With the closing of the most recent decade coming soon, forgotten toys, games, fads, etc. have started to pop up in everyone’s minds. While some of these items were forgotten, a few were left in the dust after an attempt at a re-brand; One of these being the Monster High series.

The Monster High series, created by Mattel, was an extremely popular web-series, doll line, and movie franchise which was enjoyed by young boys and girls. While creating these ghoulishly unique dolls, Mattel strived to bring home a point that uniqueness is beautiful. This was displayed in the franchise’s model, “Be yourself, be unique, be a Monster.”

Mattel stood by this motto for 6 years (2010-2016) before ultimately deciding to rebrand the line. This came as a shock to many casual and die-hard collectors since Monster High sales skyrocketed up 56% in 2012, coming in a close second behind the classic Barbie dolls. Mattel bowed down to concerned parents who believed the dolls were ‘too scary,’ and they went for a more ‘princess-esque’ look. They ditched the edgy style of Draculaura’s safety pin earring, Frankie’s scars, and Cleo’s bandages for a drab design. 

The dolls received a major downgrade as a result of the reboot. The doll’s faces received newer low-quality sculpts, less articulation in the joints, and new fashions which did a disservice to the original dolls. Along with these changes, fan-favorite characters such as Ghoolia Yelps, Deuce Gorgon, and Abby Bominable were swapped for undeveloped characters. 

With the passing of time from 2010-2016, the movies were dying for a graphics overhaul, which was extremely well received by viewers. What wasn’t received well, along with the exclusion of original characters, was the drastic change in the franchise’s backstory. The pre-reboot movies and web-series followed Frankie Stein, a new student to Monster high and her experiences making, and losing, friends. After the reboot, however; it followed Draculaura, a fan favorite, and her story creating Monster High. While this may not seem like a big deal to any newcomers to the series, people fell in love with these characters and their freaky flaws. To go back on their goal was a huge slap in the face for anyone who had used those characters to relate to. 

Even though they changed the motto to, “How do you boo?” everyone deserves the one which encouraged self-expression in young children, “Be yourself, be unique, be a Monster.”