• Wall Street Journal, Thursday, June 3, 2010 10:43 AM

Ann Zimmerman has a peek at Mattel's attempt to create a new toy craze from scratch, starting with the launch of Monster High toys. The product will morph into a full-fledged entertainment company, starting with its own cable-TV kids network this fall and a live-action movie with Universal down the road.

"We see the tone as 'Beetlejuice' meets 'Grease' meets 'The Addams Family' meets 'Edward Scissorhands,' " says co-producer Neil Meron who, with partner Craig Zadan, was behind the films "Chicago" and "Hairspray."

The Monsters are the spawn of movie characters like Dracula and Werewolf who attend Monster High, writes Zimmerman, such as the sweet but klutzy Frankie Stein. Then there's the rebellious Draculaura, who is a blood-shunning vegan. "Who doesn't feel like a freak in high school?" ask Mattel GM Tim Kilpin, who led 20 employees in developing the concept over three years.

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