Monster High: Difference between revisions

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Welcome to '''Monster High''', Mattel’s latest franchise launched in July 2010. Monster High revolves around kindhearted, clumsy teenager [[Frankenstein's Monster|Frankie Stein]], who is just starting off at a new school and itching to experience life for the first time. She makes friends quickly- there's [[Our Vampires Are Different|Draculaura]], a chatty [[Granola Girl]]; [[Our Werewolves Are Different|Clawdeen Wolf]], a wannabe fashionista; [[Fish People|Lagoona Blue]], a somewhat spacy champion swimmer; and [[Zombie Apocalypse|Ghoulia Yelps]], the smartest kid in school. There’s also [[Mummy|Cleo de Nile]], [[Rich Bitch]] and [[Royal Brat]] extraordinaire, who rules the school's in-crowd with an iron fist, and her loving but long-suffering boyfriend [[Gorgeous Gorgon|Deuce Gorgon]].
 
The dolls have been noted for their unique concept and high doll quality, including ball-jointed limbs and individual face molds for each of the characters. A series of books done by [[The Clique]] writer Lisi Harrison currently{{when}} being made, and a movie in 2012. A Halloween special aired on [[Nickelodeon]] on October 31, 2010 and can now be seen online, with another special following in 2011 and a Valentine's Day special and Spring Break special in 2012.
 
{{tropelist}}
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=== This franchise contains examples of: ===
* [[Accidental Athlete]]: Frankie in the webtoon "Fear Squad".
* [[Adaptation Decay]]: Most fans ignore the book series.
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* [[All There in the Manual]]: The official website has bios for all the characters and things like their favorite foods, colors, school subjects, and their flaws (which tend to be actual monster attributes rather than simple [[Informed Flaw|informed flaws]]). The dolls come with little diaries written by the charactes themselves that talk about their daily lives. Even the licensed game has bits of continuity you won't get anywhere else!
* [[Alpha Bitch]]: Cleo in Season 1, then Toralei, and later Nefera (who [[Up to Eleven|outdoes them BOTH!]]) in Season 2.
* [[Alternate Continuity]]: The book, which has Frankie trying to blend in at an all-human school and has a human best friend, Melody. There is also some [[Product Placement|product placement]].
** The half-hour special on Nickelodeon seems to be a different continuity from the webisodes, though the animation is exactly the same.
** The Webisodes seem to mostly follow the diaries, but do differ at some points. At the very least, three different continuities.
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** "Nefera Again" has Clawdeen pick up with her hearing that Toralei notices Nefera wears the hottest fashions weeks before anyone else has them. This leads to the girls assembling an ensemble of [[Impossibly Tacky Clothes]] (from what might be the [[WTH Costuming Department]]) claiming they're the latest fashion trends--but she should know this as Nefera's a famous model, right? Nefera asks they be handed over to her--and with the new outfit becomes the laughing-stock of the Maul. (As a bonus, Toralei and her [[Girl Posse]] followed suit.)
* [[Beach Episode|Beach Line]]: Gloom Beach. Oddly enough it isn't used as an excuse for fanservice, all the girls wear one piece bathing suits, with Draculaura's looking like one from the [[Roaring Twenties|1920's]]. Only Cleo wears a bikini.
** And a second one, [https://web.archive.org/web/20131110033102/http://api.ning.com/files/qJ1D25pTKi6VUHl862H20WzH-G-v6qJKbQ*Z6lIGuu5n9IIycJ5G7wv34T0Q20VWdtFz1J0*6HCXM-ExqZgLHr8N-yll55Y*/islanddolls1_480.jpg Skull Shores], has been announced for 2012.
* [[Bland-Name Product]]: Mr. Where talks about kids these days being plugged into their iCoffins all the time.
* [[Breather Episode]]: Daydream of the Dead. Prior to this we get relationship troubles, Spectra making a nuisance of herself, and a cliffhanger with Cleo's sister. This episode is an advertisement for the MH booth at San Diego Comic-Con.
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* [[Elegant Gothic Lolita]]: Draculaura's outfit shows elements of this.
* [[Enemy Mine]]: "Neferamore" has Nefera recruit Toralei and her cat-girls to replace Cleo and the other girls in the Fear Squad. Given Cleo and the girls gave both grief at times, it's no surprise. {{spoiler|When Nefera cheats against Cleo in "Monster Mashionals" is the moment Toralei and her catgirls decide [[Even Evil Has Standards|enough's enough]] -- not to mention that they're ticked off that Nefera didn't believe in them -- and help foil the cheating.}}
* [[Everything's Better Withwith Plushies]]: Of Frankie, Draculaura, Clawdeen, and their respective pets. There is a second wave out with plushes of Cleo, Deuce & Lagoona with their pets. Ghoulia, Spectra, and Abbey are slated to have plushies as well
* [[Fantastic Racism]]: There are a few examples. In the main canon, there's an undercurrent of monster-to-human prejudice (and schools seem to be ''segregated''), whereas in the book canon it's the other way around.
** [[Fur Against Fang|Vampires and werewolves]] don't like each other much, though Draculaura and Clawdeen are best friends, and neither do fresh water monsters and sea monsters, according to Gil's parents (though Lagoona thinks the whole thing's ridiculous). Some monsters are discriminated against by the wider monster community, such as zombies and trolls. According to a bonus story on the website, Monster High was the first school to let all types of monsters in, as opposed to the other schools we've seen that are all vampires, all werewolves, etc.
* [[Fish People]]: Lagoona and Gil, of course. Comes with an appropriately epic case of [[HPH.P. Lovecraft|the Innsmouth Look]]. But then, so do most dolls these days.
* [[Five-Man Band|Five Ghoul Band]]: As of season 2Reboot, the FearGhoul Squad becomes this.
** [[The Hero|The Heroine]]: FrankieDraculaura
** [[The Lancer]]: CleoClawdeen
** [[The Big Guy|The Big Girl]]: ClawdeenCleo
** [[The Smart Guy|The Smart Girl]]: GhouliaFrankie
** [[The Chick]]: DraculauraLagoona
* [[Flaming Hair]]: Holt Hyde and Heath Burns, which led some people to think they were one and the same when [[Word of God|they're not]].
* [[Foe Yay]]: Clawdeen Wolf talks an awful lot about Cleo De Nile on her profile page.
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* [[Good Parents]]: Frankie's mom and dad. For a couple of mad scientists, they've got a remarkable knack for knowing what's best for their little girl and what makes her happy without spoiling her either.
** The second basic of Draculaura's diary reveals {{spoiler|that Dracula took her and Draculaura's mother in.}}
* [[Go-Karting Withwith Bowser]]: The girls hang out with Cleo fairly often, despite her stuck up attitude.
* [[Gone Horribly Right]]: Cleo and Frankie accidentally break a statue together in "Totally Busted", and Cleo blames it entirely on Frankie. {{spoiler|The headmistress is thrilled, because the statue had imprisoned the ghost of Professor Irene Maiden for years in a terrible [[And I Must Scream]] situation, and is incredibly grateful to Frankie for this service to the school, leaving Cleo to start to protest that she did it all ''herself'' instead.}}
* [[Gorgeous Gorgon]]: Deuce, a rare male example.
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* [[Helping Hands]]: Frankie’s hands whenever they fall off.
* [[Hey, It's That Voice!]] - [[Yuri Lowenthal]] as Deuce, [[Laura Bailey]] as Lagoona, Debi Derryberry as Draculaura, and Katie Higgins voicing Frankie. As of season 2, [[Cam Clarke]] does the voice of Heath Burns.
* [[Hot Mom]]: According to both Deuce and Holt, Frankie Stein's [https://web.archive.org/web/20131110033338/http://jetrefilm.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/bride_of_frankenstein_elsa_lanchester.jpg mother].
* [[Hollywood Hacking]]: Ghoulia can hack anything in a few seconds with her laptop. Well, almost anything... {{spoiler|she couldn't hack the gossip column to find out who was running it.}}
* [[Hollywood Nerd]]: Ghoulia, although we only know this because she wears [[Meganekko|horned glasses]] and the only girl in the main cast other than Lagoona to not wear a skirt. Even so, she's seen a just as normal as everyone else and is even a fan favorite.
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* [[Monster Mash]]: All the main characters are offspring of famous monsters or mythological creatures.
* [[Morality Pet]]: Ghoulia to Cleo as the two are "[[Incredibly Lame Pun|beast]] friends forever." They plan their schedules together, and she acts as Cleo's personal assistant. Cleo even gets her staff to help get a rare comic book for Ghoulia (though she gets the others not to let word of this leak as it might ruin her rep).
* [[The Movie]]: A live-action movie musical is being directed by the men behind [[Hairspray]] and [[Chicago]]. It’s been described as “[[Beetlejuice (Film)|Beetlejuice]] meets [[Grease]] meets [[The Addams Family (TV)|The Addams Family]] meets [[Edward Scissorhands]].” The movie is set to come out sometime in 2012.
* [[Multicolored Hair]]: ''Every single character.''
* [[Mummy]]: Cleo de Nile, who only has [[Bandage Babe|bandages]] from [[Rule of Sexy|her chest to her knees]]. Her footwear is styled as bandages too.
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* [[Nice Shoes]]: All the girls wear [[Tricked-Out Shoes|fancy shoes]] that have five inch heels. Even Ghoulia wears knee-high converse boots! This to the point to where the girls are rarely if ever seen barefoot. This includes at sleep overs and while at the beach.
* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]]: The most popular band among young monsters is the [[Jonas Brothers|Jaundice Brothers]].
** [[Justin Bieber (Music)|Justin Biter]] in Nickelodeon's half-hour special. Oddly enough, he looks little like the original.
* [[Not Using the Z Word]]: Averted; Ghoulia and the other zombies at the school are openly referred to as such.
* [[Official Couple]]: Cleo and Deuce throughout the entire series in every continuity. Everyone else's relationships fluctuate, and Draculaura especially seems prone to [[Degrassi Dating]], though she's been with Clawd for some time now.
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* [[Older Than They Look]]: Draculaura is really 1,599 years old (but becomes 1,600 in the webisode "Party Planners") and Cleo is 5,842 years old.
** If you think about it most of the characters are older than they look, even Frankie where despite being only forever 15 days old, its a good chance that the parts she is made from aren't.
* [[Only Known Byby Their Nickname]]: ''Ghoul Spirit'' reveals that Slo-Moe is a nickname, and his real name is Moe Deadovitch.
* [[Our Werewolves Are Different]]: Clawdeen goes into "werewolf mode" whenever a full moon's light (or anything resembling it, such as a spotlight) shines on her.
* [[Our Zombies Are Different]]: Ghoulia can’t speak anything other than zombie (grunt and groan), yet happens to be the smartest student in school and prefers fast food over brains.
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* {{spoiler|[[The Power of Friendship]]}}: {{spoiler|When Nefera gets ready to cheat against Cleo and the Fear Squad, Deuce picks Cleo up to get back into the competition in "Monster Mashionals Part 2." He also mobilizes the other ghouls (who'd pledged to back the Fear Squad) to foil Nefera. Toralei and her own catgirls even help, disgusted that Nefera had that little faith in them to win this fairly.}}
* [[Product Placement]]: The book is rife with them, most which are going to be outdated within a year or so.
* [[Preemptive "Shut Up"]]: In the webisode "Substitute Creature" Mr. Lou Zarr commands a two-headed student to stop talking even though none of the student's heads has a mouth.
* [[Punny Name]] / [[Theme Naming]]: All the episode and student names have to do with horror concepts.
* [[Rapunzel Hair]]: Clawdeen's hair is constantly growing and besides having to pluck stray hair several times a day she doesn't mind it, as it leads her to be more experimental with it.
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* [[Royal Brat]]: Cleo de Nile. Egyptian heritage, folks!
* [[Saying Sound Effects Out Loud]]: In "New Ghoul @ School" Draculaura literally says "Siiigh..." while swooning over [[No Celebrities Were Harmed|Justin Biter]].
* [[SchrodingersSchrödinger's Cat]]: Alluded to in the end of "Desperate Hours," where Toralei and her fellow cat-girls are herded to a math camp in a bus. The stink balloon they wanted to loose on the seniors (and blame the main ghouls for) bounces toward them...and explodes, releasing the stench into the bus holding the cat-girls. They're not dead, but their yowling hints [[Cool and Unusual Punishment|they are wishing this wasn't happening to them...]]
* [[The Shadow Knows]]: Look carefully at a illustration on Jackson's Gloom Beach box. {{spoiler|You can see Holt Hyde's [[Flaming Hair]].}}
* [[Shout-Out]]: By the boatload.
** Frankie is annoyed that her father greets her every morning with a teasing shout of "It's alive!"
** A goofy-looking [[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (Film)|Leatherface]] lookalike is the biology teacher.
** The headmistress of Monster High [[The Legend of Sleepy Hollow|rides around on horseback and carries her own head by the hair]].
*** Plus she wears a [[The Mask (Animationanimation)|purple coat, a black suit underneath, and her head comes off.]]
** Frankie's dad uses "Mary Shelley's ghost!" as an oath, and her mom is prone to "Karloff's crypt!" when most people would say "Good heavens!"
** Ghoulia’s owl is named “Sir Hoots-A-Lot”.
** Cleo invokes Egyptian deities ("Oh, my Ra!").
** An obvious shout-out to [[Twilight (Literaturenovel)|Twilight]] pops up in "Shock and Awesome", complete with a reference to the [[Bishie Sparkle]].
** Lagoona, in arguing with her dad about going to school on land, even writes in her diary, "I know he's just worried about me but I told him that everybody is really scary sweet and they treat me like everybody else and it's not like I've got to [[The Little Mermaid|give up my voice]] or something silly like that..."
** The "Escape from Skull Shores" TV special's plot was a giant [[Shout-Out]] to [[King Kong]].
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* [[Sense Freak]]: Everything is new to Frankie, and she wants to experience all of it.
* [[Skunk Stripe]]: Frankie's hair is nothing but a mass of these.
* [[Spell My Name Withwith an "S"]]: Toralei (not Torelei; it comes from "tora" for "tiger"), Nefera (not Nefara; it comes from "Nefertiti", not "nefarious"), and Slo-Moe (not Slow-Moe, according to ''Ghoul Spirit'').
* [[Stock Footage]]: Some of the webtoons reuse background footage of students walking by.
* [[Stealth Pun]]: Lagoona has an Australian accent because she comes from the land down under. Underwater, that is. In fact, the series lives on this in general.