The Sand Demons?

As you can see in this image, the original design of the Sand Demons from the He-Man season one episode "Temple of The Sun" was very different to what appeared in the final episode. As with most model redesigns the creatures that appeared in the actual episode looked much better than this design. The Sand Demons became a familiar sight during the He-Man series, so it is hard to see how this original odd-looking threat could have been taken seriously...


(click on the image to see it at full-size)

Castaspella is evil?

"She-Ra and the Golden Goose" is one of the Ladybird books that treated Catra and her associates as jealous untrustworthy companions to Adora and her friends. Thankfully this theme would only feature in a few books! Oddly in this particular book Castaspella is portrayed as having strong alliances with Catra and Entrapta, and yet the toy line had already established that she was one of the forces for good...


(click on the image to see it at full-size)

Tri-Klops is relentless!

Here is something that we unfortunately never saw in the Filmation cartoon, Tri-Klops overpowering He-Man to the ground with his swordsmanship! Yes, there was one scene where He-Man and Tri-Klops appeared evenly matched in "Diamond Ray of Disappearance", but that was just four seconds of footage! The original idea of Tri-Klops, as evident in the early minicomics, is that he was a skilled swordsman and warrior that could not be bested by many...


(click on the image to see it at full-size)

Original Davy Jones!

In the script for the She-Ra episode "Anchors Aloft" Part 2 there is a suggested character model for Davy Jones. This was more than likely illustrated by this script's writer and Filmation storyboard artist Bob Forward. The illustration was sketched on the very page and scene where Davy Jones first appeared to ensure that the storyboard and layout departments could see the initial design...


(click on the image to see it at full-size)

Dashing wildly.

Even though the later She-Ra minicomics had the talented Jim Mitchell illustrating them, the quality of the final production was never quite the same as the earlier minicomics. Even so here is a nice illustration from the minicomic "Across the Crystal Light Barrier" that perfectly summarizes the style found in these later minicomics...


(click on the image to see it at full-size)

Clawdeen dozing...

One thing I do like about Glenn Steward's style in the "She-Ra and the Golden Goose" Ladybird book is that Clawdeen is illustrated perfectly! The large glamorous cat does not look ridiculous like the toy, or too aggressive like the Filmation version, retaining a cunning look throughout the book. If I had one criticism of Robin Davies' artwork on She-Ra, it would be that his Clawdeen never looked quite right...


(click on the image to see it at full-size)

Leena redesigned...

Here is an interesting look at the character of Leena from the She-Ra season one episode "Just Like Me". This redesign occurred very late during the production of the episode, and it is obvious that this was done so to make her character design slightly tougher and less girly. Even her pose is tough!


(click on the image to see it at full-size)

Gommoroth, Frod and Kristan...

In the season one She-Ra episode "The Red Knight" there are three competitors alongside Bow and the Red Knight during the competition who are never named, but achieve a plentiful amount of screen time. In the script however they are named and described as Gommoroth, leader of the Mountain Kingdom, Frod, a primitive caveman, and Kristan, an ice-blue warrior from Frosta's empire. Although there was no ice blue warrior in the final production, it is very easy to pair up the name with the character...


(click on the image to see it at full-size)

MORE eBay madness! :)

Yes, once again I'm selling now-unwanted parts of my DVD, book and comic collection; all in superb condition (of course) - There are a lot of Filmation-related items for sale, plus a few He-Man and She-Ra items, too (with more to come) - Plus if you follow this link you'll see there's more to Busta Toons than just He-Man and She-Ra! :)

Busta Toons is selling stuff!

Happy Birthday He-Man #1 - Sword held aloft...

Yes, on this very day twenty-four years ago He-Man and the Masters of the Universe premiered in the UK before any other country in the world! Little did Filmation or Mattel know at the time that their new cartoon series would influence the lives of millions of young children. For all of us who grew up in the eighties, He-Man and the Masters of the Universe was a big part of our childhoods. The characters, settings, and stories will never be forgotten!

To celebrate He-Man's twenty-fourth birthday I am featuring TWENTY-FOUR He-Man entries in one single session! :)

So, let the fun begin...

Here is a fantastic Robin Davies illustration from the Ladybird book "He-Man and the Lost Dragon". What I love about this image is that it has a great Filmation-feel to it, and it makes me wish that the directors at Filmation had used this angle for an alternate transformation sequence!


(click on the image to see it at full-size)