Roger Sweet, He-Man Creator, Passes Away

0:00It's April 28th. You're listening to Entertainment and Celebrity News today. AI-powered entertainment coverage. Roger Sweet, the toy genius behind He-Man, passed away at 91 after fighting dementia. He died Tuesday morning in a nursing facility, as his wife Marlene shared with fans. Sweet-shaped kids playtime as a top designer and Mattel back in the 70s and 80s. Earlier this year, Marlene started a GoFundMe to cover his skyrocketing care costs, which hit over $10,000 a month, not covered by Medicare. Fans stepped up big time, pushing donations past $93,700 nearly doubled the $50,000 goal. Even the Mattel Foundation chipped in $5,000. Sweet dreamed up the muscle-bound He-Man in 1981, pitching it as a standalone hero that kids would love without needing the full story. That sparked the Masters of the Universe Toilai in the next year, riding the wave of Star Wars hype after Mattel's earlier misses.

1:00Before Mattel, he designed for big names like Boeing and Proctor and Gamble at a top firm. Sure, some credit went to colleague Mark Taylor's sketches, but Sweet's vision stuck. He met fans at cons over the years, lighting up with their energy. Now, with the fresh Masters of the Universe movie, dropping June 5th starring Nicholas Galazine as He-Man alongside heavy hitters like Idris Elba and Jared Leto's Sweet's Legacy Flexes on, reminding us how one toy warrior conquered worlds.