FILMATION - 1983

Game Plan

Official Synopsis sourced from Wiki Grayskull and Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Composed for heman.org 2026-05-18 Synopsis

He-Man and his friends are taken prisoner by a villain called Negator who inserts them into a lifelike computer game. He-Man tells viewers to not let the spirit of competition lead to injuries or anger in games, and to "play it safe".

Morals by He-Man closing message, original Filmation broadcast

**He-Man:** "Everybody likes to play games. But when they do, it's natural to try and win. But some people try so hard to win that they forget about safety. They get excited, lose their tempers and then run the risk of hurting themselves or someone else by playing too rough. No game is worth an injury. When you play, don't be so anxious to win that you'll do something which you will regret later on. Play it safe."

Cast and Character Appearances

John Erwin as He-Man/Prince Adam and Ram Man

Alan Oppenheimer as Man-At-Arms, Negator and Battle Cat/Cringer

Linda Gary as Teela

Lou Scheimer (credited as Erik Gunden) as Orko and Computer

Notes of Interest

  1. Behind the scenes: Script was approved June 1, 1983 and final script revision took place June 17, 1983. The story is loosely based on a Filmation script premise titled _Video Magic_ in which the heroic warriors were swept into a video game dimension called Videola that was ruled by Skeletor. Orko is so startled to see the sculpture Adam has made that the 'O' on his tunic pops off and shoots out of screen.
  2. In the original script there was a scene with Orko performing a trick for Teela just before she is called away by the Royal Guard (Negator in disguise). This would have explained how Orko knew that Teela had left for the Valley of the Desert, as he overheard the conversation. Ram Man's appearance was explained in the script, in which it was made clear he had an appointment with Orko to receive a juggling lesson from the Trollan jester.
  3. Continuity: The background seen in Negator's prison is used again as the room where He-Man is imprisoned and Skeletor examines the Grimlakin statue in The Cat and the Spider. The animated sequence of Orko doing a backflip was first seen in House of Shokoti Part 1. The shot of Prince Adam examining the rockfall while Cringer looks around in fear is seen again in _Search for a Son._ The flooding of the crops sequence was previously seen in Wizard of Stone Mountain and Evilseed.
  4. More continuity: Various computer-based backgrounds would be used again in Day of the Machines asell as in the Filmation's Ghostbusters episode Cyman's Revenge The animated sequence of Cringer being scared with a visible shiver running up his spine was also seen in A Bird in the Hand.
  5. Animation errors and goofs: When He-Man prepares to charge the electric bars on the cage he runs into the cage but the background is slanted in the opposite direction.

Source: heman.fandom.com (Wiki Grayskull, CC BY-SA 3.0). Catalogue and trivia compiled for heman.org.

Cast Appearances

Full roster →

Episode screenshots

DISCUSSION

Join the conversation.

Comments below are mirrored on the heman.org forum. Sign in once, post anywhere.