Read book Mastering the Universe : He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea by David Wecker PDF, MOBI, DOC
9781578602230 English 1578602238 Mastering the Universe illuminates the creation, rise, and fall of one of the top-selling product lines in what is arguably the world's most competitive industry, toys--and it does so from the perspective of Roger Sweet, the man who originated He-Man for Mattel. He-Man and the product line that grew out of it, Masters of the Universe (MOTU), created a fantasy world for boys that, at its height in 1986, reached $400 million in U.S. sales, only to plummet to $7 million the following year. During its six-year run, the MOTU line sold $1.2 billion worldwide and spawned a syndicated cartoon series and a major motion picture--a feat not even the venerable Barbie can claim. Mastering the Universe explores the phenomenon of He-Man's popularity, as well as the shocking reasons behind the toy's rapid decline., The cutthroat toy industry is no place for children. Mastering the Universe takes you inside that world with an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the inspired creation, meteoric rise, and devastating fall of one of the top-selling toy lines ever-He-Man and Masters of the Universe-as told by He-Man's creator, Roger Sweet. The outrageously muscle-bound action figure and his allies and villains created a fantasy world for boys that, at the height of MOTU's popularity in 1986, reached $400 million in U.S. sales, only to plummet to $7 million domestically the following year. During its six-year run, the line sold $1.2 billion worldwide and spawned a syndicated cartoon series and a major motion picture-a feat not even the venerable Barbie can claim. Roger Sweet and co-author David Wecker reveal the office politics that influenced the development of He-Man and MOTU, starting with Mattel's initial call for a male action figure that could compete with the Star Wars craze-on which Mattel had notoriously missed the boat. The authors also recount the creative process, from He-Man's origins as three characters-a barbarian, a military man, and a futuristic space man-to the moment when Mattel's president, in choosing among several toy concepts, pointed to the He-Man prototypes and said, "Those have the power." Mastering the Universe is a must-read for members of the He-Man generation as well as for toy collectors, pop culture enthusiasts, inventors, and anyone interested in the drama of business history-as bloody a battleground as anything He-Man ever faced. Book jacket.
9781578602230 English 1578602238 Mastering the Universe illuminates the creation, rise, and fall of one of the top-selling product lines in what is arguably the world's most competitive industry, toys--and it does so from the perspective of Roger Sweet, the man who originated He-Man for Mattel. He-Man and the product line that grew out of it, Masters of the Universe (MOTU), created a fantasy world for boys that, at its height in 1986, reached $400 million in U.S. sales, only to plummet to $7 million the following year. During its six-year run, the MOTU line sold $1.2 billion worldwide and spawned a syndicated cartoon series and a major motion picture--a feat not even the venerable Barbie can claim. Mastering the Universe explores the phenomenon of He-Man's popularity, as well as the shocking reasons behind the toy's rapid decline., The cutthroat toy industry is no place for children. Mastering the Universe takes you inside that world with an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at the inspired creation, meteoric rise, and devastating fall of one of the top-selling toy lines ever-He-Man and Masters of the Universe-as told by He-Man's creator, Roger Sweet. The outrageously muscle-bound action figure and his allies and villains created a fantasy world for boys that, at the height of MOTU's popularity in 1986, reached $400 million in U.S. sales, only to plummet to $7 million domestically the following year. During its six-year run, the line sold $1.2 billion worldwide and spawned a syndicated cartoon series and a major motion picture-a feat not even the venerable Barbie can claim. Roger Sweet and co-author David Wecker reveal the office politics that influenced the development of He-Man and MOTU, starting with Mattel's initial call for a male action figure that could compete with the Star Wars craze-on which Mattel had notoriously missed the boat. The authors also recount the creative process, from He-Man's origins as three characters-a barbarian, a military man, and a futuristic space man-to the moment when Mattel's president, in choosing among several toy concepts, pointed to the He-Man prototypes and said, "Those have the power." Mastering the Universe is a must-read for members of the He-Man generation as well as for toy collectors, pop culture enthusiasts, inventors, and anyone interested in the drama of business history-as bloody a battleground as anything He-Man ever faced. Book jacket.