Toy Chest Tuesday! Dedication to She-Ra!

"I am Adora, He-Man's twin sister and defender of the Crystal Castle."

"This is Spirit, my beloved steed. There is no plastic version of him. Let's move along."

"Fabulous secrets were revealed to me the day I held aloft my sword and said...." (with an impossibly cool catchy song in the background)

"For the honor of Grayskull. I am..." (wait for it)

"She-Ra!!!"

Hello toy fans! Most of you know what happens next in that classic opening of She-Ra: Princess of Power. If not by all means youtube it. It is just the best. Anyways it is time for a new special edition of Toy Chest Tuesday! This will be the last Toy Chest of the year and I thought what better way to cap off the last one by showcasing all the amazing She-Ra figures that have been made! Now the original Bubble Power She-Ra will not be making an appearance and there won't be any images of She-Ra's knock off Golden Girl. Knock offs are never in style, or at least that is what Harper's Bazaar always says.

Let's look at the first She-Ra figure made!

Here she is folks. She-Ra: The Most Powerful Woman in the Universe. She made her debut in 1984. I vividly recall opening her up. She was a birthday present along with her special friend Bow. I was ecstatic. I was already head over heels for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, but for some reason She-Ra just seemed really special to me. I felt like I too could raise a sword aloft in the air, chant the familiar words, and totally do anything I could ever imagine.

This She-Ra is missing a few pieces as they are located deep within the walls of my archival room, but she did come with a sword and really cool necklace. Her cape had this shiny red material that helped create a magical effect around her. With real rooted hair, this line of toys was aimed at girls on the stylish go. Because honestly, it is important to save the world with great hair. Oh and don't for a second think that only girls liked She-Ra. I had a few boy cousins that had a She-Ra as well. Everyone did. This toy was just flat out awesome. Oh and for those wondering, those new boots were made for walking thanks to a nice coat of gold acrylic paint. Poor She-Ra was practically looking barefoot for awhile.

Alright up next is Starburst She-Ra! (No relation to the candy.)

Released in 1985 this was She-Ra's first variant. She came with a few upgrades, like a new face. Her skirt was longer. The tiara was a different color, more sparkly glitter and pink than the original gold. This She-Ra also came with a brand new sword. The biggest change was the cape though. With just a lift of the arms...

We see She-Ra's really cool starburst effect cape. This effect further created the imagery of Adora's transformation into She-Ra. I was hooked as a kid. At first glance I had been like, "Give me a break. Why am I going to ask my parents to buy me a whole other She-Ra doll when I already have one?" I tried to rationalize to myself that I would do better to have an Entrapta or Sweet Bee as my next purchase instead of a second She-Ra. Needless to say my thirst for collecting variants can totally be traced back to seeing this version of She-Ra in stores. I simply had to have this new She-Ra with her starburst cape. Here is hoping that Mattel will release an updated version one day!

With the passing of time, She-Ra would not have a new figure until 2004, 20 years after the original came out.

In the early '00s He-Man got the royal reboot treatment with a new cartoon and toyline. Dubbed by some as the 200X He-Man, a whole new generation got to experience He-Man with a hyper anime stylized look. Princess of Power fans had their fingers crossed for an incluson of She-Ra and her friends into the mix, but all we got was this special She-Ra from the 2004 San Diego Comic Con. As you can see this She-Ra paid homage to the original as well as fitting in with the look of the MOTU series at the time. 

I was thrilled to see this She-Ra. The 200X He-Man cartoon had pretty much been over and there didn't seem to be any sign of He-Man or She-Ra coming back in a big way, so for me this was a very important figure to own. I bought her as a gift to myself for graduating college. I don't know what other people buy themselves to celebrate finishing college, but it only made sense that I treat myself with an important character that has been a part of the majority of my life.  

The current status of She-Ra? Alive and kicking!

I thought the last time I'd ever see She-Ra was in 2004. She was in desperate need of some life support and thanks to the 4 Horsemen (the fabulous toy sculptors that helped make the 200X toyline) She-Ra has come back. In 2008 Mattel started the Masters of the Universe Classics line. An amazing toy line that encompasses every aspect of the MOTU mythos, including She-Ra and her friends. In 2010 She-Ra was released in full Classics treatment with two swappable heads! One head was in reference to her vintage toy version while the new head finally resembled the cartoon version. This was a perfect She-Ra and my heart did flips of joy when she came out! (Though she did sell out before I could get her the first time.)  

She-Ra eats a shrinking mushroom and parties with mini-Mario...

This past summer Mattel decided to merge two of its properties to create a special set of She-Ra items for the 2011 San Diego Comic Con. Polly Pocket as She-Ra was a cute way to introduce new fans to the line as well as giving She-Ra fans yet another reason to froth at the mouth. Some were annoyed by the set whereas others thought it was cute and fun. I loved the set as it also came with Polly Pocket's friends as Frosta and Catra. Absolute perfection!

Here comes another variant!

The must recent iteration of She-Ra is Bubble Power She-Ra. From the vintage toyline, Bubble Power She-Ra was a part of the third and highly sought after series of POP toys/dolls. I never had the chance to own BP She-Ra, mainly because I never saw one in stores. She was like the Chupacabra, only a few have seen one. Luckily this new Classics version was made for the rest of us. This variant pays total tribute to the vintage version. Her arm cuffs and boots are similar to the vintage design. Her bubble canon is just perfect. The tiara places POP fans on opposite sides of the Crystal Castle, some dislike the nod to the toy while others find the tiara to be a perfect addition. Either way this She-Ra's removable head, cape, and pink "armor" can be swapped with the other Classics She-Ra. This new She-Ra variant also has a new body sculpt, but that is a whole other story best saved for another day. 

What is in store next?

Who knows what the cosmos have planned for She-Ra? I guess Mattel and the 4H might know a thing or two, but either way there has been a lot of really great She-Ra releases as of late. It feels like 1984 all over again. Except now I'm old. Either way you all best believe this dorkette will be ready for any new releases. I am a She-Ra fan for life. Nothing could be better. Except maybe a Mermista in the Classics line. I can hope can't I?

Until next time toy fans! Though Toy Chest may not be coming back until 2012, fear not, I will still be rambling at the mouth, er, keyboard. Stay tuned for more awesome dork talk!

There are end of the year lists!

Horrifying stories of Roaches party rockin' in tha house!

And all kinds of other great things! Diary of a Dorkette is just getting started!!!