THC Spotlights is shining a light on creative technologists who are helping to solve problems in their community and doing it with maximum impact.
This week we're shining a light on Yla Eason, a Rutgers professor, award winning marketing professional, and founder of Olmec Toys, a multicultural toy company, that she grew into a $5 million business.
Troubled by her 3 year old son’s confession that he believed he could never be a superhero because he was Black, Eason set out on a journey to make an action figure that represented her son. While no easy task, Eason knew that there was a research backed need for "ethnically correct" toys to help children grow up with healthy self-perception.
She created Sun Man in 1985, the sidekick of the famed He-Man, the main character of the Masters of the Universe franchise. Mattel re-released a new version of Sun-Man in 2021, nearly 4 decades after it's inception, ensuring that that the legacy of the Black action figure lives on.
Learn more about the legend of Sun-Man and his revival via Mattel!
