Let's be real for a second. If you grew up with the original "G1" era of Monster High, you probably didn't buy the dolls for the guys. The "Mansters" were always sort of the background noise to the glittery, high-fashion ghouls like Frankie and Cleo. But if you actually look back at the lore—or if you've seen how much a first-wave Deuce Gorgon goes for on eBay these days—you’ll realize the monster high guy characters were doing some seriously heavy lifting for the franchise's story.
They weren't just plastic boyfriends. They were weird, glitchy, and surprisingly deep.
The Evolution of the "Manster" Body
When the first Deuce Gorgon doll hit shelves in 2010, he was... lanky. To put it nicely. Fans often joke that the G1 male dolls had a "calf to quad ratio" that made no anatomical sense. They were thin, almost twig-like, which actually fit the "skinny-jeans" emo aesthetic of the early 2010s perfectly.
Then G3 (Generation 3) happened.
In the 2022 reboot, Mattel ditched the "twink" aesthetic for a much bulkier, more "Ken-meets-WWE" look. Take Deuce, for instance. In G1, he had those iconic arm scales and a permanent "don't look at me or you'll turn to stone" vibe. In G3, the scales are gone (RIP), but he's gained green skin and a lot more muscle. It’s a polarizing change. Collectors miss the scales, but it's hard to deny that the new dolls are way more durable for actual play.
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Why Deuce and Clawd Aren't Just Arm Candy
If you look at the relationship between Cleo de Nile and Deuce, it’s basically the emotional anchor of the early webisodes. Most people forget that Deuce actually had a crush on Cleo while she was dating Clawd Wolf. Talk about high school drama. He waited until they broke up to make his move because he didn't want to betray his best friend.
That’s a level of loyalty you don't usually see in "toy commercial" cartoons.
And then there’s Clawd. As the older brother to Clawdeen, he could’ve easily been the "overprotective jock" trope. Instead, he’s one of the kindest characters in the show. His relationship with Draculaura is legendary. Remember the movie Why Do Ghouls Fall In Love? where Valentine (the vampire ex) tries to win her back? Clawd doesn't just get jealous; he literally goes through a "true love's kiss" arc to break a spell.
The Jackson Jekyll and Holt Hyde Complexity
Honestly, the most fascinating guy character isn't a "monster" in the traditional sense. It's Jackson Jekyll.
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He’s the only (mostly) human student at a school for monsters. In the Lisi Harrison books, his story is actually kind of tragic. He and his alter ego, Holt Hyde, are essentially two different consciousnesses sharing one body. In the books, they don't share memories. Every time Jackson has a fun moment or gets close to a girl, he starts sweating (the trigger in the books) or hears music (the trigger in the show), and poof—he’s gone, and Holt takes over.
Jackson is the quiet, nervous geek. Holt is the loud, blue-skinned DJ who "yells" everything he says.
For a lot of fans, these two were a "fantasy" representation of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Even though Mattel never officially labeled it that way, the community saw a lot of themselves in Jackson’s struggle to find a place where both halves of him could exist.
The Queer Coding of Kieran Valentine
We have to talk about Valentine. For years, he was the villain—the guy who literally stole hearts to fuel his own ego. But Garrett Sander, the creator of Monster High, has been very open on Instagram about the fact that Valentine was always intended to be gay.
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In his original diary (the little booklets that came with the dolls), Valentine mentions a student named Spelldon Cauldronello, the brother of Casta Fierce. He describes meeting Spelldon as making him "space out" and says it was the only part of his trip he enjoyed.
Mattel wasn't ready to have an "out" character back in the early 2010s, so it stayed in the subtext. It wasn't until the fans and the creator spoke up years later that Valentine was officially recognized as a queer icon in the MH universe.
Rare Mansters: What’s Your Collection Worth?
If you have a box of old dolls in your attic, keep an eye out for these specific guys. Male dolls were produced in much lower numbers than the ghouls, which makes them weirdly valuable now.
- SDCC Exclusive Valentine & Whisp: This two-pack from San Diego Comic-Con is the "holy grail" for many. It can easily fetch $500 to over $1,000 depending on the condition.
- Slo Mo (Factory Error): There’s a version of the zombie Slo Mo with a specific paint error that collectors go crazy for.
- Invisi Billy: Because he was released later in G1 and didn't get as many "budget" versions, he’s harder to find than someone like Heath Burns.
- Finnegan Wake: He was a fan-voted character. As a merman in a wheelchair, he’s one of the most unique molds Mattel ever made.
Actionable Steps for Collectors
Whether you're looking to sell or just want to dive deeper into the lore, here is what you should do next:
- Check the "E" Stamp: Look at the back of your doll’s torso. There is often a production date. A "2008" stamp doesn't mean the doll is from 2008; it means that's when the mold was first patented. To find the real value, you need to identify the specific "line" (like Dawn of the Dance or Ghouls Rule).
- Watch the G3 Animated Series: If you haven't seen the new show, give it a chance. Heath Burns is much more of a main character now, and his relationship with Abbey Bominable is actually really sweet.
- Read the Diaries: If you can find PDF scans of the original doll diaries online, read them. That’s where the "real" character development happened—details like Deuce being a secret chef or the "Wolf" family dynamics that never made it into the 2-minute webisodes.
The guys might have started as accessories, but they ended up becoming some of the most relatable parts of the Monster High world. They showed that even in a world of monsters, being a "guy" meant being loyal, struggling with your identity, and occasionally turning your friends to stone by accident.