Masters

That moment is etched in my memory like it was yesterday – the feeling of excitement and pure childlike elation when I received the Masters figures for the first time. It was a summer day, somewhere in the middle of vacation in 1984, and I was getting ready to start second grade. Masters, hey! Legendary heroes from exotic planets, powerful sorcerers and fearless heroes, who fight against the forces of evil in the far reaches of space... For children's imagination it was a real paradise - a world filled with endless possibilities, magic and exciting adventures.

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In the eighties, one of the most popular animated series for children was "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe", which was inspired by the iconic toy line. Masters of the Universe by Mattel. The production company Filmation was in charge of the cartoons from this series, which was behind many unforgettable animated films, among which our favorites were Tarzan and Sport Billy.

In Belgrade, at that time, it was not possible to just get Masters. It wasn't like going into a store and buying toys - they just weren't widely available. The famous Socialist Commission received them only years later. Luckily for me, my parents had friends abroad who, with a little effort and goodwill, managed to find them and bring them to me. For my parents, it must have been an item in the family budget - because the Masters figures were not cheap at all - but thanks to them, may they have invested in the "space" development of my childhood imagination.

And so these heroes, one by one, slowly reached me. He-Man, Skeletor, Orko, Man-At-Arms... Each figure had its own story, its own world, its own adventure that my friends and I relived on the floor of the children's room, in front of the building in the yard or anywhere our imagination could take us. Gradually, my collection grew, and with it the possibilities to play.

Years passed, I grew up, my interests changed... I moved many times. And then, at some point, the collection disappeared. How? Where? Did it remain in some old box, forgotten, lost in some transport, or did it simply end up in the hands of someone else, who thought he could take it without any problems, because it happened to be within his reach? I'll never know. But I know that for a long time I had the feeling that, together with that collection, a part of my childhood was unjustly taken away.

And then, recently, I came across news on the Internet: on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the cartoon Masters of the universe, Mattel has released a new collection of Origins Cartoon figures. The toys are inspired by the original cartoons from the 80s, but have a more modern look, improved mobility and an overall more realistic and attractive design. I thought - why not? If a Leonardo DiCaprio collects vintage Star Wars figurines, and Orlando Bloom has a room full of LEGO creations, why couldn't I, as an old man, reclaim a part of my childhood?

And so I decided to "right the wrong", and maybe comfort the boy in me. I started acquiring new figures and rebuilding my Masters collection, slowly, with the same satisfaction I felt as a kid. Today, I have it again. The toys are there, neatly stacked, in their original boxes, waiting for me to unpack them and place them in a glass display case, to give them the place they deserve.

Will my kids love them as much as I do? I don't know. The children of the new century have different interests, they seek excitement through technology and digital worlds... Maybe one day I will convey to them the story of heroes lost and found again. And maybe the Masters will simply remain as my personal reminder of a time when the world was simple and happiness smelled like a new, unwrapped character from a favorite cartoon.