Special Sub-Topic: 80's Kids: 'He-Man' and 'She-Ra' Click Here To Play: 80's Kids: 'He-Man' and 'She-Ra'

You can't be a super-hero and save your planet without a secret identity. Both He-Man and She-Ra had them -- mild-mannered alter egos who were always the subject of kidnap attempts, flirtations, diabolical schemes, etc. So what was She-Ra's real name?

Adora. Adora was kidnapped as a baby and raised by the evil Hordak, but eventually she saw the light and joined the Rebellion. Don't you love these cartoon scriptwriters?

And He-Man's real name?

Adam.

Of course, you've gotta have a way to tie two cartoon super-hero series together. How were He-Man and She-Ra (and their alter egos) related?

twin brother and sister. They were separated soon after birth. By Hordak, as I believe I've mentioned.

Every superhero needs something to ride into battle, and He-Man was no exception. His steed of choice was the giant cat Cringer, very meek and cowardly as a pet, but beyond ferocious when called into action under what name?

Battle Cat. Well, the name is certainly descriptive . . .

What did He-Man and She-Ra each need in order to transform from their mild-mannered to superhero selves?

their swords. They would hold up their swords, yell something along the lines of 'By the power of Grayskull!' and instantly all manner of animated effects would take place. Fireworks would zoom across the screen; Castle Grayskull (if He-Man) or the Crystal Tower (if She-Ra) would appear in the background; and disembodied voices would chant the hero's name rhythmically in the background. If their steeds needed to be transformed too, odds were they would be struck by a thunderbolt of positive energy, or something. It was high-quality.

He-Man had a catch-phrase that he shouted at the end of his transformation. What was it?

I have the power!. This would come about three-quarters of the way through the fireworks and just before the last chant, for those of you who read the preceding paragraph. In her transformations, She-Ra would shout "I am She-Ra!" at the same point.

She-Ra fought Hordak, leader of the Horde. Who did He-Man fight (in most episodes)?

Skeletor. Catra was one of HORDAK's minions. Chee!

Early on in the series, She-Ra had to rescue her friend Princess Glimmer's mother from the harpies. What was Glimmer's mother's name?

Queen Angella. Angella had wings. This turned out to be very useful. Curiously, her daughter did not have wings. I was very confused about genetics when I was a kid watching this show.

In addition to her immense strength, compassion, integrity, fighting ability, etc., She-Ra had one very unusual ability for a superhero. What was it?

healing animals. She discovered this ability early in the series when her flying horse, Spirit Wind, was critically injured. It was very moving. I cried. I was six.

Well, folks, it's been real. Just one more question, and then we're done. When He-Man and She-Ra (or their alter egos) wanted to visit each other, how did they travel between their respective planets?

dimensional portal. Every now and then a dimensional portal was sabotaged or malfunctioned. Then interesting things would happen. It was most exciting.