Monster High creator Garrett Sander will be at Sunshine City Scare 2023 on May 13-14 at the historic Coliseum in downtown St. Petersburg. This is the first time Sander has ever been to a convention in Florida, which should bring excitement to Monster High fans throughout The Sunshine State! And Garrett will be a great fit for Sunshine City Scare, which is a new breed of horror convention that goes beyond horror movies and includes other subgenres like anime horror, video game horror, comic book horror.
Toys are Art!
For Sander, it’s simple “Toys are art!,” Sander said. The toy designer created the Monster High dolls while at Mattel, where he also worked on the iconic Barbie collection as well as Polly Pocket.
Sander to sign Monster High dolls for free at Sunshine City Scare
In a huge announcement, Sander will be signing Monster High dolls FOR FREE at Sunshine City Scare both days. Attendees can bring their own Monster High dolls, or purchase the dolls from a choice of several vendors that will be stocked up. This is rare that a convention guest of this caliber makes such a generous offer, which will save fans significant money!
What sort of high school is Monster High?
Monster High is renowned for allowing all species of monsters to enroll, which is the exception in the American town of New Salem where schools are typically reserved for one type of monster only, such as vampire-exclusive or mummy-exclusive schools. In addition, the unusual high school values diversity whether through appearance, personalities, abilities, or cultural backgrounds. Characters encourage a more accepting world where everyone can let their inner monster shine and be their authentic self.
The story of Monster High is told through the main characters, which includes Sander creations Frankie Stein, Draculaura, and Clawdeen Wolf, three of his many conceptual designs in the highly popular fictional world.
Frankie Stein
Frankie Stein is the daughter of Frankenstein’s monster and his bride. Frankie believes flaws make you unique. She is known for her generosity, optimism, and kindness, but also for her naivety and innocence. A distinguishing characteristics of Frankie is her heterochromia — her right eye is blue, and her left eye is green.
Draculaura
Draculaura is the daughter of Dracula. And surprisingly, she is a vegan who faints at the sight of blood (and sometimes at the mere mention of blood). Draculaura is cheerful, bubbly and full of glee as well as being easily excitable, Draculaura is one of the friendliest and most popular ghouls at Monster High.
Clawdeen Wolf
Clawdeen Wolf is the daughter of a werewolf. She is known throughout Monster High for her impeccable sense of fashion and her aspiration to become a fashion designer. Clawdeen is Draculaura’s best friend and extremely protective of the vampire. And she also has a purple pet kitten named Crescent.
The Monster High franchise
The Monster High franchise includes the tv series, films, web series, and other content that has been constantly created for a audience craving for more. In fact, the fan-base spans two generations (and counting with last year’s release of Monster High: The Movie).
Sander’s background
Do you wonder how someone like Sander got started? We did, and inquired. Here’s the scoop, which includes what he’s currently doing.
Sander started his toy career as a package designer at Mattel, working on Winx Club, My Scene, and Pixel Chix, among others. He moved to product design, overseeing Monster High and Polly Pocket. He also designed the 12″ collector She-Ra doll, fulfilling a childhood dream of designing for a brand he played with as a child. Garrett spent several years as a Principle Designer at Moose Toys where he oversaw the design for Capsule Chix, Failfix, and Sweet Seams. Garrett has most recently joined Just Play where he is a Principle Designer on their newly formed New Brands team!
Sander will be at Sunshine City Scare both days
Sunshine City Scare is a new breed of horror convention that goes beyond horror movies and also includes anime horror, video game horror, and comics horror. The event includes anime voice actors, live-action actors, and guest cosplayers — all who have voiced, portrayed, drawn, or created wonderful horror characters. Event tickets are $25 for single day, and $40 for weekend pass (prices increase $5 at door). And Sander will be at Sunshine City Scare both days!
Sunshine City Scare contests
In addition, the horror con offers various contests, which includes two cosplay contests (one each day), a lip sync competition, a Tiktok Film Festival, and a fan art contest. Applications for contests are available.
Big-name actors scheduled for Sunshine City Scare
The new horror convention also includes two live-action actors, five voice actors, and four guest cosplayers. Below is one of the live-action actors, and the five voice actors — with the remaining announcements coming soon.
Guests have portrayed characters in movies like Silent Hill, Cabin in the Woods, and Twilight: Eclipse as well as in TV series such as Dark Matter and Supernatural. In addition, guests have voiced characters in anime horror shows like Chainsaw Man, Tokyo Ghoul, Attack on Titan, Dangonropa, and Parasyte as well as horror video games like Bioshock 2. Here is the full guest list of the con.
