Can We Talk 2

Girl Toys

         I had to check out these very popular dolls to see where the idea came from. Monster High is all the rage and has been for some time. First and second graders and up love them. They look sort of like Barbie but with a strong sense of Gothic. In other words, unnatural sexy shapes, but dark colors, weird fashions and freaky, Halloween-ish packaging.

         I thought it must have been a movie or TV series that I missed, like High School Musical(which I still haven't seen). But it turns out, the idea was an invention by a designer at Mattel. This person just tried to do some haute couture for Bride of Frankenstein, Black Lagoon creature, or Munster type figures. A lot of purple and black are used. It was made up and immensely successful.

         "Ever After" dolls use more gold, and apparently are similar. Apparently, they are "undead" or ghostly at least, but slightly more ethereal in appearance than Monster High. Maybe they're meant to look older than teenagers. I'm not sure. There aren't as many to choose from on the shelf.

         Another group, very similar, and close by on the same shelf, are Disney "Descendants". At first I thought they might be Mormon dolls for genealogists, but only for a few seconds. They have a more traditional source. There was a movie by Disney about the son of the Beast and Belle the Beauty. He brings together many of the descendants of well-known villains, apparently for an evil cause. I don't know how the musical turns out, but like all Disney enterprises, it's heavily supported by merchandising. These dolls are dressed elegantly like Disney princesses, but have a dark side appearance.

         If you're a grandparent or god-parent or aunt/uncle shopping for girls, you can't go wrong with Monster High dolls and accessories. For the other two groups, I would be sure the children have mentioned the dolls or specifically asked for them. You could be spending money on something that will be over very quickly. All of them comprise major shelf space at the retailer. None of them appeal to me personally. Though I don't see anything wrong with them, I think I'd rather give something a little more wholesome or mainstream. Let the parents handle this group.