This all new Vintage Toy of the Month is in honor of a recent surprise at this past weekend’s New York Toy Fair. Castaspella is getting an all new release in the Masters of the Universe Classics line, and what better way to celebrate than by checking out her vintage counterpart? Back in the day the Princess of Power toy line could be found everywhere. I remember finding POP toys for sale at the grocery store, corner drugstore, even the crafts store. Toy stores were not the only place to find She-Ra and her friends. This is how I would come across my original Castaspella.

So just a bit about me, I tend to buy characters and dolls that resemble me in some way. Castaspella was the closest She-Ra toy to sharing my physical characteristics. We both have reddish brown hair as well as a penchant for wearing bold teal eye shadow. There were many fond memories forever cemented in my mind when I got Castaspella at the local drug store. She was just unlike any other She-Ra toy. Let’s look!

Castaspella was from the first series of the POP toy line, which featured a larger photo of She-Ra and Swift Wind on the card. Don’t you just love that POP font? It is truly the best. Castaspella was also described as the, “Enchantress who hypnotizes.” I always liked that description because it made her sound mysterious and seductive. Of course she also had thigh high boots, so there really wasn’t much left to say about that, huh?

Aside from the thigh high boots, Casta came with a golden orange ensemble. Her outfit has always reminded me of fire and lightening, since those images were used on the decorating of her outfit and spinning disc. In the bottom right corner there was a mention of the disc: “Cast a ‘magic’ spell with her spinning disc!” The disc actually spun, which made this toy even more interesting. When I was little I found myself curious as to why this character had a large spinning disc attached to her back. It just seemed so cool and different. A comic was also included, entitled “Disappearing Treasure.” (This was the same comic that came with Glimmer that has already been featured in a previous Vintage Toy of the Month, click here for that.)

The back of the card was very unique. At the top there was an enlarged drawing of Casta’s face and one of her posing. This dazzling display of She-Ra and her friends was only done with the first series. The second series of POP toys would feature one drawing of the whole character only, although there would be a longer bio.

Series 1 focused more on a picture, as Castaspella’s bio was relegated to her one-line description. There was also a smaller picture depicting how her action feature worked, which also differed from the second series. The second series had actual pictures of the She-Ra toys and their action features.

My favorite part of the back of this card was all the choices of She-Ra toys to collect. There were so many possibilities and imaginative ways to play. Each character had a brief line next to them, but that was really it. Unless you watched the cartoon, these characters all seemed so mysterious. More so with Double Trouble, she never made it into the She-Ra cartoon at all! Also the toy versions did differ from their cartoon counterparts.

Here is my Casta from days gone by. Her hair is all down and the spinning disc is no longer attached to her. But she is a remarkable looking action doll for being over 25 years old. Her hair has a vibrant color and the use of color for her outfit is very fun and interesting. In the She-Ra cartoon Castaspella wore blues and yellows which marked a very big difference between the animated and toy versions. In the cartoon Casta was also the leader of the magical kingdom called Mystacor. She was a magical and elegant character in the cartoon and a huge fan favorite.

Look at that bold 80’s eye shadow! I think one of the reasons I loved this toy growing up was just that big swipe of teal eye shadow. It just seemed so loud and unnecessary. Yet it somehow worked with all the oranges and yellows.

Somehow over the years Casta’s spinning disc broke away from her back. This is what the disc looked like and it is a source of contention for some fans. There are those who feel that the disc is an important part to Castaspella’s overall look, while others find the disc to be cumbersome. I love it, which is why I am glad it will be featured on the all new Castaspella tentatively set for an August release on Mattycollector!

With this new release of Castaspella, Mattel and the Four Horsemen have given fans her classic Filmation look while also adding the disc for a bit of toy history fun. Also added to the updated Castaspella is a cool looking snap-on magic burst piece. I think that is just the coolest thing ever and really makes Castaspella a worthy opponent for the Horde! (And yes, the Comedian is watching you in the corner.)

Castaspella may have had a silly sounding name, and a toy costume color combo that has greatly divided fans of the cartoon and toy line, but she was quite a fun addition to the annals of ’80s toys, wasn’t she? I am glad to have the chance to look back on this wonderful vintage toy and have some excitement with her all new future release. So that is about it for Vintage Toy of the Month. As always, check back on the 15th of every month to see what other vintage goodness NERD Society has in store! Take care everyone.

• Tweet