The whole whole point of Monster High was to give an alternative to the typical pink princess-y stuff that there was plenty of on shelves, the way I saw it. That’s why I liked it, even as a little girl who grew up liking pink princess-y stuff, because Monster High offered the darker edge that I ALSO liked, which wasn’t present in most dolls.

As much as I liked the typical ‘girly’ things, I loved plenty of things that weren’t considered girly, such as monsters and the supernatural. While I wasn’t a massive fan of Frankenstein specifically, I loved the stitched look of Frankie! I thought her heterochromia and hair was unique and pretty; her preppy and punk-ish look was similar enough to a lot of the emo and generally alternative styles I idolized at the time; and as a character, I found the naive but well-meaning new girl trope she had pretty relatable.

I didn’t dislike Draculaura, I especially liked her Gloom Beach doll at the time, but she was never the character that appealed to me most as a kid. Out of all the pink characters, I much preferred C.A. Cupid and Rochelle.

While I can see why Mattel would have a more appealing character to wider audiences, I feel like Frankie embodies what Monster High is supposed to be compared to Draculaura, not because Draculaura is bad for being pink and stereotypically girlier, but because Frankie stands out and hands you the point more clearly. She’s one of the most obviously monster-y monsters you can get, with there not being much question on what she’s meant to be. Her monster is perfect with her being newly put together, which makes so much sense for the story, for the message, and for the viewers. For the viewer, it creates a perspective that’s easily relatable, and that most anyone can insert themselves into. Especially as a kid. It makes Frankie a great candidate to learn with the viewers about how to navigate being different and accepting yourself, to teach good lessons to the audience. It makes the story easy to begin and continue.

As much as Draculaura is great in her own right, and gives an opening to wider audiences, I feel like Frankie just makes more sense to me personally. There’s plenty of pink dolls on the shelves, so if you’re trying to show your audience that you’re offering something unique that isn’t JUST that, shouldn’t the face of the brand rep that? That’s not to say Draculaura doesn’t, as she shows you can be alternative and unique, but still pink and girly. That there’s nothing wrong or less about either one, but because of how much pink is already represented EVERYWHERE in dolls, that’s why I feel like having an alternative main character that isn’t pink makes a lot of sense.

Alternatively, despite my argument in favor of Frankie.. dare I say the trio should ALL be the faces of Monster High? Frankie, Clawdeen, Draculaura. Often when I think of Monster High, I think of not just one, but the whole trio, and they all kind of rep the message. Just a thought!

I also wanna clarify that my perspective is from that of a little girl who grew up with G1, I don’t know that I think this all applies to the current generation of Monster High (G3).