Monster High Dolls Are The Horror Version Of Barbies
Girls, as we all know, love fashion. At a young age, before they develop their fashion sense and come up with stories with the best clothes and accessories, many of them “practice” on dolls: as a father of two daughters, I often come across an innocent doll with underwear on its head, or a rabbit doll with socks. Tons of fashion dolls speak to toy-loving girls and, in some cases, boys. The most obvious example is, of course, Barbie, which has also received a lot of criticism for developing, apparently or not, a false beauty model that promotes thinness. Horror fans have Monster High dolls that combine horror, fashion, and toys.
So what are Monster High dolls anyway?
Monster High is a cool line of fashion dolls made by the American toy giant Mattel. How huge? Well, this company, founded in 1954, is now considered the largest in its field in the world. It is responsible for the most famous brand of dolls, aka Barbie, and several other essential brands such as Fisher Price toys, the Hot Wheels toy car brand, which is considered the most successful of its kind in the world, and also a variety of toys based on characters from the world of entertainment, film, television, comics, and so on.
The first Monster High dolls were developed in 2010, taking the brand’s doll line in a different direction. As you can infer from their name and the fact that we chose to refer to them on a website dedicated to horror, these dolls are based on horror movies and monsters, horror mythologies, and books. The colorful dolls with big eyes are designed in a rather extreme gothic style with many colors and elements. As is the best tradition, each has a long line of clothes and accessories that can also be exchanged between them (in fashion, you know, the key is the combinations). The haircuts are trendy, funky, and some have pretty heavy makeup. The good news for horror fans is that the dolls have some rather prominent monstrous characteristics, such as fangs, scars, or bloodstains. Not too graphically, because this is a product intended for girls and children, but yes, in a way that would imply to us what world these monsters come from.
The dolls come with pretty cool accessories that reflect the personality and interests of each of them. Many are designed like scary objects, such as bones, skulls, coffins, etc. The accessories here include jewelry (necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and so on), bags and purses, shoes, hair accessories, and pets.
Like Hotel Transylvania, But Set In High School
It is important to note that the choices here are not accidental since the various dolls have a character and even a backstory. Anyone who has ever raised children knows that it is very likely that every doll will receive a name (which can change from time to time. After all, dolls don’t have an ID). The more creative children will also decide what the doll likes to do and build a backstory. You won’t find much logic in these stories – and yet, I’ve come across some better puppet stories than the plot of some of the recent horror movies we’ve seen here (did someone say the awful Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey?).
In the case of Monster High, they did the job for us and especially for our girls. There is a whole story here, which unsurprisingly became a TV series and a movie in 2022, both released in October 2022. After we had already learned that there is a hotel for monsters in the very successful “Hotel Transylvania” movie series and very suitable for children who want to expose to horror for the first time, it turns out that monsters Also have an education system. The dolls all attend a high school for monsters called Monster High.
So how exactly does it work? Each doll is based on some famous monster character, with one big difference. All dolls have a family pedigree, according to the concept of the son or daughter of some famous monster. Draculaura is the daughter of Dracula, Frankie Stein is the daughter/son of Frankenstein’s monster (we’ll get back to that later), Claudine Wolff – you guessed it – is the daughter of the werewolf (and, in fact, half-human and half-wolf) and so on.
We recently learned that the extended family of monsters is getting an addition that will please all horror fans. We’re going to meet dolls based on Chucky and Tiffany. We need to understand whether these dolls were meant to be their children. Still, if so – Without going too much into the private lives of these dolls, one can suspect that these offspring are perhaps a reminder of that famous sex scene between them in “Bride of Chucky,” which, as far as we remember, did not involve the use of unique contraceptives for dolls.
Meet Some Of Monster High Dolls
Draculaure Monster High: Energetic, Vegan, Love Bats And Ballet
Draculaura is an optimistic character with an energetic nature and even a vegan (someone should do something with these progressive contents): which means that she does not drink blood, like most self-respecting vampires, but fruit juice. On top of the doll, you will find cool accessories in the shape of a bat, such as a hairpin (so you can arrange Draculaura hairstyle), earrings, wings, and a bow tie, and she also has a very well-groomed pet bat named “Count Fabolous.” Our Draculaura likes to design clothes and dance, especially ballet and hip-hop.
Frankie Stein Monster High: Made In Lab, Love Science… And Probably Non-Binary
Let’s continue with Frankie Stein doll, who has a slightly strange personality. She is the daughter of Frankenstein’s monster, which means she was also created in a lab. At the franchise’s beginning, she is only 15 days old, still having difficulties adjusting to the world and high school. In the story, Frankie Stein Monster High is described as a friendly, optimistic, and intelligent character. She likes science and performs experiments, but she also enjoys drawing and creating.
Frankie Stein’s skin is a light greenish; her hair is streaked with gray and black, and you will find stitches on her forehead and arms. Her clothing ranges from a checkered dress with a fashionable belt and ties to more sporty attire, and the list of accessories includes, among other things, a hair brush, a diary, and a pet dog named Watzit, who just so happens to be made of different animal parts.
To the best of our understanding, and as some of the creators claimed, this is a fundamentally non-binary character that tries to convey to children that being gay is an inevitable part of life and that children should understand that, on the whole, it is normal. Apropos is a combination of current social issues in content intended for children.
The Controversy Behind Monster High: Educational or Harmful?
It is impossible not to ignore the certain similarities, but also the points of difference, between Monster High dolls and Barbies. Beyond the fact that the same company is responsible for both dolls, you can find visual similarities that show a clear inspiration in certain aspects. In both cases, the dolls’ appearance was not necessarily received positively. Similar to the controversy surrounding the Barbie dolls we mentioned, the Monster High dolls have also received criticism (and even some academic papers, such this) due to the inaccurate proportions of the dolls – mainly very thin waistlines and long legs that seem to enhance the slim appearance – or even attributed cultural and ethnic stereotypes.
Mattel tried to deal with this through design changes of some of the dolls and their marketing strategy. Even in the content that emerged following the dolls, messages that are considered positive, such as female empowerment, inclusion, and self-acceptance, were incorporated over time. For example, the fictional content based on Monster High’s characters combined the themes of bullying and boycott. Another example is the theme of difference and acceptance of the other, which stems in part from the conflicts between the world of monsters and the world of humans, which also arise in the film and the series.
Regarding differences, the look of the Monster High dolls is more gothic and extreme, with some elements from the scarier world. While the emphasis of Barbie dolls is mainly on fashion, Monster High dolls have a long list of other hobbies. If Barbie dolls have received criticism for presenting a bright (and blonde) beauty model, the picture is much more diverse. Some new dolls have specific ethnicities: Claudine Wolff has Afro-Latin ancestry, while Draculaura is of Taiwanese-American descent. But unlike a reality show, they tried to create more than a stereotypical representation here.
It is not confident that these messages were integrated too successfully, against the fact that the film and the TV series have received few positive reviews for now. Still, any experience in this field is welcome.
How Do You Buy Monster High Dolls?
Monster High dolls are an excellent toy for horror fans, or at least for girls (and children) of parents who like horror. We are still determining if this is a massive hit like Panko Pop dolls, currently considered one of the hottest products among collectors of all genders and ages. In addition, Monster High dolls have fewer models than the Funko Pops, which include hundreds of options even if you focus your search only on the horror icons sector. The dolls appeal more to girls than boys, but if you are looking for a fashionable addition to your home, which can be the basis for imaginative play with a “twist” from the world of monsters, this is a great solution.
The price of original Monster High dolls naturally varies with each doll and depends, among other things, on the specific model and how rare it is. While the standard price of a piece is usually a few tens of dollars, some extraordinary or rare versions will have a higher price tag. You can find the dolls in various toy stores – again, in smaller amounts than some of the other dolls mentioned here – and online stores. Along with individual dolls with matching accessories and doll cases, you will also find complementary products such as a doll car, makeup kit, bedroom kit, etc. Please note that since some of the accessories are small and involve the risk of swallowing by toddlers, the game is pre-designed for relatively older girls (around the age of six).
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