Between Twilight and True Blood, vampires have a vice-grip bite on women from 14 to 40. The makers of Barbie are hoping the same monster-love can take hold in younger girls, too.

Mattel is rolling out Monster High, where the children of vampires and werewolves can hang without getting hassled. The toy line and imaginary world (sure to find it's way to TV if it sells) mixes the Twilight series with a heavy dose of Harry Potter, a bit of Archie Comics and a dash of X Men. If it seems like they're trying a bit too hard to be all things to all kids, the character descriptions sound that way, too.

Here's a rundown on the characters from the LA Times:

"There's Draculaura, daughter of Dracula, who is vegan and faints at the sight of blood. Her best friend Clawdeen Wolf, whose father is Werewolf, spends much of her time plucking and shaving her excessive, fast-growing hair."

I have to admit I'm intrigued by the lone male, Frankie Stein, son of uh, Frankenstein, who is into shopping for "scary cute clothes that are absolutely to die for," in what sounds like an admirable attempt to bring an effeminate male into kid culture.

And after years of battling with Bratz in the courtroom (Mattel says Bratz creator developed the idea while working for them), this looks like Barbie's attempt to reclaim some of that territory.

And that's where Monster High goes from innocently lame to just wrong.

The mostly female dolls share most of the Bratz dolls' worst qualities: Smeared-on make-up, bodies that make Barbie look healthy, oddly huge heads, and sexed-up outfits. When did the scary and the sexy become inseparable? I blame Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

Still, like Barbie, it seems Draculaura and Clawdeen lack an essential cool that would make them a hit, so maybe kids everywhere won't be sporting their images on backpacks. These girls wouldn't listen to Justin Bieber, they'd do zany dances to the Monster Mash. 

Do you think the girls of Monster High are fine and fun, or too sexy and Bratty?


Image via Mattel.com