he He-Man cartoon show was based on a Mattel toy line of muscle-bound action figures, which had also been previously represented in comic book format. The series took place on Eternia, a planet similar to Earth but with strong fantasy and science fiction elements thrown into the mix, including various races of intelligent beings - similar to humans but with an assortment of physical differences - that inhabited the world alongside mankind. The only overwhelming similarity between the races was that the males all had the physique of a champion body builder.

Eternia was governed by the benevolent rulers King Randor and Queen Marlena. Their son and future heir to the throne, Prince Adam, was fun-loving, irresponsible in his duties and of seemingly limited talent. Unbeknownst to those around him however, Prince Adam played up the underachiever role to disguise his alter ego as He-Man.

Adam had been entrusted with the Sword of Power - a relic from Castle Grayskull, a place of ancient secrets and power. When Adam held aloft the sword (which was invisible until drawn) and said, “By the power of Grayskull, I have the power!” he was transformed into He-Man, the most powerful man in the universe (translated: he was incredibly strong and resilient). As part of the ritual Adam’s constant companion Cringer – a nervous and cowardly, tiger-like creature that could talk – was transformed into the fearsome Battle Cat, a courageous and powerful feline warrior.

Only three people shared Adam’s secret. The Sorceress was a powerful magic user and the keeper of Castle Grayskull’s secrets. She was, however, limited by the fact that she could not venture beyond the walls of Castle Grayskull, except in the form of a falcon. Of closer acquaintance to Adam were Man-At-Arms and Orko. Man-At-Arms was a middle-aged soldier (or possibly ex-soldier, his exact status is unclear) who was also a gifted inventor. He served as Adam’s mentor and occasionally used his engineering skills to supply contraptions or devices to help in the latest adventure. Despite his advance in years, Man-At-Arms remained a formidable warrior and could more than hold his own in a fight. Orko belonged to a race from another dimension who were comparatively small in stature, inherently magical and levitated rather than walked. Orko’s skills as a magician weren’t quite on par with his enthusiasm – his magic usually backfired - and he served mainly as comic relief and as a character for the younger viewers in the television audience to identify with. Man-At-Arms and Orko often covered for Adam when his absence due to his activities as He-Man might be suspicious.

Allies of various powers occasionally made guest appearances to assist He-Man (and promote the toy-line). Two semi-familiar faces were Ram Man (who butted things with his head) and Stratos (who had wings and could fly). Of more importance appearance-wise was Teela, adopted daughter of Man-At-Arms and Captain of the Royal Guards. Teela was involved in nearly all of Adam/He-Man’s adventures, although she was not privy to Adam’s secret. To Adam she was aide and friend, but was often exasperated by Adam’s seeming lack of responsibility. For his part, Adam found keeping the secret of his alter ego from Teela something of a challenge.

There are always those who want power for themselves and on Eternia this tenet was no exception. Chief among those who wished to usurp the established ruling structure was Skeletor, a powerful sorcerer and worthy hand-to-hand opponent who had a hooded skull for a head. Like most preeminent villains, Skeletor had his own cadre of powerful and ambitious henchmen to assist him. Among those most prevalent in his schemes were the likes of Beast Man, who had beast-like strength and the telepathic ability to control beasts; Mer-Man was warlord of an underwater species of humanoid creatures; Trap-Jaw was a cyborg with a steel jaw who had an assortment of weapons he could attach to his mechanical arm; Tri-Klops wore a visored helmet with three mechanical eyes facing in different directions that could be rotated to perform various functions; and Evil-Lyn was an intelligent and cunning sorceress who often appeared the most competent and dangerous of the villains.

Each episode ended with a short segment, where one of the main characters talked directly to the viewers, extolling some moral that could be learned from the events in the episode. Presumably, this segment was added as a way for the producers to appease FCC censors, who were always touchy about violence in cartoons and the cross-promotion of toy lines and cartoon series.

The series lasted for two seasons of original episodes, with 65 episodes being made for each season. In 1990, a new series was introduced that explored a revamped He-Man and storyline, entitled The New Adventures of He-Man. In the new series He-Man and Skeletor were transported to the planet Primus, where they once again took up the struggle for their respective causes. The new series didn’t garner as much fan support as the original. In 2002 another series, closer in concept to the original, was produced under the same title as the original series: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. This series had a stronger following than The New Adventures of He-Man, but neither would reach the heights of fan fervor created by the original.