Apr 28, 2026 6:59pm PT

Roger Sweet, Creator of He-Man, Dies at 91

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Marlene Sweet

Roger Sweet, the creator of the He-Man action figure, which spawned the popular ‘80s cartoon series “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe,” died on Tuesday after a battle with dementia, TMZ reports. He was 91.

Sweet was the lead designer for Mattel’s Preliminary Design Department in the ‘70s and ‘80s. In 1976, Mattel turned down a deal to produce toys for “Star Wars,” an offer that proved extremely lucrative for Cincinnati-based toy maker Kenner Products after “A New Hope” was released in 1977. After the fact, Mattel struggled to launch a popular action figure based on original IP. Enter Sweet, who, in pursuit of a fresh idea, experimented by gluing a Big Jim action figure into a fighting stance and adding clay to its body for bulk. This became the prototype for He-Man, which he successfully pitched to then CEO Ray Wagner. He-Man officially hit markets in 1982.