1980s She-Ra And The Princess Of Power Restoration “Facelift”
Painting murals in Los Angeles certainly has its “Hollywood moments.” We were recently called to a residence for an art restoration. It was a delight to find we were restoring a faded cut-out of my childhood hero She-Ra, from the 1985 animated series “She-Ra and the Princess of Power.” And even more exciting was meeting the homeowner Erika Scheimer. Erika is the daughter of Lou Scheimer, the founder of the animation studio Filmation. Erika is a producer and actor, and was a voice actor and voice director for the show “She-ra,” along with “He-Man and the Masters of the Universe,” “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids,” and more.
She-Ra Before the Restoration
She-Ra Restored
Erika was gracious enough to sit down with me for an interview about “She-Ra” and the restoration.
Jeanine: Please tell us about yourself and tell us your connection to “She-Ra.”
Erika: My name is Erica Scheimer. You may recognize the name Scheimer, because my dad is Lou Scheimer, who started Filmation way back in 1960.
Jeanine: Who is She-Ra and where did she come from?
Erika: She-Ra came from the imaginations of my dad, Arthur Nadell who ran Filmation Writers, and many of the writers. She happens to be the twin sister of He-Man, who is a toy from Mattel. Filmation got the rights to do a cartoon, and made He-Man a really good guy. And made his sister a really great gal.
Jeanine: How did She-Ra come to be?
Erika: It was really from my dad that She-ra came. He said, you know, we’ve got He-Man, this really great male character. But girls need a role model, too. So we’ve got to invent a character who has powers and can be a role model for little girls. That’s the inception of She-Ra. He told Mattel he’d like to create this female character, who is the twin sister of He-Man, so we can give all the little girls out there a superhero, too.
Jeanine: What was She-Ra’s catchphrase?
Erika: “For the honor of Grayskull! I am She-Ra!”
Jeanine: Tell us about Adora changing into She-Ra.
Erika: It’s very important that a superhero have an alter ego. And that would be Adora for She-Ra. Since she was a princess of sorts, she had to be regal and carry herself with poise. But when she turned into She-Ra, that’s when all of her magical abilities, strength and love really started to shine. So those characters were intertwined, as sort of different sides of the same coin.
Jeanine: I noticed Adora’s voice would change when she turned into She-Ra.
Erika: Yes. I did directorial work on the voiceover sessions for She-Ra. And I really wanted Melendy Britt, because I thought she had a really unique voice that was commanding. And even though she had a little bit of a lisp, I thought that was a positive because it showed little girls that you don’t have to be perfect to be She-Ra. Melendy Britt was both of those characters. She was very strong and domineering when she was She-Ra. And when she was Adora, she was lighter and more fragile.
Jeanine: Your personal She-Ra cut-out has gone through her own transformation. Can you tell us where she came from, and what inspired a refresh?
Erika: Every year Filmation would go to the International Market in France to sell television shows or cartoons. And when you go there, you gotta have groovy things to display your wares. We made this She-Ra cutout for one of those sales trips, and would bring her back year after year. We also had one of He-Man, that was not too dissimilar. So it was all part of the sales of the shows internationally that these characters were made into big poster cut-outs. We loved having them at Filmation because we displayed them all over the place, and in the studio. It was a win-win. It worked for selling overseas, and it worked for us working at Filmation.
Jeanine: What happened to your cut-out and why the refresh?
Erika: As you may know, She-Ra came out way back in the early 80s. But we’re now at 2023, and that’s a lot of years ago. So She-Ra was really kind of needing a refresh. And She-Ra’s very close to my heart. I was lucky enough to meet Jeanine, who happens to be this incredibly talented artist, and who’s a She-Ra fan, and wanted to bring her back to life. And as a result, I am a winner, she’s a winner, and (we’re) are winners because She-Ra is back to life and looking better than ever. Thank you, Jeanine!
Jeanine: What message did She-Ra exemplify to her young fans?
Erika: Filmation, and specifically my dad, worked with psychologists at UCLA to develop moral messages for our shows. That started way back with “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids,” which was the first show to ever do that. But when my dad got involved with Mattel with getting the rights to do He-Man and She-Ra, he made it clear that it was important to him that each show carry a message … something positive for young people to learn and take away. So the show is more than just fun ... though fun is important. But there’s also something really substantial to the show that a child could grow from. Dr. Gordon Berry, a professor at UCLA, started working with my dad and Filmation way back with “Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.” We worked with him on all of our shows to make sure they were not only a lot of fun, interesting and entertaining, but they had some meaning and substance to them … giving a kid something to take away. It could be as simple as “Eat your veggies.” Or could be as complicated as “Love everybody.” So that’s where all that came. It was a desire by my dad that the shows be more than just entertainment. That they supply some nutrition, as well.
Jeanine: I remember at the end of the show there was a little character … I think you did the voice?
Erika: I did. I was little Loo-Kee!
Jeanine: I loved that Loo-Kee would come out and give us the lesson very clearly at the end.
Erika: You know what, I love that you love that. (We got a lot of resistance internally for that). But we get letters from the kids and parents thanking us for the moral messages, and the good behavior, and the nutritive value of our cartoons. So as much as some of the Filmation people pooh-poohed it, the audience loved it. I have done many Comic-Cons over the years, and to this day, I meet kids, who are now adults with their own kids, saying how much those messages and those cartoons meant to them.
Jeanine: I understand you wrote and performed the song heard at the end of the show.
Erika: Yes, “I have the power.” I, myself, am a sort-of self-taught singer-songwriter. But I worked with some professional musicians after I wrote the song and recorded it, to turn it into the great song that it is. But I was the originator of “I have the power,” and I’m pretty darn proud.
Jeanine: Do you have anything else you’d like to share?
Erika: Well, one thing really stood out for me. We met a fellow at Comic-Con dozens of years ago, and he was a blind boy. He shared that these shows touched him so deeply. That, even if he couldn’t see them, just by listening to what they said, really affected him so much. And frankly I was blown away that a little blind boy was so touched by a She-Ra or a He-Man cartoon. That really meant the world to me, and I know that meant a lot to my dad, as well.
Jeanine: Is it such an important show. It has inspired kids for generations. And it sticks with you. It has been an honor, and it was so cool walking in and seeing She-Ra for the first time … like oh my gosh, here’s one of my childhood heroes! This has been such a pleasure, thank you!
Erika: And you gave her the ultimate facelift! I entrusted you, and you really did an absolutely fantastic job. From the bottom of my heart, and daddy [(it’s his 95th birthday today (though he has passed)] thank you very much.
Jeanine: Thank you so much, Erika.
Erika: Thank you. It’s meant the world to me. She-Ra lives on!
Blog Post Written By: Jeanine Hattas Wilson | CEO & Creative Director | Hattas Studios