The return of Monster High

Hello and welcome to my blog. Today I feel like I do something that I rarely do, which is writing a stubborn post. I don’t usually talk about doll news or comment on dolls that I don’t have yet, but I want to do something else. Please note that this is my personal opinion and this is a personal opinion. My review is also not intended to discredit constructive and participating designers or their work. In contrast, my main criticism is generally directed at Mattel. I will try to divide this post into sections for readability. Now let's finally get it.

Not long ago, the return of Monster High was announced. If you've been following me for a long time, you know I love Monster High. Hence my nickname "Monster Master". However, since the streak closed in 2016-2017, I'm focusing more on my Barbie dolls.

A brief history of Monster High.

For those unfamiliar with these dolls, Monster High was a line of fashion dolls made by Mattel from 2010 to 2017 when it was canceled. The series focuses on the teenagers of some mythical monsters (who were greatly influenced by the Universal Monster). The first run of the line features "base characters": Frankie Stein, daughter of Frankenstein's monster; Cleo de Nile, daughter of a mummy; Medusa's son Davis Gorgon; Dracula's daughter Dracula; Claudine Wolf, daughter of Werewolf and Lagoon Blue, daughter of a sea monster (I've always assumed it's based on the origin of the Black Lagoon).

The franchise also features a series of self-contained webisodes where you can learn about ghosts. They also posted their biographies on their website, which gave the characters more depth and some features that kids can identify with. Magazines included with the dolls also tell stories and help them immerse themselves in the world of Monster High dolls. If you ask me, it was a great marketing idea.

Garrett Sander is credited with being the creator of Monster High, and I think he was also the chief designer. Other designers involved in the lineup are Rebecca Shipman (who also made dolls for the Wild Hearts Club ), Natalie Villegas and Javier Maibe.

Unfortunately, sales of Monster High dolls began to decline, so in 2016 they decided to launch the line again. The new dolls had more childish faces, less elaborate costumes and accessories and many of them were not elaborate, which fans complained about. During the reload, Garrett Sander left Mattel and moved to Australia to work on the Mus Toy (the company that makes Shopkins ), capsule chicks and the fail-fix line. The line was canceled shortly after the reload, which annoyed some fans, but also angered Mattel because they thought they had destroyed a series of dolls in great shape.

So what's going on now?

Dracula, Deuce Gorgon, Frankie Stein. Julia, Claudine and Howlin Wolf.

News

In mid-February, Mattel resumed posting on her various Monster High social media profiles and updated her profile photos. On Instagram, the Monster High account has started commenting and saving several photos of the Monster High for random users. As a result, fans are wondering if this could mean the return of Monster High, which has been rumored ... well, since the series was canceled. It doesn't look like it's going to happen anytime soon, but when the limited edition Skeleton Dolls (Grady Twins and Pennywise) were announced last year, fans are starting to get optimistic again.

On February 23, it was revealed that Mattel and Nickelodeon were working together on two projects that would be released in 2022: an animated series and a feature film. Shia Fontana, who has worked in the DC Superhero Girls franchise, has been announced as the showrunner of the animated series , which makes me very happy. I’m not too sure about live events because they can be terribly wrong. It should also be a musical instrument, which I think is a controversial genre. You can read more about it in this timeline article .

Coincidentally, Garrett Sander more or less announced that he had left Australia and returned to the United States. This, of course, led to rumors that he would return to work at Mattel during the re-launch. Jarrett denies the rumors, but I personally would be happy if he were involved.

What can we expect?

Not much is known about recharge, as there is not much official information. From what I've found, it looks like by the end of 2021 there will be "high end" collectible dolls based on the main line heating store. The full range of dolls (I believe the toy line) will be ready to hit the market in 2022. It is said that one of the releases will be a remake of some important ghost in their original costume, which I guess will be the "high end" line. If true, this could be a chance to get my signature.

I think we can expect to see characters from the main line, maybe with something new. As of this writing, Mattel has confirmed on Instagram that Frankie, Draculaura and Claudine will be part of the reload, which doesn't surprise me because they seem to be the most popular among kids. Unfortunately, I guess some characters added to the base will not be included in the reboot later. One of the problems with Monster High is that it has become so large in the blink of an eye. In a short time many characters were introduced, most of which had no background or influence. My guess is that characters like Betsy Claro, Luna Matthews or Hybrid will not be included in the cooldown.

Given recent failed reload levels, I suspect the increase will be closer to home lane than reload dummies. Although a lot of people think that the strip doesn't need to be re-launched, I'm not willing to do anything where they left off for the first time. While I think it's important that they keep the essence of the first line, I think the font can benefit from a new and fresh look. They can keep the first line special, such as unique looks, expressions, stories ... and combine it with new elements such as new body shapes, trendy clothes etc. Where you can take the old and make it feel new.

Hope and anxiety

One of the biggest concerns is price. Monster High was not the cheapest line, but the prices were in the gaming range and still very reasonable. I couldn't remember the US price so I asked on Twitter and some users mentioned that for most "complete dolls" (including a doll and magazine) they were $ 20- $ 22 while most budget items were around -1 12-14. .

Based on the current Barbie line, we see that the price of dolls has increased, but not too much compared to the quality. Some of the current Barbie lines are too expensive for a toy line. For example, the new Barbie Extra doll costs about $ 25 for a cute box and a puppy. I don’t know how much money they would make if they created a unique pop stand, magazine and accessories. With that in mind, I don't expect Monster High to be $ 25- $ 30 cheaper.

The second thing that worries me the most is quality, especially considering that quality and price are closely related. If we take the Fashionistas line as an example, the price of which has not changed, we will see that the quality has decreased compared to the Fashionistas 2016 line. And don't start with the BMR 1959 line, which is supposed to be. A "collector". This question worries me especially when it comes to "high end" dolls, because I'm afraid it could mean "high price, cheap quality". I don’t want to pay more than $ 35 just for a signature goulash just because it has polka dot eyes and cheap clothes.

On the plus side, I am very optimistic about the design. The main line was acclaimed for the fact that each doll was unique, with a clear style, color scheme and its own unique head art. This, combined with the amazing variety of fashionistas collections (vitiligo or artificial legs, curved body, etc.) allows for more unique designs. I really hope to see a new character with a strange body.

I also hope that if this restart is successful, it could mean that Ever After High may return. One of the reasons for the fall of Ever After High was the success of Disney's descendants . However, as Barb mentioned in my last post, after so many years, EAH is probably making a comeback.

At the end of the line

I am very excited about the return of Monster High. This is the line with which I started collecting dolls so I am very interested to see what they have to offer. However, in the context of Mattel's current industry, it probably won't meet expectations. I really think they have learned from their past mistakes and will try to please the old phantom by trying to make it attractive to the new generation. If they fail, they run the risk of losing public confidence and, of course, the money and time invested in it. Truth be told, if I don't like the dolls they make, the worst thing that can happen is that I leave the money for other things (which is not too bad). I will say that I am more interested in what will happen next than I expected for an exciting line like the first.

So that's all I can say about the upcoming Monster High Reboot / Reboot. What do you think about this? Also let me know if it's easy for you to read and if you'd like more posts like this in the near future.

For my next post, I bring nothing. Lately, I've been lax about blog content. I was busy with other things and didn't have time to focus on my blogs. Keep in mind that I now have a second blog (a food blog) where I try to post regular monthly content and it takes a lot of time. I've been wanting to draw another picture for a long time, so maybe I should.

I hope you are all safe and I hope to see you in a few weeks.

Monster ships