PRINCESS OF POWER GREAT REBELLION FIGURES

A popular spin-off from the original Masters of the Universe was the toy line which featured She-Ra. The Princess of Power toys expanded the concept by inventing a parallel to the Prince Adam story. This time it was his sister, Adora, who had the magical ability. Her adventures took place on Etheria, not Eternia. The principal antagonist was Hordak, although the Evil Horde figures were released under the MOTU banner.

POP was obviously intended for the young female audience. Everything was so... pink. (That's not to say some girls didn't like MOTU and some boys didn't like POP, but let's not think of this in terms other than toy company marketing.) There was a cartoon by Filmation which occasionally crossed over with the He-Man one. When the Classics came around, Mattel merged these product lines under the MOTUC umbrella.

While She-Ra and friends sit outside the areas of interest of this website, I've decided to feature photographs of the POP figures here to recognise their place in the Classics line and the fans who love them. For the most part I'm not enthusiastic about the figures - too much pink for my taste - but some are rather good. Note these pictures don't include the Evil Horde female characters from the same era.


SHE-RA and ADORA

The principal in the POP world is, of course, represented by these two characters; one being the alter-ego of the other. The She-Ra figure is very good with one exception: in order to make her headwear fit, Mattel decided to put a peg hole in her forehead. The face is otherwise nicely styled. Adora is also a good figure, and fans were pleased to see her because she was never produced as a figure in the original POP line.


BUBBLE POWER SHE-RA and LIGHT HOPE

The only POP She-Ra variant, Bubble Power She-Ra is also a good figure. The headwear is odd and she looks better without it. Light Hope is, I think, meant to be some sort of deity or spiritual guardian. He's also a decent figure, even if he looks like he's been out in the sun too long. The details on his armour and staff are good.


BOW and SEA HAWK

Bow is a fairly decent male figure with a good face sculpt. I think Mattel should have put a string on his bow. He came with an alternative head which I refuse to show because it's more eighties' porn star than heroic warrior. Sea Hawk is camper than a row of tents. His styling definitely leans more towards the cartoon than the more intricate look we see elsewhere in the Classics line.


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MADAME RAZZ and DOUBLE MISCHIEF

I think Madame Razz is one of those figures you can only like if you're a real fan of the She-Ra cartoon. I'm usually not keen on these weirdly shaped characters, whether they're in this faction or elsewhere (e.g. Gwildor). I think I like the Fantasia rip-off standing next to her better. The truly horrible head and hair sculpts on Double Mischief ruin her for me. She's outclassed by her crossbow accessory.


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MERMISTA and PEEKABLUE

Mermista (who also comes with legs) is quite interesting. Her expression is rather serene and noble. I quite like her. Peekablue is normally displayed with the peacock feathers up the other way, but I think she looks better like this. The feathers are attached on an ugly shaft which plugs into a hole in her back. She's quite a pretty character, but in the real world it's the male bird who displays feathers like these.


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PERFUMA and JEWELSTAR

If you ever needed proof that POP equals pink, the evidence is right here. On that basis alone I find these two figures quite horrible to look at. The intricate styling of Perfuma's clothing regains some plus points, but that bizarre rose cannon is daft. This is one of those examples where the designers really should have gone much smaller. The poor girl can't even lift the thing. As for the Xmas tree fairy... Jewelstar has to be one of the worst figures in this line.


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STARLA and TALLSTAR

The other two Star Sisters are better but still not particularly inspiring. Starla on the left is probably the better figure, but she looks more superheroine than Hordak opponent. Tallstar has that same vibe, as if she's jumped out of a Marvel comic. Even among POP fans, the Star Sisters received a lukewarm reaction.


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NETOSSA and CASTASPELLA

Netossa is okay in design for the most part but I think there's something off with her expression. I think the eyes are too big in an otherwise nicely shaped face. Other than that she appears to be a strong personality. Castaspella has a good face sculpt - not all that different from Teela's - but she also has the superheroine styling. I'm not a fan of the power blast accessory. Admittedly the way I've posed it here does make it look like she's just pulled her hand out of a large honey pot.


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SWEETBEE and FLUTTERINA

I like the torso designs for both Sweetbee and Flutterina, and their faces are okay too. The main problem with these figures is the way the wings are attached. There is no room for useful movement on either figure (Sweetbee in particular). Again, there's too much pink here for my liking. If the wings had matched the rest of their colour schemes I think I would have liked them both much more.


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GLIMMER and ANGELLA

I rather like Glimmer. Her design is possibly the closest to She-Ra and Adora's. The staff is good too. She may well be one of the plainest POP figures, but for me that works to her advantage. I don't like Angella at all, for the haloed angel symbolism (which I find vulgar) and the deathly stare on her face in equal measure. But hey, if you get struck down by her you must be some sort of demon who deserves the fate that's coming to you.


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FROSTA and SPINNERELLA

So that brings us to Frosta and Spinnerella. Fans were really disappointed when Mattel went with grey instead of white on Frosta's clothing. (It's a few shades darker than this photo shows.) You may recall that Mattel said they couldn't do white, having conveniently forgotten that that's exactly what they used for Teela's tunic. That criticism aside, I think Frosta is really very good. Spinnerella is also one of my favourites in this faction. I'll admit I had missed the intricate styling on her bracers and belt until I took the photo. She's a beautiful figure.