The Fright Zone was a Masters of the Universe playset released in 1985. In the lore of the toy line, the Fright Zone was the lair of Hordak and his minions, The Evil Horde. While nowhere near as iconic as Castle Grayskull or Snake Mountain, the set was fun, it looked cool, and was a great encapsulation of the creativity of the Masters of the Universe line.
Features
The Fright Zone is made up of a rocky landscape filled with a handful of ways to stop anyone who might try to infiltrate the domain of Hordak. Starting at the top, the first play feature is a tree with branches that can ensnare an intruder. Not only are the branches slightly bendy, but they can also squeeze together while the surly crows in the tree just laugh. This action is accomplished by compressing two tabs on the bottom of the tree that is hidden behind the playset, causing pieces of the tree stump to rotate inward. Not bad for a first line of defense.
If the tree does it’s job, a member of the Horde should be able to take the intruder into custody and toss him/her/it into the dungeon, complete with rough-hewn wooden bars for a door. Of course this cell door unlatches and swings open with the push of a lever, should an escape attempt make for a good action figure adventure.
But if it would be more exciting for another hero to come to the prisoner’s rescue, they can also be thwarted by a hidden rock monster trap in the floor that will snag the hero’s foot. This one really is a hidden gem of the playset – when you flip it closed, it blends in so well with the rocky landscape that you could easily dismiss it as just a weird fluke of manufacturing, rather than a play feature.
And, of course, once the would-be rescuer has been trapped in the rocks, now’s the time to really take him out with the giant, rubber dragon puppet that emerges from the mouth of the cave! Of all the features on Fright Zone, this was the one that really stood out to kids and is still the most recognizable aspect of the toy today.
Thoughts
Looking at Castle Grayskull and Snake Mountain, those playsets seemed like simplified versions of a place one might live; there were separate rooms, there were doors, there were pathways, there was even furniture.
But The Fright Zone feels like the entrance to the villain’s lair and the rest of it should have extended beyond somehow. While it’s a cool playset, it doesn’t feel very large in scope like the other playsets from the toy line.
It appears that it was always the intention to keep this playset rather restrained. Here’s an image from the book The Art of Masters of the Universe Toy Design (what I wouldn’t give to get my hands on a copy of this book…) that shows early concept art for the Fright Zone.
As you can see, the basic Fright Zone elements are there – creepy tree, prison cell, monster coming out of a cave – but that’s really all there is to it; there isn’t a larger complex or lair in the design. To me, that seems to indicate that this is all that the Fright Zone was meant to be.
I have to wonder if part of the decision to limit the playset’s scope was simply economics. According to the 1983 Sears Wish Book, Castle Grayskull sold for $24.99 upon release (that would be about $79 today). In the 1984 Wish Book, Snake Mountain debuted for $42.99 (that’s $130 today!). That’s quite a price jump, although the toy had a few more bells and whistles (i.e., the voice-changing microphone and speaker), so maybe that’s justified. But I also have to imagine that higher price tag hurt sales compared to Grayskull. So, it’s entirely possible that the bean counters at Mattel told the designers to keep things scaled back on this new playset so they could keep the price closer to that $25 sweet spot. Ultimately, in the 1985 Wish Book, the Fright Zone is listed for $28.99 ($85 today), which puts it right in line with Grayskull.
My Fright Zone
I didn’t have The Fright Zone when I was a kid. In fact, my entire He-Man collection was nothing but action figures; I never owned any playsets and the only “vehicle” I had was Battle Cat. At the time I was really annoyed by the fact that my parents wouldn’t get me any of the playsets. In hindsight, I was 10 when the Fright Zone was released, so they had to have known that toys wouldn’t be my primary obsession for very much longer. And they were right – by 1986, I was starting to get into comics and baseball cards. I still liked to get the occasional figure, but my priorities were changing and I wouldn’t have played with the Fright Zone much anyway.
However, a few months ago, my step-brother, who owns a thrift store in Bloomington, Illinois, posted a photo of a vintage Fright Zone with the box on his store’s Facebook page. I immediately got in touch to see what his price was on it and, without a moment’s hesitation, I Venmo’d him the money. There was no way I was passing this up, especially for the price.
It’s not uncommon for the tree to be broken on vintage sets – sometimes missing entire branches that were bent just a little too strenuously during play. The door to the prison is also a common thing that gets lost, simply because it comes out of the wall pretty easily. Obviously the big thing that’s missing from my set is the dragon puppet. However, the puppet was made from very thin rubber, so most surviving puppets look like they were run over by a lawn mower – split seams, tears, paint rubbed off, and just general breakdown of a material that was never intended to last 40 years. Here are a few examples from current eBay auctions…
I’ve read stories of people opening sealed Fright Zone sets – the boxes were still glued shut, the thing had never been out of the box – and yet the puppet was still in pieces. Obviously because of this, puppets that are still intact go for a pretty penny on eBay, more than I paid for the rest of the playset. Heck, even the ones that are torn up still sell for a decent amount.
Unfortunately, once the puppet had a split seam, I’m sure most kids threw it away. And since the puppet is such an integral part of the Fright Zone experience, the entire playset probably got put on a shelf or sold off at the next family garage sale.
The set is also missing the stuff only hardcore collectors worry about – cardboard inserts for the box, the instruction manual, etc. – but I’m not too worried about getting every piece. I have the toy itself and a really nice box for it, so I’m content.
In place of the puppet, I’m using a dragon puppet from IKEA that’s been in my kids’ toy bin since about 2010. Yes, he’s much cuter than the original Fright Zone dragon and that makes me chuckle, which is exactly why I’m using it. There are a handful of aftermarket alternatives to replace the Fright Zone puppet, but for now, I’m content to have a reformed dragon hanging out in the cave, ready to lick anyone who wanders too close as if he was a Golden Retriever.
While I was happy to add the playset to my collection, it was really the box that made me pull the trigger. First of all, check out that artwork by frequent MOTU artist, William George! I love how the characters on the box – Skeletor, He-Man, Hordak, and Buzz Off – all resemble their action figures. Sure, some of their poses aren’t possible with the simple articulation of the MOTU line, but they’re not too far off from poses you could actually setup with your own figures (Hmmm…maybe I should start looking for some beater figures).
The box is in amazing condition for being 40 years old. Only one side has been opened and even that was done with care back in 1985. There are no tears, no major creases, a little discoloration here and there, a few scuffed edges, but overall, it’s just beautiful. I have other boxes for toys, but this one will surely become a centerpiece of my collection once it’s in place (I’m adding shelves to my office to better display my collection of stuff, so for right now, the Fright Zone is sitting on top of a plastic bin filled with carded action figures). Honestly, with how big the box is, plus that striking artwork, it will be impossible not to notice.
Conclusion
The Fright Zone will never be as famous as Grayskull, but it’s still a really cool playset for a really cool toy line. It’s a set I never thought I’d own – honestly, I wasn’t even pursuing it – but when the opportunity came up, I had to go for it, and I’m glad I did. Like I said, this has instantly become a centerpiece of my collection and I can’t wait to show it off properly soon.
If you’d like to learn more about the Fright Zone, check out this post at BattleRamBlog.com, which gives you more backstory and insight into the creation of this iconic toy.
