Roger Sweet, the visionary creator behind the beloved He-Man and Masters of the Universe toyline, has been diagnosed with dementia.
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Sweet was a lead designer for Mattel during the ’70s and ’80s, a time when toys were arguably at their peak. It was during this era that he conceived of He-Man. In his book Mastering the Universe: He-Man and the Rise and Fall of a Billion-Dollar Idea, Sweet explained (per Pop Matters) his thinking behind the character’s simple yet effective name: “This was a powerful figure that could be taken anywhere and dropped into any context because he had a generic name: He-Man!”
And the rest, as they say, is legend. Sweet’s creation became one of the most iconic action figure lines of the 1980s, turning every backyard into a battleground for He-Man and his adventures. The franchise flexed its muscles with several cartoons, comic book series, a 1987 movie, and yet another film ready to swoop in this summer.
In a GoFundMe post, Sweet’s wife, Marlene, shared that the 90-year-old has been living in a care facility as his dementia has progressed over the past few years.
“Roger is now nearly 91 years old and sadly has dementia,” she shared. “His illness has continued to progress, and I have done all I can to take care of his needs at home.”
“He recently went for a walk and returned much later than usual and very tired,” Marlene, who has been married to the He-Man legend for nearly 40 years, added. “I discovered terrible bruising on his side and much disorientation, and when asked what happened, he did not recall falling and getting this injury.”
He-Man Creator Roger Sweet’s Wife Details Harrowing ICU Experience
Marlene said she took him to the emergency room, where he was admitted to the ICU after four hours of testing for two brain bleeds.
“The doctors consider him a high risk for falls and say he must use a walker, considering the dementia and brain bleeds, but he says he does not need it and continues to walk around in his confused state,” she explained. “They decided he must live in a memory care facility, where he can be monitored and safe.”
While Roger Sweet is now settled into their chosen care facility, Marlene said his mental decline has continued. She created the GoFundMe to help cover the facility’s $10,200 monthly cost, which their insurance does not cover.
“It is devastating to see this happening,” she shared.
As of now, the campaign has raised over $50,000. Mattel, the company where Sweet worked when he created He-Man, contributed $5,000.