He-Man and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles artist and toy designer Terrell Mark Taylor dies at 80

As in the case of many creative endeavours, many hands shaped the franchise. Taylor has said the prototypes date back to his own childhood as he fantasised about being “the next hero”. He said he based the concept of He-Man on his vision of Cro-Magnon men, as well as Vikings.

Mattel sold more than 70 million action figures from its Masters Of The Universe collection, which hit shelves in 1982, during the first 2.5 years of the brand, according to The New York Times.

Taylor began his career with El Segundo-based Mattel in 1976 as a packaging designer, his family said. Mattel did not respond to a request for comment Saturday.

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise – featuring pizza-loving Michelangelo, Donatello, Raphael and Leonardo – spawned a long-running animates series, live-action movies and a catchphrase: Cowabunga.

While Taylor did not create any of the characters, his work as a designer helped propel them into iconic childhood images for many around the world, including action figures and costumes that flew off stores shelves.

Terrell Mark Taylor, who went by his middle name, Mark, was born on June 5, 1941, according to California voter registration records. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, designer Rebecca Salari-Taylor of Ranchos Palos Verdes.

“I felt him say goodbye to this world as I held him in my arms for one final loving kiss,” Salari-Taylor wrote in a Facebook post.