Artist, Toy Designer for Humans and Ninja Turtles – The Hollywood Reporter
T. Mark Taylor, artist and toy designer for the He-Man and the Masters of the Universe franchise as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, died Thursday at his home in Southern California. He was 80 years old.
The cause was congestive heart failure, Taylor’s family said in an email to The Associated Press on Saturday.
He-man was the muscular leader for toy maker Mattel’s Masters of the Universe franchise, which later spawned an animated series that became primarily children’s. Kids jostle for homework between scenes featuring the cartoon hero tied up as he battles witches and other villains.
He-Man may be known as a giant superhero fighter but has also become an icon in the LGBTQ community, who have seen similarities in Prince Adam’s secret life, the ego. He-Man’s replacement.
As is the case with many creative endeavors, many hands have shaped the franchise. Taylor has said that archetypes stem from his own childhood when he fantasized about being the “next hero”. He said he based his concept of the Man on his vision of Cro-Magnon men, as well as Vikings.
Mattel sold more than 70 million action figures from the Masters of the Universe collection within 30 months of launching in stores nearly 40 years ago, according to The New York Times.
Taylor started his career with El Segundo-based Mattel in 1976 as a packaging designer, his family said.
Mattel did not respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise – featuring Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and pizza-loving Leonardo – has launched an animated series, live-action films and a catchphrase: cowabunga!
Although Taylor did not create any of the characters, his design work has helped make them iconic childhood images for many people around the world, including action figures. Movements and costumes flew off the shelves of stores.
Terrell Mark Taylor – whose middle name is Mark – was born on June 5, 1941, according to California voter registration records. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, designer Rebecca Salari-Taylor of Ranchos Palos Verdes.
“I felt him say goodbye to this world as I held him in my arms for one last loving kiss,” Salari-Taylor wrote in a Facebook post.
Taylor’s family said his father-in-law, Tony Salari, told the artist: “If you can draw well, everything will be fine.”
Taylor received pinstriping commissions for “hot rod” cars as a teenager in Redondo Beach in the early 1950s, his family said. He then attended ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena.
Taylor continues to work for the US Department of Defense in Pasadena and contributes to projects in submarines, biological and engineering sonar technology, and seafloor mapping, his family said.
Taylor’s toy work has been featured in documentaries, including Grayskull’s power and Toys made us.
“If I were going to be a hero for today, it would be a heroine – because the time has come, because the heroes of our time are women. … Our men had our day,” Taylor told fans during an appearance at the He-Man festival in 2015.
