#manster 2-pack

[taybatwo2]

Monster High Skullector Nightmare Before Christmas Review Part 1 of 2

I don’t know how I managed to snag one for my friend and me on that poorly done and hellish drop (it was also my first time I have ever tried ordering two Skullectors), but they came in and I finally had time to review my set.

The hand painted prototypes on the front of the box are so lovely (especially Sally’s delicate eyebrows and blush that are missing on her final doll).

The back of the box sleeve: “J ❤️ S True Love Never Dies. Debuting in the fan-favorite film, Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, Pumpkin King Jack Skellington and dreamer Sally embark on a wild misadventure that capture the spirit of Halloween, Christmas and true love. This collector doll pack celebrates the moment that Jack and Sally realize they’re meant to be together forever. Dressed in a boospoke suit with a frightening skeleton print. Jack is ready for a haunting night with Sally, who is dressed in a creeptastic off-shoulder dress with a petrifying patchwork print.

The defrightful collector item captures the nightmarish fun that awaits every night in Halloween Town.”

……I always thought their romance was a bit slap dashed at the very end, but they are a hauntingly lovely couple.

Their box with the sleeve off! It’s a very lovey set up. With the gate from the graveyard being shown, Zero (which I would have gladly traded for Sally’s purse), and a tombstone that has Frankie’s symbols, and the Monster High crest.

The back of the box has another lovely photo of the dolls. I like the lighting on them in this photo.

I like how they made the artwork all scratchy and hatchy like Tim Burton’s art style. They also added some snowflakes, skulletes, Draculaura’s bat symbols, and a heart with Clawdeen’s G1 shirt pattern.

Okay, enough of the box! Let’s open this sucker up!

……anyone else feeling a draft……?

Well apparently Jack has too much booty for his pants to be fully closed in the back when they were packaging him. Haha!

More under the cut:

The inside panel, sans the plastic and Jack and Sally. I love that they included the Spiral Hill, two trees featuring Halloween Town and the Valentine’s Day Town doorways (although the hinges seem to be missing), and Sally’s basket to Jack (something else that I would have preferred over her thread purse).

A closer look at the trees in the corner. Clever choices in trees: one representing Halloween and the other the love between the characters.

Okay dokey, now onto Sally. I thought I was going to like her less than Jack in this set, but she is actually a GORGEOUS doll.

How they did her eyes, her eyelashes, her face stitching, and even her cooler blue body stitching is just so lovely. I AM SO GLAD they did not give her “regular monster high eyes.” I love it when the designers experiment and give their ghouls, boos, and mansters new looks while still calling back to their roots (she might have the Tim Burton inspired eyes, but her proportions are all Monster High). Her hair is also a really soft (Saran….?). It’s not overly red or brown, but a nice mix of the two.

Her stitching has been simplified, which is a shame, but expected. Her right arm should have had her stitches moved down, but I really like the stitching they kept on her legs and chest and neck.

I actually like her mermaid gown more than I thought I would (Monster High really needs to try some new silhouettes). There is actual thread stitching going down the center of her top and around the collar. The spider-web like lace is also very soft and flowey and not at all stiff. The green skullete on her skirt is also not super distracting. It also lays very nicely around her shoulders and bust.

While the gown looks nice on her, I have seen cooler looking fan created dress/outfit designs for Sally than what they have here….but it does have some details I was just expecting to be printed on.

Her shoes are nicely detailed (duh, it’s Monster High), with the stitches in them looking like they’re actually pulling the different segments together (like movie Sally’s stitches do). The heels are a reference to some of the potions/ingredients that Sally uses in the movie.

The font looks spot on, while the outside of the jars have been simplified.

The soles of her shoes have more of that scratching ink pen texture that Tim Burton seems so fond of.

I first thought she had a dead opossum/rat on her head band (like in the movie), but it actually is made up of vines, and several of the flowers Sally picks in the movie that foretells the future of Jack’s Christmas to her.

Her bag is definitely a slightly altered model of G2 Beast Pets Frankie’s purse (on another note, I find it a fun coincidence that G2 Frankie has blue-ish stitches like Sally does). In my opinion, it is the weakest of her pieces….why couldn’t we have gotten Zero with that extra plastic?!? Mattel loves putting pets where they don’t belong in Barbie and other Monster High releases, why not this one (the answer is probably the extra cost of Jack’s new head and body sculpt).

Her earrings are black cats, and look fairly similar to the black cat that shows up in the movie.

Her body color is a much stronger blue than I originally thought (I was thinking it would be closer to G1 Frankie, Scarah, or Lagoona’s). But it looks closer to G3 Frankie’s.

The second and last part of my review will feature a close up of Sally’s head sculpt and a full review of Jack, as I ran out of space for pictures here.

[misfitdollies]

Mansters 2 Pack Gil & Deuce (2014)

[deuce-agere]

Which Deuce MH dolls are your favorite?

Ooh, this is hard

G3 my favorite is Coffee Break Deuce, but his core doll is a close second

G1, I can’t decide between the core doll, Dawn of the Dance and Boo York, special shout out to Manster 2 Pack bc it’s the g1 doll I own

I would say I have a favorite g2 doll but he only got a Dance the Fight Away doll and I don’t really like it much, it’s the combination of the cheap quality and putting my boy in a short sleeved shirt, love his boots tho

[peppapigvevo]

my g1 gilgoona headcaare that Lagoona is filipino-australian (dad is a siyokoy that moves to great scarier reef) and Gil is japanese-american (references to hokusais great wave on his dance bag and manster 2 pack shirt, dad in the koi scouts) and their conflict is representative of anti-asian rhetoric inside asian communities

[monsterhighdiaries]

Gil’s Manster Diary - October 5

I spent tonight working on my character for the game this weekend. I've been playing a paladin - Brave, chivalrous, and deadicated to rooting out injustice and evil everywhere. In this case, the root that needs removing is a sorceress that kind of reminds me of a certain older sister that has been making life difficult for the Kingdom of Deuce and Cleo. We've been playing this particular campaign for a year now, not every weekend, unfortunately, since there always seems to be something that gets in the way. It's hard to get Clawd, Heath, Deuce, and me all free at once. It used to me that Heath could always be counted on to show up, but since he's been dating Abbey, his weekends have been kind of 'booked' lately as well. This weekend it'll all come together, and even though Deuce is a tough game master, I'm sure the mansters will be able to prevail!

[delightfully-deranged-dagur]

So out of curiosity I went to the Monster High Wiki to find out how many dolls the Mansters have gotten.

Results are, interesting.

Deuce Gorgon : 6. You'd expect Cleo's boyfriend and the 6th person in the Theme song to have more.

Clawd Wolf : 6. Same as Deuce. But again, he's dating Draculaura and she has the most dolls out of the main Cast. So why does Clawd have to settle with 6?

Heath Burns : 2. This is just dissapointing.

Jackson Jekyll : 4. Okay, what about Holt?

Holt Hyde : 2... Why does Jackson get 2 more? Shouldn't they have an equal amount? And whose idea was it to never make a doll Half Jackson-Half Holt?! That would've been a perfect comic-con exclusive!

Gil Webber : 4. Though I know for some of you that's 4 too much.

Invisi-Billy : 2. What's weird is that one of them is in a random 5 pack with Draculaura, Clawdeen, Spectra and Gigi. Not even a two pack with Scarah?

Garrot Du Roque : 1. Kinda sad. They could have made a lot more considering he's a fashion designer.

Finnegan Wake : 1. Okay so he was the winner of doll vote and he earned it. Probably the most unique doll out of them all.

Neightan Rot : 1. Just like the other hybrids. Sad really, they could've done a lot more with all 4 of them.

Hexiciah Steam : 1. Kinda cool that he actually got one. And a comic-con exclusive two pack with Robecca at that.

Hoodude Voodoo : 1. Love that he's just a ragdoll. Another comic-con exclusive. Seems fitting. Also comes with Scarah.

Manny Taur : 1. Another comic-con exclusive. This time in a two pack with Iris.

Kieran Valentine : 1. Say it with me folks, "comic-con exclusive two pack" with Whisp. And from the looks of his diary, it wouldn't surprise if he was planned for another two pack with Spelldon Cauldronello. But of course, corporations are homophobic so we don't even get to see what Spelldon would've looked like.

Sloman "Slo-Mo" Mortavitch : 3. I'm sorry what?! Why does Slo-Mo get 3 dolls?! Heath only got 2! But Slo-Mo gets 3?!?

Johnny Spirit : 0. I wanna sue. This is illegal. He has nothing! Nada! Zilch! This is unacceptable. Not even a comic-con exclusive two pack with Operetta. Honestly any kind of two pack with Operetta would have been perfect! But no. Instead we get 3 Slo-Mo's.

[sleepytoycollection]

Sleepy Reviews: Deuce Gorgon (Amazon Exclusive)

G3 Deuce Gorgon ($24.99) with his accessories

The boys of G1 Monster High have been my favorite boy dolls of any doll line ever, to the point I have gone out of my way to collect one of every single boy character that had been made. I adore them immensely, so obviously, when I had to pick one to review, I had to pick the original Manster himself, Deuce. 

He’s got a lot to live up to, so is Mr. Gorgon a worthy entry to my massive MH boy collection? Let’s find out:

This particular Deuce Gorgon is Amazon Exclusive, but there is another version in a 2-pack with Frankie that is target exclusive, which is honestly pretty amazing considering Mattel’s seeming aversion to boy characters previously. Two Deuce dolls right out of the gate? Go off then.

Keep that energy up Mattel and you have my attention. Especially if Jackson and Holt return. Please Mattel I’ll do anything. Anything. 🥺🙏

Ahem. 

Anyway, the box design is serviceable. I don’t love it, but it gets the job done.

I think of lot of it is this artwork. It’s not bad, and it’s clearly trying to tie into the style of the Nickelodeon MH show, it just doesn’t grab the eye as much as I wish it did. 

The back features more of the same art, as well as a full body image of Deuce, as well as a short profile for the character. 

Not a lot of info, just the basics in multiple languages. It’s fine. 

Some unique symbol art work for the edge of the box. A nice call back to the original boxes. 

Let’s get him out of the box for a closer look:

Boom. Out of box. Magic of television. 

He’s a handsome fellow, I like the new sculpt, and it’s fun they made him green. 

Back view for everyone. 

I love the way his eyebrows are painted. The individual hairs and expression bring a lot for me. 

The only thing I might’ve changed is just the color of his snakes, I feel like they clash with his skin just a little. If they had more of a yellow undertone than blue, or maybe were just a shade or two darker, I think it would’ve looked a lot better. 

Not a deal breaker, but I might add a paint wash later to adjust the color and bring out the detail though. 

I do like the actual sculpt of the scales though.

I loved Deuce’s fainted mohawk look in G1 and I think it was a nice choice for his default here. 

Let’s move away from our boy here for a sec, and look at his accessories. Let’s start with his pet:

Perseus returns with his own redesign. 

It’s alright, I actually loved the original MH pets, so I don’t mind them being included, but they look more like the modern Barbie pets this time around. which is hit and miss. 

Honestly I do think he’s cute, I just wish he was maybe more in scale. All the pets are the same size and general shape this time around, and with the even more cartoon-y design they end up looking less unique.

He does still have his twin tails though! 

All the ghouls come with iCoffins (Are they still iCoffins? Surely a few monsters have spooky-pun Androids), and Deuce is no exception.

His phone case is, of course, snake themed:

How cute. I love snakes. 

Along with phones, everyone also comes with a snack and a drink, for some reason, totally not trying to pad out the box, but anyway:

I tease, but actually I do think the little snacks are cute. I like his Medusa head water bottle.

The cupcake has a snake for frosting! Frosting snake! How cute.

Deuce also comes with a little tin of what I presume is scale wax. Gotta keep those scales shiny. 

Like all Deuce dolls, he has a pair of sunglasses, with, one again, a snake design. It’s all snakes here folks. 

See? Snake back back. I’d made to look like it’s made of snake skin. Which feels a little like a human carrying a bag made of hair. Hmm.

It does open though:

I do think the color is a little... bright. Actually, it’s not even the brightness, it’s just that it clashes. Def repainting this one. 

Deuce is a barista in this generation of MH, so his doll comes with a little apron:

It’s fine, and I’m glad his love of cooking seems to be making a comeback, but it does feel a little... idiosyncratic, but does make a good segue into...

Clothes!

The most important part of a fashion doll. 

Let’s start with his jacket, because I love it. It’s made of a nice denim-esque material, it has real pockets, it’s finished nicely, and just generally looks great.

Hope you’re not tired of snakes yet though, because we have more! 

Snake shirt! 

Also very nicely made. 

Snake pants! 

Construction of them is fine, but the material does feel pretty cheap. My least favorite of the fabric pieces.

Snake shoes! 

They’re fine. I’m indifferent to them tbh.

It’s all snakes! 

It’s also the last of his outfit, so let’s look at what’s under the clothes:

G2 MH/BTS body, G3 MH body, G1 MH body

As you can see, this body uses a different sculpt to previous Monster High boys. It’s shorter, and the thickest in the waist do far, but also has smaller hands and feet.

Honestly, I like the other two bodies better, but I don’t dislike this body either. Mostly I miss the bigger hands and feet.

See what I mean? If you were hoping G3 shoes would fit the G1 boys, unfortunately, they do not. I wonder if this change was made so kids could use Ken shoes with the boys? 

Deuce’s body also have a few quality issues:

That seam line is deep, and there’s a very noticeable ridge there.

Plus he’s got a little warping from the packaging, but that can at least be fixed with hot water. 

Let’s go ahead and put our boy back together, with all his accessories:

Is it just me or does he look a little... disjointed? I think it’s the shoes. They’re a different color in the box art, and I think they looked better there. 

Yeah, they had more green and seemed to be a bit lighter.

Final thoughts? 

He’s just a little hit and miss for me, unfortunately. I feel like they were trying to hard to stick to a certain out line of what each doll gets to come with, that it ended up with him coming with things I think would’ve ben better left off or exchanged with something else. 

Instead of an apron, it would’ve been cool if he could’ve had a belt, or instead of snacks, maybe an armband, earring, ect. 

I like the snacks, they’re cute. but why come with this doll? Why not save them for another?

Also, some of the color choices feel random. I’m all for unique color schemes, but we’ve got 5 different greens and four different purples. It doesn’t feel intentional, and more like an error. 

But there’s also things I do like, I like his face sculpt, his jacket is fantastic, and I think it would be very easy for me to fix what I don’t like with a restyle. 

Mind you, I’ve opened up a few other G3 dolls, and some are better than others. 

At the end of the day you have to decide what’s a deal breaker for you. For me? I’m happy with him, despite my criticisms. I’m happy to add him to my collection, and in general I’ve been enjoying G3. 

Do I think I’ll collect G3 boys with the intensity I had for G1? Eh. Bring Jackson and Holt back and then we’ll talk. 

Please Mattel I am begging. At least give us that Holt Reproduction. Please? 

[fullmoonfireball]

finally snapped and decided to Monster High-ify some of the monster AU designs because I’ve had that idea rotating in my brain for a while now

some notes under the cut if you’re inch rested

Jazz:

Aspmine is... a real stretch of a pun, I know, but I couldn’t come up with anything better. I considered “Jaserpent”, but that felt way too clumsy. and yes it DOES feel weird to spell her name with an E at the end, but “Aspmin” didn’t look right. also I changed his last name/parentage to fit MH’s continuity better.

Asp’s style is overall wintery, with a bit of greek influence and a healthy does of accessories (pins, patches, etc.)

the hair+hat was inspired by Deb from The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals, because their normal “haircut” didn’t quite fit the MH vibe unfortunately 😔

I know logically I should’ve made their mouth look more cute/feminine with lipstick and such (probably something comparable to Venus McFlytrap’s mouth), but I’m too attached to monster!Jazz’s =} face to draw him any other way

the ‘snake’ around Asp’s neck isn’t real. it’s just a fancy knit scarf. the belt, however, is snakeskin! or it’s supposed to look like it, at least.

the other Gorgon characters have legs, I know, but hear me out. I hate drawing high heels. Deuce and Viperine look pretty different in terms of monstrous features, and there are Monster High dolls with tails instead of legs, so I think I can keep her shape the same, as a treat. plus it reflects the og AU’s Weirdness in their family (with having some cockatrice in the family, which helps a little to explain how her cousin is a siren)

Guy:

yeah I... couldn’t figure out a good pun for him. I tried to work in a “John Doe” angle because of how “Guy” (pronounced like “gi”) looks like the word “guy”, and noppera-bō are faceless, but I couldn’t make it flow right. so instead, his last name is just “whose face” (誰の顔) bc it was the best thing I could come up with

unlike Jazz, I didn’t decide to tweak his family to be related to Kiyomi Haunterly. nothing against her (I haven’t even seen Haunted), but noppera-bō are generic yōkai and as opposed to specific individuals like the Gorgon sisters, and if other generic creatures can have multiple unrelated characters, so can they.

I had to give ONE of these boys that Generic Manster Drip™, and with Guy being a jock who I often portray in a letterman jacket... yeah, he was the obvious target. I think I managed to spice it up enough to 1) show that he’s fashionable “despite” being a jock, and 2) add enough monstrous flare to it, though.

I thought about adding more distinctly Japanese elements to their outfit (kind of like Kiyomi’s sailor collar necklace...thing) but I wasn’t sure how to go about it. the popular male school uniform didn’t combine well with the letterman jacket look, and putting a buttonup shirt under the jacket made him look too formal for these purposes.

yes, the back pack is meant to be a stand-in for JPG’s.. JP. not much to say about it other than the fact I’m probably a little too proud of the transparency effect with it and his hand.

speaking of the transparency, I’m actually pretty happy with how it looks on him! I usually portray monster!Guy as just a normal-looking guy until he wipes his face off, since that’s how noppera-bō are, but the more ghostly elements were really fun to add, honestly. the white lines for the face especially were a little tricky, but look really satisfying!

I also made his hair lighter and a bit ‘cloudy’ to capture the look that most MH ghosts have with their flowy hair, while still keeping it the texture intact.

Rookie:

coming up with a good name for him was a pain in the ass. I tried to do something based off “transform” (bc heehee he’s trans), but it didn’t feel right. I also tried using “Buddy” as his ‘nickname’ for a while since Dog, but I eventually settled on using his original ‘nickname’, because it offered a funny bit of irony when paired with him being a werewolf. the last name also might have been stolen from an ancient MH OC of mine, but we don’t need to delve into that.

I still don’t really know how his family situation works in the actual AU, but here he and his siblings (a harpy and a merrow) are the adoptive children of a shapeshifter and... probably a living sculpture? I haven’t actually decided for sure what Polaris and Callie Graphee are in the main AU yet.

technically, Rookie’s a wulver and not a werewolf in the monster AU, but even ignoring some jokes I’ve made about the idea of his AU self being a werewolf... he’s literally a werewolf in canon. I’m allowed to take this “liberty”.

okay, onto actual design notes! I tried to keep his summery Funnie Guy fashion style from canon but... he turned out a lot more alt than I intended? I don’t dislike it, but it’s interesting that the look ended up taking such a turn without my intent.

at first I tried to give him the letterman jacket, because I think it’s an underrated look for him, but... yeah no. too plain, and it felt redundant with Guy.

the suspenders were inspired by SCPPS’s design for Director!Rookie, because I think the loose suspenders are very charming on him!

decided to go with torn capris instead of his typical shorts to fit the MH vibe (since shorts are usually relegated to sport or beach lines), as well as emphasize the werewolf vibe.

to finish off that werewolf vibe, I decided to give him a collar choker, mostly inspired by the werewolves in Fright On!, albeit styled more like a normal dog collar than the spiked ones they have.

[toitown]

♡

👠 Opinion on fashion packs?

💘 Favorite Doll Line?

🍫 Favorite/least favorite doll of Spectra (or whoever you like if you don't want to so her :))?

@belfryprepz

👠 I actually really love fashion packs! I only ever had like 1 or 2 for MH, but they were always super cool and I love to dress up my dolls in different outfits. It’s actually why I’m getting into making my own doll clothes.

💘 My favorite doll line (not including the OGs, because that would be unfair) is the Dead Tired line! I love the pj looks and the bedroom sets, I think they were my favorite as a kid. Clawdeen’s bunk bed was one of my favorite sets for the line because the extra bed was perfect for little dolly sleepovers! I actually love the line so much that I’m in the process of designing a manster version of the Dead Tired line, including a bedroom set. I don’t know if I’ll make them IRL, but I think Deuce will definitely get an IRL outfit if I can ever get around to practicing my sewing.

🍫 I only have one Spectra doll, and I think she’s my absolute favorite version of her. It’s the Dot Dead Gorgeous one. There’s just something about her design that hits all of her key elements IMO, plus the ghost theming is on point. My least favorite Spectra doll is the Ghoul’s Getaway doll. Why? Just- Why??? The giant pink hibiscus flowers give the outfit an awkward silhouette. Her hair tries to be purple, but fails miserably. Her dress has a strange pattern that’s trying to go for a chain theme like the rest of her outfits, but it fails at that too. Then there’s the yellow. Not only is it not one of her theme colors, but it also looks absolutely atrocious on her. The whole look is just…no.

[wish-to-be-as-cool]

Monster High May: Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

My fave Frankie Design is 13 wishes

My fave 2 pack/duo is Meowldy and Purrsephone, i think its super cute how their tails make a heart

My fave 13 wishes design (after Frankie's) is Cleo's, i like all the sharp lines and edges

My fave ghoul is Abbey ofc and my fave Manster is Deuce!

My fave Wave 1 Ghoul Design is Cleo's

[mhdiaries]

Wheel Love Lagoona Blue & Gillington “Gil” Webber 2-Pack Diary

5/13

Today I saw Gil having a conversation with Operetta, Catty and Robecca at his locker, but when I walked up they all stopped talking and kind of had sheepish looks on their faces. I think Gil must be planning something to celebrate the anniversary of our first date. Oh fear, part of me is as excited as a lone seagull hovering over a school of anchovies. The other part of me is as nervous as the anchovies. Gil has a ghoul heart but sometimes he has a tendency to… over-plan. One time he spent three months organizing a surprise birthday party for me, and he got so stressed and lost so much sleep that he caught a monster cold. He was so sick he couldn’t even make it to the party. I suppose I shouldn’t let on that I know; I wouldn’t want to disappoint him.

May 16

Oh, manster. I had a plan for our anniversary date all set and now I’m going to have to cancel it. It was going to be perfect. A dinner cruise around the harbor under a full moon, Operetta was going to play and Catty was going to serenade us. Then Robecca was going to fly up and drop fireworks. Only I found out tonight that the boat sank at the docks. It was going to be fantastic. Now I have to start all over with a brand new plan. I knew I should have had a backup. What am I going to do now?

5/17

Poor Gil. He’s been moping around like he lost his beast fin. I would be really worried that something was terribly wrong except Operetta told me what he had been planning. I hate to see him like this, but I can’t tell him that I know what it is that’s bothering him. That would just make everything worse. I know that Gil wants to do all the planning, but I think it’s about time for this ghoul to take the whale by the tail and do some planning herself.

May 20

So far I have tried to get reservations for a hot scare balloon ride or a submarine tour or I was even thinking about a pottery class. I mean I didn’t think about it long. Wouldn’t matter anyway since there isn’t enough time to plan anything romantic anyhow. I guess I should just tell Lagoona not to expect anything special for this anniversary. I hope she isn’t as disappointed as I am.

5/21

I wish I would’ve had my iCoffin ready to take a picture of Gil’s face when I picked him up for our date. “But I didn’t think we were going to have one,” he said. I told him that he wasn’t the only one who could plan something. “Roller skating, really Lagoona?” He said that it seemed like fun but not very romantic. I had to remind him that just having fun could be romantic too and by the end of the night, when we were the last couple slowly skating around the floor, it turned out to be the most romantic night we ever had.

[cryptoriascollectiblog]

Monster High doll collecting Questionnaire - answered

Finally had time to take photos for this thing. Hope it’s worth the wait!

1) Introduce yourself and tell us how long you’ve been collecting Monster High dolls! Hey y’all! My name’s Tori and I’ve been collecting Monster High since I think...either the end of 2014 or early 2015. Before S5 of the webisodes aired. 

2) How many MH dolls do you have?

Can I just say “a lot” and leave it at that? I kid I kid. I have like 27 Monster High dolls. That may not seem like a lot but I swear I just had 13 like four dolls ago...fingers crossed I didn’t forget to count anyone. That’s a sign of too many dolls :’D I also have two vinyl MH figures (Frankie and Draculaura) and a Rock Candy Draculaura figure.

3) Is Monster High your favorite doll line? Why or why not? Yes. Yes it is. Forever and ever. Took me a little while to realize it but as I accumulated dolls I realized most of my passion for collecting (as well as creative inspiration) revolved almost entirely around Monster High. That line is perfect for me in every way: tied to/inspired by classic Monsters, bold and edgy gothic fashion, a unique art style...I can’t tell you how much I’ve evolved as a creative individual since embracing my love of Monster High.

4) Who’s your favorite MH ghoul? 

I wish Cupid had stuck around in MH a little longer. I would’ve loved an elaborate dress (and makeup) for her!

5) Favorite Manster? My favorite Manster is actually Andy Beast from Skull Shores. Since he never reappeared in more than background shots and Mattel never produced a doll of him I’ll go with this guy:

6) Do you own any dolls of your favorite ghoul and/or manster? How many? I own one Deuce doll, his Boo York doll. He came with Cleo and I love Boo York Cleo so I had to get both. I actually hate how the writing team handled Deuce and their relationship in the movie: as far as I’m concerned it isn’t canon. (He fell so far from Ghouls Rule! Definitely the best part of that movie including his friendship with Frankie.)

I own many Frankie and Draculaura dolls. Stay tuned for pics~

7) Do you own any playsets? If so which one(s)? If not, is there a reason?

I found this at a thrift store. It didn’t have any accessories though. Still, I’m glad I own it <3 Considering I photograph Draculaura more than any of my other dolls.  I do wish I had another playset--either the catacombs or the Deadlux high school: they’d make such great backdrops for photography! Sadly I have no space.

8) Of the original main ghouls (including Ghoulia, Spectra and Abbey) which is your favorite? Got any dolls of them?

TA~DA! I’d actually also love to add Ghouls Rule Frankie to my collection but she’s not an immediate must-have.

9) Favorite character with only one doll release?

I know there were technically two but they’re essentially the same doll so it doesn’t count.

10) Character with too many dolls (in your opinion?) Uh...Toralei honestly. I don’t like her, I’ve never liked her but she pops up a lot more than I expected. Is this so there’s a matching bully in some of these sets or is she that popular and I’m the odd one out?

11) Any character you would’ve liked to see in a doll line that didn’t make it? (i.e. Lagoona in Sweet Screams or Draculaura in Power Ghouls, etc) Apart from another C.A. Cupid doll in like Dawn of the Dance or Dot Dead Gorgeous (can you imagine??) I would’ve loved to see Draculaura in Freak du Chic. I’m aware she had a Scarnival doll but that’s not the same thing. I want a doll with a similar design to her circus mini. I also think adding Lagoona to the “Scarily Ever After” line would’ve been neat (a la Little Mermaid, of course.) I know we saw her as a Mermaid in Great Scarier Reef” but I would’ve loved to see one with a fairytale twist.

Also more Sweet Screams dolls. Best line ever <3

12) Any ideas you would’ve liked to see in a doll line? An eighties glam-rock n roll band stylized after Jem and the Holograms but with a gothic edge. I’m not talking Fierce Rockers, I mean all of the core ghouls (with Ghoulia as like the manager) along with a better-designed Clawdeen. I didn’t mind what we got but she wasn’t “outrageous” enough for me. 

Also a “vintage-themed” line as an homage to the ghouls’ famous parents (including Operetta.)

13) Is there a “grail” MH doll for you? If so do you own it? I feel like my grail dolls keep changing. For a long time it was Collector Draculaura, then OG draculaura, then Dawn of the Dance Draculaura...then Ghouls Rule Frankie and the whole Sweet Screams crew. I guess I can’t make up my mind ^^; Truthfully I have most of these now so I’m pretty content with my collection. I still want a couple older dolls (CLAWDEEN and maybe OG Lagoona) as I’ve said and I must have all the Sweet Screams dolls. Beyond that I’m good. 

14) Thoughts on the cancelled Ever After High crossover? Okay so I will be forever annoyed Mattel didn’t wait to reboot everything until after the crossover. That said what I saw in the storyboards and posts floating around didn’t really impress me. There’s so much potential here and I feel like Mattel took the easiest route possible with it. If you’re going to crossover these two lines a) go ALL out with the designs and b) INVOLVE C.A. CUPID. Plus we’ll never know now if Astra Nova is the blue fairy/her daughter.

15) Thoughts on the 2016 reboot faces?

Why Mattel. Why was this necessary. 

With Vampirina and now Super Monsters you really should’ve stuck with your older audience. Or saved the “Monster Family” line exclusively for said younger audience and just scaled down the original line to remind your older crowd, collectors included, why we love this line. 

Heck, at this point I’d be happy with detailed collector-only lines released on like Amazon. A limited line is better than no Monster High at all, especially if it’s highly detailed and exceptionally spooky.

16) Thoughts on the 2016 “Monster Family” line?

So I like the idea behind this line but loathe the articulation. I held off buying Alivia and Kelpie for a long time because I hoped for better quality with later releases. Whoops. All of this said there was potential here to attract a younger crowd exclusively with a brighter and less-articulated family line. Siblings or not they could’ve avoided directly crossing over by merely mentioning the OG ghouls, instead focusing on friendships and relationships with their parents. That’s what I’d have done at least.

17) How bout the SDCC exclusives? What was your favorite? Do you own any? No and I wish I did ;-; While I wasn’t as impressed with them as the Ever After High exclusives I would’ve loved a Hexiciah doll. He’s actually my favorite “manster.” (Heck! You could’ve incorporated him into the crossover, being as he’s half fairy!) I should check ebay...

18) How about Amazon exclusives? I have two! The amazing and unique Draculaura who as far as I’m concerned is the best MH doll ever released and Zomby Gaga. The others never impressed me or lived up to the same quality promised in the first exclusive. I just couldn’t pass up a Lady Gaga monster!

19) Favorite Frankie Stein doll?

Aaah this is tough. All the Frankies I own are my favorite ^^; Sweet Screams, Freaky Fusion, her classroom doll I turned into a fearleading one, and while I don’t own her original doll (mine is the 2014 release) I love that one two. I also like Wave 2 Frankie and as I said Ghouls Rule. (Honestly though I thiiiiink Sweet Screams is number one...which is funny because I did not want her when I first started collecting. For whatever reason I thought I’d be happy with one doll of each character. Again I say: whoops)

20) Favorite Draculaura doll?

21) Favorite Clawdeen Wolf doll? Freak du Chic, her OG doll and I think Boo York. I’m so mad her outfit isn’t more stylish. Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it to buy her and like one of her fashion packs...but that’s actually more expensive on Amazon than her original doll! 

22) Favorite Cleo de Nile doll?

Originally Dawn of the Dance wasn’t a favorite but now that I own the doll I realize just how much she stands out (why wasn’t purple lipstick used more often???)

23) Favorite Lagoona Blue doll? Skull Shores, her OG doll and I think Dawn of the Dance. I’m not a big fan of the mohawk but I appreciate the detail in her outfit...plus I love blue makeup.

24) Favorite Ghoulia Yelps doll?

 I also like Sweet Screams (although she’s my least favorite of the line) and Dawn of the Dance. Honestly maybe I should’ve set my sights on that whole line XD Except I’m not the biggest fan of the Clawdeen and Frankie.

25) Favorite Spectra Vondergeist doll? I’m not as familiar with Spectra’s dolls but I think either Dot Dead Goregeous or Ghouls Night Out.

26) Favorite Abbey Bombinable doll? Sweet Screams <3

27) Favorite Venus McFlytrapp doll? Zombie Shake

28) Favorite Rochelle Goyle doll? Zombie Shake

29) Favorite Operetta doll? Either or OG doll or Scaritage (the latter kind of reminds me of Lucille Ball for whatever reason)

30) Favorite Toralei Stripe doll? I’m really not a fan of her dolls (Orange is such a hard color to compliment correctly) but I do kind of like the stark design in her Fierce Rockers doll.

31) Favorite Jinafire Long doll? I’m not a big fan of her dolls either (I feel the same way about Green that I do Orange) so I’ll say her “New Scaremester” doll.

32) Favorite Skelita Calaveras doll? Scarnival! I’m still half-tempted to purchase this doll one day...provided I can find her!

33) Favorite Howleen Wolf doll? Her original doll. I wish she hadn’t switched to straight/pink hair! The orange stood out in a good way. Someday I hope I find her in a thrift store...

34) Favorite Twyla Bogeyman doll? Freak du Chic

35) What do you do with your dolls? (Display them, take photos of them, etc) I display them, sometimes change their poses and I take photos! I’m still an amateur at that but I’m learning as I go and I think I’ve improved!

36) Is Monster High the only doll line you collect? Why or why not? Sort of? It’s the only line I primarily collect now. I keep my eye on a couple others in case something catches my eye but like I said I’m low on space.  Some of my other collections include: Ever After High (complete with maybe the exception of TriCastleon Lizzie Hearts one day) Super Heroes (this also includes high quality collectibles. One day I’d like Mystique but she’s only available on ebay and out of my price range right now. Plus I’ve found the production condition of each varies...) Disney Princesses/Frozen (sometimes I tell myself I should get Mulan for varying reasons but I’ve only taken photos of my Elsa doll so what does that tell you) Vampirina + Hotel Transylvania (This includes toys as well. HT seems to have wrapped up for the time being and as I’ve stated numerous times I’m fickle with Vampirina merchandise. Nonetheless both of these are technically ongoing) Equestria Girls (Done unless Hasbro releases a new Adagio Dazzle doll. Also fashion packs or  a dAYDREAM SHIMMER DOLL COME ON--ahem-- I’m still planning to get rid of most of my older dolls.) I tried getting into Disney’s “Attractionistas” but only acquired two before they stopped selling in the parks. To be honest the quality dropped anyway and they’ve only got basic articulation. I’m not sure I’m going to keep the ones I have...we’ll see.

37) Do you still collect Monster High dolls? (i.e. scour the internet and/or secondhand stores?) Technically? I got three for Christmas and still poke my head in thrift stores now and then. For the most part though I’m essentially finished, I only say I keep going because there are a few older dolls I will definitely have someday.

38) There’s a lot of new Monster doll/toy lines out now: thoughts if any? H’okay so here’s the Earth--

jk jk I’m old XD

I make it a point to investigate new Monster lines: monsters are my life, nothing gives me greater creative fuel so it is my duty!

Right now there are technically three others out there although like I said, Hotel Transylvania seems to be out of stores. Don’t know if it’s still available on Amazon. The other two are Vampirina and Super Monsters. I’ve talked about them before--they’re largely for a much younger crowd, even younger than the MH reboot audience but there are some highlights for us older collectors if you love monsters as much as I do. I’m a big fan of world building and the spooky aesthetic: I love seeing how different franchises approach this. Character designs too: it can be a little tricky in the “family friendly monster” genre: a successful one balances spooky with well...friendly. I think Vampirina is most successful in this department. Super Monsters leans more towards the cutesy side.  That said, I actually prefer their world set up over Vampirina. As well as the approach to being a monster which isn’t surprising since Vampirina is essentially one giant whimsical metaphor. 

Super Monsters has only just joined the merchandise department which I know I’ve said before. I look forward to seeing how it evolves. Vampirina too: most of the toys, while cute, are more “toy” than doll and I’m not a big fan of gimmicks so I haven’t bought any of the singing dolls. Fingers crossed we get something a little more...elaborate? Even if it’s just a limited release (I do love the one figure/doll I have though! Best of the merchandise released so far <3)

Going back quickly to Hotel Transylvania...I maintain Jazware’s wasn’t the best choice of manufacturer. So many little things that needed a touch more thought. Although I will give them points for clothing quality and faceup!

39) And finally, what’s your favorite thing about Monster High? Can be past or present!

I think I’ve covered why I love it throughout this questionnaire: Monster High inspires me. It came into the world fresh and with a lot of creative power behind it. It turned so many heads and shook up the doll world as we know it. It brought monsters back into the light and that’s never gone away. If anything it’s blown up even more: that may not have happened without Monster High. Was the writing great? No. But the theme songs, the designs and especially the original lessons taught stood out on their own: Be yourself. Be unique. Be a monster.

Hell yeah, Monster High <3

[life-in-the-monster-haus]

it's true! I love that everyone comes with a snack and/or a drink!

I believe this combined with G3's embrace of different body types is Mattel trying to make up for the sins of G1 & G2. Not only were all the girls and all the guys the same body type (excluding ages) which was thin or athletic but there wasn't MUCH in the way of food in the Monster High Universe. the Creepiteria line and the first Coffin Bean playset were out first sets with food and not much food at that. Sure snacks would pop up here and there (Frankie's fashion pack came with a slice of cake and Ghoulia's dead tired doll came with popcorn (Brain Puffs) but a lot of the sets if they had anything to eat it was usually an energy drink (Clawdeens bedroom & Deuce & Gil's Mansters 2 pack) or coffee (coffin bean budget dolls) I know this because I combed through listings on eBay desperately looking for anyone who would part with their monster food so I could fully stock the coffin bean and a doll house kitchen. it took me literal years to get enough to fully stock my settings.

but G3 is bringing the monster food! I don't think this is a coincidence, I believe this is Mattel sending the message that their monsters eat.

it's about damn time!

One thing about monster high gen 3 is that everyone loves a little beverage and or a yummy snack.

[cometcrystal]

monster high questionaire by @cryptoriascollectiblog!

1) Introduce yourself and tell us how long you’ve been collecting Monster High dolls!

im dott and ive been into mh since 2015 or thereabouts

2) How many MH dolls do you have?

roughly 150 something??? idk the exact number FDSJLKFS

3) Is Monster High your favorite doll line? Why or why not?

it absolutely is because i love the characters and the outfits. its the autism

4) Who’s your favorite MH ghoul?

cleo but yall know this

5) Favorite Manster?

deuce but yall also know this 

6) Do you own any dolls of your favorite ghoul and/or manster? How many?

yep i own almost every cleo doll, and every deuce doll! im only missing a few cleos and i have every deuce

7) Do you own any playsets? If so which one(s)? If not, is there a reason?

only one i own is astranova’s floaty one. i just dont have the space for em

8) Of the original main ghouls (including Ghoulia, Spectra and Abbey) which is your favorite? Got any dolls of them?

cleo and see above. but if i have to pick someone different, my fav is lagoona... i love her so much... ive got some dolls of hers but i was never as into her outfits sadly. i just love her character a lot

9) Favorite character with only one doll release?

i love porter and posea both to pieces. AND VANDALA

10) Character with too many dolls (in your opinion?)

draculaura but doesnt everyone think that. also amanita didn’t need a second doll. shes only got 2 dolls and thats still too many NFDSLKFSDDSKL especially if theyre gonna put her in a 2 pack with one of the people she left for dead

11) Any character you would’ve liked to see in a doll line that didn’t make it? (i.e. Lagoona in Sweet Screams or Draculaura in Power Ghouls, etc)

LITERALLY ANYONE in sweet screams. sweet screams is SUCH a good line. but you know what woulda been great? is a power ghouls cleo. or a collector’s edition cleo that’s the same grade as collector’s lala. cause i loooove the one we got but also i think a white linen dress would be awesome too. a 2 pack with collector’s deuce maybe

12) Any ideas you would’ve liked to see in a doll line?

i remember coming up w an idea for a series of couples 2 packs based around decades, like 20s cleuce, 70s twyleen, etc i woulda loved to see that but thats completely wish fulfillment 

13) Is there a “grail” MH doll for you? If so do you own it?

my grail was ihf cleo but i got her so at the moment? i haven’t rly got a grail mh doll. maybe gloom and bloom jina

14) Thoughts on the cancelled Ever After High crossover?

SO FUCKING HAPPY IT DIDN’T HAPPEN!!! it would have been bad. baaaad

15) Thoughts on the 2016 reboot faces?

most of em were pretty cute! i liked cleo’s! though they looked a bit wonky sometimes. and i dont like how they made clawdeen look more “white”

16) Thoughts on the 2016 “Monster Family” line?

horrid idea. horrid execution. the only good thing that came out of it was 1. my headcanon that fangelica is elissabat’s sister, not lala’s and 2. lux and pharrah are cleo’s cousins on her mom’s side. also sandy de nile does not fucking exist

17) How bout the SDCC exclusives? What was your favorite? Do you own any?

i think my fav is the deadfast ghoulia but i dont own her! i do own ghostbusters frankie tho and she’s a peach. OH AND I ALSO WANT HEXICIAH SO BAD

178) How about Amazon exclusives?

no clue what all the amazon exclusives were so im just going with collector’s lala cause i love her a lot anyway

19) Favorite Frankie Stein doll?

sweet screams or home ick. or haunt the casbah

20) Favorite Draculaura doll?

probably i heart shoes.....its so cyoot

21) Favorite Clawdeen Wolf doll?

school’s out, scaris, and haunt the casbah. haunt the casbah is just a good line ok.

22) Favorite Cleo de Nile doll?

DONT DO THIS TO ME!!! but boo york + gloom and bloom. and collector’s. and scaris

23) Favorite Lagoona Blue doll?

ghouls night out DEF

24) Favorite Ghoulia Yelps doll?

deadfast sdcc!! or dotd

25) Favorite Spectra Vondergeist doll?

hmmm honestly you can’t beat her sig look

26) Favorite Abbey Bombinable doll?

art class i love the simplicity

27) Favorite Venus McFlytrapp doll?

i heart fashion...god what a look

28) Favorite Rochelle Goyle doll?

haunted. ethereal bitch

29) Favorite Operetta doll?

i heart accessories cause thats SO rockabilly and i stan the ponytail

30) Favorite Toralei Stripe doll?

her sig look def

31) Favorite Jinafire Long doll?

gloom and bloom :pensive:

32) Favorite Skelita Calaveras doll?

hmmm i’d say art class! i love pink on her and her hair looks great

33) Favorite Howleen Wolf doll?

her sig look obv

34) Favorite Twyla Bogeyman doll?

her haunted doll is SO good

35) What do you do with your dolls? (Display them, take photos of them, etc)

display them...hold them... give em lil kisses on their heads

36) Is Monster High the only doll line you collect? Why or why not?

no but it’s the primary one! again its the autism

37) Do you still collect Monster High dolls? (i.e. scour the internet and/or secondhand stores?)

i dont really buy as many anymore since i got almost all the ones i wanted! but ill still look for them just to know theyre still around

38) There’s a lot of new Monster doll/toy lines out now: thoughts if any?

only one i can think of is super monsters (idk if thats the name) and once upon a zombie. toys are more Blind Bags now and less Monsters so please direct me towards the monsters

39) And finally, what’s your favorite thing about Monster High? Can be past or present!

honestly its the lore?? and the characters? mh would have still been my special interest if it was only a tv show/movie series, the dolls were just a bonus

[peppapigvevo]

best dolls of each mh character part 2

Signature Howleen for hair and face, 13 wishes for outfit

Coffin Bean Twyla

Geek Shriek Gigi for face, New Scaremester for outfit

Maul Monsteristas Invisibilly

We are Monster High 5 pack Slo Mo

Signature/Home Ick 2 pack Heath

Ghouls Getaway Jane for accessories and colors, Gloom and Bloom for outfit

Ghouls Getaway Elissabat

Accessories Honey

Coffin Bean Robecca

Zombie Shake Venus for face, Gloom and Bloom for outfit

Ghoul Chat Rochelle for face, Zombie Shake for outfit

Scare and Makeup Viperine for face, Signature for outfit

Wheelin Werecats Meowlody and Purrsephone for face, Signature for outfit

Coffin Bean Toralei for face, Maul Session fashion pack for outfit

Picnic Casket Jackson

Manster 2 pack Gil

Gloom and Bloom Catrine

I heart Fashion Wydowna

Scream and Sugar Nefera

Scream and Sugar Amanita

I heart Fashion Iris

I heart Fashion Whisp

Accessories Operetta

Fierce Rockers Catty for stage, New Scaremester Catty for RTW

Pack of Trouble Clawdia

[monsterhighdiaries]

Gil’s Manster Diary - October 2

We only had a half-day at school today because all the teachers had to attend some kind of seminar or something, which was clawsome because that meant I could take Lagoona out for lunch and a matinee movie. I think she was a little frustrated that I've been so focused on the game this weekend, and I think she was also hoping that we'd spend the whole time together. I actually used one of her 'Lagoona-isms' on her - "Let's enjoy the time we have instead of focusing on the time we don't". She gave me a look that, I'm sure, is reserved for surf monsters that drop in on a wave and cut her off. Lagoona really is as kind and gentle a monster as there is in the entire monsterverse, but she's as tenacious as a riptide when she wants to be. I was really conflicted about the weekend because I wanted so much to make the game, and I knew if I didn't, the bros would be a player short against some really stiff competition, but I also didn't want to hurt Lagoona's feelings; but she never once said, "It's just a game," or "Can't the other guys play without you," or "If that game means more to you than me," or any of a hundred other things to make me feel guilty. It's why she's the beast ghoul any manster ever had and why I love her, no matter how much my parents don't understand our relationship.