Throwback Thursday: Monsters High

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4qZkwqS5cY

The Rise and Fall of My Monster High Obsession

I think it all started around 2015 — the year I got my first proper job and, more importantly, my first taste of adult money. You know that moment when your salary hits and suddenly all the things you couldn’t have as a kid start calling your name? Yeah. For me, that thing was a doll.

I’ve always been into fashion. Like, always. But growing up, owning dolls wasn’t exactly encouraged — you know how it was back then. Boys and dolls weren’t exactly a socially accepted combo. That said, I still found my loopholes. I had “action figures.” My dad once bought me a Blue Mighty Morphin Power Rangers action figure, and I played the hell out of it. But deep down? I preferred dolls.

Barbie never really did it for me, though. She was just… too perfect. Too pretty. Too polished. I gravitated more towards female action figures like Catwoman or Supergirl — strong, edgy, a little dramatic. So when I walked into a toy store in 2015 and saw Monster High dolls for the first time, something clicked.

They were weird. They were fashionable. They were monsters. And suddenly, I was hooked.

I bought my first Monster High doll. Then a second. Then another. Before I knew it, I had collected more than 10 of them (if my memory serves me right). Each doll felt like a tiny fashion moment — the outfits, the details, the personalities. It felt like I was finally indulging a part of my childhood that never really got the space to exist.

And then… Lady Gaga happened.

When Monster High collaborated with Gaga and released the Zomby Gaga doll, inspired by her iconic Born This Way skull look, I completely lost it. That doll was everything I loved combined into one — fashion, monsters, and Mother Monster herself. I wanted it so badly. But of course, it wasn’t available in Malaysia, and trying to get it from overseas was painfully expensive. That was probably the beginning of the end.

A few years later, Monster High dolls slowly disappeared from Malaysian shelves. I remember actively looking for new releases, only to find nothing. The only dolls available were clearance items or pre-loved ones. With no new drops and nothing to hunt for, my obsession slowly fizzled out. By the time COVID came around, I had already stopped collecting.

Funny enough, after COVID, I started seeing Monster High making a comeback — mostly at Toys“R”Us. I’m not sure if other retailers carry them now, but seeing them again felt… nostalgic. Like running into an old phase of your life in the wild.

These days, my Monster High dolls are all packed away in a box under my bed. I’ve thought about rehoming them, but I’m not even sure if anyone would want them. Still, I don’t regret a thing. It was a moment. A phase. A very specific chapter of my life where I finally allowed myself to want the things I once couldn’t.

And honestly? I’m glad I lived it.