Sectaurs

Sectaurs
Created byLawrence Mass
Tim Clarke
Maureen Trotto
Original workAction figure series (1985)
Owners
  • Seven Towns
  • Coleco (1985–89)
Years1985–present
Print publications
Comics
Films and television
Animated seriesSectaurs (5 episodes, 1985)
ToysSectaurs action figures (Coleco, 1985–86)

Sectaurs: Warriors of Symbion is a media franchise born from a line of action figures released by Coleco in 1985. The franchise have extended to comic books and an animated series.

Created by Lawrence Mass, Tim Clarke, and Maureen Trotto, the Sectaurs world blended humanoids with insects and arachnids.

Rights to the Sectaurs franchise are currently held by Seven Towns Ltd., a Notting Hill-based British toy manufacturer.

Premise

The planet Symbion is the site of a failed genetic experiment that caused insects and arachnids grow to frightening proportions and the inhabitants to take on insectoid characteristics.

Prince Dargon, ruler of the peaceful Shining Realm of Prosperon, and his allies are in conflict with the forces of Empress Devora, ruler of the Dark Domain of Synax, and her henchmen. The two factions rival each other for possession of the Hyves, fortresses of an ancient civilization holding the key to ultimate power.

Each character was "tele-bonded" with intelligent, non-anthropomorphic insect creatures called Insectoids that had a special ability. The characters and their Insectoids shared each other's "pleasure and pain", feeling empathy through a telepathic link.

There are several subtypes of Insectoid: Steeds are Insectoids large enough to be ridden by their Sectaur partners. Action Bugs are smaller partner Insectoids, which each possess a single button or crank activated feature in merchandise. Battle Bugs are Insectoids that carry an artillery weapon atop itself, with a seat for a Sectaur rider.

Characters

Shining Realm

Dark Domain

Hyve

The Hyve playset was also produced, and is one of the larger playsets released in the 1980s. Accessories included a boulder-like wrecking ball, a heavy Skalibur turret gun, a ladder, and a cage. It featured a landing pad with a trap door, a collapsible bridge, and an interior detailing a "Bio-Control Laboratory". The Hyve is guarded by Narr and Vypex, a pair of mutant Insectoids.

Other characters

Development

The concept originated with puppet designer Tim Clarke, who attended a Halloween party in 1978. Disliking wearing Halloween masks, Clarke instead created a hand puppet modeled after a fly. Years later, Clarke brought the same hand puppet into a meeting with Lawrence Mass. Mass loved the idea and suggested pairing it with an action figure.

Television series

In 1985, Ruby-Spears produced a five-episode animated miniseries.

With music composed by Shuki Levy and Haim Saban, the show featured characters' voices by Arthur Burghardt, Peter Cullen, Laurie Faso, Dan Gilvezan, Peter Renaday, Neil Ross, and Frank Welker.

The episodes were produced by Ken Spears and Joe Ruby, and directed by John Kimball

  1. "Spidrax Attacks" (written by Dan DiStefano and Janis Diamond)
  2. "Slave City" (written by Dan DiStefano and Janis Diamond)
  3. "Valley of the Stones" (written by Dan DiStefano and Janis Diamond)
  4. "Trapped in the Acid Desert" (written by Ted Field)
  5. "Battle of the Hyve" (written by Matt Uitz and Janis Diamond)

Comics

Nine mini-comics were included with Sectaurs toys in 1984. Marvel Comics published an eight-issue series from 1985 to 1986. All of the stories were written by Bill Mantlo. Mark Texeira drew the first two issues and Steve Geiger drew issues #3-8.

Marvel UK released a Sectaurs Summer Special in June 1986.

Oni Press published a three-issue miniseries in 2024–25. Part of the Nacelleverse, the series was written by Dennis Culver with art by Ramón Bachs.

Revival

A Kickstarter campaign started in 2018 to restart the franchise.

In 2022, The Nacelle Company (a media business headquartered in Burbank, California) reached an exclusive agreement with rights holder Seven Towns to become licensee of Sectaurs. Their plans include to launch a new line of action figures and an animated series.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "The Nacelle Company Licenses Sectaurs". Shore Fire Media. April 21, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "Sectaurs (Marvel)". comics.org.
  3. 1 2 "Sectaurs (Oni Press)". comics.org.
  4. ↑ "The toys". sectaurus.com.
  5. ↑ "Battle of the Fun Factories". Time. December 16, 1985. Archived from the original on April 24, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
  6. ↑ Yeoman Lowbrow (January 18, 2018). "Plastic Power". Flashbak. Retrieved September 4, 2022.
  7. ↑ Perlmutter, David (2018). The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 542. ISBN 978-1538103739.
  8. ↑ "Exclusive: Sectaurs Returns as Nacelle Co., Seven Towns Enter Licensing Pact". toybook.com. April 1, 2022.
  9. ↑ Rovin, Jeff (1987). The Encyclopedia of Supervillains. New York: Facts on File. p. 140. ISBN 0-8160-1356-X.
  10. ↑ "The Story of the Sectaurs - A Toy Documentary". YouTube. August 24, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Sectaurs". IMDb.
  12. ↑ "Animated Series Episode One". sectaurs.com.
  13. ↑ "Sectaurs: Warriors of the Symbion (1984 series)". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  14. ↑ Markstein, Don. "Sectaurs". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved April 2, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Sectaurs Summer Special (Marvel UK, 1986 series)". Grand Comics Database. Retrieved June 8, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Sectaurs #1 review". AIPT Comics.
  17. ↑ "Because Every '80s Toyline Attempts a Comeback, SECTAURS Return!". Nerdist. April 23, 2017. Archived from the original on June 16, 2017. Retrieved January 27, 2019.