It’s been revealed that the creator of the “Masters of the Universe” franchise — and, in turn, its most iconic character, He-Man — is suffering from dementia.
Roger Sweet, 90, is an American toy designer, inventor, and entrepreneur. He has recently been placed in a care facility due to the quick progression of his condition.
His wife, Marlene, has created a GoFundMe page to help Mr. Sweet’s family with the massive $10,200-per-month cost of the chosen care facility. Unfortunately, the cost is not covered by their insurance (story per People).
Roger Sweet’s Wife Describes ‘Devastating’ Impact of His Dementia
The text on the Sweet family’s GoFundMe page, written by Roger Sweet’s wife, Marlene, begins, “My husband, Roger Sweet, is the creator of HE-MAN and MASTERS of the UNIVERSE. He was a toy designer at Mattel for over 15 years. Roger designed and named the original He-Man character, and worked for years with other designers to create all the other characters and playsets that enthralled kids for so many years – and still do today!”
It continues, “Roger is now nearly 91 years old and sadly has dementia. His illness has continued to progress, and I have done all I can to take care of his needs at home. He recently went for a walk and returned much later than usual and very tired. I discovered terrible bruising on his side and much disorientation, and when asked what happened he did not recall falling and getting this injury.”
Marlene adds that doctors “decided he must live in a Memory care facility, where he can be monitored and safe” and says “It is devastating to see this happening.”
She says, “Unfortunately these care facilities are not covered by Medicare, and the cost for a patient in his condition is $10,200 a month, well above our monthly income.”
The text concludes, saying, “So I am reaching out to all the HE-MAN fans for help with these bills. Any donation will be greatly appreciated and will ease the burden of this new expense.”
Sweet’s Creation of He-Man Literally Made Millions of Children Happy
While it’s worth noting that the creation of “Masters of the Universe” and the He-Man character was a joint effort — Mark Taylor, Donald F. Glut, and several other contributors had some input — Roger Sweet is regularly the first name mentioned with regards to it.
“Masters of the Universe” first became part of the pop culture zeitgeist with the release of the original Mattel toyline in 1982. The toys were accompanied by a series of collectible minicomics with stories featuring the franchise’s characters.
The weird and wonderful characters on the “Masters of the Universe” home planet of Eternia included the Sorceress, Teela, Man-At-Arms, Ram-Man, and the evil Skeletor.
In 1993, a Filmation cartoon series ran for 130 episodes over two seasons until November 1985.
Since then, the franchise has expanded to include a 1987 live-action movie, numerous rebooted series, video games, comic books, and countless examples of additional merchandise.
Suffice it to say that Mr. Sweet is responsible for entertaining millions of children (and adults alike!).
We wish Roger Sweet well in his ongoing battle with the devastating disease that is dementia. We also hope his family’s GoFundMe page helps to ease the financial burden of his care costs. At the time of writing, $30,254 has been donated to the page — which is well on the way to reaching its $50,000 target. It’s lovely to see and testament to the positive light Mr. Sweet is seen in.
