Monster High returns again!

[Lady Frostbite]

On Lenore: I LOVE her eye colour, I love the touches of pink against the blue tones. Overall she's not for me, but I am a sucker for shocking pink standing out on a character, i.e. against the black of Catty Noir! The spider looks GREAT, FAR more in line with G1 MH than the more recent pets. Gotta imagine she sets fire to the undergrowth lol maybe the candles draw moths to her web. I think there's something slightly missing, I can picture how she'd be animated in G1 and she'd fit right in in the Haunted movie. If they wanted to introduce her, I can't see why not re-introduce the specialist ghost school and have her be part of it.

For the little figures, I think the slime part is hysterical, it's never been part of MH and looks fun. But it's also an indication this gen really is geared towards a slightly younger audience than G1. Cleo's blue hair continues to bother me, I NEED to know how Nefera is supposed to look outside that little cameo picture on the coffin phone, blue hair is her sig look! Are they going to make her hair totally gold to offset it?

[Carrehz]

I feel kind of mean saying "16 y/o deviantART backstory" now I think it came out a bit more condescending-sounding than I intended - let me just clarify - I didn't mean to put down those sort of characters. I find Lenore's basic backstory endearing :B

The whole "Omg they can't name Robecca after Rebecca cuz their races don't match!!!1" thing is ridiculous. Especially since it might not even have been her idea (heck I'd put money on it NOT being her idea, I've noticed that's usually the case when a character's named after one of the creators/cast/crew/etc - one of the other crew did it as a homage). MH had quite a few characters named after members of the creative team.

I think Rebecca privates her Instagram fairly often? I checked it back when they first announced Lenore (to see if she'd posted any more pics of her) and it was private, and I seem to recall noticing her account going on and off private before. Maybe she just goes private whenever there's a new release in general to stop from getting swamped with messages, I dunno.

I want to make a few things clear: Lenore is not a self-insert. She is an original character similar to the Off-White dolls. Nobody said "how are these supermodel characters gonna end up at Monster High?" They are one-offs like Lenore. They're just dolls, they didn't get diaries either, just a small fact sheet such as what monster they are and what their names are.
I think a lot of people got confused by the "brand new character for G1" thing and are now judging much harsher. G1 is getting new comic books and novels, it's not dead. So Lenore could make an appearance in those but I doubt it.

The Off-White dolls are collab dolls though, Lenore's a 100% Mattel-only creation. Can't speak for others but that's why she feels different to me... I was (pleasantly) surprised to see the Off-White dolls were given names, I didn't expect that (I thought they'd just be "Off-White x MH #1", a la Barbie), but to me they're just a separate collab thing like the Skullectors, or... I dunno, the Zombie Gaga doll from back in the day. They were made in conjunction with another company so they're never going to be "proper" MH characters, they're not going to show up in any future G1 stories or whatever. (unless the Off-White peeps want to do a collab there too, I guess, but... you get what I mean They can't ever be a proper/meaningful part of the canon)

But Lenore's entirely owned by Mattel, they could do whatever they want with her, there's no indication she *isn't* part of the classic G1 canon we all know and love. They could totally come out tomorrow and say "Hey, we're doing a graphic novel starring Lenore!". I think that's why she's getting a different reception (I guess would be the word) to, say, the Off-Whites. (NOT that the vile abuse you're describing is at all justified.)

I can understand fans being legitimately critical of adding new characters to G1 when G1 is essentially no longer the core of the line. That's not the same as being jerks, of course, but my own reaction was, but why does G1 need a new ghost character when it's not really an active toyline? Why should a collector care about a character that didn't exist in G1 enough to pay that kind of money?

Also this. It's weird to me since there's a good amount of G1 characters that *didn't* ever get dolls, so if they wanted to make a new character, wouldn't it have made more sense to do one of those instead...? Unless this is their way of seeing if people are interested in new G1 characters, I suppose... doesn't entirely make sense to me, but we all know companies work in their own, mysterious ways

[Zapper]

Unless this is their way of seeing if people are interested in new G1 characters, I suppose... doesn't entirely make sense to me, but we all know companies work in their own, mysterious ways

Mhhh I don't know. Because they have already introduced more new characters in the new G1 comics. Valentine is bi or gay now and has a boyfriend. Fans want the boyfriend to get a doll and I bet if Mattel did that all these naysayers would pay $75.
I'm strictly talking about the fans who harshly criticized and bashed Rebecca.
They give me the "I'm jealous this girl can do something I can't" vibes. There is no other explanation for me as to why the fan reactions to two new G1 characters would be so split. Because Rebecca didn't design the dude, he's a dude and attached to an old G1 villain. Adult fans love boy dolls no matter how basic. Shirt and pants, what a fashion doll. I never liked the basic boys, only got the ones with good looks and fits  Clawd in the golden vest? Good! Clawd in shorts and shirt with some boring paw print? Wtf. That's not freaky faboolus. That's just a dude.

To me, Lenore is not a student at MH. She might be an older ghoul. She lives somewhere in MH world. I'm ok if they never put her into any story because she already lives in Rebecca's garden 
I'm not going to get her because she is not worth the money to me. Neither are the Midnight Runway dolls and quite frankly, some of the Skullectors are exclusively banking on the popularity of the properties they are based on and aren't really worth it, objectively speaking.

I was really disappointed in their Chucky and Tiffany. Tiffany especially. She is the only character I like in the Chucky series and I was really mad when I saw how uninspired and yellow her doll ended up looking. She should have been on the Big Sister, she should have worn her leather jacket not a small vest, etc.
But I didn't freak out about it and started cyberstalking the designers. I voiced what I didn't like and that was it.
I also thought their Skullector Elvira should have had a custom busty upper body.

What I thought was a good deal was the Frankenstein set or the Nightmare Before Christmas because you got original new sculpts, two dolls, nice box backdrop for display. I don't get how a simple Elvira doll is then only 20 bucks cheaper. The math isn't math-ing to me 

I hope Mattel will change it up in the future and be more transparent and communicative but they have never been in my  12+ years experience as a doll enjoyer. They might silently drop some lines before making them cheaper. They have already silently dropped the idea of quarterly Ghouluxe dolls despite the first one selling like hotcakes. We were never told why.

[Carrehz]

Unless this is their way of seeing if people are interested in new G1 characters, I suppose... doesn't entirely make sense to me, but we all know companies work in their own, mysterious ways

Mhhh I don't know. Because they have already introduced more new characters in the new G1 comics. Valentine is bi or gay now and has a boyfriend. Fans want the boyfriend to get a doll and I bet if Mattel did that all these naysayers would pay $75.

Spelldon? He's not new - Garrett's talked about him on his Instagram before, he was an early character they never quite found a use for, but eventually got a mention in Valentine's SDCC diary. He said the diary was meant to explicitly establish Valentine as gay and in love with Spelldon, but Mattel chickened out at the last minute and wouldn't let them do it. (the final diary is still heavy in subtext though) Then G1 ended soon after, before they could do anything else with him.
Garrett posted his concept art for Spelldon at one point, let's see... yeah, here we go:
https://www.instagram.com/garrett_sander/p/CzFq25hL3qu/

I imagine part of why Spelldon's getting a better reception is, well, fans love representation and such... but also because he's been teased a long time ago so it's exciting to see this character finally get properly used. Whereas Lenore's just come out of nowhere. Not that this justifies the stupid reaction to her, I just mean I don't see think the two are comparable.

I like to think Lenore's older/not a MH student, either

And Elvira definitely should've gotten a bustier body, no idea what they were playing at there.

[Taffeta]

It's funny what you say about adult collectors and male dolls because I don't like most any of them, LOL Maybe it is because they feel thrown together. I like some of the characters behind them in G1, but I have so few of the actual dolls. And the one Deuce I have is genuinely wearing tshirt and shorts. LOL snakes on the head but super non-monster casual. Not even sure where he came from.

Jackson has always been my favourite guy MH (G1) character, and I do have his doll, somewhere...but it's a pretty plain doll really. I don't think I have ever had Holt, though, and Jackson's vibe is 'normie', so maybe it makes sense.

I don't like the RH male dolls either, though, as a rule, so it's clearly a me thing. Not an anti-men thing, just a me thing. I think I like dolls to have styleable hair, and guy dolls often don't, or not enough of it to matter. Some of them have moulded hair. I don't like the shorter haired dolls either, like Toralei. I have one Toralei but literally only because she came with Catty.

On the flipside, I do have Neighthan, who I know isn't that popular...and while I think his scheme is a bit garish, I love that he has actual hair!!!

I can see why Spelldon is more accepted given there's a history in there. There's probably one to Lenore, internally in the company, too - but just that it's not something shared out.

I agree that Robecca's name is unlikely to have come from Rebecca. I'm thinking back to Jem, and how there were people doing the character sketches and people coming up with the bios (mostly Christy), but the names have to be trademarked so that's something that happens elsewhere (and names can change if trademarks can't be obtained). The whole argument is ridiculous but then so are the people posting.

It is nice Lenore has a spider pet, I agree with Lady Frostbite on that. I never much liked any of the pets, especially, but changing them all to 'cute and furry' is annoying. Spiders and bats need love too o.o.

[Carrehz]

It's not just you, Taffeta, I'm not a fan of most boy dolls either. I agree, it's the hair, or lack thereof. Neighthan's my favourite specifically because of his lovely long ponytail

[brightberry]

I thought Holt’s face looked really weird.  But G1 Deuce and Heath looked pretty good.  It was their outfits I hated.

[Taffeta]

I thought Holt’s face looked really weird.  But G1 Deuce and Heath looked pretty good.  It was their outfits I hated.

I got Jackson second hand...somehow? At a fair maybe. So I never had Holt. But I also never wanted him. I liked Jackson as a character, but I found Holt pretty annoying. I'm always sad that they didn't come into more of the specials, though honestly the only ones I really like are Ghouls Rule and Boo York.

I am not sure right now if I have only that one Deuce or if I do have the Boo York one somewhere as well. I have Boo York Cleo, she's one of my favourite Cleo dolls - but since a lot of these were second hand from toy fairs, I'm not sure who came with who...

Deuce is a good character, though. He's not a bully, unlike Clawd or Manny, and he's also not completely hopeless, like Heath. I suppose the character is meant to be part of the reason kids buy certain characters too, hence the animation existing - but it's interesting because I know I would not own any of the guys if not for them having distinct personalities.

The fact nothing in G3 seems distinct in the personality stakes weakens that appeal, honestly. It also explains why I don't care for the RH guys, since MANY of the characters in the RH animation have non or questionably stereotypical personalities (although I did bingewatch that during COVID, so maybe I missed stuff xD).

Worth noting that I don't have any Rio dolls, and the only male Jem dolls I have are Eric, Craig and Stormer from the IT line. The first two because they never existed before and they are meaningful characters, the last because....Riot has hair? Yeah, ok, he also has a personality, and a backstory, but he's a bit of a jerk.

Rio is universally obnoxious, though, in the series and as a doll. So yeah. Nope. (To balance that out, mind you, I also don't have any Jem/Jerrica dolls except a Mexican and a Spanish one in box -and the latter I only still have because I failed to sell it, LOL). So now I'm thinking how much character matters in my doll buying decisions...

And going back to MH and Lenore, whether that's a bigger factor in the criticism than I first perceived.

Like when G2 happened and Spectra vanished but mysteriously some other ghost whose name I don't even remember appeared, looking like her...and everyone went..huh?

[Lady Frostbite]

I really liked Deuce as a character; he was chilled and laid back compared to the obnoxious Heath and easily excitable Clawd. I got the feeling that Clawd was meant to kinda take over as the 'cool' one (being Clawdeen's older brother) but Deuce is just so endlessly chill it's hysterical. His perpetual bemusement at what Heath and Clawd were up to in 13 Wishes gave me more than a few chuckles, and his relaxed attitude plays really well with Cleo's diva nature. I liked that he didn't get drawn into the suspicion of cheating or Cleo's jealousy; he just point blank explained what was going on when confronted about it and never had any intention of going down that path.

I didn't like any of the boy dolls, but that's not really a reflection on them, I like more than a few male G1 characters like Neightan, the hilariously hammy Valentine, Deuce, Jackson (Holt is A Bit Much) and Sparky, so I can't say it's just a case I didn't like the male characters. The most 'successful' male doll would probably either be Deuce or Slow Mo, Ghoulia's boo.

G2 seemed to have a weird edginess about male dolls, I can't even name any off the top of my head. I think aiming towards a younger demo than the original G1 group means that dating and boys are slightly less on the list of priorities as the ghouls aren't TEENAGER teenagers like they were in G1. I would riot if they paired Cleo with anyone else though, but that's my G1 bias showing again  I hated the Abbey/Heath pairing, I didn't mind Frankie having multiple potential interests, and I was glad Clawdeen didn't seem to have one that stuck since I like strong female characters without any sort of love interest. Gil and Lagoona's drama got really annoying towards the end, even if it was slightly understandable to start with. Clawd and Draculara I REALLY didn't like simply because 2D Clawd looked WAY WAY older than 2D Lala and that freaked me the hell out

[Taffeta]

Oh dear, the Abbey Heath thing..."Heath got saved by a girl, let's mock him!" "Now he has to be THE MAN and save her!"...yeah, no. I guess fire and ice but...absolutely no.

Abbey was always hilarious but Heath was so annoying.

Holt might have been fine if he didn't have to half sing half of his lines. I really liked Jackson and the concept behind the two of them. I just...didn't really like Holt.

Spoiler

I do like that moment at the end of Ghouls Rule where Claire sticks the earmuffs on Holt to get Jackson back

Deuce is great. "Dude! Dude. DUDE! Duuuuude. Dude?

Cleo comes over as a better character when she has Deuce for balance as well, because it shows that as much as she can be bossy and fashion obsessed and rich girl, she's not so bad deep down inside. I understood Cleo in G1, with her family pressures and everything else. I have...literally no clue what they're going for with her in G3.

[shockponie]

Ghoulia creepro is here!!
visitors can't see pics , please register or login

I never got her original back in the day. Ahhh! I'm excited 

[Taffeta]

That looks pretty cool, shockponie

Still a mystery how they could make that and yet not keep her in the line?

Sig Ghoulia is one of my favourite dolls <3

[brightberry]

Congrats, Ponyfan!   


I managed to get a Ghoulia too.  I was on the fence about her but happened to see her available late at night when I'm at my weakest.  I'm glad I did though.

[Lady Frostbite]

Congrats!!!!!! I really hope Creeproduction Abbey somehow comes over here!

[Carrehz]

Congrats!! Creepro Ghoulia's one I'd be tempted by, I never got the original release.