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Monster High is an American
multimedia Multimedia is a form of communication that uses a combination of different content forms, such as Text (literary theory), writing, Sound, audio, images, animations, or video, into a single presentation. T ...
-supported
fashion doll Fashion dolls are dolls primarily designed to be dressed to reflect fashion trends. They are manufactured both as toys for children to play with and as collectibles for adults. The dolls are usually modeled after teen girls or adult women, though ...
franchise created by toy designer Garrett Sander and launched by
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...
in 2010. Aimed at children ages 7–14, the franchise features characters inspired by
monster movie A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally megafauna, large ones. The film may also ...
s, sci-fi horror,
thriller fiction Thriller is a genre of fiction with numerous, often overlapping, subgenres, including crime, horror, and detective fiction. Thrillers are characterized and defined by the moods they elicit, giving their audiences heightened feelings of susp ...
,
cryptids Cryptids are animals or other beings whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated by science. Cryptozoology, the study of cryptids, is a pseudoscience claiming that such beings may exist somewhere in the wild; it has been widely cri ...
,
folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
,
myths Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
and
popular culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of cultural practice, practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art
f. pop art F is the sixth letter of the Latin alphabet. F may also refer to: Science and technology Mathematics * F or f, the number 15 (number), 15 in hexadecimal and higher positional systems * ''p'F'q'', the hypergeometric function * F-distributi ...
or mass art, sometimes contraste ...
, centering around the adventures of the teenage children of monsters and other mythical creatures attending a
high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
of the same name. Though the fashion dolls are the main focus of the franchise, a 2D-animated web series and 15 animated TV specials/films were released to accompany them, as well as
video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device) to generate visual fe ...
s, a series of young adult novels written by Lisi Harrison, and other forms of merchandise. The franchise quickly became very popular among children and was extremely successful in terms of earnings for Mattel; it was worth $1 billion in its third year of existence with more than $500 million in sales annually, and was at one point the second best-selling doll brand in North America. Two spin-off toy lines were launched as companions to Monster High: '' Ever After High'' in 2013 based on fairy tales and fables, and Enchantimals in 2017 featuring human-animal hybrids. However, sales declined in 2016, prompting Mattel to
reboot In computing, rebooting is the process by which a running computer system is restarted, either intentionally or unintentionally. Reboots can be either a cold reboot (alternatively known as a hard reboot) in which the power to the system is physi ...
the franchise with a revamped aesthetic and a new
fictional universe A fictional universe, also known as an imagined universe or a constructed universe, is the internally consistent fictional setting used in a narrative or a work of art. This concept is most commonly associated with works of fantasy and scie ...
. The reboot was a commercial failure, eventually leading to the discontinuation of the franchise in 2018. Monster High relaunched a second time in 2020 with the release of new dolls representing horror/goth film cults, culminating with the 2021 announcement of an animated TV series and a live-action musical film, both produced by Mattel Television and premiered on
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...
in October 2022.


Premise

In the fictional American town of New Salem, the teenage children of famous monsters (and other mythical creatures) attend a
high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...
called Monster High. The school is renowned for allowing all species of monsters to enroll in it: this is in contrast with other schools that exist in the franchise's fantasy world, which are reserved for one type of monster only (for example, a vampire-exclusive school). The characters' stories were told through the TV series,
web series A web series (also known as webseries, short-form series, and web show) is a series of short scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet (i.e. World Wide Web), which first emerged in the late 1 ...
, films, the official website, as well as through diaries (booklets) included with the dolls. Since the franchise's beginnings in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Monster High has valued diversity among its characters and their visual appearance, personalities, abilities, and cultural backgrounds.


Characters

''Monster High'' features a variety of fictional characters, many of them being students at the titular high school. The female characters are called "ghouls", and the male characters are called "mansters". When the franchise was first introduced, the characters were generally the sons and daughters of monsters that have been popularized in fiction; in later years, it expanded to also feature characters inspired by other various types of mythical creatures, such as figures from
folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...
,
mythology Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...
, and
pop culture Popular culture (also called pop culture or mass culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as popular art pop_art.html" ;"title="f. pop art">f. pop artor mass art, some ...
. The franchise's official website at the time listed characters in four categories: "original" – the main characters who were introduced the earliest, "ghouls" – the female characters, "mansters" – the male characters, and "Frightmares" – characters who are half-
centaur A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...
and half-monster. The original characters are: * Frankie Stein (voiced by Kate Higgins from 2010 to 2016, Cassandra Lee Morris from 2016 to 2018 and Iris Menas from 2022 onward) is the daughter of
Frankenstein's monster Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein, is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's ...
and his bride. She is the central character of the franchise. She has white hair with black streaks and light, mint-green skin. Frankie is a
simulacrum A simulacrum (: simulacra or simulacrums, from Latin ''wikt:simulacrum#Latin, simulacrum'', meaning "likeness, semblance") is a representation or imitation of a person or thing. The word was first recorded in the English language in the late 16 ...
, meaning that her body is made of many different parts. She is clumsy, sweet, and always kind to others. She has a crush on Neighthan Rot. In the series, she used to date Jackson Jekyll and Holt Hyde, but this is different in the diaries, where both characters are in a relationship with Draculaura instead. In the first two incarnations of the franchise, Frankie uses she/her pronouns, while in the 2022 reboot they are non-binary and use they/them pronouns. * Draculaura (voiced by
Debi Derryberry Debi Derryberry (''née'' Greenberg; born September 27, 1960) is an American voice actress who has provided voices for a number of animations and video games. She is best known for voicing Jimmy Neutron, the titular protagonist of the Jimmy Neutr ...
from 2010 to 2018 and Courtney Lin from 2022 onward) is a
vampire A vampire is a mythical creature that subsists by feeding on the Vitalism, vital essence (generally in the form of blood) of the living. In European folklore, vampires are undead, undead humanoid creatures that often visited loved ones and c ...
who is the daughter of
Dracula ''Dracula'' is an 1897 Gothic fiction, Gothic horror fiction, horror novel by Irish author Bram Stoker. The narrative is Epistolary novel, related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens ...
. She is in a relationship with Clawdeen's older brother, Clawd Wolf. She is a
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...
who faints at the sight of blood. The diaries show that she used to date Jackson Jekyll and Holt Hyde. She has fangs and typically dresses in pink, black and white. * Cleo de Nile (voiced by Salli Saffioti from 2010 to 2018 and Kausar Mohammed from 2022 onwards) is the daughter of the
mummy A mummy is a dead human or an animal whose soft tissues and Organ (biology), organs have been preserved by either intentional or accidental exposure to Chemical substance, chemicals, extreme cold, very low humidity, or lack of air, so that the ...
pharaoh Pharaoh (, ; Egyptian language, Egyptian: ''wikt:pr ꜥꜣ, pr ꜥꜣ''; Meroitic language, Meroitic: 𐦲𐦤𐦧, ; Biblical Hebrew: ''Parʿō'') was the title of the monarch of ancient Egypt from the First Dynasty of Egypt, First Dynasty ( ...
Ramses de Nile, and is 5842 years old at the start of the series. She is the captain of the " fearleading" squad. Cleo prefers to accessorize with light-gold bandages or mummy wrappings. She is based on
Cleopatra Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (; The name Cleopatra is pronounced , or sometimes in both British and American English, see and respectively. Her name was pronounced in the Greek dialect of Egypt (see Koine Greek phonology). She was ...
, while her older sister, Nefera de Nile, is based on Nefertiti. She is the queen of the social scene and has a boyfriend named Deuce Gorgon. * Clawdeen Wolf (voiced by Salli Saffioti from 2010 to 2018 and Gabrielle Nevaeh Green from 2022 onward) is the daughter of a
werewolf In folklore, a werewolf (), or occasionally lycanthrope (from Ancient Greek ), is an individual who can shapeshifting, shapeshift into a wolf, or especially in modern film, a Shapeshifting, therianthropic Hybrid beasts in folklore, hybrid wol ...
. She is described as outgoing and sweet. She likes fashion. She has a bit of a temper at times when messed with, but can easily control it when coaxed properly. Her wolf ears are pierced in multiple places. In the 2016 reboot of Monster High, she develops mutual feelings for Raythe. * Lagoona Blue (voiced by Laura Bailey from 2010 to 2015, Larissa Gallagher from 2016 to 2018 and Valeria Rodriguez from 2022 onwards) is the daughter of a
sea monster Sea monsters are beings from folklore believed to dwell in the sea and are often imagined to be of immense size. Marine monsters can take many forms, including sea dragons, sea serpents, or tentacled beasts. They can be slimy and scaly and are of ...
. Lagoona is from " Down Under" and speaks with an Australian accent. She can talk with water animals. She is in a relationship with Gillington "Gil" Webber, but his parents disapprove of their relationship due to her sea-monster heritage. In the 2022 reboot she is Honduran and knows little about the outside due to growing up in a sunken castillo. * Ghoulia Yelps (vocal effects by Audu Paden in most projects, and voiced by Felicia Day in the 2022 TV series) is the bespectacled daughter of a
zombie A zombie (Haitian French: ; ; Kikongo: ''zumbi'') is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. In modern popular culture, zombies appear in horror genre works. The term comes from Haitian folkl ...
couple from
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. She is the smartest ghoul at Monster High, her personality is that of a shy and bookish girl with a sense of mischief. Due to being a zombie, she can only speak in moans and groans – a physical limitation that all zombies have. She has a romantic interest in Sloman "Slo Mo" Mortavitch, a tall male zombie on the chess team. * Abbey Bominable (voiced by Erin Fitzgerald from until 2015, Cristina Milizia between 2017 and 2018, and Aishwarya Pillai in the 2022 TV series) is the Russian-accented daughter of the Yeti. She is a proud and straightforward ghoul who doesn't readily spend words to bring her message more delicately. She's also very strong in terms of both physical abilities and psychokinetic ones and therefore intimidating, but although occasionally useful, she'd rather be known as simply a nice monster to hang out with. She has a romantic interest in Heath Burns, who she claims "makes her laugh".


Conception and development

Mattel began conceptualizing the Monster High franchise in 2007; the company filed for a
trademark A trademark (also written trade mark or trade-mark) is a form of intellectual property that consists of a word, phrase, symbol, design, or a combination that identifies a Good (economics and accounting), product or Service (economics), service f ...
of the name "Monster High" in October of that year. Garrett Sander—then a packaging designer at Mattel—and his twin brother Darren went shopping with young girls one day, where they noticed that the young girls were into goth fashion. This served as inspiration for creating a toy brand with a dark aesthetic. Darren was involved with the early concepts for the brand; he came up with the slogan "(Where) Freaky Just Got Fabulous!". He also remarked that because the characters were monsters, they had more freedom to do things that ordinary kids could not do. Other inspirations for the brand include children's interests in
Tim Burton Timothy Walter Burton (born August 25, 1958) is an American filmmaker and producer. Known for popularizing Goth subculture, Goth culture in the American film industry, Burton is famous for his Gothic film, gothic horror and dark fantasy films. ...
and
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
.


Merchandise


Dolls

Fashion dolls were the first franchise product to be released, with the media and other merchandise following soon after. The first line, which included the original six characters, was released in 2010. Mattel was experimenting with a new business strategy which consisted of launching a new franchise by releasing the toy first—without a "traditional entertainment property first"—and then following up with the media and entertainment. The original packaging boxes were designed by Garrett Sander himself. According to a social media post made by Sander in 2020, the first
prototypes A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and software programming. A prototype is generally used to ...
of the dolls during its development were made using head molds from another Mattel doll line that was never officially released, bodies from
Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...
collector dolls, and with some accessories from My Scene dolls. A good amount of the initial design remained unchanged, but the actual dolls ended up looking drastically different. Over 750 different dolls have been released since its 2010 launch. They vary in size, features, materials used, type of packaging, types of accessories they come with, country of manufacture, etc. Most of them are about tall. Some dolls, particularly the ones which were released a long time ago or in limited quantity, are rare, collectible, and therefore expensive. Most Monster High dolls were marketed to children as toys to play with, but some "collector's edition" dolls, priced higher and aimed at an older audience, were also made. In 2016, Monster High underwent a reboot, which was likely an attempt to make the brand appeal to a younger age category. The sales were low that year, and the line was eventually quietly discontinued in 2018. In 2020, however, the franchise made its comeback when two new premium-priced collector dolls—dubbed "Skullector" and inspired by characters from the horror movies ''It'' and ''The Shining''—were made available for purchase just in time for that year's Halloween. In 2021, a new set of two Skullector dolls inspired by characters from the movie ''
Beetlejuice ''Beetlejuice'' is a 1988 American Gothic film, gothic dark fantasy comedy horror film directed by Tim Burton from a screenplay by Michael McDowell (author), Michael McDowell and Warren Skaaren based on a story by McDowell and Larry Wilson (sc ...
'' was launched exclusively through the "Mattel Creations" section of Mattel's website alongside a doll inspired by the film '' Gremlins 2: The New Batch''. In 2022, Mattel presented a new Monster High line called "Haunt Couture" (wordplay on " haute couture") which consisted of five new collector dolls: the five main characters of Frankie Stein, Clawdeen Wolf, Draculaura, Cleo de Nile and Lagoona Blue. They featured details such as rooted eyelashes and were priced at $75, and similarly were only available through the website. On Friday, May 13, 2022, Mattel released a new "Booriginal Creeproductions" line of Monster High dolls which were a tribute to the original 2010 line. It featured four of the main characters dressed in their original outfits and packaged in boxes that took heavy inspiration from the original packaging. They were priced at $25 each and at first available exclusively at
Walmart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores in the United States and 23 other ...
outlets in the United States, and then also worldwide through the "Mattel Creations" section of the Mattel website. They were aimed at older consumers who grew up with the original dolls prior to their 2018 discontinuation. Since then, Mattel has continued to periodically release new Monster High dolls, aimed at consumers and collectors alike.


Other merchandise

Various other Monster-High-branded products have been released: they include collectible vinyl figurines, Halloween costumes, plushies,
stationery Stationery refers to writing materials, including cut paper, envelopes, continuous form paper, and other office supplies. Stationery usually specifies materials to be written on by hand (e.g., letter paper) or by equipment such as computer p ...
, children's clothing, accessories, and makeup, perfume, and more. In February 2022, American fashion designer Maisie Wilen collaborated with Mattel to create a pair of earrings inspired by one of the main Monster High characters' style; they were available for $50 exclusively through the "Mattel Creations" section of the Mattel website. In April 2022, Mattel collaborated with Hot Topic on a clothing collection inspired by the aesthetics of the franchise.


Media

Launched in the
digital media In mass communication, digital media is any media (communication), communication media that operates in conjunction with various encoded machine-readable data formats. Digital content can be created, viewed, distributed, modified, listened to, an ...
era, ''Monster High'' began adaptation into a web series which had its debut on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
on 5 May 2010, followed by a 23-minute TV special, '' New Ghoul @ School'' on October 30 that same year which premiered on Nickelodeon in the United States. The aforementioned ''New Ghoul @ School'' and the next TV special, '' Fright On!'' were 2D-animated, with the following films animated in CGI or
computer animation Computer animation is the process used for digitally generating Film, moving images. The more general term computer-generated imagery (CGI) encompasses both still images and moving images, while computer animation refers to moving images. Virtu ...
: " ''Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love''", "'' Escape from Skull Shores''", " ''Friday Night Frights''", "'' Scaris: City of Frights''", "''Ghouls Rule''", "''13 Wishes''", "''Freaky Fusion''", "''Haunted''", "'' Boo York, Boo York''", ''Great Scarrier Reef'', ''Welcome to Monster High'' and ''Electrified''. Other films were reported to be in development until the first franchise reboot and the discontinuation of '' Ever After High'' in 2016. Starting with ''Fright On!'' in 2011, the specials and films were released in
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...
home video formats by
Universal Pictures Home Entertainment Universal Pictures Home Entertainment LLC (UPHE) is the home video distribution division of Universal Pictures, an American film studio owned by NBCUniversal, the entertainment unit of Comcast. UPHE is the home video distributor for all of the ...
. The films ranked ''Monster High'' as the second in the list of children's direct-to-video franchises that year, according to online
magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), content forms. Magazines are generally fin ...
s and
publication To publish is to make content available to the general public.Berne Convention, articl ...
s. The films and specials have also appeared on streaming services/platforms like
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
and
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
. In the 2015 film "Boo York, Boo York", a character known as ''Astranova'' makes contact with Apple White and Raven Queen from ''Ever After High'' suggesting a crossover in the future. However, the first franchise reboot and the discontinuation of ''Ever After High'' derailed and cancelled those plans (which also included more based-on films than the 16 indicated); brief storyboard animatics were instead released on the official Monster High YouTube channel under the title ''The Lost Movie'' and early designs for the ''EAH'' characters intended for the crossover have been released online. In 2021, it was announced that Mattel Television would produce a live-action musical film and an animated TV series for Nickelodeon, which premiered in October 2022. Both projects feature more gender diversity and LGBT characters.


''Monster High: Kowa Ike Girls''

''Monster High: Kowa Ike Girls'' (; ''Monsutā Hai'' and ''Gāruzu'' being transliteration of "Monster High" and "Girls", respectively) is an 8-episode series of 3-minute
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese animated shorts produced by , and animated at Picona Creative Studio. The shorts were broadcast as a part of TXN's morning children's television programming block '' Oha Suta'' beginning on October 22, 2014
Mattel Japan's official YouTube account
later released the shorts online. The theme song, simply titled "Monster High" (), was sung by Japanese teen idol girl band Amorecarina, featuring Kaede (from another idol girl band, Chu-Z) as a rapper. It was included in Amorecarina's debut single of the same name, along with an instrumental version. The ''Kowa Ike Girls'' shorts were released in Japanese only.


Video games

Video games based on the franchise were released to accompany the audiovisual media.


''Monster High: Ghoul Spirit''

The first game released was '' Monster High: Ghoul Spirit'', available for the
Nintendo DS The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
and the Wii consoles on 25 October 2011. This release featured a special "Ghoulify" function for the
Nintendo DSi The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console released by Nintendo. The console launched in Japan on November 1, 2008, and worldwide beginning in April 2009. It is the third iteration of the Nintendo DS, and its primary market rival was ...
. The game revolves around the player being the new 'ghoul' in school and must work their way through activities and social situations to finally be crowned 'Scream Queen'.


''Monster High: Skultimate Roller Maze''

Another video game for Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS and Wii titled ''Monster High: Skultimate Roller Maze'' was released in November 2012. This game allowed players to experience the Monster High sport - Skultimate Roller Maze. Teams compete their way through a hazardous maze of obstacles.


''Monster High: 13 Wishes''

The third video game for the Wii,
Wii U The Wii U ( ) is a home video game console developed by Nintendo as the successor to the Wii. Released in late 2012, it is the first eighth-generation video game console and competed with Microsoft's Xbox One and Sony's PlayStation 4. The W ...
, Nintendo DS, and
Nintendo 3DS The is a foldable dual-screen handheld game console produced by Nintendo. Announced in March 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS, the console was released originally on February 26, 2011 and went through various revisions in its lifetime, ...
named after ''Monster High: 13 Wishes'' was released in October 2013. In this game, players take on the role of Frankie Stein who must free her friends from a magical lantern by collecting thirteen shards of a magic mirror.


Other games

Mobile apps ''Ghoul Box'' and ''Sweet 1600'' are available on
iTunes iTunes is a media player, media library, and mobile device management (MDM) utility developed by Apple. It is used to purchase, play, download and organize digital multimedia on personal computers running the macOS and Windows operating s ...
for the
iPad The iPad is a brand of tablet computers developed and marketed by Apple Inc., Apple that run the company's mobile operating systems iOS and later iPadOS. The IPad (1st generation), first-generation iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010. ...
and
iPhone The iPhone is a line of smartphones developed and marketed by Apple that run iOS, the company's own mobile operating system. The first-generation iPhone was announced by then–Apple CEO and co-founder Steve Jobs on January 9, 2007, at ...
devices. The Monster High website has also released a series of catacomb-themed web games: "trick or trance", " phantom roller" and "scary sweet memories". In November 2015, ''Monster High: New Ghoul in School'' was released for the Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, Wii, 3DS, and Wii U. The PC version was de-listed on
Steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...
in 2017.


Book series


''Monster High'' Book series

Lisi Harrison, a Canadian author known for writing popular book series; ''
The Clique A clique is a close social group. Clique or The Clique may also refer to: Math and computing * Clique (graph theory) ** Clique problem in computer science Business and brands * Clique (vodka), a Latvian vodka sold in the United States * Clique ...
'' and '' The Alphas'', wrote some young adult novels based on the franchise using a different fictional universe than the web series and deal with the Regular-Attribute Dodgers (RADs) and their struggles with love, social life, school and not to be outed as monsters to humans. Mattel released Harrison's first Monster High novel on 26 September 2010. The book revolves around Frankie Stein and Melody Carver. The second book in the series, ''The Ghoul Next Door'', was released at the end of March 2011 and features chapters on Cleo de Nile. The third book featuring Clawdeen Wolf is titled ''Where There's a Wolf, There's a Way'' and was released on 29 September 2011. The fourth novel titled ''Back And Deader Than Ever'' was released on May 1, 2012 and features Draculaura. Another Monster High book called ''Drop Dead Diary'' was released on January 19, 2011; it was written by a pseudonymous author Abaghoul Harris.


''Ghoulfriends'' book series

Author Gitty Daneshvari has written a ''Ghoulfriends'' series focusing on Monster High characters Venus McFlytrap, Robecca Steam, and Rochelle Goyle. The four books include: ''Ghoulfriends Forever'', ''Ghoulfriends Just Want To Have Fun'', ''Who's That Ghoulfriend?'' and ''Ghoulfriends 'Til the End'' .


''Monster High Diaries'' book series

A book series by Nessi Monstrata was released covering five of the main franchise characters.


''Monster Rescue'' book Series

A book series by Misty Von Spooks was released that featured the Generation 2 franchise characters.


Comics

In 2024,
IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW) and is recognized as the fifth-largest comic ...
began releasing a line of Monster High comics including the limited series Monster High: New Scaremester and the one-shots Monster High Pride 2024, Monster High: Halloween Special, Monster High: Howliday Haunt, and Monster High: Bull's Eye.


Music

Two songs titled "Fright Song" (2010), by Angela Buscio, and "We Are Monster High" (2013), by
Madison Beer Madison Elle Beer (born March 5, 1999) is an American singer and songwriter. Beer first gained substantial media coverage when Justin Bieber posted a link to one of her covers she posted on YouTube. In 2013, she released her debut single "Melo ...
, were released digitally along with live-action music videos on YouTube. Ewa Farna additionally released a song and music video called "Monster High" (a version of "Fright Song") in both Polish and Czech. Numerous soundtracks have also been released.


Spin-offs

With the popularity of Monster High, companion doll lines were launched. Ever After High (abbreviated EAH) launched in July 2013 and features the children of characters of well-known
fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story, household tale, magic tale, or wonder tale) is a short story that belongs to the folklore genre. Such stories typically feature magic, enchantments, and mythical or fanciful bei ...
s and
fable Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are anthropomorphized, and that illustrates or leads to a parti ...
s. The franchise mainly focuses on ''Apple White'', daughter of
Snow White "Snow White" is a German fairy tale, first written down in the early 19th century. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'', numbered as Tale 53. The original title was ''Sneewittch ...
, and ''Raven Queen'', daughter of the Evil Queen, also from Snow White in lead roles. Both represent the main conflict of its associated web series originally released on YouTube: the Royals, which is composed of students like ''Apple White'' who "want to follow their predetermined fairy tale story", versus the Rebels, which composed of students like Raven Queen who "wish to 'rewrite' their story/tale". The ''C. A. Cupid'' character from ''Monster High'' began featuring in its corresponding series from the 4th webisode onward where she is an exchange student there. The second companion line was launched on July 18, 2017, as Enchantimals, featuring animal-inspired humanoid characters with a corresponding animal companion each as their pets. It was originally tied to Ever After High, but fully branched off with EAH's declining sales.


Reception

Monster High was a massive financial success for Mattel, becoming a billion-dollar brand in just three years and surpassing executives' expectations. During the first few years, the dolls' quickly rising popularity caused the sales of Mattel's own
Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...
dolls to decline; in 2013, while Barbie remained the best-selling doll brand, Monster High became the second best-selling doll brand, with more than $500 million in annual sales. In 2010, shortly after the dolls launched for the first time, they were so popular it was sometimes hard to find them in stores due to scarcity and they were selling out quickly. The line's success was partially thanks to its appeal to younger children who were choosing to play with toys which were "a little bit edgier" than traditional fashion dolls like Barbie, its "anti-
bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, Suffering, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggression, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. On ...
message" which encouraged children to be themselves and embrace their own flaws and differences, and the "deep engagement" of fans with the franchise which was maintained through media and merchandise. It was built on a "trans-media storytelling usinessmodel, since it did not start with a traditional entertainment property first", which also contributed to its success. Even though the franchise experienced a lot of growth in its first few years, especially during 2012 and 2013, sales started declining in 2014. In 2016, the sales were weak. Ultimately, the line was discontinued in 2018, then brought back two years later. On May 16, 2022, when a new doll line featuring reproductions of the original 2010 dolls was made available online through the "Mattel Creations" section of the Mattel website, demand was high: the dolls sold out in less than one day. The franchise has received positive recognition for its promotion of
diversity Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce *Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers * ...
among the characters, especially in comparison with other toy brands with similar levels of popularity. This diversity continues to be a major selling point in Mattel's marketing of the franchise. In 2022, during the rollout of a new doll line, Lisa McKnight—Executive Vice President of Barbie & Dolls at Mattel—said: "We've been waiting for the right moment to reignite the Monster High brand to connect with ..issues that are core to our purpose, like inclusion, diversity and community ..with the updated franchise focused on being authentic, true to yourself and celebrating differences."


Controversy

Monster High has some controversy and criticism, citing that the dolls' unrealistic bodies, often revealing outfits, and characters' focus on romantic relationships were a bad influence on young children. They were criticized for being " hyper-sexualized" and reinforcing gender stereotypes about women; it was even implied that children could develop low self-esteem and
eating disorders An eating disorder is a mental disorder defined by abnormal eating behaviors that adversely affect a person's health, physical or mental health, mental health. These behaviors may include eating too much food or too little food. Types of eatin ...
due to the presentation of unattainable body types. Peggy Orenstein similarly criticized Monster High in her 2011 book '' Cinderella Ate My Daughter''.


Competition

Inspired by the commercial success of Monster High, other toy manufacturers — namely some of the biggest competitors in the toy industry which is the field of franchise owner Mattel — launched their own toy lines with a similar premise and/or aesthetic. In 2012, MGA Entertainment launched Bratzillaz (House of Witchez), a spin-off of the Bratz brand; it featured a similar theme centered around the
paranormal Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...
, and was seen as MGA's attempt at capitalizing off of the success of Monster High. The same year, MGA also launched Novi Stars, a
sci-fi Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
-themed line of fashion dolls that featured extraterrestrial humanoids. In 2013, The Bridge Direct launched Pinkie Cooper, which featured a humanoid Cocker Spaniel of the same name; in an interview with
CNN Money CNN Business (formerly CNN Money) is a financial news and information website, operated by CNN. The website was originally formed as a joint venture between CNN.com and Time Warner's '' Fortune'' and '' Money'' magazines. Since the spin-off of ...
, analyst Gerrick Johnson named both Monster High and Novi Stars as "competitors that come closest" to the dog-headed fashion doll. Also in 2013,
Hasbro Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment holding company founded on December 6, 1923 by Henry, Hillel and Herma ...
launched My Little Pony: Equestria Girls as an anthropomorphized spin-off of the 2010 incarnation of the main
My Little Pony ''My Little Pony'' (''MLP'') is a toy line and media franchise developed by American toy company Hasbro. The first toys were developed by Bonnie Zacherle, Charles Muenchinger, and Steve D'Aguanno, and were produced in 1981. The ponies feature ...
franchise; it featured the counterparts of My Little Pony characters in human-like silhouettes with non-human skin colors; it was regarded as Hasbro's take on Monster High.


Notes


Bibliography

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References


External links

* {{Portal bar, Toys, Cartoon, Fantasy, 2010s, 2020s Mass media franchises introduced in 2010 2010s toys Book series introduced in 2010 Fashion dolls Fictional high schools Mattel Mattel franchises Monsters in popular culture Young adult novel series Doll brands Children's horror films Children's horror television series