Mattel debuts new He-Man and The Masters of the Universe toys as first Netflix trailer lands

Mattel has lifted the lid on a new collection of toys and action figures inspired by the new animated Netflix series, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, a CGI reinvention of the cult classic series that has been developed for a new generation of fans.

Detailed in a post issued by Mattel’s vice president and global head of action figures, PJ Lewis, the new collection of toys features both classic and never before seen characters, enabling fans of all ages to ‘join the battle to save Eternia.’

The new range takes inspiration from a new CGI animated series, scheduled to land on Netflix this September 16th. Reinvented for today’s audiences, the series will deliver a reimagined storyline and a new stylised take on the world of Eternia.

The first trailer for the new series was dropped earlier this week. Check it out and take a first look below:

The series lands amid a run of recent activity for the Masters of the Universe franchise that most recently made its comeback in the form of the Netflix animated series – Masters of the Universe: Revelation – released this July.

As we continue to reintroduce Masters of the Universe to the world, I am excited to share that on September 16, the sword is being passed to the next generation of fans with the release of the new animated Netflix series He-Man and The Masters of the Universe, a show reinvented for kids today with a reimagined storyline and new stylized take on the world of Eternia,” said Lewis.

“But what’s most exciting to me is we are taking kids’ favourite heroes off the screen and into their hands with the introduction of a slew of amazing toys and action figures inspired by these new series.”

Each articulated figure in the new range comes with an attack feature or projectile, while He-Man and Skeletor can race into action with The Masters of the Universe Vehicle Pack, or engage in head to head battle using the Snake Mountain Throne play-set.

“The options are limitless for even our youngest fans to recreate their favourite Masters of the Universe scenes, and the fun starts October 1st when the new collection becomes available at Walmart,” said Lewis.

Barbie, Jurassic World, and Masters of the Universe help drive Mattel Q2 2021 sales to $1.03bn

The global toy maker, Mattel has seen its Q2 2021 net sales increase 40 per cent on last year, with particular success across EMEA where the firm’s growth has exceeded the industry by 11 percentage points.

Mattel bosses have billed it ‘another exceptional quarter’ having witnessed ‘outstanding consumer demand for products,’ driving its net sales for the quarter to $1.03 billion. It’s according to the latest NPD figures that Matte’s point of sale growth outpaced the industry, with ‘strong consumer demand across the portfolio.’

Across the EMEA region, the toy maker was up 54 per cent, with POS increasing double digits.

“We believe we are in the strongest position we have been in many years to improve profitability and accelerate topline growth,” said Ynon Kreiz, Chairman and CEO of Mattel. “This is an exciting time for Mattel.”

The firm’s CEO stated that the company’s performance over the quarter is now adding momentum to its transformation strategy, establishing Mattel as an “IP-driven, high-performing toy company.”

Net sales for the firm for the first six months of the year are now up 43 per cent. Gross Billings in its North America segment increased 30 per cent, driven by growth in Vehicles, including Hot Wheels, Cars, and Matchbox; Dolls including Barbie, Spirit, and Polly Pocket; Action Figures, Building Sets, Games, and Other, including Jurassic World, Masters of the Universe, WWE, and MEGA.

Its Infant, Toddler, and Preschool segment, including Fisher-Price and Thomas and Friends also performed well.

Meanwhile, net sales in the international segment increased 57 per cent, while across EMEA, Mattel outpaced the industry in the first half of 2021, growing two times faster than the industry total.

According to NPD, in Q2 alone, Mattel was up five per cent while the industry declined.

International sales have been driven by growth across Mattel’s Dolls, Vehicles, Action Figures, Building Sets, Games, and Other, as well as Infant, Toddler, and Preschool.

Worldwide Gross Billings for Dolls were $395 million, up 51 per cent versus the prior year’s second quarter, while worldwide Gross Billings for Infant, Toddler, and Preschool were $229 million, up 15 per cent on last year. This was primarily driven by Fisher-Price and Thomas & Friends.

Worldwide Gross Billings for Vehicles were $266 million, up 68 per cent and driven by Hot Wheels, Matchbox, and Cars, while worldwide Gorss Billings for Action Figures, Building Sets, Games, and Other were $258 million, up 32 per cent. This was driven primarily by growth in Jurassic World, Masters of the Universe, WWE, and MEGA. It was partially off-set by Games, including UNO.

Amid the second quarter success for the toy maker, however, Mattel has been making headlines this week as bosses at the global company indicate towards upcoming price increases, following a rise in costs of raw materials and the ongoing issues around shipping and the current ‘sky-high’ prices of containers.

“We will be looking at increasing prices in the second half of [the] year,” Mattel’s chief executive Ynon Kreiz told the BBC.

“We haven’t broken out [which products will be affected], but this is in response to some of the inflationary pressures. We’re not the only ones who did it, in our industry everyone did – and no-one is surprised by [price increases].”

Mattel encountered supply chain issues due to problems with shipping but had got around the worst of them due to the scale of the business.

“We were able to leverage our size and partnerships that we have with our vendors and retail partners and mitigate some of these issues, so we did not have any impact on our business in the second quarter,” he said.

Mattel has the power in new Masters of the Universe toy line reveal featuring UNO, Fisher-Price and Mega Construx

Mattel has unveiled a new generation-spanning collection of toys, action figures, tabletop games and even a themed version of its popular card game UNO all based on the Masters of the Universe franchise, proving that the global toymaker really does ‘have the power.’

Revealed at this year’s virtual edition of Power Con, Mattel finally shed light on the much anticipated Masters of the Universe toy line for 2021, a launch that will coincide with the arrival of a new Masters of the Universe series on Netflix. And it’s a range designed to truly bring generations together.

For the first time, Masters of the Universe is launching in to the pre-school space with a line of Fisher-Price toys under the Little People moniker. The line-up of four figures features He-Man, Skeletor, Man-at-Arms, and Beast Man.

Mattel then begins to transition up the age groups with the introduction of a new action figure line from its Imaginext collection. The Fisher-Price Imaginext Masters of the Universe XL Action Figures line features a collection of super-sized 10-inch action figures including He-Man, Skeletor, and Beast Man.

Mega Construx comes roaring into play as the brand expands its Masters of the Universe offering with a reissue of last year’s Pro Builders Series Castle Grayskull. The 3,508-piece building set includes three floors featuring the Throne Room, Command Centre, Dungeon, Power Sword-activated Jawbridge, and more. It also includes six collectable micro action figures.

Meanwhile, the Mega Construx Masters of the Universe Skeletor Skull Assortment comes with three collectable Skeletor heads, each containing micro action figures and building materials.

Skeletor and Panthor signature sets complete the line up, alongside a Battle Ram vehicle with Tri-Klops and Mekaneck micro action figures.

Mattel has also got the gaming sector covered with a Masters of the Universe themed version of its hit game UNO. The new launch features vintage artwork from the franchise’s archives of oil paintings created by Williams George and Ruby Obero in the 1980s, tapping into the retro-revival with vintage appeal.

Finally, Mattel has also detailed the first tabletop roleplaying game to feature Masters of the Universe, introducing players to Legends of Grayskull. The launch is the result of a multi-year licensing deal with Fandom – the team that developed D&D Beyond – to produce a roleplaying game complete with a 250 page hardcover guidebook with pull-out maps, a digital companion app and toolset, a community content creation and sharing platform, and a ‘play programme that gives fans the chance to participate in a connected, living story with other players around the world.’

 

Mark Hamill, Lena Headey lead voice cast for Mattel’s Masters of the Universe: Revelation

Mattel Television and Netflix have revealed the cast of the upcoming Netflix anime series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation, a new series based in the iconic He-Man, Skeletor, Teela, and cast of classic characters.

The series is being produced by Mattel Television with Adam Bonnett (Descendants), Christopher Keenan (Justice League, Batman Beyond) and Rob David (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) as executive producers.

Kevin Smith (Clerks, Chasing Amywill serve as show-runner and executive producer. In addition, Susan Corbin (Voltronwill produce the series.

But it’s the all-star acting cast that is sure to fire up much of the interest, with a line up that includes Mark Hamill as Skeletor, Game of Thrones’ Lena Headey as Evil-Lyn, Supergirl’s Chris Wood as Prince Adam/He-Man, and Sarah Michelle Gellar as Teela.

These will be joined by another Game of Thrones alumni as Liam Cunningham takes on the role of Man-At-Arms, Henry Rollins as Tri-Klops, Alicia Silverstone as Queen Marlena, Justin Long as Roboto, Jason Mewes as Stinkor, and Harley Quinn-Smith as Ileena among others.

Masters of the Universe: Revelation – animated by Powerhouse Animation, the team behind Castlevania – will focus on the unresolved storylines of the iconic characters, picking up where they left off decades ago.

“Masters of the Universe: Revelation is for the fans. Kevin Smith, as well as the rest of the all-star cast, share our love and passion for the iconic franchise and the deeper meaning of the property,” said Rob David, executive producer on the show.

“At its core, Masters of the Universe is all about wanting the power to be the best version of yourself, and the series will bring this message to life in an entirely new way.”

Kevin Smith added: “I cannot believe the lineup of talent I get to play with. The incredible, star-studded cast that Mattel’s Rob David and Netflix’s Ted Biaselli assembled for our Masters of the Universe series will let any lifelong He-Man fan know we’re treating this cartoon seriously and honouring the legendary world of Eternia with A-list talent.

“Chris, Sarah, Mark, Lena and the other amazing actors and actresses have given performances so powerful and real in a show that features a talking giant green tiger. With these fantastic performers behind our characters, it’ll be crazy easy to immerse yourself in the swords and sorcery of our epic sci-fi soap opera.”

Mattel’s reboot of the classic Masters of the Universe franchise also includes a comic book series by DC Comics (available now), reimagined versions of the ’80s toys (hitting retail shelves this autumn), a CG-animated series with Netflix (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe)and a feature film.