He-Man Week: The 10 Best ‘Masters of the Universe’ Hands

As one of the earliest lines of the great 1980s action figure boom, Masters of the Universe took advantage of its kid-friendly scale to imbue the figures with a variety of different action features to complement the barbarian/fantasy/sci-fi aesthetic of the universe in making the line more appealing to children. From simple spring-loaded waists and arms to figures which smelled good (or bad) to figures which used tiny bits of gunpowder to create loud popping noises (the ’80s were wild, y’all!), the vintage MOTU line features tons of play value.

One specific area in which designers often focused their action feature efforts were figures’ hands. As a result, the vintage line is replete with figures featuring one or more uniquely sculpted or action-feature imbued hands, making “fun hands” one of the defining characteristics of the line (for me, at least).

Here are ten of the best “fun hands” figures.

Trap Jaw (1983)

The first wave of MOTU figures in 1982 was pretty light on fun hands (Teela’s got a little horizontal karate chop/”pleased to meet you, you may kiss my hand” hand, but that’s about it). In 1983’s second wave, however, we get one of the all-time great fun hands in Trap Jaw. A chief lieutenants/goon of Skeletor, Trap Jaw’s right arm is a robotic appendage that allows for three different “hands” to be attached: a hook, a claw, and a gun. Add in the fact that his belt is designed to hold whichever two hands aren’t affixed to the arm, and you have a figure which sets a precedent for fun hands that is hard to top.

Fisto (1984)

The third wave of figures is where we really start to see “fun hand” emerge as a consistent action feature, in the form of three figures whose right hands are replaced by eye-catching alternatives. First up is Fisto who, as the name suggests, has a big silver fist for a hand mounted at the end of an arm which, when pulled back, whips forward thanks to a spring-loaded mechanism built into the figure. Fisto also rocks a wicked mustache, and is pretty much the heroic leader of fun hands figures.

Jitsu (1984)

Fisto’s evil counterpart (in form if not function), Jitsu is basically “what if Fisto, but with a shiny gold karate chop hand instead of silver fist”? Unfortunately, he is also, “what if Fisto, but with some casual Asian stereotyping?” It was, after all, Reagan’s America.

Clawful (1984)

Another bad guy who often menaces Fisto, Clawful features for his right hand a giant red crab claw with a pincer mechanism. Part of the third wave’s return to animal hybrid bad guy form (after the more human-like antagonists of Wave 2), Clawful is the first fun hands figure on this list with two fun hands, thanks to his smaller, action-less but still fun, clawed left hand. He also features a delightful pun for a name and armor that always made me think of spread butter (maybe it’s the crab/lobster association).

Thunder Punch He-Man (1985)

Admittedly, the right hand of Thunder Punch He-Man, the fourth wave’s token riff on the line’s central character (generally, each wave included at least one riff on He-Man if not both He-Man and Skeletor, to ensure newcomers to the line would be able to buy the core hero and villain) is just a closed fist. But the titular thunder punch is built around a mechanism built into the figure’s backpack in which you can place a circular cap (of the kind that were once commonly purchased for use in cap gun revolvers). When you twist the figure’s waist and release it, a small metal rod hammers against one of the caps in the backpack, triggering it and creating a loud “pop” as the fisted right hand swung around (it would also release a smell that, if you’re weird like me, was most pleasant). As a bonus, this version of He-Man’s unique shield could hold one of the caps for easy reloading.

Nothing says “1980s toys” quite like, “let’s have kids trigger a small explosion using gunpowder every time they twist a figure’s waist” (except for C.O.P.S., an entire toy line built around the idea of giving every character a weapon involving caps) and while the actual hand itself is relatively normal, its role as the focal point of a pretty awesome and era-specific action feature earns it a place on this list.

Roboto (1985)

In terms of fun hand stuff, Roboto is essentially the heroic version of Trap Jaw, able to swap out his right hand for either a claw, a gun or an axe. But given the line’s escalation of action features as it reached deeper into the ’80s, Roboto comes with a couple of other gimmicks, including a see-through chest that makes his inner gears visible, and a waist-twisting mechanism which turns those gears in a way which raises and lowers his visor.

Leech (1985)

The fourth wave of MOTU figures saw the introduction of Hordak and his evil Horde to the line, the antagonists of He-Man’s sister She-Ra (and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe‘s sister series, She-Ra: Princess of Power). Amongst their number is Leech, who, as his name suggests, is a man-shaped leech who drains the life force from people. In toy form, this is represented by his large, oval-shaped mouth which, when pressed against glass (or your arm), holds the figure in place after pumping a button on his back to trigger an internal bladder, creating a small vacuum seal.

Additionally, his round, disc-shaped hands also have adhesive properties to help the figure stick to surfaces (though not as strongly as the vacuum-assisted mouth). The downside is that his hands are so fun, he can’t hold a regular weapon or accessory — the Horde crossbows are designed so they can snap onto figures’ wrists rather than their hands for this reason — but the suction-cup hands are nevertheless a good representation of the character’s abilities in toy form.

Spikor (1985)

What if Fisto/Jitsu/Clawful, but instead of a shiny hand/pinchy claw, an extendable trident? Spikor also has the distinction of being the only Fun Hand Lefty on this list.

King Hiss (1986)

Following in the wake of the Horde in MOTU‘s fourth wave, the Snake Men represent the fifth wave’s sub-group of villains. For whatever reason, my childhood obsession with dinosaurs also translated into a childhood obsession with snakes. As a result, I loved the Snake Men. While the main action figure gimmick of their leader, King Hiss, is his “disguise” — in which you snap off his human-presenting arms and head/chest to reveal a body of composed of writhing snakes — and not something hand-based, it also means he has snakes for hands. Granted, they don’t do anything, but still: snakes for hands!

Tung Lashor (1986)

Tung Lashor is one the Snake Men despite being more of a Frog Man in appearance; the character was originally conceived as a member of the Horde and later folded into the Snake Men faction. Like King Hiss, Tung Lashor’s main action feature isn’t hand-based. A dial on his back can be spun to extend and withdraw his long tongue (like a frog). But he also has cool looking frog-like hands composed of a trio of splayed digits. Like Leech, this makes it difficult for him to hold traditional weapons (both his unique dragonfly crossbow and the snake staff included with all the Snake Men are able to work around the limitation), but fits the character’s whole vibe exceedingly well.

Thanks to He-Man.org for the pictures.