Anyways enough of awkardness, let's discuss the toy for this Toy Chest Tuesday! The Princess of Power toyline is no stranger to this blog, so I thought it would be fun to look at Sweet Bee, a real honey of a guide. Released in 1986 Sweet Bee was a part of the illustrious second series from the POP toy line. Mattel spared no expense with this figure because she came with quite a few cool features. Let's check out some pictures!
As you can see Sweet Bee came with a whole lot of pink. And bright yellow. I found nothing wrong with this as a child and in all reality thought the world would be a better place if most of us looked like a gaudy bee lady. The package displayed Starburst She-Ra and Crystal Swift Wind on the upper left corner. Sweet Bee also came with reversible wings, antennae headdress, skirt, shield, comb and a comic. The comic included was entitled A Born Champion. And she was!
Here is a bigger photo of Sweet Bee with even bigger hair. Somewhere Cher and Dolly Parton are dying for a wig like Bee's massive curls. She had a lot of hair that rivaled most of the hair metal bands of the time. Her eye shadow was also bright green, which is probably why some people are scared of her to this day. Most He-Man fans are absolutely terrified of her eventual inclusion into the Masters of the Universe Classics line. Poor Sweet Bee, where is the love?
The back of the card features quite a few things. There is the unique photo of Sweet Bee at the top with brief bio. Below are photos explaining all the greatness of her accessories. Of course no toy would be complete without a full line up of other items to buy. As a child I learned so much about capitalism from Mattel.
The drawing of Sweet Bee on the back was very nice. I really liked all the drawings for the POP gals on their cards. They were full of whimsy and the use of color was always lush. The bio also did a nice job of detailing exactly what Sweet Bee was all about.
"I guide She-Ra and our friends on many adventures. Often I buzz on ahead to find shortcuts. And when it's time to go, I lead us safely home. Even after dark, my glowing antennae and wings guide the way."
The bio makes it sound like she is a car. Anyways do not adjust your screens, her antennae and wings did glow. The three bottom pictures show exactly how awesome Sweet Bee is. Her wings have a pink side and a gold glittery side. The pink side glows in the dark when held in the light. Her fancy antennae piece also glows in the dark. Can I just say toys that glow in the dark are so much fun. MOTU and POP both had numerous characters and pieces that had glow in the dark parts. Love it!
This last photo shows all the other great toy options for the She-Ra fan. For details on those items head on over to Toy Chest Entrapta.
Sweet Bee of course is much more than just a honey of a guide. She-Ra fans will fondly remember her as being the foil between any notion of a would-be romance between Frosta and He-Man. Poor Frosta had to work it for He-Man to even notice her and we all know how that type of behavior turns out. The most powerful man in the universe does not like a pushy woman. Of course no one really cares who He-Man ends up with, we were all more interested in the claws coming out between Frosta and Sweet Bee. (Truth be told I was always rooting for Frosta. I'm a pushy broad too, what are ya gonna do?)
So that is about it for this week's Toy Chest. If you find yourself wanting to watch some good tv, check out the She-Ra cartoon episode Sweet Bee's Home. It is truly a classic that I have mentioned a few times already. Anyone who thinks that Sweet Bee is a crappy addition to the MOTU mythos needs their reality checked. Until next time!
Awww, I love Sweet Bee. I never had her as a child, but I think not owning her and not knowing what it was like to play with her has just made her even cooler and more mysterious to me. Personally I love her makeup and her curly hair (Glimmer was the "curly girl" in the 1st wave. Sweet Bee replaces her as the "curly girl" in the 2nd wave. There must always be a "curly girl."). As I was reading your post, I kept thinking "Wasn't there an episode where He-Man was blindly in love with Sweet Bee??" And then you mentioned it! I like Frosta too. But there's nothing like a good love triangle, especally when - if memory serves - Sweet Bee had zero return interest in He-Man. Maybe Buzz Off is more her type? ^.~
ReplyDeleteLOL! That is so true, Sweet Bee was completely oblivious to He-Man's crush on her. She was just like, "I crash landed on this damn planet, someone get me back to my home."
ReplyDeleteI loved the curly hair style of Glimmer and Sweet Bee both. I have never had curly hair so when I was little I was always fascinated by all the curls.
I blame Stormer for my love of curly girls. I still always want the one with the poofy hair, whatever the collection is.
DeleteMy biggest regret is that I never got any Jem dolls. I always disliked that they were slightly taller than Barbie. I just want to kick myself for being so dumb as a kid. Stormer had some hair!
DeleteWell, there's always ebay, where you can buy back your childhood! ^.~
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, that is what I have been doing! I don't know what we ever did before ebay. Though I wish old Jem stuff wasn't so expensive now.
ReplyDeleteYeah. The Jem stuff is getting ridiculously pricey. As is the She-Ra stuff. Seems like new fans are still coming on board too. But if you keep you're eyes open and have a spot of luck, now and then you score big!
ReplyDeleteOh I know. I have been lucky on some things, you are right. You just need to keep your eyes open and pay attention to what is going on. Prices can be high or very low.
ReplyDelete