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The "Masters of the Universe®" toy line was so popular back in the eighties that Mattel®
kept releasing new figures, vehicles, playsets and accessories. To promote the
release of new toys a certain amount of store displays were manufactured.
Several toy stores were provided with these magnificent items. The displays were
placed near the MOTU toys so that they could draw the attention of the young crowd.
The displays went from simple cardboard cut-outs of some of the toys to highly
detailed replicas of certain playsets like the two different versions of Castle Grayskull™.
Unfortunately most of these displays were destroyed or thrown away when the stores
couldn't use them any longer (some of them were preserved) and because of this reason
these items are very hard to find today.
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This gigantic replica of the famous castle was produced for the Innovation super stores
(a department store chain that had stores all over Belgium & France). The castle was
displayed near the entrance of the stores. A regular-sized Castle Grayskull™ could be
placed inside the mouth of this huge display. This promotional item was also used by
Mattel® Germany for their exhibitions at toy shows nationwide.
Only three remaining sets are known to exist worldwide making this particular display
the rarest of them all.
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This item was released by Mattel® so that it could be displayed in toy stores all over
Belgium, The Netherlands and France.
The set consisted of a plastic case containing a He-Man® figure that was placed on a stand.
Two different kinds of stands were available (depending on the country where the display
was going to be used).
| French display (F/BE): "Aide Musclor dans sa lutte pour Eternia". |
| Dutch display (BE/NL): "Help He-Man in zijn strijd om Eternia". |
English translation: "Help He-Man in his battle for Eternia".
To demonstrate its power the He-Man® action figure was holding a "rock" (a spray-painted
piece of styropor foam) above his head.
The display was provided with a cardboard insert picturing the same artwork (red meteor
shower) that was used for the original MOTU action figure packages.
Both versions of this display are extremely hard to find today. From time to time one of the
original stands shows up for sale but an entirely complete specimen is rarely seen.
BE/NL FRONT |
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To promote the new line of MOTU figures Mattel® produced a version of Castle
Grayskull™ that could be placed on the toy store counter. The display consisted of
one piece of durable plastic that was attached to a big wooden board.
The set contained a lightbulb that was attached to an electrical wire. When plugged in
the lightbulb alluminated the entire castle (this system was also used for a similar display
that represented the Crystal Castle™ from the "She-Ra, Princess of Power®" series)*.
The item also came with two separate action figures and one creature that had to be glued
to the base by the toy store employees:
| He-Man® |
| Skeletor® |
| Battle Cat™ |
This particular display was used in toy/ department stores all over Belgium, Germany and
The Netherlands. As all vintage MOTU store displays this item is quite hard to find today.
FRONT |
NOTE: This display was released with an original "Masters of the Universe®" label.
Unfortunately this label was missing when I purchased this item several years ago.
* More info regarding this item can be found in the “She-Ra, Princess of Power®” section.
Grayskull light up display: Label |
Wooden Board |
A very special thanks to Stefan/Blackpo8 for allowing me to use his picture of the wooden board.
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The succes of the “Masters of the Universe®” toy line inspired Mattel® France to establish an official fan club. “Le Club des Maîtres de l’Univers” was born. Children who loved the toys and the animated series were able to become a member of this club by filling out a registration form. The form and a check (membership fee) had to be sent to the back office of the club which was located in the city of Chantilly.
The members of this club received several magazines, accessories and a special birthday gift.
Back in 1986 Mattel® organized a contest especially for the members of the “LMDLU” club. Several prizes could be won by the participants. To promote this contest Mattel® France created a limited amount of store displays which were shipped to toy stores throughout the country.
The display (Castle Grayskull™ on top of a mountain) was very fragile (as opposed to most other MOTU store displays) and therefore only a few have survived. Needless to say, this item is very hard to find today.
French Grayskull Display (Front) |
French Grayskull display (Side) |
French “Club des Maîtres de L’Univers” info pamphlet. | |
A very special thanks to Lulu Berlu Reg for allowing me to use pictures of his French store display.
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Back in 1984 the "Masters of the Universe® “action figure line was selling so well that Mattel®
decided to create another toy line that was based on the same concept (sword & sorcery).
However, this time they were aiming for an entirely different public namely...girls. Several girls
enjoyed playing with MOTU action figures back in the eighties but this didn't change the fact
that the line remained strictly "boys aisle" material. This encouraged Mattel® to produce a
“girls only” series of figures, vehicles, playsets and accessories in scale with the original MOTU
toy line. The "She-Ra, Princess of Power®" line was born.
To promote the release of these new toys Mattel® produced a number of different store displays
that showed up in several toy stores throughout Europe.
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German, Belgian and Dutch toy store owners were able to buy this light up version of the
Crystal Castle that could be displayed on the counter (or near the She-Ra®/ POP section) of their
shops. This display consisted of two separate pieces of durable plastic that needed to be
assembled. The set contained a lightbulb that was attached to an electrical wire. When plugged
in the lightbulb alluminated the Crystal Castle™. The item came with three different action
figures from the first wave of the “Princess of Power®” toy line:
| Glimmer™ |
| Bow™ |
| Double Trouble™ |
The toy store owners/ employees needed to glue the figures to the base (this prevented them
from falling down). The plastic plaque with the original “Princess of Power®” logo that came
with this display could be attached to the back of the set. This enabled the children (and
their parents) to recognize the toys when they were strolling trough the aisles.
This remarkable item is very hard to find nowadays. Finding a complete specimen (incl. the
instruction sheet) is nearly impossible.
FRONT |
PLAQUE |
INSTRUCTION SHEET |
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This extraordinary item was produced exclusively for the Italian market. It consisted of two separate
pieces that were attached to each other by a thin wire. The cardboard cut-out featured a detailed illustration of She-Ra® and her trusted steed Swift Wind™.
The double-sided display was coated with some kind of shiny foil which increased the item’s ability to
reflect light.
Only a small amount of these particular displays have been preserved over the years. It is very difficult
to find a complete/ intact specimen today.
FRONT |
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The She-Ra® line was immensely popular in Italy back in the 1980s. Several of the store displays that were available in Europe were manufactured on the Italian mainland.
This particular display consisted of several rotating parts.
When plugged in, all the parts started rotating (simultaneously) for several seconds. When the parts stopped moving an image of one of the following Mattel® toy lines was visible:
| Masters of the Universe® |
| She-Ra, Princess of Power® |
| Popples® |
This display is one of the most uncommon She-Ra® / MOTU items in the world.
I would like to thank Tanja for allowing me to use pictures of her amazing display(s).