2 min read May 1, 2026 06:01 AM IST First published on: May 1, 2026 at 06:01 AM IST In 1977, ahead of the release of what would become the phenomenon that is Star Wars, filmmaker George Lucas approached Mattel for a tie-up to produce licensed franchise toys. It refused, the deal went to Kenner, and the rest became history. Mattel’s resurrection was engineered three years later by a toy designer, Roger Sweet, and his brainchild, He-Man, a broad-shouldered action figurine with a power sword, on a mission to defend Castle Grayskull and the planet, Eternia, from the evil forces of his uncle and archenemy, Skeletor. His inception story might have rested on a missed opportunity, but with his bulging biceps and ripped abs, He-Man turned out to be “the most powerful man in the universe” through the 1980s. “I always wanted to be a He-Man and never could… I knew almost every guy in the world would love to be a He-Man,” Sweet, who died on April 28, at 91, had said in a 2019 interview. Turns out, he was right.…