Mattel Wants Gen X Fans to Bring MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE Back for a New Era
Mattel is looking to tap into a whole lot of ’80s nostalgia as it gears up for the release of Masters of the Universe. The toy giant isn’t just counting on longtime He-Man fans to show up for the movie, though.
The bigger plan is getting those fans to introduce Eternia to their kids and help create a brand-new generation of Masters of the Universe fans.
The upcoming MGM and Mattel film hits theaters on June 5 and stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man. The cast also includes Camila Mendes, Alison Brie, Morena Baccarin, James Purefoy, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, and Charlotte Riley.
Speaking during Web Summit Vancouver, Mattel’s Global Head of Brand Creative, Jess Kirkman, explained how much of the strategy behind the movie leans into the emotional connection Gen X audiences already have with the franchise.
“There’s a specific audience that knows the He-Man era, and it’s a lot from the ’80s, the Gen X’ers, mostly. These people are going to want to go see the movie, we have these die-hard fans. There are these stories that are so important, and they have not necessarily been translated to the younger generation that we sell toys to.
“He-Man, Skeletor, Masters of the Universe, She-Ra, Evil-Lyn — they’re actually being shared from parent generation down to kid through storytelling. They’re introducing a whole new generation to the stories first and then to the toy.”
Masters of the Universe has always had a different kind of connection with fans compared to a lot of toy-driven franchises from the ’80s. For plenty of people who grew up with He-Man and Skeletor, like myself, those characters weren’t just toys sitting on a shelf. They were part of Saturday morning cartoons, comics, lunchboxes, and pretty much every corner of pop culture for a while.
Kirkman pointed out that Masters of the Universe also came together differently than many of the other major toy lines from that era.
“Masters of the Universe is one of the first brands that started as a toy, and it came with a comic, and then it turned into a show and a series, versus a lot of toys of the ’80s and ’90s that started as shows and later became toy lines.”
Mattel clearly sees major potential in reviving legacy toy brands after the massive success of Barbie. That film proved audiences are more than willing to revisit classic properties when there’s a fresh angle and a strong creative push behind them.
Now the company is hoping Masters of the Universe can channel some of that same excitement while leaning into fantasy action and nostalgia-fueled fun.
We’ll see if audiences still have the power when Masters of the Universe arrives in theaters on June 5.
Source: Deadline