Recommended music: Metallica – Whiplash [Yes, Devo’s Whip It would have been good here, but I feel like I used that one recently]
We’re up late this #MastersMonday, and we’ve got another worthy 1984 figure from the vintage Mattel Masters of the Universe toy line: it’s Whiplash!
While Whiplash did show up as a semi-competent henchman for Skeletor during the Filmation He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated series, the character looked a bit different than the action figure outside of both having the large tail and a shade of green as their primary color.
This “Evil tail-thrashing warrior” really appealed to me during my peak childhood MOTU fandom, not just because Whiplash could go toe-to-toe with the heroes in the mini-comics and Golden Books, but partly because of his… gross-out factor.
His ugly face with oversized fangs, spikes on his head, bumpy textured skin, and especially the large rubbery tail that could really whip He-Man and his kin in battle was such a fun combination. He fit right in with similar gross toys of youth, like rubber snakes or Madballs. He included the spear from Castle Grayskull, cast in orange plastic, but seldom needed it, instead relying on the rubber tail in battle.
#MastersOfTheUniverse
Dale's Toys 