He-Man and The Masters of the Universe
06.02.2022 – 08.01.2023
This exhibition reminds us that in the early 1980s, this franchise hit the toy shelves. Developed by Mattel, the maker already famous for imagining the Barbie doll, these muscular figures move in a dichotomous and savage world where Heroes of Good and Geniuses of Evil clash. This new range established itself within a few years through some forty different figurines, some animals, original vehicles, including a mechanical spider and a technological dragonfly, as well as several giant buildings, including the famous Castle Grayskull. Meanwhile, the adventures of the Masters of the Universe were broadcasted on television in the form of a cartoon that will mark popular culture with its 130 episodes.
However, and even if this marketing product is very anchored in its time, it has continued to reappear in the contemporary cultural field by the production of toys, cartoons, a film, comics and a significant number of derivatives products. The saga of this popular toy should therefore be considered as a transgenerational medium in which a number of societal upheavals are expressed; the toy functions as a point of reference in a constantly changing world. Therefore, by summoning the characters of He-Man and Skeletor in this exhibition, the Maison d’Ailleurs seeks, on the one hand, to understand a phenomenon which today has acquired the status of a universal stereotype in touch with the contemporary world, and, on the other hand, to observe the transformation of a common object into a nostalgic image, sometimes sardonic, and often diverted by alternative culture.
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