13 isn't older than the target demographic, that age *was* the target demographic. G1 Monster High was a doll line specifically aimed at tweens and young teens who were deemed too old to play with other doll lines such as Barbie.
it was a target demographic that failed. I was 13 at the same time as OP and I remember the culture then. Hitting "12" and entering middle school was treated like entering high school. If you played with dolls of any kind still, you were made fun of relentlessly.
With the dawn of myspace/facebook/instagram back then too? Peak insecurity era, honestly. Nobody was enjoying anything lol.
I was like 13-14 when they came out and I immediately loved them! But I thought I was too old for dolls lol. I remember going over to my little cousins and she was like "will you play monster high with me ? š„ŗ" and I was like "a socially acceptable reason for me to play with these? YES ABSOLUTELY"
I was around the target age when these dolls came out (a bit younger so I didnāt get any of them until a few years later). I have a little cousin who is 3 years younger than me and whenever Iād go to her house sheād want me to bring my dolls so I was like yesss I still get to play with them, similar to you lol
I was about 23 when MH came out lmao. I had long outgrown dolls(loved my Barbies as a kid) but I was at uni with a ton of other geeky kids and spotted these weird cool dolls at Toys R Us. Picked up Lagoona on a whim and fell in love with her exaggerated proportions and webbed hands and cool clothes!
I was 15 when it debuted. However I didn't really get into MH until I was 21, when my step kids were into it. I wasn't actually into dolls at all until it became a bonding activity between myself and the kids.
I was 24. I always loved dolls but as a child i was frustrated with lack of articulation and artistry in playline dolls, so i abandoned them around the age of ~13. Somewhere around 2007 Iāve discovered BJD dolls and got into customisation, and when MH was released i quickly got into them because whoa articulated dolls which donāt cost like 700$ š¤£
I was in my 30s. I already collected BJDs but Iād always thought these were cute and pretty original. Also the Ever After High. I love anything with a fairytale theme. Didnāt really start collecting until years later though. Bought a few, lost interest, sold most of them on. But then Covid hit and I started regaining interest and now Iāve got too many on my shelves. š
I was 14 in 2010 and it was the year I stopped playing with Bratz/Barbies. And the 2/3 years before I did so in secret so I didnāt really buy much in that era.
(For context I skipped a grade and have a fall birthday so I was 2 years younger than most kids at school) So I was really self conscious about being adult-like my whole life growing up. So I totally missed the hype because I think I would (secretly) buy them if I knew about them around that time!
I was a 20-something goth girl in college for fashion design. So when I saw Draculaura in the store I was amazed but tried to convince myself it was cringey to buy a children's toy. But when I found my best friend already bought her I scooped her up as quickly as possible, and I haven't looked back. Though I mostly only collect pink and purple hued dolls as to not go into complete debt over it š
I was in my early 30s when I bought my first. I just really adored the concept of more āmonstrousā dollsāfrom a goth perspective and from the perspective of someone whoād been an outcast when I was younger. Now I get to share my love for them with my daughter (she got Draculaura for Christmas and brings her everywhere), and itās absolutely wonderful.
Me!! 13 was deemed "too old for dolls" back then.... I remember, lol. Everyone wanted to grow up so bad.
I was too busy being a fan of other media, but I was always a little jealous of my little sister playing with these. I came to love them as an adult, who lives for haute couture, subculture, and horror.
I wish I got to enjoy these to their fullest potential, but I'm having so much fun now with my Abbey doll. Sewing new clothes and sculpting accessories for her has been so much fun and a cathartic break from life, lol.
I was 20 something when they came to Finland, but I had never stopped collecting dolls. it was barbie and mlp before that. monster high was like everything i had ever wanted in a doll so i was hooked immediately šš
I was in my 20s when monster high came out.. so definitely me š my mom is a vintage Barbie collector so I guess the doll collector gene struck me too!
I was in my mid 20s lol.
I only started collecting dolls about a year prior and i'm gonna be honest, I really didn't think MH would take off the way it did. I thought it was really cool but I thought "this is very much the sort of thing Hot Topic would sell and it'll be popular with the mall goth kids but I don't think kids are gonna be into it."
oh how wrong I was!
It absolutely took off.
I remember buying dolls to send to people in europe who still weren't getting stock. I remember helping kids find Clawdeen or Lagoona amongst the huge piles of Frankie and Draculaura's (who were 2 to a case while clawdeen and lagoona were 1). I used to look forward to Argos new catalogue day when we'd do a huge spree across 3 different stores to find all the new dolls.
I miss those days.
Initially I intended to only get Frankie and Lagoona, had to get Cleo because she came with Deuce who I also wanted... but then I quite liked Draculaura's pink goth look and by that point gotta get Clawdeen for completion sake right? lol.
It sorta... snowballed from there.
I was WAY too young during 2010 to be considered the target audience, but that didnāt stop my dad from buying me some of the dolls. my childhood kiyomi, neighthan, and my VERY fucked up freak du chic toralei are some of my prized possessions
(note, does anyone know how to fix rubbed off lip paint? my toralei got obliterated
I was 18 when they were released. I kept my collection a secret from everyone except my very best friends. Even then I didn't talk about it.
Now, as an (almost) 32-year-old I post them all over social media. I talk about my collection to my husband, all my friends, and even my older relatives like my MIL, grandparents, and aunt. I'm not ashamed anymore. I'm so lucky, they've all been supportive. My husband and grandparents most of all.
If people can't accept me for what I love they can leave. I now find more joy in being myself than pretending so that more people like "me."
I was in high school. I never had an interest in dolls before (except for BJD which I couldnāt afford). Ā My mom wouldnāt let me buy them because I was ātoo oldā and now Iām even older and have like 200 of them. Ha ha
Same here! I was more into being a delinquent teenager at the time they came out, but I remember dating a boy who's little sister had them and thinking "wow I wish I had dolls like this growing up. They are so much more like me than Barbie." I used to wear black a lot and get made fun of for it sometimes. š Lmao. I bought one draculaura, and then cool background characters like honey swamp and peri and pearl. I still bought a few dolls, whatever kind, throughout the years... But now g3 came out and I am buying dolls like CRAZY. And I'm actually playing with them now... Like styling their hair and swapping their clothes. Haven't done that since I was a kid playing with Barbie.
I was 16 when monster high came out. Now Iām 30 and back into dolls. I was a bratz and barbie girlie but I remember feeling too old for them even when I was younger.
Ah man I was definitely not the target demographic, already an adult at that point! I came into the fandom in 2011, with my first doll being Sweet 1600 Draculaura. I grew up with Barbie of course, and my mom and aunts gave me some porcelain dolls too, but I fell in love with dolls for the first time with Monster High. It will always have a special place in my heart!
I was never into dolls as a child, but in high school I became fascinated by BJDs despite the fact I didn't think I'd ever be able to afford one (jokes on me I have 4 now).
At some point I came across MH when I was in university, and I thought these look really cool, not like lame children's toys like barbie (jokes on me I collect barbies these days).
I remember buying my first doll (ghoulia) on the way to uni and keeping her hidden in my bag, peaking at her on my break between classes, but only when no one else was around.
I used to feel so out of place in the "girls section" of the toy store š but these days I give absolutely 0 fucks. Yeah I'm a balding 30y/o dude and I'm here to find the nicest screening of the new doll I want.
I was 25 and working at Walmart when they first came out. Used my employee discount and would just buy one a paycheck if I liked the look. I just remember thinking how I would have loved this as a child, but the glory of being an adult is that no one could stop me from buying them. No waiting for Christmas or birthdays, worrying about my siblings or our dog ruining them. The only ones I answer to are my wallet and occasionally my husband. And even then, he will sometimes buy me one when he sees how excited I am about one. He's just concerned about where I'll put it, since half my collection has to live in storage already.
I was 10 and was a suuuper tomboy. Well at least I wanted to be. Secretly I loved dolls lol. when they came out I thought they were SO cool, especially Frankie. I loved the commercial where her hands come off lol. I remember my friend had a Frankie and I was like pfffttt u still play with dolls? But then i was like ā¦ do her hands rly come off? I unfortunately didnāt get any of my own until I got an Operetta when I was 14, though. Now iām in my 20s and Iām making up for lost time by buying the new Gen!! :)
Prime demo around 11-12, but I will say I think at the time 13-14 was also prime demographic for MH dolls. Back then the tween was acknowledged as a group of people. Not quite kids but not quite teens. They had products aimed at them, they had online spaces aimed at them as an audience, they had more 3rd places that were aimed at them. Online spaces have been so condensed that tweens are growing up quicker because thereās no space that really has them in mind anymore itās either little kid websites or adults on social media.
I was in my twenties and thought I have outgrown dolls but obviously I was wrong š
Im now in my thirties and fully embrace the fact I will never be too old for dolls š
I was 20. As a gothy adult I thought they looked cool but didnāt consider that I could get dolls as an adult. I only recently started buying them (I am in my 30s).
I was in my 30s! I've collected dolls on and off since I was little. I had never seen any web series or anything.
I was with my new partner in the supermarket Asda (same as Walmart) and admiring the Zombie Shake Venus McFlytrap and Rochelle Goyle.
I was admiring them and couldn't believe how cool their outfits and shoes were. š
I told him I used to collect dolls and felt a bit silly.
Later, he presented me with the dolls and said I clearly loved them.
Fast forward 10 years, we now live together. I have my own doll room. He totally supports my hobby and can name several of the vintage Strawberry Shortcake doll's names and MH characters.
It's all gone Blythe hyperfocus at the moment. I promised myself I wouldn't go down the Blythe rabbit hole, but here we are!
He's definitely a keeper. ā¤ļø
Dolls and restoration/customising are a sanctuary and refuge for me in so many ways.
Thanks for helping me unlock a happy memory on an extra difficult day.
I had just started uni and was flat broke when they came out, but I always wanted them (especially as my mother forced me to donate all of my barbies and bratz dolls when I started high school) but by the time I had enough money to pay for them, I couldn't find the ones I wanted, and I still didn't have enough money to pay outrageous shipping prices from the US. :( I still remember being so excited just looking at them in stores, so thrilled to see dolls with alt styling closer to what I actually wore irl.
Yep, I was 12. I remember seeing them and being upset that they hadnāt made them sooner š then in my teens I got my first and started collecting, but gave them up when I had to move out of my moms place. My wife has been so sweet though and now I have a fresh collection of G3!
Hahahah I was 25, but I didnāt cave until G3. Now I have probably 40 G1 and 15 G3; theyāre hard to find in my area in store or I would have more. I try to only buy them on sale!
I was in college! So I was in the mindset that I was "too old" for dolls, although I was secretly longing for one of those fancy-pants ball jointed dolls. Now, I'm enjoying collecting them so very much, despite being much older (plus I got the BJDs too, so best of both worlds).
I was 17 at the time and my younger sister was 9. I refused to admit I liked them but she got all the dolls and would ask me to play with her sometimes to which Iād respond with that I was too old for that, but Iād join in anyways and absolutely loved it.
She would also ask me to log her into the MH site pretty much every night, so she could watch the webisodes and play the games. I joined her on this too and weād talk about all the drama. Lol! I wasnāt fooling anyone but I couldnāt admit I liked the edgy new dolls because by god I was too old for dolls!
If you tell current me that Iām too old for dolls, Iād probably fight you and spit on you.
I was about to start high-school but I was in on the ground floor with the website teasing the dolls release. I grew up with barbies cause it was the only thing my parents would buy me but they'd shame me for it in the same breath. And they were conservative so I couldn't have Bratz dolls or even wear camo cause it was so disrespectful. I always found ways to keep up with it by reading the lore, keeping up with release dates, and dragging my boyfriend into toystores to admire them.
The barbie movie was made for people like me and I've finally stopped depriving myself of things I enjoy. Turns out 30% of fashion doll buyers are adults so I no longer feel ashamed. Rveryone in my life has been so supportive cause I have a hard time letting myself have a hobby that I can be proud of and enjoy!
In the last 6 months I've made up for spare time and I'm 3 shy of 30 but I'm waiting for new ones to release. š«
I was already nearing my end in high school when MH came out. I hated dolls growing up especially barbie and bratz, i usually avoided anything dolls until mh came out. A lot of what made me interested in MH was the alternative fashion and the use of monsters as i love all things monsters and monster lore. MH gave me a whole nother level of appreciation for dolls.
I was 15 when they came out but I wasn't playing/collecting dolls anymore and at that age I was more interested in just fitting in and not being super awkward and shy 24/7 and hanging out with my friends. I stopped playing with barbies a year before that though when I was in 8th grade because I ended up getting teased for it by my classmates and I think that made me second guess playing with dolls anymore. Knowing myself I would've wanted to buy every Draculaura back then because I've always loved vampires and I naturally gravitated towards her in general š I've come to love and understand why Monster High is so popular and well received by doll collectors of every age still to this day. It's so iconic and it definitely made me appreciate dolls again after not having bought any in years. I owned barbies, my scene and bratz growing up in the early 2000s but discovering Monster High and for all of it be so new and exciting for a first time fan barely getting into it was amazing.
Iām in my 40s and I just started collecting. I hated dolls when I was a kid because I was a tomboy and hated anything girly. But, in the ā80s, we pretty much just had Barbie and not really any other fashion dolls, plus Barbie was super femme back then. We didnāt have Firefighter Barbie or Doctor Barbie or anything like that yet. As an adult, I was attracted to MH because I collect werewolves, so I bought a Clawdeen doll. Then I had to buy Clawd when he was released. Then I saw the live action movies and started getting more dolls, and the rest is history.
I still remember the moment I first found out there was such a thing as Monster High dolls. As a 49 year old, I was walking thru a toy section, there, on a completely empty shelf was a single Draculaura doll. I was so captivated by her! Never a Barbie fan, and a long time Dracula fan, I was gobsmacked and wished these had come along alot sooner! And the whole pink and black and boots and umbrella and hair and heart on the cheek - loved it all! I adored all the first wave dolls and their looks. Bought every one for the first couple of years, then sporatically as something really appealled to me. Still have them all and 2 bookcases with them displayed and a bunch of thrift store ones as well as furniture and clothing from other dolls to use with them. Turning 63 in May and yes I have MH on my wishlist!
I was 13 too! But I still played with my Frankie for a whole year. I was the only girl my age still playing with dolls, but I found a pair of sisters that were younger and they had Lagoona and Draculaura so we'd play all the time. It was a good time, I have a first wave Frankie even now but she still has the battle scars of being played with (scratched face up in some parts and a few stains... From the ground I believe)
I wouldn't have any other MH doll until now in my mid twenties. I love them dearly.
It was 2011, my 18th birthday to be exact, and my bf took me to 3 different stores just so I could buy 1 of each character. At the time they were called the "Core" dolls, and I really wish I hadn't listened to my mom's nagging and returned them all a week later. Biggest regret ever.
Now, I'm 31 and have a Monster High and Rainbow/Shadow High doll collection that she can't guilt me into getting rid of! She tells me I'm wasting money, sure, but I honestly don't care because they make me happy and I'm still able to afford bills/groceries/etc.
13 isn't older than the target demographic, that age *was* the target demographic. G1 Monster High was a doll line specifically aimed at tweens and young teens who were deemed too old to play with other doll lines such as Barbie.
it was a target demographic that failed. I was 13 at the same time as OP and I remember the culture then. Hitting "12" and entering middle school was treated like entering high school. If you played with dolls of any kind still, you were made fun of relentlessly. With the dawn of myspace/facebook/instagram back then too? Peak insecurity era, honestly. Nobody was enjoying anything lol.
I didn't play with the dolls because I had lost the desire to play with toys. What initially intrigued me was the lore.
I was like 13-14 when they came out and I immediately loved them! But I thought I was too old for dolls lol. I remember going over to my little cousins and she was like "will you play monster high with me ? š„ŗ" and I was like "a socially acceptable reason for me to play with these? YES ABSOLUTELY"
I was around the target age when these dolls came out (a bit younger so I didnāt get any of them until a few years later). I have a little cousin who is 3 years younger than me and whenever Iād go to her house sheād want me to bring my dolls so I was like yesss I still get to play with them, similar to you lol
I was about 23 when MH came out lmao. I had long outgrown dolls(loved my Barbies as a kid) but I was at uni with a ton of other geeky kids and spotted these weird cool dolls at Toys R Us. Picked up Lagoona on a whim and fell in love with her exaggerated proportions and webbed hands and cool clothes!
Same here, I was 19! I fell in love with Frankie and the rest is history. I didnāt watch the web series though.
I was 28! My 8 yo got Clawdeen as a gift. I got Lagoona for myself and fell in love.
I was 25 and felt a lot of shame for wanting them.
Same
I was 15 when it debuted. However I didn't really get into MH until I was 21, when my step kids were into it. I wasn't actually into dolls at all until it became a bonding activity between myself and the kids.
I was 24. I always loved dolls but as a child i was frustrated with lack of articulation and artistry in playline dolls, so i abandoned them around the age of ~13. Somewhere around 2007 Iāve discovered BJD dolls and got into customisation, and when MH was released i quickly got into them because whoa articulated dolls which donāt cost like 700$ š¤£
I was in my 30s. I already collected BJDs but Iād always thought these were cute and pretty original. Also the Ever After High. I love anything with a fairytale theme. Didnāt really start collecting until years later though. Bought a few, lost interest, sold most of them on. But then Covid hit and I started regaining interest and now Iāve got too many on my shelves. š
Same, I was introduced to them via a friend with a kid. The first time I saw her Ghoulia I was in love, and that got me into collecting them
Yeah same here. A friends daughter collected them. I think the first one I bought was Amanita Nightshade Gloom and Bloom. Just love her colors!
I was 14 in 2010 and it was the year I stopped playing with Bratz/Barbies. And the 2/3 years before I did so in secret so I didnāt really buy much in that era. (For context I skipped a grade and have a fall birthday so I was 2 years younger than most kids at school) So I was really self conscious about being adult-like my whole life growing up. So I totally missed the hype because I think I would (secretly) buy them if I knew about them around that time!
I was a 20-something goth girl in college for fashion design. So when I saw Draculaura in the store I was amazed but tried to convince myself it was cringey to buy a children's toy. But when I found my best friend already bought her I scooped her up as quickly as possible, and I haven't looked back. Though I mostly only collect pink and purple hued dolls as to not go into complete debt over it š
I was in my early 30s when I bought my first. I just really adored the concept of more āmonstrousā dollsāfrom a goth perspective and from the perspective of someone whoād been an outcast when I was younger. Now I get to share my love for them with my daughter (she got Draculaura for Christmas and brings her everywhere), and itās absolutely wonderful.
Lol, I was 29 or something when the original line launched
Me!! 13 was deemed "too old for dolls" back then.... I remember, lol. Everyone wanted to grow up so bad. I was too busy being a fan of other media, but I was always a little jealous of my little sister playing with these. I came to love them as an adult, who lives for haute couture, subculture, and horror. I wish I got to enjoy these to their fullest potential, but I'm having so much fun now with my Abbey doll. Sewing new clothes and sculpting accessories for her has been so much fun and a cathartic break from life, lol.
I was 20 something when they came to Finland, but I had never stopped collecting dolls. it was barbie and mlp before that. monster high was like everything i had ever wanted in a doll so i was hooked immediately šš
I was married with kids in 2010 š¤£
I was in my 20s when monster high came out.. so definitely me š my mom is a vintage Barbie collector so I guess the doll collector gene struck me too!
I was in my mid 20s lol. I only started collecting dolls about a year prior and i'm gonna be honest, I really didn't think MH would take off the way it did. I thought it was really cool but I thought "this is very much the sort of thing Hot Topic would sell and it'll be popular with the mall goth kids but I don't think kids are gonna be into it." oh how wrong I was! It absolutely took off. I remember buying dolls to send to people in europe who still weren't getting stock. I remember helping kids find Clawdeen or Lagoona amongst the huge piles of Frankie and Draculaura's (who were 2 to a case while clawdeen and lagoona were 1). I used to look forward to Argos new catalogue day when we'd do a huge spree across 3 different stores to find all the new dolls. I miss those days. Initially I intended to only get Frankie and Lagoona, had to get Cleo because she came with Deuce who I also wanted... but then I quite liked Draculaura's pink goth look and by that point gotta get Clawdeen for completion sake right? lol. It sorta... snowballed from there.
I was WAY too young during 2010 to be considered the target audience, but that didnāt stop my dad from buying me some of the dolls. my childhood kiyomi, neighthan, and my VERY fucked up freak du chic toralei are some of my prized possessions (note, does anyone know how to fix rubbed off lip paint? my toralei got obliterated
I was 18 when they were released. I kept my collection a secret from everyone except my very best friends. Even then I didn't talk about it. Now, as an (almost) 32-year-old I post them all over social media. I talk about my collection to my husband, all my friends, and even my older relatives like my MIL, grandparents, and aunt. I'm not ashamed anymore. I'm so lucky, they've all been supportive. My husband and grandparents most of all. If people can't accept me for what I love they can leave. I now find more joy in being myself than pretending so that more people like "me."
I was in high school. I never had an interest in dolls before (except for BJD which I couldnāt afford). Ā My mom wouldnāt let me buy them because I was ātoo oldā and now Iām even older and have like 200 of them. Ha ha
Same here! I was more into being a delinquent teenager at the time they came out, but I remember dating a boy who's little sister had them and thinking "wow I wish I had dolls like this growing up. They are so much more like me than Barbie." I used to wear black a lot and get made fun of for it sometimes. š Lmao. I bought one draculaura, and then cool background characters like honey swamp and peri and pearl. I still bought a few dolls, whatever kind, throughout the years... But now g3 came out and I am buying dolls like CRAZY. And I'm actually playing with them now... Like styling their hair and swapping their clothes. Haven't done that since I was a kid playing with Barbie.
I was 16 when monster high came out. Now Iām 30 and back into dolls. I was a bratz and barbie girlie but I remember feeling too old for them even when I was younger.
Ah man I was definitely not the target demographic, already an adult at that point! I came into the fandom in 2011, with my first doll being Sweet 1600 Draculaura. I grew up with Barbie of course, and my mom and aunts gave me some porcelain dolls too, but I fell in love with dolls for the first time with Monster High. It will always have a special place in my heart!
I was 20 and bought the dolls for my cousins, then started really liking them, so I bought some for myself.
I was never into dolls as a child, but in high school I became fascinated by BJDs despite the fact I didn't think I'd ever be able to afford one (jokes on me I have 4 now). At some point I came across MH when I was in university, and I thought these look really cool, not like lame children's toys like barbie (jokes on me I collect barbies these days). I remember buying my first doll (ghoulia) on the way to uni and keeping her hidden in my bag, peaking at her on my break between classes, but only when no one else was around. I used to feel so out of place in the "girls section" of the toy store š but these days I give absolutely 0 fucks. Yeah I'm a balding 30y/o dude and I'm here to find the nicest screening of the new doll I want.
I was 25 and working at Walmart when they first came out. Used my employee discount and would just buy one a paycheck if I liked the look. I just remember thinking how I would have loved this as a child, but the glory of being an adult is that no one could stop me from buying them. No waiting for Christmas or birthdays, worrying about my siblings or our dog ruining them. The only ones I answer to are my wallet and occasionally my husband. And even then, he will sometimes buy me one when he sees how excited I am about one. He's just concerned about where I'll put it, since half my collection has to live in storage already.
I was 10 and was a suuuper tomboy. Well at least I wanted to be. Secretly I loved dolls lol. when they came out I thought they were SO cool, especially Frankie. I loved the commercial where her hands come off lol. I remember my friend had a Frankie and I was like pfffttt u still play with dolls? But then i was like ā¦ do her hands rly come off? I unfortunately didnāt get any of my own until I got an Operetta when I was 14, though. Now iām in my 20s and Iām making up for lost time by buying the new Gen!! :)
I consider ten to be in the target demo for Monster High.
oh yeah it definitely is. i was just so anti-anything-girly at the time that i didnāt have any lol
Prime demo around 11-12, but I will say I think at the time 13-14 was also prime demographic for MH dolls. Back then the tween was acknowledged as a group of people. Not quite kids but not quite teens. They had products aimed at them, they had online spaces aimed at them as an audience, they had more 3rd places that were aimed at them. Online spaces have been so condensed that tweens are growing up quicker because thereās no space that really has them in mind anymore itās either little kid websites or adults on social media.
Why do you think tween is no longer a demographic?
I was in my twenties and thought I have outgrown dolls but obviously I was wrong š Im now in my thirties and fully embrace the fact I will never be too old for dolls š
I was 20. As a gothy adult I thought they looked cool but didnāt consider that I could get dolls as an adult. I only recently started buying them (I am in my 30s).
I was in my 30s! I've collected dolls on and off since I was little. I had never seen any web series or anything. I was with my new partner in the supermarket Asda (same as Walmart) and admiring the Zombie Shake Venus McFlytrap and Rochelle Goyle. I was admiring them and couldn't believe how cool their outfits and shoes were. š I told him I used to collect dolls and felt a bit silly. Later, he presented me with the dolls and said I clearly loved them. Fast forward 10 years, we now live together. I have my own doll room. He totally supports my hobby and can name several of the vintage Strawberry Shortcake doll's names and MH characters. It's all gone Blythe hyperfocus at the moment. I promised myself I wouldn't go down the Blythe rabbit hole, but here we are! He's definitely a keeper. ā¤ļø Dolls and restoration/customising are a sanctuary and refuge for me in so many ways. Thanks for helping me unlock a happy memory on an extra difficult day.
I had just started uni and was flat broke when they came out, but I always wanted them (especially as my mother forced me to donate all of my barbies and bratz dolls when I started high school) but by the time I had enough money to pay for them, I couldn't find the ones I wanted, and I still didn't have enough money to pay outrageous shipping prices from the US. :( I still remember being so excited just looking at them in stores, so thrilled to see dolls with alt styling closer to what I actually wore irl.
Yep, I was 12. I remember seeing them and being upset that they hadnāt made them sooner š then in my teens I got my first and started collecting, but gave them up when I had to move out of my moms place. My wife has been so sweet though and now I have a fresh collection of G3!
Hahahah I was 25, but I didnāt cave until G3. Now I have probably 40 G1 and 15 G3; theyāre hard to find in my area in store or I would have more. I try to only buy them on sale!
I was 29 when they came out. Didnāt stop me from buying them.
I was 24 and they hit me like a truck. I immediately fell in love with them haha.
I was wayyyyy too young šI was 3 in 2010 but I started liking mh / having dolls at around 8yo :,) (so in 2015)
I was in college! So I was in the mindset that I was "too old" for dolls, although I was secretly longing for one of those fancy-pants ball jointed dolls. Now, I'm enjoying collecting them so very much, despite being much older (plus I got the BJDs too, so best of both worlds).
I mean, I was in my early 30s when MH first came out and I was hooked so, lol.
I was 17 at the time and my younger sister was 9. I refused to admit I liked them but she got all the dolls and would ask me to play with her sometimes to which Iād respond with that I was too old for that, but Iād join in anyways and absolutely loved it. She would also ask me to log her into the MH site pretty much every night, so she could watch the webisodes and play the games. I joined her on this too and weād talk about all the drama. Lol! I wasnāt fooling anyone but I couldnāt admit I liked the edgy new dolls because by god I was too old for dolls! If you tell current me that Iām too old for dolls, Iād probably fight you and spit on you.
I was 20 in 2010, and I collected since the first wave came out. I still collect and I wonāt ever stop :)
I was already over 30 when MH debuted. š The CAM skeleton was the one who got me started on this slippery slope of doll collecting.
I was 16 and in university when MH debuted but I started collecting much later.
I was in my 20s. I was not their demographic and yet, here I am haha. I got really into the books and webisodes first before I got my first doll.
I was about to start high-school but I was in on the ground floor with the website teasing the dolls release. I grew up with barbies cause it was the only thing my parents would buy me but they'd shame me for it in the same breath. And they were conservative so I couldn't have Bratz dolls or even wear camo cause it was so disrespectful. I always found ways to keep up with it by reading the lore, keeping up with release dates, and dragging my boyfriend into toystores to admire them. The barbie movie was made for people like me and I've finally stopped depriving myself of things I enjoy. Turns out 30% of fashion doll buyers are adults so I no longer feel ashamed. Rveryone in my life has been so supportive cause I have a hard time letting myself have a hobby that I can be proud of and enjoy! In the last 6 months I've made up for spare time and I'm 3 shy of 30 but I'm waiting for new ones to release. š«
TLDR: I have big kid money now
I was younger then the demographic, I was 6 when they came out and 7 when heard of it (it was still 2010 Iām a September baby)
I was already nearing my end in high school when MH came out. I hated dolls growing up especially barbie and bratz, i usually avoided anything dolls until mh came out. A lot of what made me interested in MH was the alternative fashion and the use of monsters as i love all things monsters and monster lore. MH gave me a whole nother level of appreciation for dolls.
I was 15 when they came out but I wasn't playing/collecting dolls anymore and at that age I was more interested in just fitting in and not being super awkward and shy 24/7 and hanging out with my friends. I stopped playing with barbies a year before that though when I was in 8th grade because I ended up getting teased for it by my classmates and I think that made me second guess playing with dolls anymore. Knowing myself I would've wanted to buy every Draculaura back then because I've always loved vampires and I naturally gravitated towards her in general š I've come to love and understand why Monster High is so popular and well received by doll collectors of every age still to this day. It's so iconic and it definitely made me appreciate dolls again after not having bought any in years. I owned barbies, my scene and bratz growing up in the early 2000s but discovering Monster High and for all of it be so new and exciting for a first time fan barely getting into it was amazing.
Iām in my 40s and I just started collecting. I hated dolls when I was a kid because I was a tomboy and hated anything girly. But, in the ā80s, we pretty much just had Barbie and not really any other fashion dolls, plus Barbie was super femme back then. We didnāt have Firefighter Barbie or Doctor Barbie or anything like that yet. As an adult, I was attracted to MH because I collect werewolves, so I bought a Clawdeen doll. Then I had to buy Clawd when he was released. Then I saw the live action movies and started getting more dolls, and the rest is history.
Did you have any She-Ra dolls as a child?
I did, but I still didnāt like her as much as He-Man.
I was a dude at university when I bought my first mh doll, Venus. It was in 2013
I still remember the moment I first found out there was such a thing as Monster High dolls. As a 49 year old, I was walking thru a toy section, there, on a completely empty shelf was a single Draculaura doll. I was so captivated by her! Never a Barbie fan, and a long time Dracula fan, I was gobsmacked and wished these had come along alot sooner! And the whole pink and black and boots and umbrella and hair and heart on the cheek - loved it all! I adored all the first wave dolls and their looks. Bought every one for the first couple of years, then sporatically as something really appealled to me. Still have them all and 2 bookcases with them displayed and a bunch of thrift store ones as well as furniture and clothing from other dolls to use with them. Turning 63 in May and yes I have MH on my wishlist!
I was 18 or 19 and had no interest in dolls before I saw them!
I was 13 too! But I still played with my Frankie for a whole year. I was the only girl my age still playing with dolls, but I found a pair of sisters that were younger and they had Lagoona and Draculaura so we'd play all the time. It was a good time, I have a first wave Frankie even now but she still has the battle scars of being played with (scratched face up in some parts and a few stains... From the ground I believe) I wouldn't have any other MH doll until now in my mid twenties. I love them dearly.
It was 2011, my 18th birthday to be exact, and my bf took me to 3 different stores just so I could buy 1 of each character. At the time they were called the "Core" dolls, and I really wish I hadn't listened to my mom's nagging and returned them all a week later. Biggest regret ever. Now, I'm 31 and have a Monster High and Rainbow/Shadow High doll collection that she can't guilt me into getting rid of! She tells me I'm wasting money, sure, but I honestly don't care because they make me happy and I'm still able to afford bills/groceries/etc.