He-Man and the Masters of the Universe cartoon turns 40 today.

[Werewolf]

Premiered September 5th 1983 in the UK followed by the September 26th release in the USA. The first GI JOE mini series, Mass Device, aired September 12th 1983 just beating out MOTU's release in the US market.

[B-Lister]

My dislike for the MOTU cartoon is well documented. I always thought cute sidekicks, talking animals, and a secret identity for He Man were stupid.

I was a Minicomic guy all the way.

But the cartoon sold the toys, and the love for those has kept the brand alive for decades.

[scott metzger]

Man, I am old. I was watching this when I was in college. Was with He-Man from his first appearance in DC Comics Presents, but it was really the cartoon that made it one of my two favorite properties of all time (DC Universe being the other).

[Mr.Marion]

My dislike for the MOTU cartoon is well documented. I always thought cute sidekicks, talking animals, and a secret identity for He Man were stupid.

I was a Minicomic guy all the way.

But the cartoon sold the toys, and the love for those has kept the brand alive for decades.

I agree with you. I love that first wave of figures they are a greatest hits of sci-fi paperback novels. The cartoon however never did anything for me. It wasn't as good as Gi Joe or the Spider-friends from the same period. Also Thundarr did animated sword and Sorcery much better but wasn't near as toyetic.

[palitoy]

I feel like Canada got it before Joe as well but the memory could be cheating me.

I was 12, I dug the mini-comics but the show was aiming younger (which was wise considering) so it never truly gelled with me.

Even the Joe cartoon, which I liked better, paled in comparison with the comic, which had not introduced Duke yet and I didn't like the character. I even wrote a disgruntled letter to Marvel, which they did not print.

[Dannyc]

My dislike for the MOTU cartoon is well documented. I always thought cute sidekicks, talking animals, and a secret identity for He Man were stupid.

I was a Minicomic guy all the way.

But the cartoon sold the toys, and the love for those has kept the brand alive for decades.

You forgot them depicting cool & interesting villians as total doofus buffoons. That along with what you listed killed it for me as a kid.

But yeah, prefer the proto-lore that was in the mini comics.

[Megotastrophe]

My nephew was big into MOTU. As I was a sophisticated high school student, He-Man was a bit beneath my notice. I was heavy into D&D at the time and the crossover should have been there but it just wasn’t.

[Werewolf]

40 years old today in the US. I unironically and unapologetically still love it. MOTU would not have become the enduring pop culture icon it is to this day without it.