Masters of the Universe - SORCERESS!

Masters of the Universe - Collectible Figures #HS1 - Sorceress - Altaya 2022

The Sorceress has always gotten the short end of the stick in the merchandising department. For such an iconic, powerful, and maternal figure that is in almost every episode of He-Man and whose mysterious origins are a major keystone in all of Eternian lore, she simply hasn't ever had a great piece of merchandise produced. There have been some close ones, like the Super7 Club Grayskull figure from 2018, but all her figures have been slightly off. Similar to the Evil-Lyn post from yesterday, this Altaya Sorceress figurine shares a lot of design similarities with the 2015 Pop Culture Shock statue, which I personally feel is the nicest-looking Sorceress product made. Of course that statue was always very expensive, and this newer figurine is much easier to display and (slightly) less expensive. This figurine is a bit of a mystery to me. I believe she was a subscription-exclusive figure unavailable in stores. She fetches about 8x the price of the other characters, but she's worth it. Let's check her out below!

Masters of the Universe - SHOKOTI!

Masters of the Universe - Collectible Figures #50 - Shokoti - Altaya 2023/2024

One of my favorite things about He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (1983-1985) is that Filmation didn't shy away from having deep historical lore embedded into their storytelling. The fact that we learned about ancient Eternian civilizations on a regular basis was a powerful fuel for the fantasy genre. In the two-episode story arc "The House of Shokoti" (episodes 40 and 41), we meet the ancient sorceress Shokoti who once ruled over the dark half of Eternia but has been imprisoned for centuries in a magical pyramid until the events of this storyline release her. Ever since I first saw images of Skokoti a decade or so ago (I don't remember her episodes when they originally aired), I have been rather obsessed with her design. I view it as quintessentially Eternian with her relatively simple costume with headdress and cape, blue skin, and vampy demeanor (she has fangs!).  I would love for her history to be fleshed out more in the modern comics, she's too interesting to be so isolated. Let's check out Shakoti below!

Turtles of Grayskull - APRIL O'NEIL!

Masters of the Universe X Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - April - Mattel 2024

This figure is one of the biggest surprises for me in 2024. I had a total turnaround in my appreciation level in the span of a few months. When she was first revealed earlier last year, I was very excited to be getting another female character in the Turtles of Grayskull line, but I was very underwhelmed with the design. I viewed her as an unimaginative mashup that didn't satisfy either the TMNT or MOTU genres. But now that I have her in hand, I don't know what I was thinking, because I think she's incredible. I like her very specific visual references to Sorceress while paired with unmistakably April O'Neil face. Plus the the newly-tooled wings have tons of potential applications. I know Vultak has been shown, but Queen Angella and a 200x Sorceress would be awesome uses as well. I don't know if there will be any more ladies in this line, but I hope the same level of quality and fun goes into the ThunderCats figures. The early pics look great. Let's check out April O'Neil as Sorceress below!

Saban's Little Mermaid - HEDWIG!

Adventures of the Little Mermaid - Collectible Figures - Hedwig - Toy Group 1991

I love a good sea witch. There is something so captivating about a mer-creature with villainous intent that it trumps all my other vampy character obsessions. An interesting thing about all the various interpretations of The Little Mermaid in popular culture is that the antagonist is always a fairly unique creation. In Toei's 1975 film, she is a very creepy-looking stingray. In the 1989 Disney film, she is voluptuous baudy octopus. And in the 1991 television series, Saban's The Adventures of the Little Mermaid, she is a crone named Hedwig with a mermaid-like tail that has dragon (or eel-like) details. I think she is a fun variation. I especially love that she rides on the back of a stingray and has fingers that magically grow into long tendrils. I believe this 1991 "collectible figure" from The Toy Group is the only time she was merchandised. She is made from a dense, but pliable, plastic similar to a floating bath toy. While I would have loved an actual action figure, I doubt the animated details would have been captured so well.

Dungeons and Dragons - SKYLLA!

Dungeons & Dragons: The Lost Wave 4" - Skylla (Evil Wizard) - NECA 2022

In 2002, NECA released a great SDCC exclusive set of four Dungeons & Dragons figures called "The Lost Wave."  I don't know if these figures were actually ever intended to have action figures in the vintage 80's LJN line, but that was the implied theme - a canceled final wave released 38 years late. I had vague memories of seeing the lone female character, Skylla, in PVC form when I was kid, but I never owned her. These new figures look amazing, like the original toy artists were brought out of retirement for a last hurrah. The vintage LJN line wasn't perfect. The sculpts could be awkward, and the scale was all over the place. But they were charming and fun, and NECA has recreated that feeling to perfection. I thought the nostalgic throwback with Super7's Sorceress figure couldn't be beat, but this one is probably the top contender now. It just took me a couple years to finally open her and acknowledge that. Now let's get her in 7" form. Let's check out Skylla the Evil Wizard below!

Legends of Dragonore - YONDARA!

Legends of Dragonore - Series 1.5 - Prophecy Vision Yondara - Formo Toys 2024

I've always been a sucker for a translucent figure, especially when it's not just a plain crystal clear plastic. In the case of this Legends of Dragonore Wave 1.5 Yondara redeco in her "Prophecy Vision" translucent plastic, her main skin area is indeed a boring clear color, perhaps with a tint of yellow or pink (she looks different in various lighting setups). But to offset that, she is accented with translucent blue hair and accessories and opaque painted clothing in pink and blue. The overall effect is quite stunning, although she suffers from the common translucent toy problem in that her joints become overly pronounced (especially the neck peg which you can now see behind her face). A subtle airbrushing in white or light blue in these areas would go a long way (similar to the MOTUC Goddess figure). This Wave 1.5 set features fun redecos of all the Wave 1 characters. The Build-a-Figure for 1.5 has been replaced by a minicomic finally providing some worldbuilding beyond the cardback bios. Let's check out Yondara below!

Willow - QUEEN BAVMORDA!

ReAction Action Figures - Willow (1988 Film) - Queen Bavmorda - Super7 2022

Willow (1988) is a classic fantasy movie by George Lucas and Ron Howard. It took years to develop and evolved quite a bit, but it's an oft-spoken piece of trivia that Lucas approached Warwick Davis about the movie when David was just 12 years old and filming Return of the Jedi as Wicket. I saw Willow when I was a kid, and honestly I  found it confusing. But I've been exposed to it again as an adult (by some rabid fans, and I even briefly knew a cat named Elora Danon) and I have come to really appreciate it. It has some classic story homages, like The Hobbit with an unlikely diminutive hero going on a grand adventure, or the story of Moses where a young child with a predestined path washes up on the banks of a river. Or my favorite, Snow White, where an evil queen hears a prophecy that a young girl will usurp her power. That insecure evil queen is the iconic Bavmorda of Nockmaar played by Jean Marsh. To me, she was always the standout of the film, but I am always partial to a wicked sorceress.

MOTU 1987 Movie - EVIL-LYN!

Masterverse Wave 11 - Masters of the Universe Movie - Evil-Lyn - Mattel 2023

I think one of the first movies I was ever disappointed by was Masters of the Universe (1987). As an eighties kid, I was intimately familiar with the lore and universe of He-Man and Eternia. The show had technically ended two years earlier, but She-Ra was still airing and was typically paired with a syndicated episode of He-Man. The movie seemed like it would be a mature evolution of the show we had all been raised on. I, for one, was very excited. But the movie was vastly different from what I expected. It was chock full of new characters (most of which I found very annoying), it took place on Earth, and there was no transformation sequence. I was flummoxed. The bright spot for me was Evil-Lyn. Of all the characters, she seemed to stay the most true to her cartoon origins. She had a cinematic redesign and there were a lot of differences, but the essence of Evil-Lyn was still there. There have been a fair amount of action figures from the movie over the years, but Evil-Lyn was always a glaring omission.

MOTU Revolution - SORCERESS TEELA!

Masterverse Wave 11 - MOTU Revolution (Netflix) - Sorceress Teela - Mattel 2023

One of the most satisfying things in Masters of the Universe: Revelation was the long-awaited ascension of Teela to Sorceress of Grayskull. I had personally been wanting to see this since the original series in the 80s when her path was foretold. But if she had become Sorceress back then, I would wager she would have been designed exactly like her mother, Teela-Na or Kuduk Ungol. But thankfully Teela's story didn't unfold until now so she got the benefit of a unique design reflective of her personality and heritage. This design was only presented at the very end of Revelation back in 2021. But (judging from the trailers) we will be seeing a lot more of it in the follow-up series Revolution that debuts in a few weeks. I am also personally excited that Melissa Benoist (Supergirl) is providing Teela's voice. I like her a lot. Sarah Michelle Gellar was great as Teela in Revelation. But I won't lie and say I wasn't constantly pegging that unique SMG voice. Someone more non-specific will be nice. Let's check out Teela below!

Legends of Dragonore - YONDARA!

Legends of Dragonore - Series 1 - Yondara (Heroic Chieftan) - Formo Toys 2023

The Legends of Dragonore is the inaugural line of action figures from newcomer, Formo Toys. Modern action figures constructed in a vintage Masters of the Universe aesthetic is nothing new. Funko had a barrage of Savage World products five years ago, Super7 had a terrific MOTU Vintage line, and of course Mattel has been running with the concept for several years with MOTU, WWE, and now TMNT licenses.  But this Legends of Dragonore line seems different. You can tell they spawn from the art toy world and are passionate about the design aesthetic and production quality. Plus when you have a named talent like Emiliano Santalucia working Creative Design, you know the toys will be great. His passion for MOTU helped launch the modern revitalization of the brand. These figures are really fun and colorful and gave us a wholly original set of characters for our vintage collections. Formo has already showed off Wave 1.5 and  2 and I have a feeling we'll see a lot more in the future. Let's check out Yondara below!

Dungeons & Dragons - SORCERESS!

Dungeons & Dragons - ReAction Figures Series 1 - Sorceress - Super7 2023

When I bought this figure last week, I has no idea who she was or what her relevancy was. I just thought she looked very cool and classic with her pink gown and two-tone cape. But later that night I took some clues from some Instagram comments and a D&D-fanatic coworker and started researching. Back in 1981 there was a painting used on several Dungeons & Dragons products (a rulebook and a basic box) featuring an unnamed sorceress woman protecting a treasure chest from a large dragon. I was never bit by the D&D bug in my youth (despite several valiant attempts), so this character is unfamiliar to me, but apparently her image is quite iconic for the longtime fans. I love that this seemingly simple figure I picked up on a whim has such a historic place in D&D lore. I love that modern toys give life to such obscure characters: Shield Maiden Sherrilyn, Lancer, and Greenlight come to mind and I adore them all the more for their unlikely existence. Let's check out the original D&D covergirl below!

MOTU Revelation - SORCERESS!

Masterverse Wave 8 - MOTU Revelation (Netflix) - Sorceress - Mattel 2023

When Masters of the Universe: Revelation was announced I was really nervous that Sorceress would receive an unrecognizable makeover. I was never a fan of the 200x teal Egyptian look and the Netflix CGI show introduced a Sorceress that was essentially a completely reimagined character - that I liked, but not as much as I adored the original Teela-Na. Luckily the Revelation Sorceress was a faithful interpretation. Unfortunately she was not the spiritual focal point getting tons of screentime that I was expecting. And with her limited role, I truly did not expect her to get a figure in the Masterverse line. (And honestly making us wait until Wave 8 was a pretty sneaky move). But she is really a great figure - quite possibly the best Sorceress so far. The Masterverse line has honestly exceeded my expectations for character inclusion. The last female on my Revelation wishlist will apparently be in Wave 11. I won't mention names for spoiler's sake, but I'm stoked. Let's check out Sorceress below!

POP! Masters of the Universe - SORCERESS (TOD)!

POP! Television #993 - MOTU - Sorceress (Diamond LACC Exc) - Funko 2022

The Masters of the Universe collecting community seems to love character variations. Excluding more modern iterations, the vintage characters alone typically have three potential design options: toy design, animation designs, and mini-comics design. The mini-comics always appealed to me the least of the trifecta. I can't help but think that printing limitations played more of a factor than true artistic intent. But it makes for some fun variants. Teela in pink armor doesn't appeal to me at all - it seems to clash with the palette of Eternia (perhaps if she visited Etheria I would be more accepting). However, the 1984 mini-comic The Temple of Darkness featured an all-white Sorceress that I really liked. The toy interpretation of  translucent plumage just adds to the appeal (in one panel of the intro comic, she appears as a translucent vision). This glittery white ("Diamond") Sorceress Pop was exclusive to the Los Angeles ComicCon in 2022 with the LoungeFly backpack bundle. Let's check her out below!

He-Man Animated Series - SORCERESS!

He-Man & the Masters of the Universe - Sorceress & Cosmic Falcon - Mattel 2022

As much as I enjoy Netflix's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe CGI Animated Series, I often find myself wishing that the character designs weren't quite as removed from the source material. For those who haven't seen the show, the concept is very reimagined. The core idea that instead of just Prince Adam having a transformation sequence to become He-Man, all his friends do as well. Teela transforms into Sorceress, but it's a very different Sorceress than we're used to (the traditional wise sorceress role is instead held by the spectral character Eldress). I was happy with the new concepts and storylines, but I missed a more recognizable Filmation-type Sorceress. But then this great repaint was announced and it was exactly what I wanted. And not only is the the new Teela/Sorceress character decked out in classic colors, but she also comes with the very Zoar-like Cosmic Falcon. I don't think these have a direct connection to the Netflix show, but I'm here for it either way. Let's check her out!

MOTU Minis - SORCERESS!

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Netflix) - Eternia Minis - Mattel 2022

The Eternia Minis line thrills me. Something about collecting them reminds me of those miniature ThunderCats PVC figures with removable weapons that I loved as a kid. They are so tiny and fun. And I love that they are now branching out into new iterations of the MOTU franchise. The original Mattycollector line had Vintage He-man, She-Ra and 200x designs. The modern store versions also incorporate both vintage and 200x, as well as Masters of the Universe: Revelation and Netflix's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (hopefully She-Ra gets included soon!) They keep adding random additional characters with no preamble. I just ordered the CGI Evil-Lyn on BBTS yesterday. According to the cardback, Evil-Lyn is a single 4th addition to the CGI lineup. Which to me seems odd - having 3 additional characters then two months later adding a 4th. But it keeps me on my toes and I'm always googling to see what's next. (C'mon Princess of Power!) Let's check out Sorceress below!

Masters of the Universe Origins - SORCERESS!

Masters of the Universe: Origins - Wave 7 - Sorceress - Mattel 2021

Very few toys have such a visceral nostalgic quality for me as the vintage Sorceress figure. I remember a single shelfwarmer Sorceress hanging on a peg in the paltry toy section of a feed store my family frequented in the 80s. The smell of that place was palpable; manure, dog food, hay, aquariums with not-so-fresh water. My siblings would often opt to sit in the hot car. But I would go in every time to stare at this Sorceress figure hanging there amongst random yo-yos and Rubix cubes. My parents were so frugal I don't think I ever even asked to get it, I was content to stare. The Sorceress was my favorite character from Masters of the Universe. Her gentle maternal nature, her mysterious powers, her creepy castle home, and her ability to transform into the falcon Zoar combined to form the most perfect character for my young imagination. I finally purchased her in the late 90s from eBay - being very picky to get one with the torso feather paint. And ever since, she has been a very important part of my collection.

He-Man Animated Series - SORCERESS!

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe -  Sorceress (Power Attack) - Mattel 2022

The Season 2 trailer for Netflix's He-Man and the Masters of the Universe CGI show was just released so the timing is perfect to finally review this Sorceress figure from Season one. I'm going to give a few spoilers here, so if you haven't finished the season from last Summer, then skip ahead to the pics and don't read anything. This He-Man show is unique because all the characters get powered up from the power of Grayskull. The battlecry is even "We have the power!" I love this adaptation. Every character gets a chance to shine. One of my favorite characters is Adam's friend Teela, who when powered up becomes Sorceress. This toy is aimed at kids and has limited articulation, but I'm obsessed with her. The only way I would like her more is if there was a small hairpiece that could be popped on to better represent her Teela form. It would be like a little topknot that looks like a palm tree. This line is a lot of fun. I can't wait to get Ram-Ma'am and Mosquitara. Let's check out Sorceress below!

Temple of Darkness SORCERESS!

Masters of the Universe Origins - Sorceress (Castle Grayskull) - Mattel 2021

Master of the Universe Mini-Comics were included with all the vintage toys and added a lot to the He-Man lore. As adult collectors, there is a fun trend of using character designs from these books as color variants. If you see a yellow Tri-Klops, a blue Mer-man, or a red Beast Man toy, these are vintage comic variants. As far as the ladies go, pink Teela, Eternian Goddess (green Teela), and white Sorceress all trace their roots to these mini-comics.  The interesting thing is that these were likely all the result of bad editing or cheap printing processes. They never mention the color changes in the stories, the characters just visually appear that way for a single story and usually revert to normal for their next appearance. But if toy molds need to be re-used to be profitable, I'm glad there is this obscure vintage reference to give us some meaningful variety. In the 1984 mini-comic titled Temple of Darkness, Sorceress inexplicably appeared in all white. This is my absolute favorite of all the mini-comic variations.

MOTU Minis - SORCERESS & MERCENARY TEELA!

Masters of the Universe Revelation (Netflix) - Eternia Minis - Mattel 2021

I love the surge of Masters of the Universe products hitting the shelves in recent years. I never thought I would see a dedicated MOTU space in the toy aisles of the big box stores, and suddenly there are five unique toy lines (Origins, MasterVerse, Eternia Minis, He-Man Animated, and Mega Construx). Plus a new Imaginext XL line coming soon. So far the only line that blends all the different iterations of He-Man has been the Eternia Minis. It started out as a continuation of the Mattycollector MOTU Minis line, but has quickly shown potential to be so much more. There has been figures from the Vintage line, Revelation, and the new Netflix CGI show, along with vehicles and playsets. I hope this line continues because I want to see so many more characters included, and I would especially love to see that old Mattycollector Snake Mountain playset finally released. These two figures mark the 5th and 6th ladies in the line, and there's at least one more on the way. Fingers crossed the momentum keeps going!

POP! Masters of the Universe - SORCERESS!

POP! Television #993 - Masters of the Universe - Sorceress - Funko 2020

I've been super selective with my Funko Pop purchases in recent years. My collection room was getting overwhelmed with them and I knew I needed to slow down. I even sold off a bunch of my older Pops that I felt were repetitive (like metallic variants, etc) and made a decent chunk of change in the process. But I will always be a sucker for a few genres: Jim Henson, Retro Super Heroes, and 1980's Cartoons. The Sorceress of Castle Grayskull was my absolute favorite part of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. She was maternal, mysterious, all-knowing, and she transformed into a falcon. Little cartoon-obsessed me couldn't get enough of her. Whenever see a product of her in a store I get the greatest wave of nostalgia. And in the past few years there have actually been a decent amount: Loyal Subjects, Vynl, ReAction, and Pint-Size Heroes (Not to mention the collector's versions from Mattel and Super7). Fingers crossed for an Origins soon! Let's check out the Sorceress Pop below!