MATTEL CREATIONS
Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe is an iconic American science fantasy franchise created by Mattel in 1981-1982. The toy line paired action figures with mini-comic books to build deep lore and achieved massive global sales in the 1980s. The classic 1983–1985 animated series (He-Man and the Masters of the Universe) turned the franchise into a pop-culture phenomenon. The central conflict follows Prince Adam, who can transform into He-Man ("The Most Powerful Man in the Universe"), as he defends the secrets of Castle Grayskull against the villainous Skeletor. In June 2026, Amazon MGM Studios in the U.S. and Sony Pictures worldwide released the Masters of the Universe live-action film. Mattel Creations - that serves as Mattel's exclusive online hub for adult collectors - grants Masters of the Universe fans exclusive access to buy specific, highly-limited Masters of the Universe figures—primarily under the MOTU Origins banner—that are not sold to the general public through their membership platform.
Collaborating with the Mattel MOTU Marketing and Mattel Creations team, I led creative for the MOTU Origins collector line and Chronicles Movie Version pieces.
Life-Size Masters of the Universe Chronicles Havoc Staff
This life-sized version of the Skeletor’s Havoc Staff, as wielded in the Masters of the Universe film, could be used for role play or proudly put in display. The rechargeable staff featured sound effects, plus light-up eyes and even smoke from the refillable fog fluid reservoir.
Our goal was to highlight the staff’s special effects, and accurately depict scale as this was the first role play item released by Mattel Creations. We were given access to movie footage to supplement our campaign and wanted to recreate the fiery Snake Mountain atmosphere from the film but featuring a casual collector consumer in the photos and video. I collaborated on set design, shot list creation, model selection, and wardrobe. On set, I led the photo and video shoot.
Licensor: Amazon Content Services LLC
Collaborated with: Design Manager: Rolex Vidal | Photographer: Jason Tidwell | Stylist: Alphonse Neri | Producer: Rachel Levine
Masters of the Universe Origins™ Great Black Wizard Action Figure
From the depths of Masters of the Universe lore and Preternia comes The Great Black Wizard - a skull-faced sorcerer with a massive sword in one hand and a Shaping Staff in the other, dressed head to toe in battle armor. This villainous wizard warlord is a formidable foe from Eternia’s distant past who alliances with groups like the Snake Men and the Horde, clashing with characters such as He-Ro, Sharella, and Eldor. For this drop I wanted to push the mood to emphasize The Great Black Wizard’s immense evil presence with dark lighting in a smokey, volcanic, Snake Mountain setting. Using depth of field and camera dutching, I wanted the battle scenes to come to life and make you feel like you dived straight into the action.
Collaborated with: Design Manager: Rolex Vidal | Photographer: Brett Ziegler | Stylist: Alphonse Neri
Masters of the Universe Origins Blast-Attak Action Figure
An evil-doing android first released in 1987, Blast-Attak, also known as Program Robot Serial Number 1710, is a villainous henchman with a hidden power. Designed to self-destruct after a pre-set time period, he walks into battle, takes down anyone in his path, then reassembles himself to fight another day. The figure splits into two halves when the detonator’s pump trigger is pressed. I thought to highlight this product feature with an animated GIF. As we needed to show where the pump trigger attaches the figure, I also played with ways to show all sides of the figure that still added to the figure’s story.
