Building a Story for Comic-Con
The narrative behind bringing Lagoona Blue to SDCC
Another San Diego Comic-Con for the books! Monster High’s Ghouls Rule Lagoona Blue took the convention by storm, and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to help bring her story to life.
This year, I participated in my first SDCC panel and had an absolute blast chatting with my colleagues about the creative thinking behind this drop-dead gorgeous doll. We explored everything from the narrative that brought her to (un)life to my approach to building stories that extend a character’s world beyond the doll itself.
Was I the luckiest ghoul in the world to ham it up in front of a crowd dressed as vampires, werewolves, and monsters galore? Absolutely! Being in the spooky spotlight was even more fun than I imagined, and I loved the energy, the banter, and getting to share the storytelling process behind this project.
Speaking of storytelling, here’s the copy I wrote that went on Lagoona’s package:
One of my favorite parts of working on Monster High is finding ways to immerse the fans in the voice of each character. For Ghouls Rule Lagoona, that meant capturing her bubbly personality, weaving in her signature Aussie-surfer voice, and developing a story that gave this particular collector doll her own moment to shine.
Comic-Con itself is rooted in storytelling, so it felt like the perfect place to do something a little extra. Although Ghouls Rule is set during Halloween, the doll was debuting in the middle of summer at SDCC. Rather than ignore that disconnect, I leaned into it. I reimagined the story so that Lagoona learns on July 23—the day she debuted at Comic-Con—that she’s been chosen to chair Monster High’s Halloween party committee, giving her months to prepare for the biggest bash of the year. That small narrative shift made the launch feel grounded in the moment while naturally setting up the Halloween story to come.
That’s one of my favorite parts of brand storytelling: solving creative challenges through narrative. A story isn’t just something you tell after the fact—it’s a strategic tool that can connect launches, products, and campaigns into one cohesive experience.
From the doll to the packaging to social media, every Monster High execution is an opportunity to deepen the worldbuilding. That’s why I love working on this brand so much! Below is a stop-motion video our incredibly talented social team created using the story as its foundation.
And of course, no SDCC would be complete without meeting fans at the signing. Comic-Con is such a special celebration of the Monster High community—a chance to connect with the people who love the brand, celebrate everything the team has built together, and spotlight the incredible talent behind it all. I couldn’t be prouder to be part of it.