31 favorite monsters: Mantenna
Mantenna
While most other kids were wild about He-man and She-ra in the mid-80's, I was under six years old and still preferred such "baby" shows as Glow-worm Friends and Winnie the Pooh. My only experience with the characters of He-man's universe was with the action figures, and I can only remember owning one of them. Fortunately, it's still the only one I'd ever need; a freaky, big-eyed bat-bug whatsit hilariously named Mantenna.
I always adored this figure's two-lobed head, veiny ears, lidless stare and gaping, ragged facial orifice, though Mantenna's best feature is also his action feature - extending eye stalks!
I've always loved the aesthetic of eyeballs reaching or dangling from big, gaping sockets, and I think Mantenna might be primarily to blame. Knowing nothing about the character in cartoon form, I always played with him as one of the good guys - a physically frail but highly intellectual alien hero.
It was many years before I'd finally see Mantenna in action on She-ra: Princess of Power, and was delighted to learn that he's actually six-limbed, like an insect, which was never apparent with the figure's four legs sculpted as two, though I was slightly let down by his more humanoid facial features. Cartoon Mantenna is a villain, obviously, but one of those lovable underdog villains who might not even be a villain if he just had better friends.
...Of course, I'd just pick whichever side Shadow Weaver was on myself.
While most other kids were wild about He-man and She-ra in the mid-80's, I was under six years old and still preferred such "baby" shows as Glow-worm Friends and Winnie the Pooh. My only experience with the characters of He-man's universe was with the action figures, and I can only remember owning one of them. Fortunately, it's still the only one I'd ever need; a freaky, big-eyed bat-bug whatsit hilariously named Mantenna.
I always adored this figure's two-lobed head, veiny ears, lidless stare and gaping, ragged facial orifice, though Mantenna's best feature is also his action feature - extending eye stalks!
I've always loved the aesthetic of eyeballs reaching or dangling from big, gaping sockets, and I think Mantenna might be primarily to blame. Knowing nothing about the character in cartoon form, I always played with him as one of the good guys - a physically frail but highly intellectual alien hero.
It was many years before I'd finally see Mantenna in action on She-ra: Princess of Power, and was delighted to learn that he's actually six-limbed, like an insect, which was never apparent with the figure's four legs sculpted as two, though I was slightly let down by his more humanoid facial features. Cartoon Mantenna is a villain, obviously, but one of those lovable underdog villains who might not even be a villain if he just had better friends.
...Of course, I'd just pick whichever side Shadow Weaver was on myself.
posted by Scythemantis at
2:06 PM
4 Comments:
Ah, I had the action figure myself, but never knew just who it was - a hand-me-down toy, and He-Man was rather before my time. But it was definitely one of the coolest around.
I too had Mantenna, I bought him from a friend's garage sale when I was small. In fact, he might still be around somewhere... Hmm..
They made a great looking Mantenna statuette a while back. Not poseable but utterly gorgeous and colorful, and appropriately bizarre.
Here's an image, courtesy of "Princess of Power.co.uk"
http://www.princessofpower.co.uk/pages/images/toys/dolls2000/mantenna-front.jpg
Wow, Shadow Weaver has the most flattering looking cloak I've ever seen.
I watched some "Masters of the Universe" back in the day, but I don't even remember this spinoff.
i had Mantenna, but i never got my Modulok :(
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