It's dangerous to go alone! Take this.

 My lazy tribute photo to this moment in MotU history:

He-Man, in his early proto-days, was originally designed as a jungle-dwelling barbarian. 

He-Man was a warrior from a tribe on Eternia.  He left his people to defend Castle Grayskull from evil forces, embarked on a solo mission to protect the planet.  

This version of He-Man was more of an outright Conan-esque rip-off.  

In He-Man and the Power Sword  (1981), He-Man received:

• A magical axe

• A shield

• Chest armor

• A Sword (as pointed out, the Power Sword play pattern was introduced elsewhere)

The Sorceress operated more as a quest-giver or divine patron out of an RPG, and was called "The Goddess."  

Unlike the later Filmation version, where Prince Adam transformed into He-Man via the Power Sword and a magical incantation, this proto-He-Man didn't change form.  He was already a powerful warrior, and the gear simply enhanced his abilities.  

This touched on a concept that never carried the day, modular empowerment fantasy, gear itself granted power, changed power, provided power.  Perhaps with a different piece of armor, He-Man could fly, or could be invisible, or be surrounded by a force field. 

However, this play pattern never became central to the MotU franchise, likely because it was associated with play patterns found in dolls, such as Barbie.  A boy didn't want to play dress up with his heroic action hero.  

Clothing swapping works more in girl's role play because they want customizable, fluid visuals.  Dolls like Barbie have served as avatars, a girl projects themselves onto the doll, exploring identity, aspiration, and social scenarios.   

Clothing changes worked as part of the narrative; Barbie wasn't just one person, she was a teacher, a business executive, an astronaut, a pop star, a doctor, etc.  

Endless personalization and role-play were key drivers in making Barbie the success it has been.

Boys' action figures leaned into fixed identities and power fantasies.  Batman is Bruce Wayne.  Superman is Clark Kent.  Spider-Man is Peter Parker.  The fantasy for a boy was not to project themselves onto them, but to command them, to be them, who they are.  To wield their power, not dress them in different clothes.  

He-Man had to look like He-Man to maintain his symbolic potency.  Swapping gear would have diluted He-Man's heroic silhouette.  

(or so claims endless marketing research that's been going on long before I was even alive, lol)

Rather than encouraging boys to mix and match gear, Mattel released entirely new figures like Battle Armor He-Man, Thunder Punch He-Man, Flying Fists He-Man, with Skeletor getting his own upgrades, and also Hordak, once he was a part of the line. 

Variants were treated as power upgrades, not fashion changes.

He-Man was reimaged as Prince Adam.  He had a secret identity and a more family-friendly tone.  This change helped broaden the character's appeal as a brand for children and differentiated the character from its Conan roots.  A change, for the best in terms of IP upside, but it is interesting to think about this early proto-He-Man who was just himself.