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Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea

Mastering the Universe illuminates the creation, rise, and fall of one of the top-selling product lines in what is arguably the world’s most competitive industry, toys — and it does so from the perspective of Roger Sweet, the man who originated He-Man for Mattel. He-Man and the product line that grew out of it, Masters of the Universe (MOTU), created a fantasy world for boys that, at its height in 1986, reached $400 million in U.S. sales, only to plummet to $7 million the following year. During its six-year run, the MOTU line sold $1.2 billion worldwide and spawned a syndicated cartoon series and a major motion picture — a feat not even the venerable Barbie can claim. Mastering the Universe explores the phenomenon of He-Man’s popularity, as well as the shocking reasons behind the toy’s rapid decline.

  • Format
  • paperback
  • Pages
  • 240
  • Language
  • english
  • ISBN
  • 9781578602230
  • Release date
  • 2005