Mattel’s Masters of the Universe Mer Man action figure is one of the strange humanoid figures thought up by the earliest comics creators. He is an evil creature from the sea and is the King of his race. Some are led to believe that he is the ruler of all that is under the sea of Eternia. Mer Man is an ally of Skeletor, making him an enemy of He Man. He can be found in the Crystal Sea. Mattel made an action figure for Mer Man and he helps round out the first series of their Masters Of The Universe collection.
Mer Man is a strange looking fellow, but seems to have been around for a long time. Besides being able to live in and out of the water, he has some powers that are unclear. He is shown to be fine with walking on land and swimming in the sea, but seems to prefer the sea. He has a source of strength that is stronger than humans, but it works better under the ocean. Mer Man is able to control sea creatures with his thoughts. Though, some say it only works on cold-blooded sea animals and not on mammals. The sword of Mer Man also seems to have a special power. It can send out a charge that surrounds his targets with ice. The sword may be magic or it may be simply be advanced technology. He is seen as second in importance after Beast Man in the evil characters of this series.
Mer Man and other 1982 Masters Of The Universe action figures are 5 ½ inches tall. This was a departure from the standard 3 ¾ inch figures of the day. He came with a greenish plastic body. A yellow sword was included as a part of his accessories. Mer Man sports some orange swimming trunks and a yellow vest for armor. His feet are definitely not human, but his hands are. His chest armor can be removed. Some of the Mer Man figures also came with a mini comic inside the package.
This Mer Man action figure can pivot at the waist, thanks to some engineering by Mattel. The inside of the plastic figure has an elastic band that allows him to be twisted to deliver a “power punch”. The elasticity of the band goes away after repeated usage.
This particular action figure did not change in his physical appearance in the first series from Mattel. The things that did change were the bubble pack he was sold in. Some had an “8 back” and some had a “12 back”. The difference between the two was that an “8 back” had artist’s depictions of eight other Mattel figures. The “12 pack” had twelve. The older “8 backs” are more rare and therefore more collectible.
Finding a Mer Man is not hard but finding one that is an “8 back” in great condition is. Sale prices for the original 1982 Mer Man figure range from around $50 dollars for a loose figure in decent shape up to around $3500 for an unopened Mer Man “8 back”. If it is a “12 back” the price will go down to around $1000.
