“We are all just Scaredy-Cats” – Why Kids Relate to Battle Cat

The Masters of the Universe was (and still is) an extremely successful toy line by Mattel, but what makes this particular toy line stand out amongst the rest is that, when it was first launched, each action figure arrived with a mini comic book included.

These mini-comics helped kids identify who the heroes and villains of these stories were and helped established a play pattern for the children that bought them. These little comic books gave enough guidance to the children that read them but also left a lot to their own individual imagination.

To this day, The Masters of the Universe line is the only series (that I know of) to successfully blend every type of popular genre into its single world. The series gave us barbarians, kingdoms (with kings and queens), human/animal hybrids, ghouls and monsters, sorcerers, robots and machines, dinosaurs and mythical beasts, and, most importantly, talking green tigers.

We all know the story: When Prince Adam summons the Power of Grayskull, he uses its power to not only transform himself but also his cowardly pet green tiger, Cringer.

Infused with power, the lowly feline becomes the ferocious Battle Cat, a being I would argue is even stronger than He-man himself!

He-man may be the most powerful man in the universe, but he is still a man – while Cringer is a tiger! I know who I’d be betting on in an unarmed fight.

As with He-man, Battle Cat originally didn’t have an alter ego or secret identity within the mini-comics. This concept and character development of “Cringer” was instead created specifically for the animated show.

This alter-ego, “Cringer,” is rarely seen doing anything noteworthy within the series. Instead, he’s often being depicted alongside the character of Orko for simple comic relief.

Cringer is often seen eating, sleeping, and whimpering around the palace grounds; something I believe a lot of children can relate to!

However, when the Power of Grayskull befalls him, Cringer (The Lowly House Cat) is transformed into The Mighty Battle Cat! He’s a strong, Brave Creature of Power who assists our hero Heman in his quest for good.

Within the continuity of the show, we are told that while on a camping trip, a young Prince Adam stumbled upon the baby feline being attacked by a savage sabre-tooth creature. Prince Adam scared the creature away and saved the young tiger, bringing him home with him to the castle grounds.

The young cub became a pet to the young prince. Other children within the grounds mocked it for its cowardly ways. In fact, it was Adam’s good friend Teela who nicknamed the green cat Cringer, and it just stuck.

Fast forward and Prince Adam began using the Power Sword to transform into He-man, often making sure Cringer wasn’t in sight of him so as not to be scared.

But one day. as the pair investigated a lost temple deep within the jungles of Eternia, they accidentally unearthed an ancient monster from his slumber.

At that moment, Prince Adam instantly summoned the Power of Grayskull. Turning himself into He-man while accidentally pointing his sword towards Cringer, he fired a bold of lightning towards him.

The lightning hit the terrified cat and transformed him into a being of universal power: Battle Cat!

The pair defeated the ancient monster together and would continue to fight alongside each other forevermore.

He is twice the size of his wimpy counterpart, talks with a snarl, and is brave and strong.

Sure, Prince Adam is kind of relatable to kids. What with him being a young boy who, when lifting a magical sword, becomes a strong and powerful hero – but he is still a prince. He still has respect and power among those around him.

And so it is Cringer whom we, as children, relate to the most. A fearful cub who enjoys nothing more than eating and sleeping, but deep down is loyal, brave, and strong.

Over the last few years, The Masters of the Universe has made one hell of a comeback. And there have been rumours of a NEW live-action movie being in the works. Could this be the next big thing? Who knows, but it’s probably worth keeping ahold of those He-man Comics you have up in your parents’ attic.