Monster High facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Monster High
Logo introduced in 2016
Creator	Garrett Sander
Original work	Toys
Owner	Mattel
Print publications
Books	See list of books
Films and television
Films	17 (list of films)
Television series	Monster High
Audio
Soundtracks	20
Miscellaneous
Spin-off(s)	Ever After High Enchantimals

Monster High is a fun American franchise that started with fashion dolls. It was created by toy designer Garrett Sander and launched by Mattel in 2010. The story is about the teenage children of famous monsters and other mythical creatures. They all go to a special high school called Monster High.

Even though the dolls were the main idea, the franchise quickly grew. It included animated web series, animated TV shows and movies, video games, and young adult novels. Monster High became super popular with kids and earned a lot of money for Mattel. It was worth $1 billion in just three years! Two other toy lines, Ever After High (based on fairy tales) and Enchantimals (human-animal hybrids), were also created because of its success. In 2016, sales went down, so Mattel tried to restart the franchise with a new look. This didn't work out well, and the franchise stopped in 2018.

But Monster High came back in 2020 with new dolls. Then, in 2021, Mattel announced a new animated TV series and a live-action musical movie. Both of these premiered on Nickelodeon in October 2022.

Discover the World of Monster High

The story of Monster High takes place in a made-up American town called New Salem. Here, the teenage children of famous monsters and other mythical beings attend a unique high school named Monster High. This school is special because it welcomes all kinds of monsters. Other schools in their fantasy world are only for one type of monster, like a school just for vampires. The characters' adventures are shared through TV shows, web series, movies, and even little diaries that come with the dolls. Since it began, Monster High has always celebrated how different its characters are. They have unique looks, personalities, powers, and backgrounds.

Meet the Monster High Characters

Monster High has many different characters, most of whom are students at the school. The girl characters are called "ghouls," and the boy characters are called "mansters." When the franchise first started, the characters were mostly the children of famous monsters from stories. Later, it added characters inspired by other mythical creatures, folklore, mythology, and pop culture.

The main characters who were introduced first are:

A group of people cosplaying as Monster High characters at San Diego Comic-Con 2011

• Frankie Stein is the daughter of Frankenstein's monster and his bride. She is the main character of the series. Frankie has white hair with black streaks and light green skin. Her body is made of many different parts, like a puzzle. She is a bit clumsy but always sweet and kind to everyone. In the 2022 reboot, Frankie uses they/them pronouns.
• Draculaura is a vampire and the daughter of Dracula. She is dating Clawd Wolf, who is Clawdeen's older brother. Draculaura is a vegetarian and faints if she sees blood. She has fangs and usually wears pink, black, and white clothes.
• Cleo de Nile is the daughter of the mummy pharaoh Ramses de Nile. She is very old, about 5842 years old at the start of the series! Cleo is the captain of the "fearleading" squad. She loves to wear light-gold bandages or mummy wrappings as accessories. Cleo is based on Cleopatra, and her older sister, Nefera, is based on Nefertiti. She is very popular and has a boyfriend named Deuce Gorgon.
• Clawdeen Wolf is the daughter of a werewolf. She is outgoing and sweet, and she loves fashion. Sometimes she can get a bit angry, but she can control it easily. Her wolf ears have many piercings.
• Lagoona Blue is the daughter of a sea monster. Lagoona is from "Down Under" (Australia) and speaks with an Australian accent. She can talk to water animals. She is dating Gillington "Gil" Webber.

How Monster High Was Created

Mattel started thinking about the Monster High franchise in 2007. They officially registered the name "Monster High" in October of that year. Garrett Sander, who designed packaging for Mattel, and his twin brother Darren noticed that young girls were interested in goth fashion. This gave them the idea to create a toy brand with a darker style. Darren helped with the first ideas for the brand. He even came up with the slogan, "(Where) Freaky Just Got Fabulous!" He thought that because the characters were monsters, they could do more exciting things than regular kids. Other ideas for the brand came from kids' interest in movies by Tim Burton and music by Lady Gaga.

Monster High Products

Monster High Dolls

Monster High dolls

The original line of Monster High dolls released in 2010. From left to right: Clawdeen Wolf, Lagoona Blue, Cleo de Nile, Deuce Gorgon, Frankie Stein, and Draculaura.
Type	Fashion doll
Inventor(s)	Garrett Sander
Company	Mattel
Country	United States
Availability	2010–2018, 2020–present
Slogan	"(Where) Freaky Just Got Fabulous!" (2010–2011) "Be yourself, be unique, be a monster!" (2011–2016, 2022—present) "How Do You Boo (Be Out Of The Ordinary)?" (2016–2019) "Everyone Is Welcome!" (2017–2020)

The Fashion dolls were the very first products released for Monster High. The first set of dolls, featuring the original six characters, came out in 2010. Mattel tried a new way of launching a brand: they released the toys first, and then followed up with shows and other fun stuff. Garrett Sander himself designed the first doll boxes. The very first test dolls were made using parts from other Mattel dolls, like Barbie bodies.

More than 750 different Monster High dolls have been released since 2010. They come in different sizes and have various features and accessories. Most of them are about 10.5 inches (26.7 cm) tall. Some older or limited-edition dolls are rare and can be quite expensive for collectors. Most Monster High dolls were made for kids to play with. However, some "collector's edition" dolls were also made for older fans.

In 2016, Monster High was changed to try and appeal to younger kids. But sales were low, and the doll line quietly stopped in 2018. However, the franchise made a comeback in 2020! New special collector dolls, called "Skullector" dolls, were released. These dolls were inspired by characters from horror movies like It and The Shining. In 2021, more Skullector dolls inspired by Beetlejuice and Gremlins 2: The New Batch were launched. In 2022, Mattel released a new "Haunt Couture" line of five collector dolls. These were the five main characters with fancy details and were priced at $75. Also in 2022, Mattel released a "Booriginal Creeproductions" line. These dolls looked like the original 2010 dolls and were sold at Walmart and online. They were made for older fans who grew up with the first dolls.

Other Monster High Products

Many other products with the Monster High brand have been released. These include small collectible figures, Halloween costumes, plushies (soft toys), stationery, clothes for children, and even makeup and perfume. In 2022, a fashion designer named Maisie Wilen worked with Mattel to create earrings inspired by a Monster High character. Also in 2022, Mattel worked with Hot Topic to create a clothing collection based on the franchise's style.

Monster High in Media

Monster High quickly became popular in the digital media world. A web series started on YouTube on May 5, 2010. Later that year, a 23-minute TV special called New Ghoul @ School premiered on Nickelodeon. This first special and the next one, Fright On!, were 2D-animated. All the movies that came after were made using CGI (computer animation). These films include 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.

Starting with Fright On! in 2011, the specials and films were released directly to home video by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. These films made Monster High the second most popular children's direct-to-video franchise that year. The films and specials can also be found on streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

In 2021, Mattel Television announced that they would make a live-action musical film and an animated TV series for Nickelodeon. Both of these new projects premiered in October 2022.

Japanese Animated Shorts

Monster High: Kowa Ike Girls is a series of 8 short, 3-minute Japanese animated episodes. They were made by Shougakukan Music & Digital Entertainment and shown as part of a children's TV block in Japan starting in October 2014. Mattel Japan's official YouTube channel later released these shorts online. The theme song for the shorts was sung by a Japanese teen idol group called Amorecarina. The Kowa Ike Girls shorts were only released in Japanese.

Monster High Video Games

Several video games based on the Monster High franchise have been released.

Monster High: Ghoul Spirit

The first game, Monster High: Ghoul Spirit, came out on October 25, 2011, for the Nintendo DS and Wii consoles. In this game, you play as a new student at Monster High. You complete activities and social tasks to become the "Scream Queen."

Monster High: Skultimate Roller Maze

Another game, Monster High: Skultimate Roller Maze, was released in November 2012 for Nintendo DS and Wii. This game lets players try out the Monster High sport called Skultimate Roller Maze. Teams race through a dangerous maze full of obstacles.

Monster High: 13 Wishes

The third video game, Monster High: 13 Wishes, came out in October 2013. It was available for the Wii, Wii U, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS. In this game, you play as Frankie Stein. Your goal is to free your friends from a magical lantern by finding thirteen pieces of a magic mirror.

Other Monster High Games

There were also mobile apps like Ghoul Box and Sweet 1600 for iTunes on iPad and iPhone. The Monster High website also had online games with a catacomb theme. In November 2015, Monster High: New Ghoul in School was released for Xbox 360, PC, PlayStation 3, Wii U, and Wii.

Monster High Book Series

Monster High Novels

Lisi Harrison, a Canadian author, wrote some young adult novels based on the franchise. These books tell a different story than the web series. They are about "Regular-Attribute Dodgers" (RADs) and their challenges with love, friends, school, and keeping their monster identities a secret from humans.

Mattel released Harrison's first Monster High novel on September 26, 2010. This book is about Frankie Stein and Melody Carver. The second book, The Ghoul Next Door, came out in March 2011 and features Cleo de Nile.

The third book, Where There's a Wolf, There's a Way, focuses on Clawdeen Wolf and was released in September 2011. The fourth novel, Back And Deader Than Ever, came out in May 2012 and features Draculaura. Another Monster High book called Drop Dead Diary was released in January 2011.

Ghoulfriends Book Series

Author Gitty Daneshvari wrote a Ghoulfriends series. These books focus on Monster High characters Venus McFlytrap, Robecca Steam, and Rochelle Goyle. The four books are: 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. It covers the stories of five of the main Monster High characters.

Monster Rescue Book Series

A book series by Misty Von Spooks was released. It features the characters from the second generation of the franchise.

Monster High Music

Two songs were released digitally with music videos on YouTube. These are "Fright Song" (2010), sung by Windy Wagner, and "We Are Monster High" (2013), sung by Madison Beer.

Monster High Spin-offs

Because Monster High was so popular, other doll lines were created. Ever After High (EAH) launched in July 2013. This franchise features the children of characters from famous fairy tales and fables. It mainly focuses on Apple White, the daughter of Snow White, and Raven Queen, the daughter of the Evil Queen. These two characters represent the main conflict in the web series. The "Royals," like Apple White, want to follow their fairy tale destiny. The "Rebels," like Raven Queen, want to "rewrite" their own stories. The character C. A. Cupid from Monster High later became an exchange student in the Ever After High series.

The second spin-off line was launched on July 18, 2017, called Enchantimals. These characters are human-animal hybrids and each have a matching animal pet. It was first connected to Ever After High, but then became its own separate brand as Ever After High's sales went down.

Images for kids

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  Abbey Bominable Monster High doll released in 2012

See also

In Spanish: Monster High para niños