Mattel Creations Origins Camo Khan Card Art Teases
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Durring this year’s SDCC we got the grand reveal of the Snake Men coming to MOTU Origins in 2023. As we previously covered in our two articles Snake Men coming to MOTU Origins in 2023 and More Snake Men coming to Origins in 2023, thanks to our friends at @canaldosrosmineiros predicted that several Snake Men would be joining the MOTU Origins line in 2023! Well in classic Mattel style, they love to tease upcoming figures in the card art packages. Well, the Mattel Creations exclusive Camo Khan card back is FILLED to the brim with amazing character, creature and playset teases, so we are here to cover them! So in today’s article, we explore MOTU Origins Camo Khan Card Art Teases!
Below we can see images from Axel Gimenez’s Instagram page of both the front and back card back art for Camo Khan. It is absolutely spilling over with tons of amazing characters, creatures and playset teases!
Front Card Art
With absolutely stunning artwork by Axel Gimenez, the front of the Camo Khan card back features all sorts of exciting MOTU characters. We can see a host of Powers of Grayskull characters. We have Megator, King Hiss riding the Tyrantisaurus Rex. We can also see Tung Lashor, Rattlor, Squeeze and Snake Face, who were also teased to be coming to the Origins line! King Grayskull is riding Bionatops, and as we saw on the Eternia display, there was an Origins version of King Grayskull as well! We already saw Rattlor and King Hiss revealed at SDCC just last month, so we know those Snake Men are coming! Then we see teases of Moss Man and Sharella, as we covered in Wun-Dar Card Art Teases New MOTU Origins Characters. Also pictured is Eldor, Turbodactyl and Tytus as well! Also illustrated is Castle Grayskull and the recently revealed Eternia playset! There are so many characters here that we have either predicted thru previous card art teases or haven gotten leaks on, so it is very exciting to see these characters on this artwork!
Back Card Art
On the back of the card back, we get a mini comic story. Unfortunately, the resolution isn’t great, so it’s hard to make out the text. but we can definitely see the amazing illustrations! Again, more stunning artwork by Axel Gimenez, the back of the Camo Khan card back features more exciting MOTU characters. We can see Lazer Light Skeletor in the along with the yet to be announced Snake Mountain in the background. We see the host of Powers of Grayskull characters from the front card art as well. Here we see King Hiss illustrated again sitting on a throne with a host of other henchmen. Also Camo Khan is shown coming thru a magical portal with Terroar and Lord Gr’asp, approaching Laser Power He-Man and Moss-Man.
Powers of Grayskull
Prominently featured on the Camo Khan card back artwork are a ton of Powers of Grayskull characters. We are now several years into the line, and maybe it’s about time we dive deeper into this exciting subline. A line that only had a few characters produced back in 1988, was never fully developed by Mattel because the line’s popularity was dying out by then. It included fantastic new characters, giants and the world of Preternia filled with robotic dinosaurs! It would be a dream come true if Mattel were to build out the Powers of Grayskull line!
According to Wiki Grayskull:
The Powers of Grayskull was a spinoff from the Masters of the Universe brand. Beginning in 1987, it was intended to show the prehistory of Eternia. However, the line was aborted early, and very few products were ever released.
The Powers of Grayskull | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
Super7 made an attempt to partially resurrect the Powers of Grayskull line in 2018 with their two Wave 2 releases of previously unreleased prototype figures He-Ro and Eldor in their Vintage Style 5.5″ line. The artwork and Powers of Grayskull cardback logos looked absolutely stunning! Could you imagine this being a whole separate subline from Mattel?
Tytus
Tytus, one of the last produced characters of the Vintage Masters of the Universe Line, and one of two giants, is prominently featured on the front of the card back art whelding his giant hammer! Both Giants, Tytus and Megator are both illustrated on Camo Khan’s card back art, so could Mattel be planning to release their two Powers of Grayskull giants? Can’t wait to find out!
According to Wiki Grayskull:
Tytus is a giant aligned with the forces of good. He is a contemporary of King Grayskull and He-Ro from the Preternian era, when the Ancients were threatened by the Snake Men. The character was developed for Mattel‘s “The Powers of Grayskull toy line, a spinoff of the declining Masters of the Universe franchise that would explore the heroes and villains of prehistoric Eternia. However, plans for the line were scrapped, and Tytus was only made available in Europe as one of the last figures under the Masters of the Universe brand. As a result, he appears in little (if any) of the 1980s fiction, and is among the most obscure characters in the franchise.
Tytus | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
The vintage Tytus action figure can be see below, and was only released in Italy and Spain. The original box art for the Tytus shows him battling against King Hiss along with He-Ro. It also describes his role in the world of Preternia. How cool would it be to get a Tytus in the Origins line with rooted hair!
We already know we are getting King Hiss, who was revealed at SDCC, so are we also going to get one of my personal favorites, He-Ro? I would to see an Origins version of the unproduced He-Ro figure with Vac Metal chest armor!
Megator
Megator, was the second of the two giants last produced for the Vintage Masters of the Universe Line, and is prominently featured on the front of the card back art spinning his giant spiked mace! Tytus and Megator are both illustrated here, so could Mattel be planning to release their two Powers of Grayskull giants? Only time will tell, but it is so exciting to see them here.
Megator, evil Giant Destroyer was one of the last vintage Masters of the Universe characters to be released in 1988. One of two giants, Megator and Titus, the two rarest of the MOTU vintage figures, was released only in Europe, primarily in Italy. Originally designed to be part of the spin off “Powers of Grayskull” line, Megator and Titus were still released with the Masters of the Universe logos on their packaging. Megator, the green giant evil warrior stands 15″ tall and came with real rooted hair. He included a spring-loaded right leg for a kicking action feature, and he came with a spiked ball and chain.
Eldor
Eldor is a fun one, as he was one of the unproduced prototype characters of the “Powers of Grayskull” spin off line that never came to fruition in the 1980’s Masters of the Universe Line. He can be seen in the card art standing next to Moss Man and Tytus. How cool would it be if Mattel starts to build out the entire Powers of Grayskull line under another subline of Masters! Could we perhaps see a He-Ro as well with Vac Metal Chest Armor? That would be amazing!
Prototype images of Eldor and He-Ro had been around for many years, but we never got these figures as kids. But in 2019, thanks to bay area based Super7, we finally got Eldor & He-Ro figures as part of the Masters of the Universe Vintage Style 5.5″ collection. Eldor known as the Heroic Guardian of the Book of Living spells, looks just like his prototype images! The giant tri-fold book works like a magic trick and changes images by alternating the way the book is opened. You can read all about Eldor’s creation and back story on the Eldor: (1987/2019) battleramblog.com.
Source: Eldor battleramblog.com
Source: Eldor battleramblog.com
King Grayskull
King Grayskull is a character that has already come to the Masterverse line and was featured in the first season of the animated series Masters of the Universe Revelations. Well it looks like he is coming to MOTU Origins as we already got a sneek peek at King Grayskull perched ontop of the Eternia Display at San Diego Comic Con. King Grayskull looked stunning with his furry lined soft goods cape! Seeing how finished King Grayskull looked, it’s only a matter of time before he is officially announced and goes into full production.
According to Wiki Grayskull:
500 years before the time of He-Man, King D’Vann Grayskull was teaching his young sons D’Are and Ro how to use a sword, when the Snake Men attacked the Hall of Wisdom, together with a their newfound ally, the Orlax of Primeria. The Orlax picked up young D’Are with one of its tentacles, causing the young boy to fall into a deep sleep immediately. Grayskull found himself unable to hurt the creature with his sword. The Elders explained to him that it existed in two different dimensions at once, and that it would needed to be inflicted in both dimensions simultaneously. Grayskull had to forge himself a new weapon, using a special kind of dark ore he obtained from Scare Glow in the realm of Subternia and with the help of Trollan Magesmiths.
King Grayskull | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
By merging the newly created sword with his own Preternian weapon, he created the Sword of Power that would be used by him and many champions of Eternia to follow. Grayskull was finally able to defeat the Orlax and cut off the limb that held his son. Unfortunately, young D’Are did not awake from his slumber. Grayskull’s wife, Veena, realized that he had not been poisoned, but the Orlax’s touch formed a psychic connection too strong for human minds to process. She concluded that the Orlax may have merely been trying to communicate with them. When the Orlax attacked again, a visiting hero from the future used his own sword to cut off another of the beast’s tentacles.
King Grayskull | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
Source: King Grayskull | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
After mentioning that the creature was called the Orlax, the Hero suggested that King Grayskull might disguise the location of the Hall of Wisdom and encouraged young Ro to keep training with his father. He then left with the second severed limb to go back to his own time.[1]
The Council of Elders cast a spell to make their Hall of Wisdom appear as a far more ominous looking castle, with a helmeted skull as part of its facade. This version became name as Castle Grayskull, named after D’Vann, which the hero admittedly found a dubious honor. Grayskull later passed on the Sword of Power to his son Ro, who became known as He-Ro.
As a reward for all the heroic deeds he performed during his lifetime, Grayskull was awarded a place in the Eternian heaven, Preternia, where he was allowed to spend eternity with other heroes of Eternia, many of whom carried the Sword of Power after Grayskull and He-Ro’s time. [2]
King Grayskull | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
Source: King Grayskull | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
Grayskull took part in the Wild Hunt by riding a Bionatops and won first prize by catching up to his prey, a purple panthor, and grabbing it in a headlock before allowing it to roam free once more.
A group of mortals led by Teela visited Preternia in order to reforge the split halves of the Sword of Power. Grayskull talked to Teela at a campfire and promised to bring her to a portal inside Grayskull Tower that led back to the land of the living. When Adam inquired why Grayskull had never used it himself, he answered that he had discovered he had not been truly living until he entered the afterlife and did not want to leave. Besides, once he left, he would not be allowed back into Preternia.
Still, Adam decided to return to the land of the living with Teela and her companions. Grayskull was there to bid them goodbye.
Powers of Grayskull Creatures
Tyrantisaurus Rex
There are several robotic dinosaurs illustrated on Camo Khan’s card back art, but Tyrantisaurus Rex takes center stage on the card art! King Hiss can be seen riding ontop the ginormous dinosaur leading the charge of a legion of Snake Men!
If you’ve been following any of our previous card art tease articles, Mattel has been known to tease us of upcoming releases thru their card art and then actually producing the characters into the Origins line. Well, the fact that these bionic Dinos are so prominently illustrated on this card art gives us hope to some amazing things to come!
Below we can see what the original vintage packaging looked like for Tyrantisaurus Rex. As you can see, altought the packaging keeps the MOTU logo, they dropped they Master of the Universe red rock burst themed packaging and went with a new style for the Powers of Grayskull.
According to: Battle Ram Blog:
The earliest design artwork for a MOTU T-Rex comes from Alan Tyler. His take on the concept is quite different from what followed. The design below doesn’t have any external cybernetic parts. Aside from the pop out opening in the back, it looks like a fairly realistic tyrannosaurus. The “drone” is actually an organic creature instead of a mechanical one.
A hatch on the back of the figure opens up to allow an action figure to sit. A hatch on the stomach stores the “Dyna-Drone” (a wind-up spinning toy), which can be launched from the figure’s belly. There is a removable blue gun that attaches to the dinosaur’s right shoulder, and the mouth is articulated.
Tyrantisaurus Rex: Most Terrifying Dinosaur in the land of Preternia (1987) – Battle Ram (battleramblog.com)
Source: Tyrantisaurus Rex 1987 Battle Ram Blog
Source: Tyrantisaurus Rex 1987 Battle Ram Blog
Here we can see what the cross sell art work looked like for Tyrantisaurus-Rex. It demonstrated his action feature springing into action! On the left we can see what the actual production image looked like.
Source: Tyrantisaurus Rex 1987 Battle Ram Blog
Bionatops
Bionatops can be spotted on both the front and rear of the Camo Khan card art with King Grayskull riding ontop of him, leading the heroic warriors. He is depicted in his classic look of a green Triceratops dinosaur. Again, this the second of three bionic dinosaurs illustrated on the card art.
Bionatops was originally released in 1987 by Mattel as part of the Powers of Grayskull subline. A horned dinosaur from the land of Preterina, Bionatops was associated with the Heroic Warriors. He sported cannons on his head for the Heroic Warriors to use to help battle the Evil Warriors. A complete vintage Bionatops can cost a pretty penney, so if Mattel releases these are part of the Origins line, it would give collectors who always wanted one another chance to own him!
Below is pictured the vintage Bionatops package both front and back. You can see the Powers of Grayskull vintage packaging and beautiful illustration of He-Man riding atop Bionatop on the back of the package.
Also pictured below is a concept sketch for Bionatops and then what the actual 1987 production version of the creature looks like.
Turbodactyl
Often seen illustrated flying high over the towers of Preternia, Turbodactyl is the last of the bionic dinosaurs illustrated on the Camo Khan artwork. Turbodactyl, the flying dino was also originally released in 1987 by Mattel under the Powers of Grayskull subline.
It’s hard to make out who is illustrated on the back of Turbodactyl, but again, this would be an exciting character to add to the Origins line.
You can see images below of his vintage packaging and the actual production figure. He had jetpacks built in under his wings as part of his Bionic features. Turbodactyl too was packaged under the Powers of Grayskull subline and the packaging looked spectacular! It’s hard to tell who is illustrated on the package riding him, but again it could have been another exciting unproduced character.
Rise of the Snake Men
Tung Lashor
As featured in our Snake Men coming to MOTU Origins in 2023,, Tung Lashor was one of the Snake Men to be leaked by our friends at CANAL DOS ROSMINEIROS to be also be rumored to be coming to Origins Line in 2023! We can see Tung Lashor on the front of the card back standing next two King Hiss riding the Tyrantisaurus Rex. And you can make out Sssqueeze in the background next to the T-Rex.
Source: Axel (@axel.gimenez) • Instagram photos and videos
Tung Lashor, first introduced by Mattel in 1986, was the first of the Snake Men to be released. He was made of all new parts and resembled the look of a poison dart frog, more than a snake. He featured a unique 3 figured hand design that resembled a tree frog. His bright pink and purple colored body really stood out and he sported a green Snake Men logo on his chest. He come with his own distinct action feature, his signature lashing tongue! This action feature was activated by rolling the wheel on his back and it made the tongue dart in and out of Tung Lashor’s mouth. He came with a purple snake staff and teal colored dragon fly cross bow.
According to the Wiki Grayskull
Tung Lashor was introduced into the MOTU toyline in 1986. He first appears in the “King of the Snake Men” minicomic, in which he and Rattlor are called from another dimension by King Hiss. When they appear, Kobra Khan says they “are from the Evil Horde on Etheria!”, but both Snake Men swear allegiance again to their former leader King Hiss, explaining that after his banishment they felt they had nowhere to go other than to serve the Horde.
Although the Snake Men as a group never appear on the toy-line’s accompanying cartoon series Tung Lashor appears in She-Ra as a member of the Evil Horde. He is one of several newer characters from the toy line to be featured on the She-Ra’s Princess of Power cartoon series in order to promote the toy in the absence of the He-Man series, discontinued to make way for She-Ra.
Tung Lashor | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
vintage illustrated image
Source: Wiki Grayskull
Tung Lashor’s action feature is controlled by a ridged dial embedded in the middle of his back. Turning the dial causes his long, flexible tongue to extend from his open mouth, simulating a quick, lashing strike. This feature pairs perfectly with his snake-like head sculpt, bright yellow eyes, and fanged mouth, giving the vintage Masters of the Universe figure an interactive, reptilian attack that adds to his menacing Snake Men persona.
Tung Lashor comes equipped with a blue crossbow styled with insect-like wing details and a dark blue staff topped with a coiled snake, its head raised and mouth open as if ready to strike.
The vintage Masters of the Universe Tung Lashor packaging features a vivid red and orange card with the MOTU logo at the top and the Snake Men emblem beneath it, showing two green serpents flanking a wide-open snake mouth behind the character’s name. The front window displays Tung Lashor in the blister bubble, revealing his bright orange chest with the green snake emblem, purple-and-pink body patterning, and both of his accessories tucked at the bottom. A callout on the left notes his forked tongue feature, which lashes out to strike enemies. On the back, the card art depicts Tung Lashor emerging from swampy reeds, stunning an unsuspecting foe with his extended tongue. Below the scene, illustrated instructions show how to activate his action feature by turning the dial on his back to shoot the tongue out, then turning it in the opposite direction to retract it. The bottom panel highlights his two included weapons—a serpent staff and a dragonfly crossbow—emphasizing his dual attack capabilities.
front card back
Source: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
rear card back
Source: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
We already got a peek at Tung Lashor at the Eternia Display at San Diego Comic Con, and the fact that he was there and has been teased on so many card backs guarantees that we should be getting him in the Origins line! Tung Lashor looks absolutely amazing with his bright purple color scheme and long teal tongue hanging out! Let’s hope he retains his Tung Lashing action feature!
Sssqueeze
As we covered in our More Snake Men coming to Origins in 2023 article, our friends at CANAL DOS ROSMINEIROS revealed that additional Snake Men were coming to Origins in 2023 which included King Hiss, Snake Face and Sssqueeze. Well we already say Kiss Hiss revealed at this year’s SDCC. And now we get teases of Sssqueeze on the Camo Khan Package.
Sssqueeze has got to be the most unusual of the Snake Men, with his large snake like wrapping arms! Released by Mattel in 1987, Sssqueeze with bright lime green skin color and large wrapping arms was a blast for kids to play with! His arms were made of a flexbile rubber with a wire wrapping around inside that allowed you to pose him in fun squeezing positions. Watch out He-Man or your gonna get the SSSQUEEZE!! Just like the other Snake Men, this figure too was a totally new sculpt. Squeeze did include the spring-loaded waste and was wearing purple chest armor with the green Snake Men logo. He came with an extra-long purple snake pet. This is one character I currently don’t own in my personal collection, but now after researching him, I am going to have to pick one up!
According to the Wiki Grayskull:
Sssqueeze is a character in the Masters of the Universe franchise, He is a member of the Snake Men, who has the power to elongate his arms.
Sssqueeze first appears in the minicomic “Revenge of the Snake Men!“, where King Hiss summons him and Snake Face from the dimension where the Snake Men are trapped. He gets little character development, with Snake Face‘s powers being the main focus of the comic. Sssqueeze also appears in the minicomic “Energy Zoids“, where Rotar takes his long arm and uses him as a living mace. Sssqueeze also appears in the Marvel Comics series, first in issue #8, where he is depicted as a member of the Evil Horde, and later he makes a cameo in issue #12 as a member of the recently arrested Snake Men.
Sssqueeze | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
Source: Sssqueeze | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
Source: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Source: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Source: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Snake Face
Snake Face was also covered in our More Snake Men coming to Origins in 2023 article. He has been also teased on the back of the Snake Armor He-Man Card Art as shown above. Now we seen in very subtly on the Camo Khan card art standing next to the already announced Rattlor and King Hiss.
Snake Face was also a very unique character and all new sculpt for the vintage line. Released in 1987, this most gruesome of the Snake Men Warriors featured an eye & mouth popping snakes feature which would turn his enemies to stone! Activated by the action lever on his back, the snakes would pop out of his mouth, eyes and shoulders! Due to this action feature, Snake Face did not have the waist twist feature, nor neck articulation. His arms even had snakes wrapping around them. His body was a completely new sculpt with intricate details on his chest and arms. He also sported the Snake Men logo on his chest. Snake Face came packaged with the usual snake staff in green, and a snake themed shield as well.
According to the Wiki Grayskull:
Snake Face first appears in the minicomic “Revenge of the Snake Men!“, where King Hiss summons him and Sssqueeze from the dimension where the Snake Men are trapped. Snake Face’s powers are the main focus of the comic, since he uses them against Prince Adam, Extendar and The Sorceress, who disguises herself as Queen Marlena. He-Man uses his Power Sword to revert the effect and, not long after that, in a battle in Viper Tower, He-Man turns all the Snake Men into stone, by reflecting Snake Face’s power of petrifaction back at them. Snake Face also appears in the minicomic “Energy Zoids“, where he transforms Rotar into stone to capture him and later makes him fight against the new Evil Warrior, Twistoid.
Snake Face | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
Source: Snake Face | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
Source: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Source: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Terroar, Lord Gr’asp & Reptilax
Lord Gr’asp & Terroar can seen in multiple locations of the Camo Khan Card art. Illustrated standing by King Hiss’ throne and also coming thru a portal with Camo Khan, Lord Gr’asp & Terroar along with Reptilax, an unproduced Classics concept, look ready to attack.
Source: Axel (@axel.gimenez) • Instagram photos and videos
Terroar, and Lord Gr’Asp were part of a 2017 PowerCon exclusive3 pack that included Terroar, Plasmar & Lord Gr’Asp.
Reptilax part of the Snake Men Evil Warriors is an unproduced characters, so it is very interesting to see him illustrated on the back of the Camo Khan Card art! He did appear in the vintage mini comc “King of the Snake Men”, and was featured illustrated on the cover. He looked to be a half human, half Snake Man character, with a snake like head & feet but with human torso, arms and legs.
Heroic Warriors
Laser Power He-Man
Featured one Camo Khan card back art, you can see a very clear image of Laser Power He-Man! This is very exciting to think that we might be getting a Laser Power He-Man since he is one of the rarest vintage figures of the line! Back in 1988, the Masters of the Universe line’s popularity was waning and Laser Power He-Man was one of two final figures for Mattel. Similar to Laser Light Skeletor, Laser Power He-Man had a light up feature through his Power sword when held in his right hand
According to the Battle Ram Blog:
Laser Power He-Man was released Italy and Spain a year after the end of the Masters of the Universe toyline in the US. He was a figure most North American fans were not aware of until they discovered it online years later. That was certainly true for me. Because the figure was produced in limited numbers overseas, it’s one of the most expensive vintage He-Man toys to acquire today. (Update: I’m also informed that there was some distribution of Laser Power He-Man in Switzerland. Thanks to Olmo for the information.)
As with Laser Light Skeletor, the figure’s light up feature is activated by raising his right arm. A wire is snaked from the sword, under the armor on the right arm (which seems to exist only to hide the wire) and into the backpack. The light in the sword is powered by an AA battery that fits in the backpack.
The Italy release (shown below) has the newly sculpted head, which some have speculated is supposed to resemble Dolph Lundgren, who played He-Man in the 1987 Masters of the Universe Movie. Alternatively, it could resemble some actor who might have starred in the (never produced) interactive He-Man TV show. That’s purely speculative – they might not have had any actors in mind for the series. Looking at this and the early prototype closely, however, I think the most likely interpretation is that it’s just supposed to look like the original He-Man’s face sculpt, but with a more neutral expression and updated hair. Like Laser-Light Skeletor, all of Laser Power He-Man’s tooled parts are unique to the figure
Laser Power He-Man: Heroic Master of Light Energy (1988) – Battle Ram (battleramblog.com)
Source: Laser Power He-Man: Battle Ram Blog
Source: Laser Power He-Man: Battle Ram Blog
Source: Laser Power He-Man: Battle Ram Blog
Laser Power He-Man was one of the two remaining deluxe release figures of the vintage Masters of the Universe line in 1988. He had a light up power sword feature powered by his backpack. The light up feature was activated by putting the Power Sword in his hand. By the time this figure was released, the line’s popularity had died out in the United States, so it was released in Italy and Spain. Today, Laser Light He-Man and Laser Light Skeletor are of the highest valued figures of the entire MOTU vintage line and fetch triple digits!
Source: Laser Power He-Man: Battle Ram Blog
Source: Laser Power He-Man: Battle Ram Blog
Laser Power He-Man can with two variants of his head. The first was the original vintage head design, but was later changed to resemble Dolph Lundren who was then starring in the Masters of the Universe Motion Picture.
Source: 1988 Mattel Italy Laser Power He-Man (collectorarchive.com)
Moss Man
I know fans have been yearning for Moss Man to join the Origins Line for some time now. He has been teased to us now through 3 different packaging illustrations and now in this latest mini comic “Lost Legend” from Wundar. Now we see him once again on the Camo Khan card art standing next to Lazer Light He-Man, and he can be seen on the front standing next to Eldor. That makes 4 packages now, come on Mattel, it’s about time you give us the flocked Mossy we all want so badly! A flocked Moss Man would be a perfect Mattel Creations exclusive.
Known as the ever so gentle friend of the forest, Moss Man is a man made of moss, who can camouflage himself into foliage and other green vegetation, as well as control all plant life. Released by Mattel in 1985, the heroic spy and master of camouflage, Moss Man was the first and only flocked action figure (if you don’t count Panthor as he is a beast) of the Masters of the Universe Vintage Toy Line. He also had another really cool feature, his fresh piney smell! I just loved how Moss Man smelled like the pine forest!
Moss Man was also released in the famous 1985 Heroic Warriors 3 pack, along with Buzz-Off and Mekaneck.
Next, we got a new Moss Man released in the 2010 Masters of the Universe Classics line. This version of Moss Man was also flocked and done very well. He came packed with 2 heads, a vintage style head and a more modern looking head, with un-flocked ears, as seen below.
The next version we got of Moss Man was the 2001 Mattel Commemorative version, that looked just like the vintage figure, flocked and smelling of pine! And the last version we just got in the new 2021 Masterverse Line. And for the first time ever, Moss Man was not flocked, but looking very viney and tree like! I have to say, this did really bother me at first, so much so, that I attempted to flock my Revelations Moss Man, but I think people got used to him looking this way. Mattel, don’t even think about not flocking the Origins Moss Man!
Moss Man only appeared in two episodes of the 1980’s Filmation Cartoon. The first was “Here, There, Skeletors Everywhere” and the second was “The Ancient Mirror of Avathar.” Here, There, Skeletors Everywhere portrays Moss Mas as a heroic spy that secretly observes danger by turning himself into plantlife. The The Ancient Mirror of Avathar, has Moss Man using his abilities to turn his arms into vines, thereby rescuing his friends, as well as communicating with plants to also help in the rescue. He had a short cameo appearance in the He-Man and She-Ra: A Christmas Special, where Moss Man appeared in the background at Prince Adam and Princess Adora‘s birthday party. You can see what Moss Man looked like in the 1980’s Filmation cartoon below.
Originally appearing in two mini comics ” The Secret Liquid Life” and ” The Stench of Evil”, and then later in the 1980’s Filmation cartoon, Moss Man became a fan favorite! In the Stench of Evil, Moss Man helps fight off the evil stench of Stinkor!
Source: He-Man.org Forums
Source: He-Man.org Forums
Source: He-Man.org Forums
Source: He-Man.org Forums
As we covered before, Moss Man has been illustrated on several card back artwork, as we covered in our article Masters of the Universe Origins Teased Figures From Card Art. We first saw Moss Man on Stinkor’s card back where he looked like he was emerging from the bushes to take on the evil warrior with the power of stink! You can see him with a fierce look on his face, armed with his mace and ready for battle! If you weren’t paying attention, you might have missed the arm coming out of the ground from the side of the Eternian Palace Guard box with the classic mace busting through the ground. We then saw Moss Man on the Flying Fists He-Man card art, ironically holding a torch, and as well all know, it was fire that did him in the Masters of the Universe Revelation Netflix series, but I am sure this battle turned out great for him!
The latest iteration we have seen of Moss Man is in the new upcoming mini comic “Lost Legend” that comes packaged with the new Mattel Creations exclusive Wun-Dar. In it, Wun-Dar battles a purple Cyclops that has appeared on box art before. On the inside, Sharella and Moss-Man are also featured in the mini comic in the main story, which is great news as collectors have been clamoring for Moss Man in Origins.
Sharella
Sharella, is a fairly new character and appeared for the first time on the Wun-Dar comic and card back art. She is now shown on the Camo Khan Front Card art poised with a bow and arrow, ready to attack and standing next to King Grayskull riding Bionatops. Sharella is actually the Goddess. According to MOTU Lore and as written on the character bio for MOTU Classics, the Goddess’s real name is Sharella. But who really is Sharella and where did she come from?
According to the MOTU Classics Goddess Bio:
After the death of King Grayskull, the Power of the Universe was transferred from the Sword of He to the Council of Elders who hid it deep within his castle. Knowing the full sword was the key to channeling the power, they split it in two to prevent it from falling into the hands of evil. For five centuries they waited for a worthy heir to be born. During this time their spirit guide, the creature known as “The Goddess” of Etheria, trained secret heroic guardian to keep the two halves of the sword separated. Many of these brave warriors took the name “He-Man” in honor of the sword they protected giving birth to many different legends of the protector of Eternia.
According WikiGrayskull:
The Masters of the Universe Classics toy line has combined elements from all previous continuities, and as such has restored the Goddess to a position of importance in Eternian history. According to the biographies printed on the toys, the Goddess is Sharella, a spirit guide who consulted the Council of Elders between the death of King Grayskull and the lifetime of Prince Adam some 500 years later. During this time the Goddess trained “secret heroic guardians” such as Vikor, Wun-Dar, and Oo-Larr to protect the two halves of Grayskull’s “Sword of He” until a worthy heir emerged. The Classics storyline has yet to present any information about her activities during the present day, or her relationship (if any) with the Sorceress, Teela, and Prince Adam.
Goddess | Wiki Grayskull | Fandom
Sharella was originally conceived to part a heroic character in the mostly unproduced Powers of Grayskull line of 1987. She was seen on the box art for the Megator package running in the background. She was thought to have come with a Sword, bow, and quiver with arrows. Unfortunately for all of us, she was never produced as a figure in the 1987 Powers of Grayskull line.
Unfortunately, Sharella has never been an officially produced action figure, but if the Origins line makes a figure of her, they are going way deep into MOTU lore, and that is super exciting! Here we can see a custom by Hunter Knight. Created by using a Battleground Teela figure with a sculpted top and also re-sculpted lower arms. Her quiver was donated from a Young Justice Artemis action figure with new sculpted details and her bow is a cast from a Legolas figure with additional details, HKC did a magnificent job! So, this give you a little bit of an idea of what Sharella might look like in action figure form! So you could imagine Mattel using a Teela Origins buck as a basis for this figure.
Starring on the Wun-Dar comic card back art and in the packed in mini comic “Lost Legend”. In the mini comic, Wun-Dar also refers to Sharella as “The Goddess”. Sharella seems to be a pivitol character in the story. On the Comic Cardback art, we can see Sharella whelding a bow and arrow coming to Wun-Dar’s rescue, as he battles a storm of evil glowing skeleton warriors.
Evil Warriors
Laser Light Skeletor
Laser Light Skeletor is featured very prominently on the back of Camo Khan’s card back art! He can be seen multiple times illustrated throughout the comic. He is seen shooting out his laser beam, sitting on his throne and commanding his evil henchmen Camo Khan to attack! One of the rarest of the original vintage action figures, Laser Light Skeletor is a sought after a very expensive vintage figure to acquire. If Mattel were to release him in the Origins line, I think fans would be totally over the moon with excitement!
Laser Light Skeletor was one of the two remaining deluxe release figures of the vintage Masters of the Universe line in 1988. He had light up eyes and a light up hand. The light up feature was activated by lifting his right arm, and his havoc staff was semitranslucent, so it was supposed to lit up while he held it in his right hand. By the time this figure was released, the line’s popularity had died out in the United States, so it was released in Europe. Today, Laser Light He-Man and Laser Light Skeletor are of the highest valued figures of the entire MOTU vintage line and fetch triple digits!
Source: Laser-Light Skeletor: Battle Ram Blog
Source: Laser-Light Skeletor: Battle Ram Blog
According to the Battle Ram Blog:
Laser-Light Skeletor, released in Italy and Spain a year after the end of the Masters of the Universe toyline in the US, was a figure most North American fans were not aware of until they discovered it online years later. That was certainly true for me. Because the figure was produced in limited numbers overseas, it’s one of the most expensive vintage He-Man toys to acquire today. (Update: I’m also informed that there was some distribution of Laser Light Skeletor in Switzerland. Thanks to Olmo for the information.)
Laser-Light Skeletor: Evil Master of Light Energy (1988) – Battle Ram (battleramblog.com)
Source: Laser-Light Skeletor: Battle Ram Blog
Playsets
Snake Mountain
Home to Skeletor and his bumbling henchman, Snake Mountain is the pinnacle of the Evil Warriors home when it comes to the world of Masters of the Universe. The famous Snake wrapped mountain with it’s glistening eye, as seen on the Filmation cartoon is the main location where Skeletor cooks up all evil plans to get He-Man once and for all. We covered the possible release of a Snake Mountian in our special 3 part series What MOTU Vehicles and Playsets are Next in the Origins Line? We have seen Snake Mountain illustrated on so many packages and now most recently on the Camo Khan Card back art.
Home to Skeletor and his bumbling henchman, Snake Mountain is the pinnacle of the Evil Warriors home when it comes to the world of Masters of the Universe. The famous Snake wrapped mountain with it’s glistening eye, as seen on the Filmation cartoon is the main location where Skeletor cooks up all evil plans to get He-Man once and for all.
Skeletor seen here with Evil Lyn and Beastman spent most of his time ordering his evil warriors around from the comfort of his Bone Throne.
Kids used to come home after school every day and looked forward to watching He-Man battle it out with Skeletor. I’m sure that Castle Grayskull was on the top of every kids wish list in 1982. Well after watching the cartoons, everykid wanted a place for Skelly and his friends to hang out in, so they were all expecting the Snake Mountain we all knew and loved from the Filmation cartoon. Well when Mattel’s Snake mountain debuted in 1984, it was nothing like that cartoon. Rather than designing Snake Mountain to resemble the Filmation cartoon, Mattel opted to use a design they had for an unreleased jungle playset instead.
Vintage Box front
Source: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Vintage Box rear
Source: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Mattel tried to make the best of the design by adding a snake face to the mountain and a green snake that popped out from the side, but it wasn’t the Filmation pointy mountain peak, lava waterfall, snake structure we all knew; I’ll tell you that much! Yes, it had a ladder, hand cuffs, a suspension bridge, and even some stairs that were too narrow for your figure to climb up; but it was the Snake Mountain that we got, and we all learned to love it over time.
Source: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
Where Castle Grayskull had a whole world going on in the inside, Snake Mountain had little to be desired; a sticker, a ladder and a net…. not much going on in there. I mean, Snake Mountain on the cartoon never had a wolf’s head, so where they got the idea for a wolf’s head for the scarry voice microphone, I will never know?! All in all, we MOTU fans still hold the vintage Mattel Snake Mountain near and dear our hearts. With that being said, I know we are all hoping for Mattel to produce one for Origins. So, let’s take a deep dive into where this mountain has popped up so far!
Source: The Toys of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
We first saw Snake Mountain on the package art for the Landshark… Landshark.. chomp .. chomp….Ok, don’t tell me that every time you hear someone say Landshark, that darn deep voice from the 80’s commercial doesn’t pop up in your head repeating Landshark… Landshark…. But I digress, Snake Mountain was pictured with Trap Jaw and Clawful running down the mountain side. And yes the Snake Mountain was depicted just as the 1984 Mattel version looked, wolf speaker and all!
close up of Snake Mountain
We next saw Snake Mountain on the 2021 Power-Con exclusive Leo Faker & Duplicat 2 Pack artwork, back and front! Again, depicted in classic 1984 Mattel style.
In Conclusion
We are Toy Habits enjoy the speculation and predicting things to come. And if you have followed any of our other card art teaser articles, you will know that we have been spot on with predicting a lot of the toys we have today in the Origins line! In conclusion, the new Mattel Creations Exclusive Camo Khan is an epic figure with an amazing back story, but his card art is the biggest story here because if past is prologue and Mattel follows their typical M.O, then we are in for some exciting new Characters, Creatures and Playsets coming to Origins! We’ve seen several of these teased characters already on display at this year’s SDCC Eternia Display, so this card art is really telegraphing things to come! The line is alive and thriving, so it would be absolutely amazing to get a Powers of Grayskull subline and build out the Snake Men Faction! Also, could you imagine picking up a fresh minty Laser Power He-Man and having him ride around on Bionatops? That would be so Epic! We’ll we can dream, but who knows, it might be a reality some day!
Complete Your MOTU Collection
Be sure to check out our Masters of the Universe shop pages where we’ve curated figures from MOTU Origins, Masterverse, Classics, Vintage and more so you can find the figures you need easier!
