Pigboy: The Surprising Backstory Behind One Of 'Masters Of The Universe's Strangest Characters
For the first time since 1987, Masters of the Universe (2026) brought Mattel’s beloved toy line to the big screen in live-action, with plenty of callbacks and references to its unique history. While the movie includes many of the franchise’s eccentric characters, from Ram Man to Trap Jaw, none are quite as strange as Pigboy.
Like Ram Man and Trap Jaw, Pigboy’s name is quite literal. He’s a humanoid creature with pig-like facial features and blue skin who serves as one of Skeletor’s evil henchmen. Pigboy (Arun Bassi) is a surprising inclusion in the new Masters of the Universe movie, especially considering he’s one of the few characters that didn’t start as an action figure.
The Unusual Origin Of Pigboy
Masters of the Universe began as a toy line by Mattel, which sought to make up for the blunder of passing on Star Wars’ merchandising rights. When Masters of the Universe first came to the screen in 1987, it brought many of the original action figures to life. However, the small, evil pig henchman spotted serving Skeletor (Frank Langella) in Castle Grayskull wasn’t one audiences had seen before.
Pigboy was a new character created specifically for the original Masters of the Universe movie, and, more specifically, for Richard Szponder. Pigboy was the result not of the script or original toy line, but of a marketing tool. To generate hype, Mattel launched a sweepstakes, offering one lucky child the chance to cameo in Masters of the Universe.
While appearing on the Masters of the Universe podcast, BattleCast, in 2020, Szponder explained how the sweepstakes worked. In 1986, he was an eight-year-old boy, watching TV when a commercial for Masters of the Universe toys came on screen and announced the sweepstakes. To enter, children had to go to Toys R Us and ask for a form to fill out, which would then be mailed in for the contest. So, Szponder went to Toys R Us with his mother and filled out and submitted just one form, which would prove to be the winning entry.
At the time, though, Szponder had no idea who he would be portraying in the film. According to him, it wasn’t until he actually arrived in California to begin filming that he finally learned the iconic character he’d bring to life.
Richard Szponder’s Journey To Pigboy
Chances are, you’ve probably entered plenty of sweepstakes in your life, but never won. The chances are so slim that you may question if anyone ever even wins these life-changing sweepstakes. Szponder, though, actually won Mattel’s Masters of the Universe sweepstakes, and his experience was the fulfillment of every child’s dream at the time. He didn’t just win a cameo in the movie, but his entire family won a trip to California.
Mattel flew the Szponder family out and ensured that they made some great family memories outside of filming. In an interview for motumovie.com, Szponder explained, “While in California, Mattel also sent my family on a number of sightseeing trips. They paid for us to visit Disneyland and Universal Studios, and we even toured the Queen Mary. This was especially meaningful because my father traveled as an infant aboard the Queen Mary from England, where he was born, to the United States. We visited Hollywood, Santa Monica, and toured all around the LA area in a limousine that was available at our disposal.”
The company also quickly brought him into the studio for a tour, during which he was shown the original concept art for Pigboy. He later discovered a lack of communication between Mattel and the studio regarding the contest, which led director Gary Goddard to scramble to find a place for a child in the movie, especially since Szponder arrived after all the Earth scenes had already been filmed. The production initially named his character Mata-Shai, and it wasn’t until he saw it in theaters and read the credits that he realized the character’s name had been changed to “Pigboy.”
Seeing the final cut was perhaps a little more underwhelming than the initial experience. Although the costume, including the robe and mutated pig mask, was largely unchanged from the concept art, most of Szponder’s scene was cut. Even so, the split-second shot of the mysterious Pigboy captured more attention than Szponder or Mattel could have anticipated.
The Legacy Of Pigboy
In his interview with BattleCast, Szponder acknowledged that part of the reason his cameo exists is that the film was “legally obligated” to honor the contest’s promise. Mattel certainly gave Szponder the trip of a lifetime, but the character of Pigboy feels a little more rushed and like an afterthought. However, perhaps that’s why he caught on with viewers. The surprising backstory and Goddard’s conundrum of fitting some random child from Chicago into Masters of the Universe fit perfectly with the weird world of MOTU, which was created to sell toys and as a consolation prize after a loss rather than to construct a coherent film narrative.
Unsurprisingly, Pigboy (Kevin Smith) returned in Masters of the Universe: Revelations (2021) and found himself the perfect companion in Goatman. He’s still a pretty mysterious character, but the show elevates his status as an evil warrior and characterizes his ferocity. The fact that he made it into the Masters of the Universe live-action reboot movie is further evidence that, regardless of his surprising origin, Szponder’s Pigboy is a part of the franchise that promises to live on.
