Since the values of certain items can fluctuate greatly over time, The Toy Collectors Guide prides itself in keeping up with the most current market trends and any shifts that may affect the various secondary market prices. There are many factors that drive those trends and shifts which include, an item’s time period, scarcity, consumer demand and overall condition. The good news for Masters of the Universe collectors is there is always a demand for items from this era, as Mattel created some truly iconic pieces. The original Masters of the Universe toys had always remained popular with collectors and fans throughout the years, with consistent value, but the line has seen a revival over the last couple of years. This was mostly due to the new animated series, Masters of the Universe: Revelation on Netflix. The show was a big hit with fans and critics alike, and toys were launched from the new series in 2021 with new versions of fan favorite characters. In addition to Revelations, Mattel also had their Masters of the Universe Classics line, and Super 7 continued with their Re-Action line of figures. That being said, the biggest new series of figures came from the commemorative Origins line, which featured molds of the original toys in their original packaging. The big question for collectors was…….how would these Origins “re-issues” affect the values of the original toys from the 1980’s? That question has now been answered.

The Origins line is obviously a MUCH cheaper way to re-live your childhood, so it’s naturally going to have different affects on different types of buyers. For dedicated collectors, this may inspire them to go back and acquire the original toys of their childhood, but for more casual fans who don’t have the desire to drop hundreds or even thousands of dollars on originals from the 1980’s, these new Origins figures offer the perfect alternative. The Origins line has most definitely had an impact on the values of the original toys, that’s for sure. While playsets, accessories and vehicles look to be holding their value fairly well, the original carded figures are mostly showing a downward trend. This is obviously due to causal collectors now being able to obtain the figures they’ve always wanted at more affordable prices. That being said, the loose versions of the original figures are still holding steady with only minimal movement. Some had ticked slightly up and some have ticked slightly down, but they’ve generally been pretty even. This supports my theory that many collectors and fans from that era still have their loose Masters of the Universe figures, but can now finally get carded versions of them without breaking the bank.

The re-release of new Masters of the Universe toys should be considered a good thing for everyone. Not only does it allow us the opportunity to buy new Masters of the Universe toys again, but it also introduces this amazing universe to a whole new generation that never would have had the opportunity to experience it otherwise. It keeps the franchise alive with brand new stories being told about our favorite childhood characters. At the end of the day, Masters of the Universe fans just want to see their beloved series continue on, so this is an amazing gift that we get to share with others who have not been able to do so in the past. Besides, isn’t it a truly beautiful site to be able to walk down a Wal-Mart or Target toy aisle, and see new Masters of the Universe toys lining the shelves again!

Among the downward movers on this update, were:

Not all news was bad when it comes to Masters of the Universe toy values though, as many items saw an increase in value as well. Most items from the 1987 waves saw an nice increase in searches and prices, as well as many of the creatures from various waves. Included were:

Despite the downward trend with some Masters of the Universe items, the Princess of Power line saw the opposite effect. Collectors of this line didn’t have the option of purchasing a similarly vintage packaged figure like the Masters of the Universe Origins series. Only one Princess of Power figure was released under the Origins line and that was She-Ra, but she was on the traditional MOTU card back, not the regular Princess of Power pink/purple card. As a result, many figures from the Princess of Power line saw an increase in value since the Masters of the Universe revival began.
It should also be noted that all eight of the 1986 Fantastic Fashions sets saw a hefty increase from previously listed. This is mostly due to their scarcity on the secondary market and low production numbers.

Among the upward movers on this update, were:

Only a handful of items saw a value decrease from the Princess of Power line. Among them were:

• Market Trends & Price Updates