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Roger Sweet, Creator of the He-Man Action Figure, Dies at 91

68 points by ChrisArchitect 7mo ago

ChrisArchitect 7mo ago
non-paywall: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/arts/roger-sweet-dead-he-man.html?unlocked_article_code=1.fFA.F8Fy.gtFwcgGRkdh0&smid=url-share https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/arts/roger-sweet-dead-he-...
riffraff 6mo ago
Netflix has a pretty entertaining series on old toys, and there's an episode on He-Man, which, among other tidbits, explains that Battle-cat was actually a random tiger from a different toy line (Big Jim in the Jungle IIRC) with a paint job and a saddle. Proper creativity at work!
- morelikeborelax 6mo ago
  He is quite the character on that. Great episode!
senectus1 6mo ago
I had one of the original toys... as a small child i was really fascinated by the absurdly muscled character.
low_tech_love 6mo ago
As someone dealing with a few cases of cancer in the family (including a child) I can’t help but think what an amazing miracle to live to 91 years old. Some people really hit the jackpot! Rest in peace.
- thaumasiotes 6mo ago
  When my younger sister was in elementary school, she complained to my mother that the other kids at school had grandparents.
- JKCalhoun 6mo ago
  A post a few years back by someone dying of a terminal disease said as much (and I will not forget the sentiment). Essentially: old age is a privilege, not something anyone should ever expect.
mcraiha 6mo ago
He-Man was/is quite big gay icon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He-Man_as_a_gay_icon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He-Man_as_a_gay_icon
- giannicmptr1000 6mo ago
  swords and sandal style, I loved he-man and remember how epic the sound and visuals were on the cartoon, the homo-eroticism was just the atmosphere
bitwize 6mo ago
When I was 6-7 and my sister was four, I was way into He-Man. My sister's best friend at the time, a girl her age who lived down the road a ways, was too. When I went over to their house close to Christmas, I saw that their tree had nearly every single He-Man figure then available under it. I thought any girl who was this into He-Man had to be really cool.
OuterVale 6mo ago
Obligatory Fabulous Secret Powers (also known as HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR7wOGyAzpw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR7wOGyAzpw
kelnos 6mo ago
I had so many He-Man action figures and toy vehicles as a child in the 80s. Loved the TV show as well. This mention really brought back some memories.
JKCalhoun 6mo ago
Not to bee too much of a Debbie-Downer here (Cynical Simon? I just made that one up), but for some reason I was surprised and horrified that they might actually design a toy first and make a cartoon around it. That level (and insidiousness) of marketing was one of many wake-up calls I had to the world around us. —Jaded John

non-paywall: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/arts/roger-sweet-dead-he-man.html?unlocked_article_code=1.fFA.F8Fy.gtFwcgGRkdh0&smid=url-share https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/arts/roger-sweet-dead-he-...

riffraff 6mo ago

Netflix has a pretty entertaining series on old toys, and there's an episode on He-Man, which, among other tidbits, explains that Battle-cat was actually a random tiger from a different toy line (Big Jim in the Jungle IIRC) with a paint job and a saddle. Proper creativity at work!

morelikeborelax 6mo ago
He is quite the character on that. Great episode!

senectus1 6mo ago

I had one of the original toys... as a small child i was really fascinated by the absurdly muscled character.

low_tech_love 6mo ago

As someone dealing with a few cases of cancer in the family (including a child) I can’t help but think what an amazing miracle to live to 91 years old. Some people really hit the jackpot! Rest in peace.

thaumasiotes 6mo ago
When my younger sister was in elementary school, she complained to my mother that the other kids at school had grandparents.
JKCalhoun 6mo ago
A post a few years back by someone dying of a terminal disease said as much (and I will not forget the sentiment). Essentially: old age is a privilege, not something anyone should ever expect.

mcraiha 6mo ago

He-Man was/is quite big gay icon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He-Man_as_a_gay_icon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He-Man_as_a_gay_icon

giannicmptr1000 6mo ago
swords and sandal style, I loved he-man and remember how epic the sound and visuals were on the cartoon, the homo-eroticism was just the atmosphere

bitwize 6mo ago

When I was 6-7 and my sister was four, I was way into He-Man. My sister's best friend at the time, a girl her age who lived down the road a ways, was too. When I went over to their house close to Christmas, I saw that their tree had nearly every single He-Man figure then available under it. I thought any girl who was this into He-Man had to be really cool.

OuterVale 6mo ago

Obligatory Fabulous Secret Powers (also known as HEYYEYAAEYAAAEYAEYAA): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR7wOGyAzpw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR7wOGyAzpw

kelnos 6mo ago

I had so many He-Man action figures and toy vehicles as a child in the 80s. Loved the TV show as well. This mention really brought back some memories.

JKCalhoun 6mo ago

Not to bee too much of a Debbie-Downer here (Cynical Simon? I just made that one up), but for some reason I was surprised and horrified that they might actually design a toy first and make a cartoon around it. That level (and insidiousness) of marketing was one of many wake-up calls I had to the world around us. —Jaded John