EVERETT — He helped create one of the most recognizable pop-culture universes, which is undergoing a resurgence as it returns to the big screen. Yet he struggles to pay for the mental health care he needs.
On Jan. 23, Lake Stevens resident Roger Sweet, a preliminary designer of the He-Man characters, was placed in a memory care facility that he and his wife cannot afford. At the same time, the He-Man movie, “Masters of the Universe,” is set to release in June, from which Sweet will see none of the proceeds.
“He worked for Mattel for, I think, 17-plus years,” Roger’s wife, Marlene Sweet, 79, said in an interview. “Nobody that worked there had any ownership. Just worked for Mattel and Mattel has ownership.”
Roger received three bonuses, each equal to 50 percent of his salary, from Mattel while he worked as a manager on the Masters of the Universe team.
Marlene created a GoFundMe on Sunday to help cover the $10,200-per-month cost of the care home, which is not covered by Medicare, she wrote on the page. At almost 91 years old, Roger’s dementia has steadily progressed over the last few years.
“He’s a very meticulous person about doing things, but not in the past couple years and certainly not in the past couple months,” Marlene said. “The doctors at the hospital said he could not come home because he’s too much of a fall risk.”
Recently, Roger went for a walk and came home with serious bruising on his side, she said. He did not remember falling.
A CT scan found two brain bleeds, which led to a seven-day stay in the hospital. From there, he went straight to the memory care facility.
“He is now at our chosen care facility and is settling in,” the GoFundMe says. “He has only been there a few days and his mental decline is sadly continuing.”
‘It’s devastating’
Marlene and Roger have been married for almost 40 years. They met at Mattel.
“I used to go down to Mattel and fiddle around with arranging Barbie furniture for photo shoots,” Marlene said. “It was just a lot of fun.”
When they got married, He-Man and She-Ra action figures made their cake topper. The cake read, “He-Man takes Marlene for his bride,” Marlene said.
“I always wanted to be a He-Man and never could,” Roger told the Herald in 2019. “I knew almost every guy in the world would love to be a He-Man.”
He was always concerned with keeping fit, stretching and working out every day, Marlene said. “He’s just one of those guys that wants to be very ‘guy.’”
In college, he could do 140 push-ups but could never achieve the He-Man physique he desired. So, he used his alter ego to help design the action figure, developing the exaggerated muscles, battle stance and swivel waist.
He went on to help design the entire Masters of the Universe toy line.
“He contributed a lot,” said Adam McCombs, site administrator for He-Man.org. “A lot of beloved characters were designed partially or in full by Roger.”
According to McCombs, He-Man is having a “second wind” after taking a back seat to other, more popular toy brands, including Transformers.
“It was definitely alive among fans,” he said, “but I think for whatever reason, it’s taken a long time to really get going again.”
Now, He-Man is having its moment, McCombs said.
“There’s been movie news for a good 20 years now, and it kind of never went anywhere,” he said. “If they get the characters right, if the story’s engaging, if there’s good stakes, I think I’ll like it.”
Roger retired in 1991 but couldn’t just sit around. He immediately asked which household chores he could take over, Marlene said. So he became the dishwasher, cat-box cleaner and yard worker.
After visiting a friend who lived in Snohomish, Marlene and Roger moved to Lake Stevens.
In 1999, at age 64, Roger was diagnosed with follicular non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
“They didn’t think he would live through it, but he did a stem cell transplant because he was always in good shape,” Marlene said. “He really wanted to make it to 90.”
And make it to 90 he did. However, exercise can only help so much.
“It’s devastating to see your spouse go downhill,” Marlene said. “This has been going on for quite some time — worse and worse.”
McCombs hopes fans can come together and help Roger.
“Everybody deserves to get the care that they need, and I hope Roger can get what he needs,” he said. “He certainly inspired a lot of fans over the years.”
Those who wish to donate to Roger and Marlene’s GoFundMe, visit gofundme.com/f/support-roger-sweet-creator-of-heman.
Taylor Scott Richmond: 425-339-3046; taylor.richmond@heraldnet.com; X: @BTayOkay
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