He-Man creator Roger Sweet’s wife launches GoFundMe to help with medical bills

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Marlene Sweet, married to the creator of He-Man and Masters of the Universe, Roger Sweet, has started a GoFundMe to help cover his substantial medical expenses. The 90-year-old toy designer’s bills can reach as high as $10,200 each month.

Roger Sweet is most famous for creating He-Man. He was a key figure in the development of the Masters of the Universe toy line while working as a lead designer at Mattel.

Roger Sweet created the first He-Man character and gave him his name, then collaborated with other artists and writers to develop the entire He-Man universe. The franchise became a huge toy success in the 1980s, leading to popular cartoons and comic books.

For many years, Sweet has stayed actively involved with the fans of the franchise, often appearing at Comic-Con events and sharing the stories behind his work.

GoFundMe launched to help He-Man creator Roger Sweet & family

At almost 91 years old, Sweet is now living with dementia. His wife has started a GoFundMe campaign to help pay for his care in a specialized memory care facility, and as of today, it has raised over $30,000 towards its $50,000 goal.

Marlene Sweet shared an update on the fundraising page explaining that her husband’s dementia is getting worse. He recently returned home from a walk confused and with injuries, and doctors found he had suffered two brain bleeds.

He spent three days in the intensive care unit and then another four days in the hospital. During that time, he was often confused and prone to falls.

She explained that doctors believe he’s likely to fall, so he needs to use a walker because of his dementia and previous brain bleeds. She also mentioned he often refuses help, likely because he’s confused.

Doctors decided he needed to move into a specialized memory care center where staff could keep a close watch on him. Marlene explained that this facility costs $10,200 a month, a sum Medicare won’t cover and that is more than they can afford each month.

She’s asking He-Man fans for help with her bills, explaining that any donation, no matter how small, would be a big relief.

I remember Marlene talking about how much Roger genuinely loved connecting with us fans! He was always so enthusiastic when discussing He-Man and Masters of the Universe – you could tell it wasn’t just a job for him, he really cared about the show and the people who loved it.

She explained that for their wedding, the designers created a plaster cake inspired by He-Man. It featured the phrase “He-Man takes Marlene for his bride” and a cake topper of He-Man in wedding attire, with his bride carrying all his weapons!

Hundreds of fans and loved ones have donated, as well as $5,000 from the Mattel Foundation. 

It’s so heartwarming to see all the support! One message really stood out to me – someone wrote that they hoped their donation would help, and that He-Man had a huge impact on their childhood. They even signed it with a ‘God Bless you’ to Roger and Marlene, which just shows how much the show meant to people. It’s amazing!

Honestly, this game just meant so much to me growing up, and even now! It really sparked my imagination and brought a ton of joy. I just wanted to say thank you and wish the creators all the best – they deserve it!

Growing up, Masters of the Universe was a huge part of my childhood, so I was really glad to be able to donate and show my appreciation to Roger for making such an amazing show!

I’m currently taking care of my dad, who has dementia, so I know how expensive memory care can be, particularly finding a really good facility. I hope you’re able to get the financial support you need, and I wish you all the best.

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2026-02-25 15:49