Masters of the Universe. Really enjoyed it .
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews