Rio Blast Loves Shootin Varmits

One of the best and most enduring things about Masters of the Universe is just how freaking weird it is. Eternia is a world full of science and sorcery, lasers and swords, palaces and haunted caves, living Halloween decorations and musclemen. It's truly a hodgepodge of everything I've ever drawn on a spiral notebook. It's no wonder that He-Man has a cyborg cowboy friend. I mean... why not?

And he makes a mean barbecue

Rio Blast is a cyborg cowboy, like I said above. He has various laser guns that fold out of his thighs, quick drawing from his wrists, and a full over the head unit with cannons. Effectively turning him into a walking tank when he transforms. It's a little crazy and maybe a bit overkill, but if I was faced with the walking horror shows that populate Eternia... I'd probably point every single gun I could at them as well.

 

While the designers at Mattel were coming up with various characters, a villain character named Firepower Man was conceptualized. The character found his way to Filmation and became a member of The Evil Horde named Colonel Blast on an episode of She-Ra. By the time the concept reached actual toy though, he was turned into Rio Blast. Somehow.

And we're all a little better for it

That's a weird journey from concept to creation, but part of why these things are so neat. Like... Rio Blast's only cartoon appearance was another guy. Weird huh? Either way, he's a cool toy and a cool character. Everybody loves a good cowboy and what a better way to insert one into Etenria than outright overkill?

PAAS Halloween kits were the bomb

I have a legitimate love for Halloween make up kits. I love looking through the tacky sets on store shelves and checking out what's new this year and whats's been repeated. What's cheap and what's expensive (they're usually pretty cheap, but occasionally there's that giant one for $20). The love came from my annual ogling of the PAAS (the folks who make Easter Egg dye kits) display at the local grocery store or pharmacy every year during my childhood. I loved these kits and was always blown away at how amazing the pictures on the boxes made the finished product look (your results may vary). Usually the back of the box (it was literally the same packaging as the Easter Egg kits) would have cut out accessories to accentuate your costume.

In 1986, thanks to my reading of Crestwood House Monsters books in the library and regular showings of Teen Wolf on HBO, I was destined to be a werewolf that year for Halloween. I spent the entire season researching werewolf's and getting my werewolf down. Even told kids in my class I was actually a werewolf and Halloween was the next time I'd change. I had my costume down, a black sweat shirt (I've spent my entire lifetime wearing those fruit of the loom shirts)..ok, jeans and my Nikes (I did say Teen Wolf) and... and...

boom goes the dynamite 

Thanks to PAAS, I was the best werewolf ever. The back of the box had cut out wolf ears and a full moon medallion (I had to source some string). Halloween was on a Friday that year, and it was pretty great. We ordered pizza, my cousins came over, and we hit my neighborhood with our pumpkin pails ready for action. After we got home, we watched Teen Wolf and I don't mind bragging that my werewolf costume was so much better than my cousins crappy bed sheet ghost with cheap white face paint. I even got some extra Double Bubble for my efforts, and not because the old lady across the street was giving more to neighborhood kids she recognized... ok, that was probably it. The next day my Mom took us to the mall and I got a Rio Blast Master of the Universe figure. Would it have been such a great Halloween without my PAAS make up kit?

No, because PAAS Halloween Make Up kits were magical.