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50 free He-Man trivia questions with answers — trivia quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
He-Man exists because Mattel passed on Star Wars. After its CEO turned down the $750,000 license in 1976, designer Roger Sweet glued a Big Jim figure into a battle pose, added clay, and pitched three plaster prototypes: a barbarian, a soldier and a spaceman. The barbarian won, the 5.5-inch toys landed in 1982, and Filmation's 1983 cartoon turned the line into a $2 billion phenomenon. These 50 questions cover the Masters of the Universe story from the He-Man Trio to the 2026 film: Prince Adam and Cringer, Castle Grayskull's jawbridge, Skeletor's Snake Mountain and his Keldor origin, Orko, Teela and Man-At-Arms, the end-of-episode morals, She-Ra and the Secret of the Sword, the New Adventures in space, the 2002 reboot, Kevin Smith's Revelation, Frank Langella and Dolph Lundgren in 1987, and Jared Leto and Nicholas Galitzine in 2026. Every answer is cited to a page we checked. Play in sets of ten or print the list.
30 of 50 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Which toy company created the Masters of the Universe franchise?
Mattel
The original 5.5-inch action figures arrived in 1982, with mini-comics packed in to establish the mythos.
Q 02What is He-Man's secret identity in most versions of the story?
Prince Adam
Adam is the son of King Randor and Queen Marlena of Eternia. Only a handful of allies know he becomes He-Man.
Q 03On which planet do He-Man and Skeletor fight?
Eternia
Etheria is She-Ra's world, Primus is the setting of The New Adventures of He-Man, and Preternia is ancient Eternia.
Q 04Adam transforms into He-Man by raising his sword and proclaiming what?
By the power of Grayskull
He finishes with "I have the power!" She-Ra's oath is "For the honor of Grayskull", and the 1990 space series switched to "By the power of Eternia."
Q 05What is the name of Adam's cowardly green tiger?
Cringer
When Adam becomes He-Man, the timid pet becomes the armored Battle Cat. Panthor is Skeletor's purple cat; Zoar is the Sorceress's falcon form.
Q 06Which earlier toy set was Battle Cat repurposed from?
Big Jim on the Tiger Trail
The He-Man prototypes themselves were built from modified Big Jim figures glued into battle poses.
Q 07Why did CEO Ray Wagner pass on the Star Wars toy license in 1976?
The $750,000 upfront fee
Kenner got the rights instead and made a fortune, which pushed Mattel to hunt for its own hit action-figure line.
Q 08Roger Sweet's 1980 "He-Man Trio" of prototypes consisted of a barbarian, a soldier and what else?
A spaceman
The spaceman had a Boba Fett-like helmet. The barbarian was chosen, though the first sculpt still wore a horned Viking helmet.
Q 09Mark Taylor's early drawing that fed into He-Man's design was a character called what?
Torak – Hero of Pre-History
Authorship is still debated between Taylor and Roger Sweet. Vikor and Oo-Larr later became toy-line "He-Men" based on early concepts.
Q 10The owners of which fantasy character unsuccessfully sued over He-Man in the early 1980s?
Conan the Barbarian
They had been negotiating a Mattel toy line for the 1982 Conan film when Masters of the Universe launched the same year.
Q 11How tall were the original Masters of the Universe action figures?
5.5 inches
They debuted in 1982 alongside the Battle Ram and Wind Raider vehicles and the Castle Grayskull playset.
Q 12Roughly how much did the original toy line generate in retail sales?
Over $2 billion
Masters of the Universe was a centerpiece of the 1980s action-figure boom, with toys sold all over the world.
Q 13In the original 1982 toys, He-Man and Skeletor each came with half of what?
A plastic sword
Joined together, the two halves became the key that opened the jawbridge of the Castle Grayskull playset.
Q 21Into what bird can the Sorceress of Castle Grayskull transform herself?
A falcon named Zoar
Screeech is Skeletor's purple "barbarian bird", a recast of the Zoar toy. Stratos is the bird-man of Avion.
Q 22Teela, captain of the royal guard, is the adopted daughter of which character?
Man-At-Arms
Man-At-Arms, also called Duncan, is the royal family's inventor and He-Man's closest companion. Teela does not know Adam's secret.
Q 23Which childlike magician is one of He-Man's closest allies and knows his secret?
Orko
Only Orko, Man-At-Arms, Cringer and the Sorceress share the secret. Gwildor is the locksmith of the 1987 film; Kowl is She-Ra's Orko equivalent.
Q 14What is the name of the hinged entrance on the Castle Grayskull playset?
The Jawbridge
The front of the castle is a giant skull, and the jawbridge opens through its mouth.
Q 15Which animation studio made the 1983 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series?
Filmation
Lou Scheimer's studio produced 130 episodes over two seasons, ending in December 1984, and it became Filmation's most successful series.
Q 16How many episodes of the original He-Man cartoon were made?
130
She-Ra: Princess of Power got 93 episodes and The New Adventures of He-Man 65.
Q 17What was the title of the first broadcast episode, aired September 5, 1983?
The Diamond Ray of Disappearance
Filmation executives Lou Scheimer, Hal Sutherland and Arthur Nadel oversaw the series.
Q 18Who voiced both Adam and He-Man in the 1983 series?
John Erwin
Erwin also voiced Beast Man and Ram-Man. Cam Clarke played He-Man in the 2002 reboot.
Q 19Which actor gave Skeletor his shrill, cackling voice in the 1983 cartoon?
Alan Oppenheimer
Oppenheimer also voiced Man-At-Arms and the gurgling Mer-Man. Mark Hamill took over Skeletor for Netflix's Revelation in 2021.
Q 20Queen Marlena, He-Man's mother, originally arrived on the planet as what?
An astronaut from Earth
Marlena Glenn was a displaced Earth astronaut who married King Randor. The 2026 film sends Adam to Earth, her homeworld.
Q 24From which lair does Skeletor command his Evil Warriors?
Snake Mountain
He watches He-Man through a magic crystal orb from a throne of bones. The Fright Zone is Hordak's base on Etheria.
Q 25Which of Skeletor's minions has a rotating three-eyed visor?
Tri-Klops
Trap Jaw has an iron jaw and a weapon-swapping mechanical arm; Beast Man controls animals; Mer-Man is the aquatic warlord.
Q 26Later stories reveal Skeletor was once Keldor, the half-brother of whom?
King Randor
Keldor was a former apprentice of Hordak; a 1986 minicomic first hinted he was Randor's long-lost brother. Slur "Keldor" and you get Skeletor.
Q 27What color is Skeletor's pet cat Panthor?
Purple
Panthor is Skeletor's answer to Battle Cat, and in She-Ra the equivalent was Catra.
Q 28What did the studio add to the end of every episode to answer critics of the show?
A moral of the story
The "life lesson" was tied to each episode's central theme. Lou Scheimer told writers the show had to be more than a toy ad.
Q 29The 1983 cartoon drew how many U.S. viewers in its first year?
Nine million
It was broadcast in at least 37 countries and sent Mattel's toy sales soaring.
Q 30What is the title of the 1985 animated film that introduced She-Ra?
The Secret of the Sword
Released March 22, 1985, it was made up of what became the first five episodes of She-Ra: Princess of Power.