Written by In April 2018, Ynon Kreiz became the CEO of Mattel.
What then took place over the next 8 years under his leadership in regards to the Masters of the Universe IP was nothing less than glorious. Ynon ushered in a new era of the MOTU brand.
Under the reign of Kreiz, there was a rebirth of He-Man toys and media that could arguably rival the magical 1980s, the decade that introduced the most powerful man in the universe to the world.
From multiple action figures lines and sublines like Origins, Cartoon Collection, Masterverse, New Eternia, CG Netflix, Kids and Chronicles…
…to Dark Horse Comics, minicomics, and art books…
…games like UNO, video games and skins for Roblox, Fortnite and the upcoming “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Dragon Pearl of Destruction” console video game…
…and programming like the Netflix CG Kids series “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe”, motion minicomics, the star-studded “Masters of the Universe: Revelation & Revolution” and the big budget Travis Knight film “Masters of the Universe”.
However, today, the era of Ynon Kreiz running Mattel is over. Ynon announced his departure from Mattel as CEO and accepted a new position of Co-CEO at the newly merged Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery… overseeing the company’s day-to-day operations and integration of the combined businesses.
So we would like to thank Ynon Kreiz for believing in the “Masters of the Universe” brand and spurring a true He-Man renaissance across the world for the past 8 years
Will Roger Lynch, the new CEO at Mattel, be just as supportive of the Masters of the Universe brand? Only time will tell.
Thank you Ynon.
We’ll see you next time.
I will say, it was a good right years for He-Man fams
For the worse… or the better! Maybe his successor will favor a more diversified selection and reinvigorate this niche, which is already very fragmented. As for me, I haven’t bought any MOTU figures from Mattel since the Wun-Dar Masterverse VC and have completely skipped any products related to the movie.
Some good some bad. At least he didn’t ignore motu. The dude deserves props for that.
Sad to see him go, he was clearly a pro MOTU and getting the name out there. I’m a little concerned as I’m curious where this new person will take it. MOTU is in an interesting middle spot. It’s not a bonafide hit with the overall market currently, but it’s also not nothing. I hope they continue the plan of exposure: Build off the movie, do more tales of Eternia, comics, games, etc….
They said MOTU was helping the company a few months ago, right? A smart CEO would at least try to keep MOTU as strong as it currently is. They really should put more effort into it, it’s their brand JP and DC may be big names that bring in a lot of money but they have to license holders, a cut and there’s no guarantee that they’ll have those licenses forever. Masters of the Universe will always belong to Mattel.
In that scope Mattel got hundreds, thousands or even more of Dollars from an army of individuals who gave them none for decades before that; getting new generations in the wild ride that is MOTU to carry the torch in the future. Lets hope they don’t overlook that over the box office failure of the movie and do the one thing they (not just Mattel though) are so adamantly resilient against: learn the right lesson.
Ah.. whom am I kidding 😛 So long, and thanks for all the MOTU!
Although I haven’t collected Origins to the same degree as Classics, it has been great to see MOTU at retail during this time period. Origins was pretty popular at retail for a few years. We used to be told only in a movie year, but we got a retail presence well before. The cartoons and movie weren’t runaway hits, but I enjoyed them.
Best 8 years EVER! The Netflix 2021 kids show and the Fortnite She-Ra skin made me the happiest.
I´ve got mixed feelings about him. MOTU hasn’t been fully revitalised to the best position it could be, but it’s true that it’s in a far better position than when he joined 8 years ago. At least we got the movie.
Many people have complained about how MOTU was driven since they didn’t like any of the media stuff (regardless of figures) like Revelation, the mini comics (I agree they are dreadfull) or the movie (too unserious for some). I hope the new management presses the right buttons to bring MOTU to the mainstream like DC and Marvel: more comics with better quality, animation shows and a sequel of the movie.
Wish him luck!!
Considering where the brand was before his tenure, the dude deserves our thanks.
Of course not everything worked out, but we got so much more cool stuff during this time. I have SO many Origins, Masterverse, movie toys, comic books, and I am grateful for the minicomics we got, yes.
I think he cannot micromanage exactly which characters we get made and the editing of the mini-comics, but I guess he could have an eye on it and hire people that know their stuff, and love He-Man.
I hope the new CEO will have a love for MOTU and an interest in it.
I’d love more animation, continued comics, some kind of sequel to the movie, mini-comics with Origins, Origins to continue, and a good run with Chronicles (if we have to), that surprises us with how great it’ll become.
But yeah, thanks Ynon!
Hey guys, he is the new CEO of Paramount/Warner Bros merge
I think it’s a smart move. Adults are the top consumers of toys. When they die off so will the industry.