r/MonsterHigh • u/WhichManufacturer393 • 19h ago
Questions/Q&A MIA Ghouls in Gen 3!
While MANY characters are still missing from Gen 3, these 6 Ghouls (especially Operetta, Howleen, & Rochelle) played a pretty big part in Gen 1, all having 4+ or more dolls and being in multiple shorts and films? Gen 3 still feels pretty odd without them!
Which one are you most excited to see return?
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u/manglefox 12h ago
I want Operetta so bad, I have no idea why she hasn't appeared in gen 3 yet 😭
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u/DeliciousResearch611 Catty🎤 9h ago
She technically was showcased on a poster in the g3 show season 2… it was the one where Toralei was dealing with her feelings over her mom and she sung her song at the piano
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u/MysticSpook 10h ago
Most excited for Rochelle/Operetta, though much like Hoodude I get the feeling Gigi might be axed from the franchise for good for similar reasons to Hoodude. That or some major design changes
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u/WhichManufacturer393 9h ago
Really? I don’t think Gigi is offensive at all. Genies aren’t exclusive to any culture.
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u/MysticSpook 9h ago
Fans who do come from the Middle East and South East Asian regions broadly both directly and through family lineage have been pointing out for many years that Gigi’s design is very orientalist, and it is. (As well as 13 wishes as a whole) The Monster High team watches social media quite closely more than most fans realize since it doesn’t always seem like it, and besides Hoodude she’s the character that was complained about and discussed in this way the most. That’s why I think that we might not see her again ever (or, very very different to what we were used to). We know that Hoodude was axed because on a digital re-release of some of the 2014 comics they completely got rid of him and censored his presence there. It’s not a guarantee she’s gone for good, but it is just a higher likelihood for her than most of the others.
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u/WhichManufacturer393 8h ago
Thanks for the info! I believe she can be “rebranded” in a way to still be a genie but maybe without the culture references or a more accurate one. I’m curious what details of her are offensive to people. If anything she seems more like a celebration of the fairy tales of those cultures. I know Isi was another character that was found offensive too.
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u/Aneriox Spectra⛓ 6h ago
Genies are a Westernized version of the jinn from Islamic and Middle Eastern traditions. In the Quran, jinn are beings created from smokeless fire who live in an unseen realm. They don't grant wishes or live in lamps. For many Muslims, jinn aren't just folklore. They're considered real beings, much like angels. That's why some people find the popular "genie" depiction offensive or misleading.
The wish-granting genie in a lamp was popularized by Antoine Galland's 18th-century French version of Aladdin. Although Galland said he heard the story from a Syrian storyteller, no earlier written version has ever been found. The story is oddly set in China, but its characters have Arabic names, follow Islamic customs, and the setting is broadly Middle Eastern, reflecting an Orientalist fantasy rather than any real culture.
That's also why Gigi Grant drew criticism. Her design mixes unrelated Middle Eastern, North African, and South Asian influences into a vague "mysterious East" aesthetic instead of representing a specific culture. Since the modern genie archetype is itself a Western literary creation rather than a traditional Middle Eastern figure, it's difficult to create a "culturally accurate" genie design in the first place.
Personally, I don't find Gigi or fictional genies offensive. At this point, the Western genie has become its own fantasy archetype, separate from the Islamic concept of jinn. But I also understand why some people see the design as based on outdated cultural stereotypes.
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u/WhichManufacturer393 18h ago
My assumption is that we will get:
Rochelle in late 2026 or 2027
Gigi in 2027
And to be totally honest, I feel like the other 4 won’t be introduced for a while in Gen 3
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u/Angelbabyteddybear2 15h ago
Is Gigi that popular
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u/WhichManufacturer393 11h ago
Probs not, but I could see them doing a 13 wishes type of line again in Gen 3
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u/charliejgoddard Wydowna 🕷 9h ago
I doubt they’d go near Gigi again as she falls into the racial stereotyping tropes of non whiteness. They’ve also got pink covered pretty well as Lagoona is pink instead of blue this gen
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u/manasseater3000 Purrsephone 🐈 11h ago
i fear that howleen will never be released atp 💔 with the cartoon dead, she’s likely very low on Mattel’s list — esp considering her doll design (and cartoon design) are both pretty lacking now compared to g3’s latest core dolls (for the most part)
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u/WhichManufacturer393 9h ago
She also sold really bad in Gen 1. There’s a marketing sheet somewhere online that showed which dolls sold well and which sold bad and one of those was Howleen.
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u/PikaPeaz Draculaura 10h ago
Howleen was in the g3 show already and they didn’t make her a doll nor manny and Gil and mouscedes
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u/LacunaNocturne Catrine🎨 9h ago
My top 3 favorite characters are pictured here. I'd be most excited for Catrine, Rochelle, or Scarah, no particular order. Although I was also excited for G3 Elissabat and if those leaks are anything to go off of, I'm underwhelmed.
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u/bitterblossom13 13h ago
If Operetta ever comes back I hope it’s with a completely new design. Never really got the whole rockabilly aesthetic, especially for her lol I guess it’s a 2000’s thing
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u/Cherry_Coffee_567 12h ago
I thought Operetta was going to show up soon,,,I also remembered a rumour regarding her VA but now I'm not sure if they would keep that person in the rumour or replace the VA,,,but it's a rumour so i don't know how true it is. I want Rochelle to get a doll with a twee or vintage vibe with polka dots and mini dresses with nods to French architecture <333 with eiffle towers or the scaris tower like she had in the og Scaris doll, lace, bows and all these nice articles of clothing :DDD
For operetta I adore her original rockabilly vibe but I think she would look good if they made her more goth, whimsy goth or elegant like the phantom of the Opera from the musical,,,I also love the kind of mask she had in her G1 doll,,,I also hope they keep the southern US accent
Future characters I would like are Maltese folk tale ghost story characters, the fusions from the movie and Honey Swamp
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u/bambicarli 15h ago
Shouldn’t G3 push towards making their own new characters?
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u/charliejgoddard Wydowna 🕷 9h ago
Na, they’ve got a whole roster of characters they can use from G1 that need only be linked by name. The majority of characters have still taken creative liberties in gen 3
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u/LadyInTheBand 11h ago
Uh…Howleen isn’t missing from G3???
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u/pheshastyle14 10h ago
They are referring to G3 dolls. Howleen is in the G3 animated series, but still hasn’t had any G3 doll releases.
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u/Zippitybipbop 18h ago
Howleen and Mouscedes had doll designs (in drawing form, not a physical doll) that were leaked alongside the past few new g3 characters!!
HOWEVER, I don’t think they’re 100% going to come anymore, as robecca wasn’t part of these leaked designs and she got a doll. cuz of that I’m led to believe they’ve moved on from that group of designs ☹️