Clawful
Encyclopedia
Clawful is a fictional character
in the popular Masters of the Universe
toy line and the accompanying cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
.
He is a member of the Evil Warriors, he appears to be a hybrid between a man and a crab
or lobster
, with large, sharp claws that can crush the life out of his opponents. In most media, his right claw is extra large and thus achieves an extra-deadly grip.
toy line in 1984 as part of the third wave of figures. He uses the standard Evil Warrior "Skeletor
" body, with a new head and right arm sculpt (with spring-loaded claw). His left arm uses the same mold as Buzz-Off, released in the same wave. He carries a bright green version of the mace weapon originally included in the Castle Grayskull
playset, with an additional 'handle' allowing him to carry it in his left claw.
There are two versions of the Clawful figure. One uses the "bumpy legs" mold used with other figures such as Buzz-Off. The second version uses the standard Evil Warrior 'claw' leg mold. Additionally, typical examples of the figure have a 'squeezable' soft heads, but some examples can be found with harder, rubber heads.
However, unlike most third wave figures, which did not make appearances in the cartoon series until the show's second season, Clawful makes his debut on the accompanying cartoon series by Filmation
in 1983, late into the show's first season. His appearance on the cartoon is significantly different from the appearance of his action figure. His fin like spikes down the back of his head stick more than the pointy bumps on the back of his toy counter-part, which makes his head look almost reptile (or even dragon) like and unlike the action figure. This could possibly due to his animated design being based on a very early prototype of the figure, which would explain some of the differences in appearance. Additionally, both his claws are the same size, the reason for this being to make his character symmetrical so animation cells could be flipped over without his large claw constantly switching sides.
Introduced in the episode "Dree Elle's Return", Clawful receives a strong introduction as lead villain of the episode. Having stolen an artifact called the Horn of Evil from Orko
's homeworld of Trolla, Clawful is portrayed as a strong, harsh commander to the bumbling Trap-Jaw who assists him throughout the episode. He makes his second appearance a few episodes later in "Castle of Heroes" in which Skeletor
describes him as his "right-hand man" and he is portrayed as such throughout the episode, as a loyal sidekick to Skeletor, whom Skeletor seems to respect more than most of his other warriors. Although his introduction seems to indicate he is a rung above the other villains, this is not expanded upon throughout his later appearances, most of which portray him as just another of Skeletor's henchmen, albeit more intelligent and slightly more responsible than most others.
His most prominent episode of the show's second season is "Things That Go Bump in the Night", which indicates that Skeletor's apparent respect for him, as demonstrated in "Castle of Heroes", has waned, as Skeletor is shown to be aggressive and distrustful towards Clawful, who in this episode vows that he will someday overthrow Skeletor as leader of the Evil Warriors. Clawful seems to possess more confidence than Skeletor's other minions in that out of all of the Evil Warriors who make this statement for themselves throughout the series, Clawful is the only one bold enough to say it to Skeletor's face, and he is also seen to sarcastically laugh off Skeletor's abuse with a confidence few other evil warriors ever exhibit.
for the new toyline, the line was canceled before his figure could be released. In 2004, a mini statue
of the character was produced by NECA
.
Clawful's portrayal in the modern incarnation is radically different from his 1980s counterpart. Rather than being one of Skeletor's more intelligent and responsible villains, Clawful is presented as being the stupidest and most bumbling of them all, used purely for comedy value without the faintest hint of intelligence. Although he appears frequently throughout the series, his roles are generally very minimal, only serving to contribute the occasional comical moment with his dim-witted statements and bunglings of schemes.
The only episode to give him a spotlight role is "The Island", in which we are introduced to his race, a race of crab-like creatures who populate a small island. Clawful's cousin plays a larger role than Clawful in this episode, and also seems significantly more intelligent. Clawful is shown to be so dim-witted that he does not even recognize the language of his own race: communication via a snapping of the claws.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the popular Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe is a media franchise created by Mattel....
toy line and the accompanying cartoon series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe is an American animated television series produced by Filmation based on Mattel's successful toy line Masters of the Universe...
.
He is a member of the Evil Warriors, he appears to be a hybrid between a man and a crab
Crab
True crabs are decapod crustaceans of the infraorder Brachyura, which typically have a very short projecting "tail" , or where the reduced abdomen is entirely hidden under the thorax...
or lobster
Lobster
Clawed lobsters comprise a family of large marine crustaceans. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.Though several groups of crustaceans are known as lobsters, the clawed lobsters are most...
, with large, sharp claws that can crush the life out of his opponents. In most media, his right claw is extra large and thus achieves an extra-deadly grip.
1980s
Clawful was introduced into the Masters of the UniverseMasters of the Universe
Masters of the Universe is a media franchise created by Mattel....
toy line in 1984 as part of the third wave of figures. He uses the standard Evil Warrior "Skeletor
Skeletor
Skeletor is a featured villain in the Masters of the Universe franchise and the arch-enemy and main antagonist of He-Man. Depicted as a muscular blue humanoid with a purple hood over his yellowing bare-bone skull, Skeletor seeks to conquer Castle Grayskull so he can learn its ancient secrets,...
" body, with a new head and right arm sculpt (with spring-loaded claw). His left arm uses the same mold as Buzz-Off, released in the same wave. He carries a bright green version of the mace weapon originally included in the Castle Grayskull
Castle Grayskull
Castle Grayskull is a fortress located on the fictional planet Eternia. It forms a central location in the Masters of the Universe toy/comic/animation universe, and also appears in the 1987 live action adaptation....
playset, with an additional 'handle' allowing him to carry it in his left claw.
There are two versions of the Clawful figure. One uses the "bumpy legs" mold used with other figures such as Buzz-Off. The second version uses the standard Evil Warrior 'claw' leg mold. Additionally, typical examples of the figure have a 'squeezable' soft heads, but some examples can be found with harder, rubber heads.
However, unlike most third wave figures, which did not make appearances in the cartoon series until the show's second season, Clawful makes his debut on the accompanying cartoon series by Filmation
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
in 1983, late into the show's first season. His appearance on the cartoon is significantly different from the appearance of his action figure. His fin like spikes down the back of his head stick more than the pointy bumps on the back of his toy counter-part, which makes his head look almost reptile (or even dragon) like and unlike the action figure. This could possibly due to his animated design being based on a very early prototype of the figure, which would explain some of the differences in appearance. Additionally, both his claws are the same size, the reason for this being to make his character symmetrical so animation cells could be flipped over without his large claw constantly switching sides.
Introduced in the episode "Dree Elle's Return", Clawful receives a strong introduction as lead villain of the episode. Having stolen an artifact called the Horn of Evil from Orko
Orko
Orko is a fictional character from the Masters of the Universe franchise. He was not part of the original toy collection on which the show is based but, when he was created by the show's writers as comic relief, a toy figure of him was then manufactured. Orko appears in the 1980s Filmation series...
's homeworld of Trolla, Clawful is portrayed as a strong, harsh commander to the bumbling Trap-Jaw who assists him throughout the episode. He makes his second appearance a few episodes later in "Castle of Heroes" in which Skeletor
Skeletor
Skeletor is a featured villain in the Masters of the Universe franchise and the arch-enemy and main antagonist of He-Man. Depicted as a muscular blue humanoid with a purple hood over his yellowing bare-bone skull, Skeletor seeks to conquer Castle Grayskull so he can learn its ancient secrets,...
describes him as his "right-hand man" and he is portrayed as such throughout the episode, as a loyal sidekick to Skeletor, whom Skeletor seems to respect more than most of his other warriors. Although his introduction seems to indicate he is a rung above the other villains, this is not expanded upon throughout his later appearances, most of which portray him as just another of Skeletor's henchmen, albeit more intelligent and slightly more responsible than most others.
His most prominent episode of the show's second season is "Things That Go Bump in the Night", which indicates that Skeletor's apparent respect for him, as demonstrated in "Castle of Heroes", has waned, as Skeletor is shown to be aggressive and distrustful towards Clawful, who in this episode vows that he will someday overthrow Skeletor as leader of the Evil Warriors. Clawful seems to possess more confidence than Skeletor's other minions in that out of all of the Evil Warriors who make this statement for themselves throughout the series, Clawful is the only one bold enough to say it to Skeletor's face, and he is also seen to sarcastically laugh off Skeletor's abuse with a confidence few other evil warriors ever exhibit.
2002 series
Clawful is re-used in the 2002 relaunch of the Masters of the Universe cartoon series. Despite being one of the first characters designed by the Four HorsemenFour Horsemen Studios
Four Horsemen Studios is a group of four action figure sculptors who formerly worked for McFarlane Toys, and whose work has included the modern and classics line of Masters of the Universe toys and the current DCSH and DC Universe Classics lines....
for the new toyline, the line was canceled before his figure could be released. In 2004, a mini statue
Statue
A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, an idea or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a bust, and at least close to life-size, or larger...
of the character was produced by NECA
National Entertainment Collectibles Association
The National Entertainment Collectibles Association or NECA is an American manufacturer of collectibles typically licensed from films, video-games, sports, music, and television based in New Jersey...
.
Clawful's portrayal in the modern incarnation is radically different from his 1980s counterpart. Rather than being one of Skeletor's more intelligent and responsible villains, Clawful is presented as being the stupidest and most bumbling of them all, used purely for comedy value without the faintest hint of intelligence. Although he appears frequently throughout the series, his roles are generally very minimal, only serving to contribute the occasional comical moment with his dim-witted statements and bunglings of schemes.
The only episode to give him a spotlight role is "The Island", in which we are introduced to his race, a race of crab-like creatures who populate a small island. Clawful's cousin plays a larger role than Clawful in this episode, and also seems significantly more intelligent. Clawful is shown to be so dim-witted that he does not even recognize the language of his own race: communication via a snapping of the claws.