THE LONG ARMS OF THE SNAKE MEN
Sssqueeze
Sssqueeze is the Snake Man with bendable arms, a 1987 figure that arrived after Filmation's He-Man had ended. The comics of the day kept lending him to whichever villain needed muscle, and the 2002 series finally put him on screen in King Hiss's ranks.
Sssqueeze is a Snake Man from Mattel's 1987 Masters of the Universe line, with rubber arms that bend and wrap. He never appeared in Filmation's He-Man, and his first screen appearances came in the 2002 series, starting with "Rise of the Snake Men, Part 2" in November 2003.
The record
The facts
WHO HE IS
A Snake Man you could bend
Mattel built Sssqueeze in 1987 around his arms. They are rubber with a wire inside, so they hold a pose, and they slide through his shoulders so one can hang longer than the other; the 1987 style guide says he "entangles foes with his powerful constrictor snake arms." Eddy Mosqueda sculpted him, the working name was Tanglor, and he came with a small purple snake that coils around one arm. His waist twists on a spring, though the heavy top half makes it a slow twist.[1]
He arrived after Filmation's He-Man had finished, and he never turned up in She-Ra either, so the classic Sssqueeze was written by Mattel's mini-comics, the Star Comics series and the Masters of the Universe Magazine. Read them together and a pattern shows: he is always somebody's muscle. In "Revenge of the Snake Men!" he is still called Tanglor and storms the royal palace with Blast-Attak on King Hiss's orders; in "Energy Zoids" he helps Skeletor capture Rotar; in the Star Comics issue "The Getaway" he has signed on with Hordak, alongside Mosquitor.[2] A 1988 issue of the magazine has Skeletor send him after King Randor, and Earl Norem's poster for it shows Sssqueeze holding the king on a cliff.
[1] ^ The Battle Ram Blog gives an approximate US release date of March 21, 1987. He-Man.org's toy archive files him as 1986 or 1987.
[2] ^ He-Man.org lists the mini-comics packed with the figure as "Snake Attack!" and "Revenge of the Snake Men!". The Battle Ram Blog's history covers "Revenge of the Snake Men!" and "Energy Zoids," both from 1987.
ON SCREEN
King Hiss's soldier, 2002
Television caught up with him in the second season of the 2002 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe series, a new continuity that sits outside the Filmation canon. That show redrew him as a hulking purple Snake Man with dark spots, yellow chest armor and the green coiled-snake emblem, and kept him where the old comics had him, taking orders. He has no episode of his own, but he is in the ranks from the start of the Snake Men story: in "Rise of the Snake Men, Part 2" he is in the jungle fight, hauling on a green rope as Man-At-Arms charges him, then he roars from behind a shield in the ruins in "The Price of Deceit" and lurches out of the mist in "Second Skin," spitting a green stream.
In Steven Melching's "Rattle of the Snake", first aired on December 27, 2003, he is one of the Snake Men behind the kidnappings in Spelea, standing guard by a prisoner in a wooden yoke, and he walks at the head of the column when King Hiss leads them through the Temple of Serpos. He is in the fight that breaks up the Snake Men's feast, with Fisto swinging past him, and he stands beside the Snake Man who holds Teela prisoner.
Larry DiTillio's "History" gives him his one real scene. The Masters chase the Snake Men through a jungle, and when Moss Man's vines go to work Sssqueeze ends up with one of them in his fangs, which the episode turns into a joke about never having had a taste for vegetables.[3] His voice actor is not confirmed.[4]
[3] ^ The episode guide gives December 27, 2003, for "Rattle of the Snake" and January 3, 2004, for "History"; the vegetables line is recorded in the guide's quotes for "History."
[4] ^ Metacritic's season two cast list for the 2002 series does not list Sssqueeze, and no confirmed voice credit for him has been published.
ELSEWHERE
Comics, Revelation and the films
The Snake Men comics that ran alongside the 2002 show kept him in the ranks: CrossGen's "Rise of the Snake Men" in 2003 and MV Creations' series in 2004 both list him among King Hiss's soldiers. Dark Horse's first Masters of the Universe: Revelation comic in 2021 includes him with the Snake Men, but the Revelation and Revolution cartoons leave him out. Neither film uses him: the 1987 movie has no Snake Men at all, and he is not in the cast announced for the 2026 film.
IN PLASTIC
Sssqueeze on the shelf
The 1987 figure is retired and turns up on the secondary market, often missing the snake. Mattel remade him for the Masters of the Universe Classics line in 2013 and again for its Origins line, in the Rise of the Snake Men assortment, and neither is available new at BigBadToyStore today, so this entry has no figure to recommend.
IN BRIEF
From Tanglor to the Temple of Serpos
Mattel's Sssqueeze figure
Bendable rubber arms, a spring waist and a pet snake, on a card with Errol McCarthy's back art.
"Revenge of the Snake Men!"
The mini-comic calls him Tanglor and sends him and Blast-Attak against the royal palace for King Hiss.
Star Comics #8, "The Getaway"
Hordak's new ally, alongside Mosquitor.
"Rise of the Snake Men, Part 2"
His first time on screen, in the 2002 series, in the jungle fight with the Masters.
"Rattle of the Snake"
With King Hiss at the Temple of Serpos.
"History"
A jungle fight with the Masters, and a vine in his jaws.
Masters of the Universe Classics Sssqueeze
Mattel's collector-line version, sold by subscription.
Questions
Sssqueeze questions, answered
Who is Sssqueeze?
A Snake Man warrior from Mattel's 1987 toy line, made with long rubber arms for wrapping up enemies. He serves King Hiss.
Was Sssqueeze in the Filmation cartoon?
No. His figure came out in 1987, after Filmation's He-Man had ended, and he does not appear in She-Ra.
What was Sssqueeze's original name?
Tanglor. It was his working name at Mattel, and the mini-comic "Revenge of the Snake Men!" still uses it.
What came with the vintage figure?
A small purple snake that coils around his arm, plus mini-comics. His arms bend and hold their shape, and his waist twists on a spring.
Who sculpted the figure?
Eddy Mosqueda, according to the Battle Ram Blog.
Which episodes is he in?
All in the 2002 series: "Rise of the Snake Men, Part 2," "The Price of Deceit," "Second Skin" and "Rattle of the Snake" in 2003, and "History" in 2004. "History" gives him his biggest scene.
Who voices Sssqueeze?
No voice credit for Sssqueeze has been confirmed; Metacritic's cast list for the 2002 series does not name him.
Is Sssqueeze in Masters of the Universe: Revelation?
Not in the cartoon. Dark Horse's first Revelation comic includes him among the Snake Men, but neither Revelation nor Revolution puts him on screen.
Can I buy a Sssqueeze figure now?
Not new. The Classics and Origins versions are sold out, and the 1987 figure is a secondary-market find.
Compiled by the heman.org desk from the Battle Ram Blog's history of the 1987 figure and its style-guide quotation; He-Man.org's toy archive; the Grand Comics Database's listing for Star Comics' Masters of the Universe #8; the 2002 episodes "Rise of the Snake Men, Part 2," "The Price of Deceit," "Second Skin," "Rattle of the Snake" and "History" (episode guides and screencaps); and Metacritic's season two cast list.
Alongside
Characters in the same story
King Hiss Snake Men of Eternia King Hiss (200x) Snake Men of Eternia 
Rattlor Snake Men of Eternia 
Tung Lashor Snake Men of Eternia 
Kobra Khan Snake Men of Eternia On Screen