The Snake Men faction was a late addition to the Masters of the Universe toy line in 1986. For this reason, only five figures were produced, although Kobra Khan was retrospectively assigned to the group in some media.

The concept added a sense of deep history to the mythology which had developed over the lifetime of the property. King Hiss was presented as an ancient dictator restored to the present by Skeletor.

While the Snake Men played only a minor role in the original line, they featured to a greater extent in subsequent incarnations of the Masters of the Universe. The original figures are nonetheless interesting and imaginative.

KING HISS

DREADFUL DISGUISED LEADER OF THE SNAKE MEN

Cross-sell-art from packaging.

Cross-sell art (human form only).

King Hiss’s human form. The parts form a shell over the hidden snakes.

King Hiss’s snake form is revealed when the torso parts and arms are removed.

Shield accessory.

The human arms are shaped to fit over the snakes.

The snake arms have limited articulation.

Sword and staff accessories.

King Hiss arrived near the end of the line. The concept for his figure (a human disguise concealing a snake body) was rather good but the execution was basic. It has a two-piece torso shell and accompanying arm pieces.

A staff accessory suggests that King Hiss is a wielder of magic. Interestingly, the staff became as synonymous with the Snake Men as the crossbow and the Evil Horde. This suggests that most of the Snake Men could use magic.

Despite his role as the leader of the Snake Men, King Hiss is probably the least interesting toy in the faction. But the idea of a resurrected tyrant forming a deceptive alliance with Skeletor was an intriguing story thread.

RATTLOR

EVIL SNAKE MEN CREATURE WITH THE QUICK-STRIKE HEAD

Cross-sell-art from packaging.

Rattlor rattles when shaken although this is not his primary action feature.

Rattlor has a detailed sculpt and colour scheme.

Rattlor’s main feature is a rapidly extending head.

A button concealed under the rubbery tail releases the quick-strike head.

Staff accessory.

The standard version of Rattlor has a pale neck.

A rarer version of Rattlor has a red neck.

Rattlor was presented as King Hiss’s second-in-command. The toy has a good paint scheme and an effective action feature. A hidden button on the figure’s back causes his head to shoot out.

TUNG LASHOR

EVIL TONGUE-SHOOTING SNAKE MEN CREATURE

Cross-sell-art from packaging.

Tung Lashor has a tongue which flicks in and out of his mouth.

There are two main variants of Tung Lashor. This one has a painted back.

Staff accessory.

The tongue movement is achieved by moving the wheel on the figure’s back.

Crossbow accessory.

Extended tongue.

The Tung Lashor variants are indistinguishable from the front.

The variant form has an unpainted back.

Tung Lashor is the best Snake Men figure, even though he is more frog-like than serpentine. The tongue-flicking action feature is very good. The two main variants are defined by the paint application on the toy’s back.

SNAKE FACE

MOST GRUESOME OF THE SNAKE MEN

Cross-sell-art from packaging.

Alternative cross-sell art (Spanish catalogue).

Snake Face is inspired by the gorgons of Greek mythology.

A lever in Snake Face’s back causes snakes to extend from the toy’s face, neck and body.

Snakes extended.

The lever makes the action feature work.

Staff and shield accessories.

Snakes are also sculpted onto the arms of the figure.

The shield features an intricate snake design.

The mechanism used in Snake Face is similar to the one used in Mantenna. A lever in the figure’s back nudges the snake pieces outwards. The shield is sculpted to represent a mass of snakes.

SSSQUEEZE

EVIL LONG-ARMED VIPER

Cross-sell-art from packaging.

Sssqueeze is the boa constrictor figure of the Snake Men.

The arms are one piece which can slide through the body.

The arms are of a flexible material so Sssqueeze can entrap enemies.

Staff accessory.

The head sculpt is more crocodilian than serpentine.

One of the most bizarre figures in the Masters of the Universe line, Sssqueeze has arms which are designed to wrap around his enemies. His head sculpt is comical. But he has a surprising and inexplicable appeal.