Creature Feature:Printable Doll Clothes and Giveaway

It's a new year and time for a new feature on our blog. Our new Creature Feature will showcase some very talented Monster High artists from all over the world. Our first feature will be the clawsome Elizabeth from Printable Doll Clothes! 

When I saw her site printabledollclothes.com I was blown away at her off the fang designs for our Ghouls at Monster High. I am sure you will agree that they are voltageous and show killer style.

Let's meet Elizabeth and learn all about our new freaky fab friend:

I’ve had a life long love of dolls, and I’ve been collecting them since I was about six. At first, I mostly collected Barbie. Recently though I’ve started collecting many other doll lines, some of which had few additional outfit options available. I wanted an inexpensive way, that was less time consuming than sewing, to make doll clothes for them.

Being able to print an outfit with regular printer paper that would fasten with tape seemed like a good way to achieve this goal. I started measuring various dolls and using scrap paper to see if paper dresses could work. After much trial and error I eventually came up with the template pieces I now make my outfits from. It was very exciting when my first printed outfit was finished and looked great!

Originally I designed my printable doll clothes to fit Barbie and Monster High dolls but after I had finalized the pieces I found that they also worked on a LOT more dolls than just those two. I’ve made outfits for Chelsea, Barbie’s little sister, and I’ve made an outfit for an 18” American Girl doll. Obviously, every doll can’t wear all of the combinations, but most dolls smaller than an American Girl doll can find something to wear using my pieces.

I love historical fashion so the designing process has been very fun. I like to design many different styles of dresses, from Jane Austen Regency to Palace of Versailles ball gowns to Steampunk to Fantasy Fairies to classic fifties dresses, as well as modern designs and much more. With multiple top, skirt, and sleeve combinations for each outfit there are a lot of possibilities. And each of my outfit sets comes with a black and white template that can be colored with crayons etc after printing for a really customized (and ink friendly) look.

I began designing my outfits in July of 2013. After months of development and photography I launched my Etsy store in November of 2013 so that other people can enjoy my outfits too. I've had a lot of fun designing my collection and I am excited to see what the future holds for Printable Doll Clothes.

Here is a couple freaky fab tutorials so you can see how simple it is to dress your ghouls in a whole new style! I am sure Venus would love this idea since you would be able to recycle them, and attention Mummies who need a lil Maul time- Elizabeth has black/white designs so you can keep the lil monsters busy coloring! What a freaky fab idea!

Elizabeth or as I keep calling her Elissabat has also offered all of you Mansters and Ghouls A Coupon Code "MonsterHighParents" good for 20% off an order of $7.50 or more with no expiration date.

Now to the giveaway details.....




1 winner will receive their choice of the $15 dollar five dress multi packs on her store

http://www.etsy.com/shop/PrintableDollClothes
Don't forget to visit her on facebook too


ENTRY is so simple!!! Simply leave a comment on this post telling me what design you like the most or which Monster High student you will be redressing in clawsome PrintableDollClothes... 


This contest will end January 31st at midnight.

Remember Be Unique, Be Yourself, Be Your Own Monster!!!!








Congrats to Disneyeverafter who won this amazing prize! 1752804e398dec8cada2d106e2f05223074ebdc76a3d8ef3621752804e398d1752804e398dec8cada2d106e2f05223074ebdc76a3d8ef3621752804e398dec8cada2d106e2f05223074ebdc76a3d8ef3621752804e398dec8cada2d106e2f05223074ebdc76a3d8ef3621752804e398dec8cada2d106e2f05223074ebdc76a3d8ef3621752804e398dec8cada2d106e2f05223074ebdc76a3d8ef362ec8cada2d106e2f05223074ebdc76a3d8ef3621752804e398dec8cada2d106e2f05223074ebdc76a3d8ef3621752804e398dec8cada2d106e2f05223074ebdc76a3d8ef3621752804e398dec8cada2d106e2f05223074ebdc76a3d8ef3621752804e398dec8cada2d106e2f05223074ebdc76a3d8ef362

Plus Size & disabled ghouls would be welcome at Monster High

A recent posting in a Facebook group, Plus Size Modeling, has raised a fascinating question about Mattel's classic doll, Barbie -- "Should (Mattel) start making plus-sized Barbie dolls?"

At the time of this writing, the post, which comes with an artist's conception of a plus-size Barbie, has attracted over 40,000 "Likes" -- the equivalent of a "Yes" vote for the plus-size Barbie. Meanwhile, there were over 4,700 comments -- an equivalent of a "No" vote.

Source: Facebook, author's edits.

Barbie has been around for 53 years, and the doll has often been criticized for teaching impressionable young girls some questionable life lessons. The most common criticisms are her unrealistic figure, which some say could lead to girls becoming anorexic, and her shallow personality.

A 1965 version of the doll came with a bathroom scale permanently set to 110 pounds, and a 1992 talking version known as Teen Talk Barbie rattled off one-liners such as,"Will we ever have enough clothes?," "I love shopping!," and"Math class is tough!"

That's not to say Mattel hasn't improved Barbie over the years, though.

In 1967, Mattel released the first African-American Barbie, a bold move during a tumultuous time in America. Additional Barbie dolls from other ethnic groups were released over the following years. In 1997, Mattel widened the doll's waist to fit more realistic, contemporary fashions.

Plus-size or obese?

The plus-size Barbie debate, however, poses an interesting question -- is the artist's depiction plus-size or obese? Critics have pointed out that the design, with a double chin, suggests that plus-size Barbie is not just curvy, but unhealthily obese.

To clarify things, we should compare some statistics -- 60% of American women reportedly identify themselves as "plus-size". However, according to a Gallup-Healthways poll, only 26% are obese -- defined as having a BMI (body mass index) equal to or greater than 30.

While the artist may have missed the mark of creating a realistic, curvy Barbie with the mockup, the debate is still valid.

Sure, Barbie is a stylized doll, and dolls don't have to be realistically proportioned. However, Barbie is different, since the doll has the body of a grown woman and is targeted at young girls.

Therefore, should Mattel make a more realistically proportioned version of Barbie? Perhaps they should, since a dramatic change could actually help the company sell more Barbie dolls in the long run.

What Barbie means for Mattel

To understand why Mattel should be concerned about the public perception of Barbie, we need to see how important the franchise is to the company's top line. Mattel's business is divided into three business segments: Mattel Girls & Boys Brands, Fisher-Price Brands, and American Girl.

Let's see what these businesses sell and how they fared last quarter:

Business Segment	3Q revenue	YOY growth	Notable Brands
Mattel Girls & Boys Brands	$1.48 billion	8%	Barbie, Monster High, Hot Wheels, Matchbox
Fisher-Price Brands	$789.3 million	0%	Fisher-Price, Power Wheels
American Girl	$122.3 million	20%	My American Girl, Bitty Baby, Historical dolls

Source: Mattel 3Q report.

Digging deeper into Mattel's Girls & Boys Brands segment, we can see that Barbie products actually account for 30% of the Girls & Boys Brands' segment's revenue and 18% of Mattel's top line.

That's why Barbie's future is so important to Mattel.

Sub-group	Barbie(dolls, accessories, other products)	Other Girls Brands (including Monster High)	Wheels(toy cars)	Entertainment(Radica Games and other games)
3Q sales	$443.3 million	$447.7 million	$241.7 million	$347.0 million
YOY growth	3%	28%	(9%)	7%

Source: Mattel 3Q report.

Unfortunately, Barbie just hasn't been all that popular lately, posting a meager 3% year-over-year growth in sales last quarter.

However, that 3% growth was extremely significant for Mattel, since it was the first time in four consecutive quartersthat the Barbie franchise posted positive sales growth.

Comparing Miley Cyrus to Doris Day

Another line of Mattel dolls, Monster High, has been growing at a much faster rate.

Although Mattel didn't disclose the exact number of Monster High dolls sold, the company primarily attributed the 28% gain in its Other Girls Brands to rising sales of the "Goth Barbies," which debuted in July 2010.

Monster High dolls. Source: Company website.

The Monster High dolls were created by Garrett Sander, with illustrations by Kellee Riley. The line features offspring and relatives of classic monsters such as Medusa, Dracula, Frankenstein's monster, the Mummy, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. The franchise, like Barbie, also includes TV specials, direct-to-DVD movies, books, accessories, and software.

Yet the popularity of Monster High is a double-edged sword. It boosts Mattel's top line while cannibalizing Barbie sales. More importantly, it highlights another image problem that Mattel has with Barbie -- although Monster High dolls are just as thin as Barbie dolls, they're simply newer, edgier, and cooler. It's like comparing Miley Cyrus to Doris Day.

Is it time to reboot Barbie?

For over five decades, Barbie has been the "All-American" doll. However, the role and image of the woman in American society has changed dramatically during that period.

An interesting comparison can be made between Barbie andHasbro's G.I. Joe toys.

Hasbro's original G.I. Joes, made in the 1960s, resembled Ken dolls with uniforms, scars, and over-sized dog tags. By the 1980s, however, boys' tastes had changed -- they were obsessed with comic book-like heroes and villains. In response, Hasbro rebooted G.I. Joe in 1982 under the brand "Real American Hero," with the help of a Marvel comic book series and an animated series. The classic soldiers were replaced by superhero-like soldiers wielding special weapons such as katanas and laser guns -- forming a new foundation for the franchise that has been expanded upon by the two recent live-action films.

With Barbie, it may be time for Mattel to consider a similar reboot. After all, its own Monster High dolls could soon eclipse the classic doll in popularity.

The big question, however, will be how to reboot Barbie. Will she be an astronaut, a business woman, or a doctor instead? Will she have more realistic body proportions than her classic model? Will Mattel make model-size, regular-size, and plus-size versions of the doll just to satisfy everyone?

What do you think Mattel should do with Barbie, dear readers? Let me know in the comments section below!

The article Plus-Size Barbie Sparks Debate About the Classic Doll's Future originally appeared on Fool.com.

I truly believe that even though many people say Barbie should remain classic in her look that the student body at Monster High would welcome not only a plus size ghoul but would embrace her beauty. I also would welcome a disabled ghoul, and a guy/ghoul going through chemotherapy.  

Like we say at Monster High...

Be Unique Be yourself, be your own 

MONSTER!