First off, a big thank-you to everyone who entered. I had a great time reading these, although the recurring elements of Poe being “punished for his crimes” and “doomed to haunt something-or-other” was a tad disturbing. What did I ever do to you people? But I digress.
First off, the runners-up!
While he wasn’t eligible for the contest, yo go re of OAFE proved he knows me all too well. Also, apparently Poe’s Irish.
Real name: Pogue O’Stahl
A mysterious spirit clad in black, many would think Poe Ghostal a villain. He is fickle, but not evil. He is fanatically devoted to one pursuit at a time, collecting all the knowledge he can. But when that mysterious switch flips in his mind, he discards all he had acquired and begins anew. The Masters know if they ask, Poe will be an invaluable ally against the evil forces of Skeletor – it’s just a question of catching this walking ghost’s attention.
Drake Goldwin wins the Most Indicia Award, poking a bit of fun at Mattel’s tendency to trademark everything:
Konnoisseur
Balanced Eternian GuardianReal Name: Poe Ghostal
As a Guardian of Eterniaâ„¢, Konnoisseur is the one who guides and records all the battles of Eterniaâ„¢. Unknown too both The Masters of the Universe and Skeletor’s forces. As a recorder he writes all the legendary battles from HE-ROâ„¢ to the new warrior of Castle Grayskullâ„¢ HE-Manâ„¢. As a Guider he plans the battles of Eterniaâ„¢ with his magic battle board and character totems. He asks one question too all, Can you guide you own life or are you all just my “Toys”?
Oddly enough, there were a couple bios based on the idea Poe Ghostal was created as some sort of by-product from the merging of Keldor and Demo-Man into Skeletor, like this one from Patrick Garone (who also wins the “Real Name Most Like Something Mattel Would Come Up With” award):
Ghostalor
Real Name: Poe Spectorus Fanstasmix
A by-product of the fusion of Keldor and Demo-Man, Ghostalor is the minion of Scare Glow and resides in the mysterious cylinder chained to his arm. Ghostalor serves as a scout and look-out for his master but secretly plots to combine himself, Skeletor and Scare Glow into one being, an all powerful and reborn Demo-Man.
…and this one from The Drewsky:
POE GHOSTAL
Real Name: N/AWhile Keldor paid a price during his transformation into Skeletor, Hordak was unaware that a small portion of Demo-Man’s essence, escaped during the transformation process. Because of this, Demo-Man’s essence was able to be controlled by Keldor’s mind. Known as Poe Ghostal to Eternians, he wanders the land of Eternia in a spiritual form, seeking to re-unite with the rest of its spirit, for when he does, the demon will then control the man.
But when it came time to pick a winner, it was two late-round entries that caught my eye.
First runner-up is
POE GHOSTAL (Evil Spectral Scribe of Skeletor)
Real Name: Jas’n of the House of Clarke
Once an Eternian Nobleman and renowned chronicler of the ancient Mattelian empire, Jas’n discovered a place of unnatural power known as Articulation Point and, tricked into servitude by Skeletor, entered into the dastardly tomb where he alone would lay claim to the supposed vast amount of treasures within. Upon his entry he was transformed into the evil POE GHOSTAL and blighted to live as a faceless shade forever bound to his desire to discover and scribe the wondrous secrets of Mattel.
In the end, what decided the winning bio was the way the writer captured the good-natured tone and simplicity of the classic MOTU biographies, as well as the tendency to emphasize the figure’s accessories (i.e., the selling points of the toy).
And the winner is–Grasshopperis!
Ghost-All
Magical Ghostly Avenger
Real Name : Scriptor Vir
A writer and poet by trade, Scriptor was killed in Horde raid on his village while defending a group of children. Saddened and angered by the attack, his soul refused to leave this plane. Eventually Scriptor was found by The Sorceress and granted great magic through The Lenses of Logic, The Cap of Courage, and the Pen of Power. Now, Ghost-All uses his amazing ablities to help the forces of good throughout the universe!
But wait–there’s more contest to come! Customizer Passion Designs, Inc., whose work includes the Zombie He-Man (highlighted in ToyFare) and the Shadow Beast, has joined forces with PGPoA to sponsor an art contest.
Simply draw up a design for what you think a MOTU version of Poe Ghostal would look like (it doesn’t have to be based on the winning bio) and you could win these prizes:
- A MOC MOTUC Mer-Man figure
- A MOC 2002 He-Man figure, signed by the Four Horsemen
- and a custom figure of Poe Ghostal based on your design, created by Passion Designs himself!