If you had asked me 10 years ago that I will be the Mattel Design Center with a small group of about 50 media members from several different countries to attend this event, I probably would’t have believed you. Well, on September 29th, 2022, Mattel had invited myself and others to a day of fun at their Design Center in El Segundo, California. The place where a lot of awesome magic happens and the process they go too to make all the Masters of the Universe action figures we love, along with Barbie, Hot Wheels and other brands. This event was special invite only, and I was honored to have been asked. Make sure to also check out the press release.
To start the day, I got to visit the Lobby of Mattel’s HQ, which has some Masters of the Universe Mini-Comic artwork on display, along with Hot Wheels cars on the wall. From there, we were taken to the Design Center, where we would spend the rest of the day on a tour, a complimentary lunch, as well as a look at upcoming products that were presenting by Josh Graham, the marketing manager, as well as the design team.
This event started off with a look at the Lobby of the Design Center, including products and cardboard standouts of He-Man and Skeletor on display. A theatre room was set up with tables and a presentation stage, and this is where the reveals took place. More details are below.
Masters of the Universe products are available on Entertainment Earth, BigBadToyStore and Amazon.
Mattel HQ Lobby:
Mattel Design Center (outside):
Theater Room & Lobby:
The Eternia Playset will be going up on Mattel Creations on October 12th, and will run you $550. It’s not just a reissue, but a modern update that will be appealing to everyone. There are 3 tiers, assuming that they get the 5,000 backers needed for the Initial offerings. King Grayskill is the 1 week early bird special, Moat Monster (8,000 backers), and the third is Eldor (10,000 backers). More details about this set can be found HERE.
He-Man and Street Sharks original Cartoon art in Design Center:
Eternia Room: This includes various toy lines over the years, including Origins and Masterverse on display.
3D Printing Room: Mattel does their own printing in this room. It’s quite impressive with several machines that brings concepts to life.
Product Reveals:
All set for Spring 2023
Masterverse – New Adventures Skeletor, Man-At-Arms (civilian cloths, comes with interchangeable head, armor, weapons),
Origins: Mekaneck with Ground Ripper, Frog Monger (Mattel Creations), He-Skeletor (alternate reality version – Mattel Creations), Moss Man (fully flocked, Walmart exclusive)
Snake Mountain revealed. Features removable prison, that can be moved from underneath the trap door, to the dungeon, pit to place a figure on as if he’s melting, a ladder, weapons rack, and more.
Thank you to Mattel and their great staff for not only the opportunity to attend this event, but a chance to tour their building and to better understand all that goes on behind the scenes.