Monster High
Where Freaky Just Got Fabulous!
Last updated
The franchise features teenage children of monsters attending a high school called Monster High in the fictional town of New Salem.[1] Mattel's toy designer Garrett Sander created the Monster High franchise, which launched as a multimedia fashion doll line on June 11, 2010.[2]
Making and release
Garrett Sander and his twin brother Darren noticed young girls were into goth fashion while shopping, which inspired the dark aesthetic.[3][4] Darren came up with the slogan "(Where) Freaky Just Got Fabulous!" and was involved with early concepts.[4] Mattel experimented with a new business strategy of releasing the toy first without a traditional entertainment property first.[5] The first prototypes used head molds from another unreleased Mattel doll line, bodies from Barbie collector dolls, and accessories from My Scene dolls.[5]
Mattel started developing the Monster High concept in 2007 and submitted a trademark application for "Monster High" in October 2007.[3] The debut doll assortment, featuring the initial six characters, hit stores in 2010.[5] Garrett Sander personally created the design for the original packaging boxes.[5] Since the 2010 debut, more than 750 distinct dolls have been produced, with the majority measuring roughly 10.5 inches in height.[6]
A 2016 reboot aimed Monster High at a younger demographic, and the product line was eventually phased out in 2018.[7] Two "Skullector" dolls, one based on It and another on The Shining, were launched shortly before Halloween in 2020, marking the franchise's return.[7]
What the cited sources add
A 2013 International Business Times article reported that Mattel was inspired by children's interest in Tim Burton and Lady Gaga, and that the brand became a billion-dollar brand in just three years.[8] The same article noted that characters like Draculaura, Dracula's daughter, are vegans who "can't stand the thought of blood."[8] Mattel Creations described Skullector dolls as special collector-edition dolls that reimagine characters from horror films, fantasy, and pop culture.[9] The Toy Insider reported in 2022 that Monster High Reproduction Dolls were priced at $24.94 each and available at walmart.com.[10]
A 2016 article on NataliezWorld stated that Monster High was ranked as the third biggest fashion doll brand and a $1 billion franchise annually.[11] The same source noted that in 2016 the brand would embark on a new chapter to maintain its relevance.[11]
References
- Wikipedia, "Monster High" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Austin, "Valuing queer identity in Monster High doll fandom", Transformative Works and Cultures, 2016 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Monster High" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Tse, "'Monster High': Mattel's Big, Bold Move", TheStreet, 4 June 2010; Nicholasi, "Mattel Launches Monster High", Dread Central, 11 June 2010 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Monster High" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Trademark Status & Document Retrieval", United States Patent and Trademark Office (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Monster High" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Behind the Design of Monster High", Mattel Shop, 5 November 2010; Vultaggio, "Goth Barbie Dolls Are Best Sellers: Mattel's Monster High Line Includes 'Draculaura,' 'Frankie Stein' And 'Clawdeen Wolf' [PHOTO]", International Business Times, 17 July 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Monster High" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Zimmerman, "Mattel's New Playbook: Toy First, Franchise Next", The Wall Street Journal, 3 June 2010; Hyland, "Mattel Bets on Creature Features", Los Angeles Business Journal, 31 May 2010; Chang, "Watch out, Barbie: Mattel's edgy Monster High is in session", Los Angeles Times, 13 August 2010; Britten, "The best Monster High doll", Chicago Tribune, 13 October 2021; Zimmerman, "Mattel's New Playbook: Toy First, Franchise Next", The Wall Street Journal, 3 June 2010; Garrett Sander, "Day 13: Frankie Stein from the 2010 line Monster High by @mat en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Monster High" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "MH All Dolls", MH Merch (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Monster High" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Aasland, "Monster High Reboot – A Collector's Thoughts", Culture Honey, January 12, 2016; Patnaik, "Mattel struggles as Barbie sales slip again", Reuters, 20 April 2016; Hopkins, "HowExpert Guide to Doll Collecting: 101+ Tips to Learn How to Find, Buy, Sell, and Collect Collectible Dolls for Doll Collectors", HowExpert, 2022, p. 60; Goncalves, "Mattel Releasing New Monster High Dolls For 'The Shining' & 'It'", Moms, 22 October 2020; Roberts, "Mattel Creations Unveils Exclusive Beetlejuice Monster High Dolls", Bleeding Cool, August 10, 2021 en.wikipedia.org
- Vultaggio, "Goth Barbie Dolls Are Best Sellers: Mattel's Monster High Line Includes 'Draculaura,' 'Frankie Stein' And 'Clawdeen Wolf' [PHOTO]", International Business Times, 17 July 2013. facts only, no text reused. ibtimes.com
- "Monster High", Mattel Creations, 16 May 2022. facts only, no text reused. creations.mattel.com
- Zahn, "Monster High Boo-riginal Creeproductions Emerge for Friday the 13th", The Toy Insider, 13 May 2022. facts only, no text reused. thetoyinsider.com
- "Monster High Reboot How Do You Boo?", NataliezWorld. facts only, no text reused. nataliezworld.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Monster High (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Children's horror films
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Monster High (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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