ANCIENT MASTERS OF ETERNIA

The Snake Men were the last evil faction to appear in the original Masters Of The Universe toy line. It could be said that the way had already been paved by Kobra Khan, one of Skeletor's underlings. The Snake Men were led by King Hiss, and it was said that he had once been a powerful ruler on Eternia centuries ago. He had been trapped in Snake Mountain, and was released by Skeletor.

This faction was an imaginative addition to the line, but it came rather late. As such, only five figures were made, although some would give Kobra Khan an honorary position in the warband. King Hiss was an imaginative, if somewhat basic, figure. He wore a fake body, which had the appearance of a friendly character, but hid the fact that his torso was in fact a mass of writhing snakes.

The background story of the Snake Men was never explored very deeply in the original line, but some hints were given about the creatures' past. It was a theme I wrote about in my short story Fire and Steel. There was some potential with the Snake Men, but the line was already heading towards its last days when they arrived.

The list that follows gives the names of the Snake Men Warriors from the vintage line with a short description of their skills. At the bottom of the page is a photograph of King Hiss.

King Hiss was the leader of the Snake Men, released from mystical entombment in Snake Mountain by Skeletor. The toy's top half could be removed to show the snake body underneath.

Rattlor was one of Hiss's loyal followers. He rattled as his name suggested, and had a 'quick-strike' head for attacking enemies.

Tung Lashor was another of Hiss's gang and struck his enemies with an extending tongue. This seems more chameleon-like than snake-like to me, but the figure looked good.

Snake Face was an ugly addition to the Snake Men, with snakes appearing from various places on his face and body.

Sssqueeze was the most ridiculous of the Snake Men, with Mr Tickle arms and a cartoon crocodile head.