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He-Man Party

By the power of Grayskull, I would like to unveil the saga of throwing a Three-Man party for my little man. When my son, Oxford, turned 3 we thought it would be fun to mark the occasion with a He-Man themed party, if for no other reason than for the use of a really good pun. We got all dressed up in costumes and it gave my husband the chance to relive his boyish fantasy of becoming a life-sized Skeletor, all the while his family embodied the other “less heroic” characters.

In the realm of 1980s pop culture, few characters rose to to level of fame than He-Man himself. The muscular, sword-wielding hero of Eternia became the centrepiece of the Masters of the Universe franchise. With his mighty sword, Battle Cat, and memorable catchphrase, “I have the power,” He-man stole the hearts of an entire generation.

He-man was born in the year 1982 as an action figure created by Mattel. What a year to be born (wink, wink)! Roger Sweet conceived the idea of having a powerful hero battling evil forces in a fantasy world. He-man’s look featured a chiseled physique and a harness adorned with the iconic Power Sword. His popularity soared with the release of the animated television series “He-man and the Masters of the Universe” in 1983. The show transported viewers to the land of Eternia where He-Man fought to defend the realm from the villainous Skeletor. One of the key factors behind the shows appeal was the moral lessons that each episode imparted. Young viewers were taught the importance of kindness, responsibility, and making the right choices. He-Man’s legacy continued into the 2000s with the rebooted animated series which garnered attention from a whole new generation.

With appearances in comic books, video games and a live-action film in the 80s, this legendary character has an enduring cultural significance. The show became a beloved part of Saturday morning cartoons in households across North America including my own in the 80s, and it continues to play a pivotal role in popular culture to this day.

For Oxford’s third birthday, my husband thought it would be “punny” to throw him a “Three-Man” party, and he was absolutely right! So, I went to work to put together hand made costumes and a dessert table featuring He-Man and his friends.

Costumes:

I made Oxford’s costume out of brown faux fur fabric that I found on Amazon. I used a onesie of his to trace out a pair of furry battle shorts leaving a 1/4 inch seem allowance, and I sewed right sides together before flipping them right side out. I made them slightly bigger and adjusted the size as needed. I sewed matching fur cuffs to the tops of his socks as well. I made his harness out of grey and red foam sheets the I wrapped around his muscle body suit that I picked up online. For his Power Sword I used a narrow wrapping paper role that I had lying around, and I added grey foam sheets in the shape of a sword around it using a hot glue gun. I used a sharpie to add detail to the harness and shield.

Skeletor was made in a similar way, using purple foam sheets to make his harness. I found the skeleton mask at Dollarama, and used an old navy blue sweatshirt hood that I cut off to make the head cover.

Story’s Sorceress costume was by far the most intricate and time consuming to make. One by one, I hand cut blue and orange feathers and glued them on to Bristol board wings. I made the bird hat out of foam sheets as well. I picked up story’s long white wig from Amazon, and all of her clothes were from her own closet.

To make life simple, River’s She-Ra costume was entirely store bought. I grew up watching She-Ra alongside my brother. She was He-Man’s twin sister, and really was a symbol of empowerment and courage for young girls. It was so special to have my eldest embrace such a beloved character of mine.

Last but certainly not least, I dressed up as Orko. I had a red poncho coat on hand and simply cut a big “O” out of a black foam sheet and stuck it on with removable tape. I borrowed a red beanie from my husband and wrapped a pink scarf around my neck. Voila, there you have it… Orko.

Dessert Table:

The dessert table was comprised of Master of the Universe toys, store bought drinks and candy as well as some homemade sweets. We found this Castle Grayskull Playset online, and used it as a centrepiece on our table. I glued images of the characters to Peace Teas that I picked up in a variety of flavours and placed them on either side of the castle. Similarly, I glued images of characters to boxes of nerds as well as homemade Jello cups that I made in a rainbow of colors.

I made plain sugar cutout cookies and chocolate cutout cookies in the shape of He-Man and Skeletor. I picked up these cookie cutters from Etsy.

The real highlight for me was my hand painted fondant sugar cookies. I traced images of the various Master of the Universe characters onto fondant and hand painted them with edible markers and food color. To trace the images you can use a mini projector.

I made the Skeletor Cake by layering vanilla cake and buttercream frosting and hand carving the face using a template. I then covered it with fondant, and used a steamer to give it a sheen. Finally, I hand painted around the teeth and eyes with black food color using a fine tipped paint brush to make it pop.

The Masters of the Universe Poster was made by my husband, and customized with Three-Man and the Masters of the Universe on it. I had it printed onto large photo paper through Walmart. It made for the perfect backdrop, and the balloon garland that I had running down the staircase brought it all together.

When all was said and done, Oxford’s party was a huge success. We waved our swords, flapped our wings, shouted She-Ra, and created lasting memories for the Master of our Universe. These memories will no doubt last into Eternia.

Gift Ideas:

Links:

  1. Wood Tool Bench
  2. Dentist Kit
  3. Black Leather Jacket
  4. Harley-Davidson Trike
  5. Hollywood Film Camera
  6. French Fries Food Pillow
  7. Pizza Cart
  8. Campfire S’mores Kit
  9. Rocket Ship Play Set

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