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The Doll Hunters Interview Monster High Creator Garrett Sander at NYCC 2013[]
Mommy: "Okay, hi, everybody! This is the Mommy and Gracie show; Mommy, Gracie, and Garrett!! So, we didn't really plan anything in advance what we were going to ask you. So lets start with: when you first did the original ghouls, did you think it was gonna turn into this?"
Garrett Sander: "We always hoped it would be big, but we never dreamed it would be this big. It's just been amazing how... what a monster it's become. We love all the fans and seeing them and getting to meet them—that's the best part of this. It's just amazing, there's so many people coming through who love it."
Gracie: "Were there any characters that were originally dropped from the cast?"
Garrett Sander: "The only one that we had that we didn't was, actually, Operetta was originally in the role of Cleo and we switched them and put Cleo as Deuce's girlfriend."
Gracie: "Oh, so that is why you got Operetta to go after Deuce!"
Garrett Sander: "Yes."
Mommy: "So, growing up, you were into art?"
Garrett Sander: "Yes."
Mommy: "Is that how it all came about?"
Garrett Sander: "Yes."
Mommy: "I know that you actually were a personal shopper for FOA Schwarz."
Garrett Sander: "Yes, I worked at FOA Schwarz in LA."
Mommy: "So are you going to go visit up there if they let you out of your booth."
Garrett Sander: "Hopefully, yes. It depends on the time."
Mommy: "So what led... how did you end up at Mattel designing dolls?"
Garrett Sander: "Well, first at school I studied Fine Arts and Graphic Design and I went into packaging design at Mattel. I did packaging for Winx Club, Pixel Chicks, My Scene; I worked on that. And that's where I carried out the idea for Monster High."
Mommy: "So you went and everything and said I've got this idea for these really cool-"
Garrett Sander: "I was already there at Mattel and I was working there and they were and they were looking for a new brand and then I got in and they said "Yeah, well, lets try and see."
Mommy: "Yeah, that worked out well! You had something to ask, Gracie?"
Gracie: "If there were any characters that were changed the most from their original design, who would they be?"
Garrett Sander: "A lot of them have stayed pretty close to their original designs. We switched outfits a little bit, but the base of the characters has stayed pretty much the same and consistent throughout."
Gracie: "Who do you think has changed the most from the original design?"
Garrett Sander: "Well, the original Clawdeen; her ears were a headband and you could take them off, but I liked-I wanted them to be a part of the head so I worked really hard to get them to be part of her head sculpt. And if you look at very early pictures you'll notice that her ears are not the same and that's why. Because they were prototype ears."
Mommy: "Oh, that's really cool! Wow. So Gracie, what other questions do you have for Garrett?"
Gracie: "Where did you get the idea for Catty Noir?"
Garrett Sander: "We wanted to introduce a song in "13 Wishes", so we needed a monster pop star. She's a black cat and there's superstition so she wears a broken mirror dress and broken mirror shoes and does everything in 13s."
Mommy: "That is so cool. Now, here's my question about the movie. Where was Spectra in the DJ booth? Did I like miss something?"
Garrett Sander: "Well, Spectra flies through the booth."
Mommy: "Oh, okay, so that's why I never saw her, like, spinning records. That was just my little personal idea."
Gracie: "Another question I have: Are we getting shadow dolls?"
Garrett Sander: "There are no plans for the shadow dolls right now. Sorry."
Mommy: "How about Whisp?"
Garrett Sander: "There are no plans for Whisp either."
Mommy: "Okay, we asked."
Garrett Sander: "I'm sorry."
Gracie: "I'll make customs!"
Mommy: "Okay, so I've got a fan right here. Do you have a question for Garrett while we are here?."
Fan: "How did you start off Monster High?"
Garrett Sander: "It actually started in 2007, so we worked three years before it launched. We were working on the characters, the story, the background; creating the whole world of Monster High."
Gracie: "Oh, so here's another question. Will we be seeing an angel or a devil doll?"
Garrett Sander: "There's no plans for an angel or a devil."
Gracie: "I'll make customs for those too!"
Mommy: "That's probably a good idea. So here's some really easy questions that people ask us all the time. Favorite color?"
Garrett Sander: "My favorite color? My favorite color combination is black, red and white."
Mommy: "Favorite food?"
Garrett Sander: "I love Pumpkin pie."
Mommy: "Pumpkin pie, hmmm. Okay, cats or dogs?"
Garrett Sander: "Cats. I have three cats."
Mommy: We have two. We just got another one. While you are here at Comic Con, if they let you out of your booth, what are you looking forward to seeing?"
Garrett Sander: "I just like wandering around. I like going to the Artist Alley and seeing some fan art."
Mommy: "Totally cool. And do you collect dolls outside of Monster High?"
Garrett Sander: "I do. I collect lots of toys. I collect the DC figures, which Mattel makes. I collect He-Man. I collect all that stuff.
Mommy: "Awesome. Very cool. Do you have one more question for Garrett?"
Gracie: "What are any other characters that we will be seeing that will be very amazing? Not just a background character like Howleen."
Garrett Sander: "We have all of our new reveals on the other side. That's all we are revealing at Comic Con. We also have Jane Boolittle who's in here.
Mommy: "Yeah, she's hiding in there. What's up with Jane?"
Garrett Sander: "You'll learn a lot more about her at the end of this year and the beginning of next year."
Mommy: "So we are all theorizing that Jane is handicapped. Is that a leg brace because that's what everybody thinks?"
Garrett Sander: "I know. It's just her shoes. Sorry."
Mommy: "We were hoping for her to be a handicapped. Please add that into the story. Do you have any more questions for Garrett?"
Gracie: "Will we be seeing any new boys?"
Garrett Sander: "Well, Slo Mo is new and he's coming out."
Gracie: "No, I mean like actual new boy characters."
Garrett Sander: "Oh, actual new boy characters? Well, you never know. We are always introducing lots of new characters at Monster High. We're working on some new characters."
Mommy: "Have you ever figured out how to make an Invisi Billy doll yet?"
Garrett Sander: "You'll have to wait and see."
Gracie: "I remember that one time when you did that April Fool's joke where it was just an empty box."
Mommy: "That was pretty funny. You know what? I would have bought it. So we are not going to take up anymore of your time because people are waiting, and we are so grateful. But I just wanted to say thank you for making dolls that just-if I were a little girl these would have been perfect for me. I was the kid that didn't fit in and I think it's beautiful that my daughter is growing up in a world where fitting in is so out and she can just be herself. And I just really wanted to thank you for making dolls that she can just totally relate to."
Garrett Sander: "Thank you to you and to all the fans for all your passion for all your videos and all the work that you do for the brand. We love it. We love watching it. It's so great for us too."