Princess of Power (sometimes abbreviated as POP and informally referred to as She-Ra, after the lead heroine) is a toyline created by Mattel. Among others, it features the characters of She-Ra and Catra on planet Etheria. With its launch in 1984, the toyline spawned a variety of products, including three lines of fashion action figures. The Princess of Power logo and characters are currently used by Mattel as part of the Masters of the Universe Classics toyline.
The Toys In 1984, Mattel and Filmation decided to diversify the Masters of the Universe line beyond its traditional realm of "male action" in the hopes of bringing in a young female audience as well. To accompany the Filmation animated series, Mattel created a new line of toys aimed at girls - Princess of Power - with the feminine warrior-woman She-Ra (twin sister of Masters' main hero He-Man) as its main heroine. The toyline featured almost exclusively female characters, all of whom featured an emphasis on hair and clothing, with "real" hair and partially soft-goods costumes. Essentially, the line attempted to fuse the appeal of Masters of the Universe with Mattel's most long-standing success, Barbie. Like its predecessor Masters of the Universe, the POP toy line actually lasted longer than the She-Ra: Princess of Power cartoon series itself. Most of the females were heroic except for Catra, who acted as She-Ra's main nemesis in the attached minicomics, and Entrapta who followed her schemes.
Mattel Princess of Power Vintage Toys (1984-1987) + Wave 1 / 1984 Name Tagline Allegiance Type She-Ra Princess Adora Becomes She-Ra, Most Powerful Woman in the Universe! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Bow Special Friend Who Helps She-Ra! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Glimmer The Guide Who Lights the Way! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Kowl The Know-It Owl! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Angella Angelic Winged Guide! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Frosta Ice Empress of Etheria! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Castaspella Enchantress Who Hypnotizes! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Double Trouble Glamorous Double Agent! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Catra Jealous Beauty! The Evil Horde Action Figure Swift Wind Beautiful Horse Spirit, Becomes Magical Flying Unicorn! The Great Rebellion Creature Arrow True Blue Horse Flies BOW to Victory! The Great Rebellion Creature Enchanta Beautiful Swan "Flies" She-Ra and her Friends on Amazing Adventures! The Great Rebellion Creature Storm Flies CATRA to Exciting Adventures! The Evil Horde Creature Crystal Castle Shimmmering Castle of Fantasy and Fun for SHE-RA and her Friends! The Great Rebellion Playset
+ Wave 2 / 1986 Name Tag Line Allegiance Type Starburst She-Ra The Most Powerful Woman in the Universe! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Flutterina Beautiful Lookout "Flies" with Fluttering Wings! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Mermista Mist-i-fying Mermaid! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Peekablue Watchful "Feathered" Friend! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Perfuma Scent-sational Flower Maiden! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Sweet Bee Honey of a Guide! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Scratchin' Sound Catra Jealous Beauty! The Evil Horde Action Figure Entrapta Tricky Golden Beauty! The Evil Horde Action Figure Crystal Swift Wind Magnificent Crystal Unicorn "Flies" She-Ra to Adventure! The Great Rebellion Creature Crystal Moonbeam Winged Stallion Protects Crystal Castle at Night! The Great Rebellion Creature Crystal Sun Dancer Lovely Winged Protector of Crystal Castle by Day! The Great Rebellion Creature Sea Harp Musical Sea Horse Carries She-Ra and her Friends to Adventure! The Great Rebellion Creature Butterflyer Winged Collector's Case for She-Ra doll and her Friends! The Great Rebellion Creature Clawdeen Glamorous Cat Carries Catra to Adventure! The Evil Horde Creature Crystal Falls Refreshing Water Wonderland for She-Ra and her Friends! The Great Rebellion Playset Fantastic Fashions - Deep Blue Secret Ocean Blue Outfit with a Secret Map of the Sea! The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Fit to be Tied Glamorous Gown with Life-Saving Scarf! The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Flight of Fancy Pretty Pantaloons Plus Magical Sword and Winged Shield! The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Flower Power Garden Party Gown with "Powerful" Surprise Flowers! The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Hold on to Your Hat Pretty Hat Becomes a Secret Shield The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Ready in Red Furry Winter Outfit Hides a Powerful Suit of Armor! The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Rise & Shine Lacy Lounging Gown Hides a Sparkly Suit of Armor! The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Veils of Mystery Layers of Veils Hide a Secret Sword! The Great Rebellion Accessories
+ Wave 3 / 1987 Name Tag Line Allegiance Type Bubble Power She-Ra The Most Powerful Woman in the Universe! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Loo-Kee Hides & "Sees" All in Etheria! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Netossa Captivating Beauty! The Great Rebellion Action Figure Spinnerella Dizzying Defender The Great Rebellion Action Figure Shower Power Catra Jealous Beauty! The Evil Horde Action Figure Royal Swift Wind Mighty "Flying" Unicorn Carries She-Ra to Adventure! The Great Rebellion Creature Silver Storm Silver Storm "Flies" Catra to Mischievous Adventures! The Evil Horde Creature Fantastic Fashions - Blue Lightning The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Colorful Secret The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Frosty Fur The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Heart of Gold The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Hidden Gold The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Reflections in Red The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Secret Messenger The Great Rebellion Accessories Fantastic Fashions - Windy Jumper The Great Rebellion Accessories
Mattel Princess of Power Unreleased Toys (1985-1987) The following appear in toy catalogues but were never released.
+Unreleased/Prototypes Name Tag Line Alliegiance Type Starla Bright & Beautiful Leader with Star Glitter Backpack The Great Rebellion Action Figure Tallstar Make Lovely Lookout "Grow" The Great Rebellion Action Figure Jewelstar Fold Hidden Beauty into "Jewel" The Great Rebellion Action Figure Glory Bird Flying Friend and Protector, Make his Wings Flap! The Great Rebellion Creature Bubble Carriage The Great Rebellion Vehicle
Cartoon Series (1985-87)
The animated series She-Ra: Princess of Power was produced by Filmation and made its television debut in 1985. Since the male members of the Evil Horde had been released as Masters of the Universe toys after the He-Man animated series had ended, they were made the main antagonists, with Catra and Entrapta from the POP toyline joining their ranks.
Etheria is ruled by Hordak and the Evil Horde. Raised by Hordak, but actually the long-lost daughter of King Randor and Queen Marlena of Eternia, and twin sister of Prince Adam / He-Man, Princess Adora joins the Great Rebellion to fight against the oppressive Horde. Princess Adora possesses a magic sword, and when she holds it aloft with her right hand and says the magic words, "For the honor of Grayskull... I AM SHE-RA!!!" she is transformed into She-Ra, "The Most Powerful Woman in the Universe." She-Ra is a beautiful blonde woman dressed in a white dress and a red cape, with a golden tiara on her head.
Mattel Masters of the Universe 200X Only one Princess of Power character was redone as an action figure for the new Masters of the Universe line in 2002-04: She-Ra, herself.
Released as an exclusive in 2004, this new She-Ra figure was made to appeal to fans of both the original and the new toylines, as well as fit in more closely with the other redesigned Masters characters. The new She-Ra still had the rooted, combable hair, but all of her clothing (except for her cape) was made out of molded plastic instead of cloth (unlike the original fashion action figure, who had both a cloth cape and skirt).
Mattel/Super7 Masters of the Universe Classics (2008-2020)
This new line of collector-oriented figures features previously released characters with "classic" retro sculpting and levels of articulation unprecedented for Masters of the Universe toys, and exclusively available online from Mattel's website mattycollector.com. As with the 200X toyline they are once again sculpted by the Four Horsemen, but are predominantly based on the original 1980's line of figures. Super7 took over the manufacture of the line in 2017, under licence from Mattel. The line plans to eventually include characters from all aspects of the Masters of the Universe franchise, including She-Ra (Princess of Power).
The first Princess of Power figure was Princess Adora, as revealed at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con, and was first made available in January 2010. Since then, Adora's alter-ego She-Ra has been released in the Classics line along with Princess of Power male lead Bow and chief villainess Catra. Although they made their original toy appearances in Masters of the Universe, She-Ra villains Hordak, Leech, Mantenna and Grizzlor are also available. New additions to the line from Princess of Power included Bubble Power She-Ra and her beloved steed Swift Wind, and many more characters were released during the following years.