The 80s are back in fashion. And if not, let them tell Mattel, who has prepared a collection of figures from Masters of the Universe, the characters created by Roger Sweet that were all the rage 40 years ago. This collection was born as a collaboration between the toymaker and Virgil Abloh last year. The toys are now on sale and, in a way, they are a form of honor the famous designer.
Mattel Creations MOTU: Materializing Virgil Abloh’s Legacy
In early 2021, Mattel reached an agreement with Virgil Abloh. The fashion designer and DJ claimed to have a great link with He-Man toys, so he did not hesitate for a moment to propose the project. Mattel accepted, and Abloh made public some statements about how important it was for him to work with this franchise:
“My job is to find links in every collaboration between my work and intellectual property. To me, the He-Man characters are huge, both for what they represent and for the nostalgia that working with them evokes.”
Without a doubt, for Virgil Abloh it was quite a responsibility to work with the toys of his childhood, something that is quite curious, since he came to work with renowned brands such as Louis Vuitton. Unfortunately, Virgil Abloh did not get to finish his commission. The designer died of a cardiac angiosarcoma in November last year.
After his death, Virgil Abloh Securities —his creative company— took the reins of this project. Under the leadership of Shannon Abloh, his wife, the company has achieved fulfill Virgil’s dream. To do this, they have rescued the artist’s sketches and have materialized a collection that he would have been proud of:
“Virgil had a deep ownership interest in MOTU. Many of his creative concepts were rooted in nostalgia. The selection of the characters for this collection we believe is rooted in their iconography and meaning within the franchise. The design direction sought to preserve existing iconography, using color theory as an entry point to novelty, and collector culture, drawing a parallel between art collectors and comic book collectors.”
What is Abloh x Mattel Creations MOTU like?
Mattel has already revealed what these Masters of the Universe figures look like. There will be four: He Man, Skeleton, Battle Cat Y Skele God. They are all presented in one aspect monochromewith a finish similar to wood, respecting the vision that Virgil Abloh had in his day.
They are figures of some 7 inches tall with 30 articulating points. Hands can be changed to equip shields and swords. Additionally, each piece comes with a comic designed by Reggieknow.
If nostalgia has been able to you and you also want to be part of this, the figures can now be reserved from the Mattel Creations website. There is a limit of two units of each type per user -basically, so that they do not run out in record time due to resales-, and the figures cost around 60 euros. The shipments are planned for before March 31, 2023.
