Beloved Toy Designer Behind Legendary Action Figure, Roger Sweet, Dead at 91

Rogert Sweet, the beloved toy designer best known for creating the He-Man franchise, has died at the age of 91.

Sweet had been living in a dementia care facility since February 2026, his wife revealed after previously setting up a GoFundMe in his name. She raised over $90,000 to pay for his care, which was reportedly costing around $10,000 per month.

"It is with sadness that I post that Roger Sweet, creator of He-Man, along with Mark Taylor, passed away this morning," a friend of Sweet's family confirmed. "He passed peacefully at his care facility."

Sweet was best known for his work on the He-Man franchise, which he created in the 1970s for Mattel. The company had previously come close to acquiring the rights to Star Wars, but had lost the bidding war to Kenner Products.

He-Man was devised as a competitor to Star Wars, capitalizing on the newfound wave of science fiction popularity in the late '70s. It wasn't until 1982 that He-Man actually made it to the shelves, but Sweet was the lead designer every step of the way.

One year later, He-Manand the Masters of the Universe first appeared on screens in cartoon form. The show was initially devised as a method of selling more toys, but it quickly became even more popular than the action figures would ever become, cementing He-Man as a classic hero of the '80s.

With a full-length He-Man movie releasing later this year, Sweet's family have encouraged the Amazon MGM and Sony Pictures to dedicate the film to the character's creator.

"Marlene [Sweet] has asked that if anyone can, please try to reach out or post to the studios/actors doing the new movie to ask that they dedicate it to both Roger and Mark Taylor. It would be a nice way to honor them both. Thank you."

Masters of the Universe will be released on June 5, 2026 in theaters worldwide.

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Apr 29, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 8:49 AM.