He-Man Creator Roger Sweet Dies at 91

Roger Sweet, the toy designer credited with creating the He-Man action figure that launched the Masters of the Universe franchise, died Tuesday at age 91 after a prolonged battle with dementia. His wife, Marlene Sweet, confirmed he passed away peacefully at a memory care facility.

Sweet's death occurred weeks before the release of a new live-action Masters of the Universe film on June 5. The movie, produced by Amazon MGM Studios and Mattel Films and directed by Travis Knight, stars Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, alongside Jared Leto as Skeletor, Camila Mendes as Teela, Idris Elba as Man-At-Arms, Alison Brie as Evil-Lyn and others.

A lead designer in Mattel's Preliminary Design Department during the 1970s and 1980s, Sweet developed He-Man amid the company's need for a hit original action figure line. Mattel had passed on producing Star Wars toys in 1976, a deal that later boosted rival Kenner Products following the 1977 release of A New Hope. Sweet crafted the prototype by modifying a Big Jim figure, gluing it into a fighting pose and sculpting clay onto its body for added bulk. He pitched the concept successfully to then-CEO Ray Wagner, and He-Man debuted in 1982.