It was “Swim Class,” later repackaged as Beach Beasties, Lagoona who broke me. I’m not saying if it wasn’t for Lagoona I never would have embarked on the journey of collecting Monster High. On the contrary, the idea had been weighing on my mind for many months before I made my first purchase. It was March 2013 when I finally cracked. Colleen and I had actually been on the hunt for Scaris Deuce, but to no avail. At a small Benny’s location in our neighboring state, I couldn’t ignore “Swim Class” Lagoona another time. I’d seen her at a few other stores we’d ventured to that weekend, including Barnes and Noble (where I believe I’d first laid eyes on her). Since the “Swim Class” line was slightly discounted by a few dollars, this seemed the opportune time to just do it. I ended up with Lagoona, Draculaura, AND Venus at the register. But it was Lagoona who prompted the purchase of the entire set, and she was for a time my most special Monster High doll. There was something ridiculous yet endearing about her blank fish like stare, somewhat sickly looking blue skin, and yellow blonde hair. To top it off, she was donning a patterned swimsuit…my weakness. My very first store bought doll was a 1993 Sun Jewel Kira (who was actually picked out by my sister on her birthday, when Dad let her get Barbie for herself). Ever since, beach themed dolls have had a special place in my heart. They were always affordable, which was important to a young girl who got just $2 a week for allowance (if I behaved…a dime was taken away for each infraction), and who had an impulsive shopping habit (which meant saving up for things was very difficult for me). It seemed fitting that the first Monster High dolls in my collection fell in line with this same unspoken tradition.
Lagoona and her fellow “Swim Class” comrades marked a significant change in my life. March was always a month of unexpected, most often bad, changes. In 2008 my grandmother passed away in March, in 2009 Dad lost his job, in 2012 he went to the hospital the last time and never came home, and in 2016 my beloved first Jeep died outside the post office at 7 in the morning. It’s weird how the timing worked out…that it was March when Monster High became part of my doll hobby. They were the first thing I collected that I hadn’t dabbled in as a kid, given the obvious fact that they weren’t invented back then. I was apprehensive in those days about purchasing newfangled things, although I did find myself falling for the modern Bratz quite quickly. I am grateful that I finally caved and threw out the imaginary rule book I’d written for myself. The discovery of Monster High was a needed distraction (albeit an expensive one). It was approaching the anniversary of Dad’s last days at home. Somehow Colleen and I survived a year without him, all on our own. Most of the time, it felt like we were imposters playing some dysfunctional game of house. It’s odd that we felt that way given that it was just the two of us most of the time, since Dad had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in November of 2009 (he was constantly in and out of the hospital and needed help most days with basic things). But we had yet to claim our adulthood and make our own life in the wake of Dad’s passing. Strangely, beginning my Monster High collection was the start of a new chapter. Lagoona would have been the first sentence of this new chapter in my life, I suppose.
Initially, I had no idea what I wanted my Monster High collection to look like. I don’t really plan these things out…stuff always has a way of taking the reins without my control. It seemed sensible to start slow…only purchasing one example of a character to get a feel for the franchise. But that didn’t last long…Lagoona was one of the first characters to find herself duplicated. “School’s Out” and Scaris Lagoona quickly joined the collection. Both Colleen and I were delighted to find “School’s Out” still in stock at Barnes and Noble. She seemed like an exotic older release, given that most stores carried the newly released dolls. To this day, we still find ourselves marveling over the luck we had finding her in store. As for Scaris, she was just a consequence of me wanting Cleo from her pack. But unlike many collectors at the time, who resold Lagoona on eBay since they just wanted the cool Cleo, I was offended by such an idea. No, this Lagoona doll was delightfully adorable and would surely have her forever home with us. In fact, I grew to like her as much if not MORE than Cleo! Before long, I found myself on an emotional shopping binge, which mainly featured Monster High. Okay, I admit that I bought too many dolls, too fast, and for the wrong reasons. I was still coming to terms with this new life I did not choose (one without Dad and all on my own with just Colleen). We picked the same sort of escapism Dad elected after Mom died a decade earlier: shopping. We used EVERY excuse to get out of the house…and that often meant we were on the hunt for some random Monster High doll. Lagoona was not an unusual doll to be on our radar. In fact, she was one of the dolls whose presence made a particular line that much more exciting. Some of my early shopping binges included Roller Maze and Dot Dead Gorgeous Lagoona (I just couldn’t help myself, even if she wasn’t my favorite from either of those lines).
It was hard for me to resist Lagoona even after I pledged to be more conservative about buying dolls. By the time the summer of 2013 rolled around, I had realized how out of control I’d become. I was buying dolls when I was happy, sad, bored, angry, anxious…for any and every reason imaginable. Whenever I’d come home and see my newly purchased friends, I’d feel a sense of guilt, remorse, and even a bit of resentment. The void I was trying to fill by stuffing dolls into was never filled…a lesson I should have learned years before when Dad used retail therapy to soothe us after Mom died (and when things at home were rather dysfunctional). Despite coming to terms with this realization, I still loved ALL my dollies. And it was hard to stick to that resolve to abstain from shopping when it came to Miss Blue. Right after I stated I would curb my shopping, I found the freshly released Picture Day Lagoona at Target. Well, I just HAD to get her, right? She was too beautiful and well dressed to leave behind. And of course let’s not forget Mad Science Lagoona who popped up with Home Ick Frankie one day, after our annual eye exams. These dolls were both “out of date” so I couldn’t pass them up since it was unlikely I’d find them again. Plus, I’m a sucker for anything school themed (and Lagoona was the cutest thing ever with her little frog). By the end of the year, I had the best streak of luck ever. One of the last days of flea market season, I spotted a container labeled “Jessica’s Room” on the pine needle coated ground. Inside were a cluster of moldy, bug ridden dolls…including the bedazzling FIRST EDITION Lagoona. Oh, and there was also “1st Edition” Frankie and Gloom Beach Clawdeen (who were in better condition), but Lagoona was the prized find. Thus why the bin will always be named after her…the infamous “Lagoona Bin” (which is also remembered by 2007 Holiday Barbie, who Colleen chucked across the living room carpet after a live bug crawled out of her hair). Early the next spring, another Lagoona turned up at the same flea market….Skull Shores!!! I couldn’t believe that I was able to find such amazing Monster High dolls so soon (and for so cheap). It was especially exciting given that I was having luck getting my hands on Lagoona in particular.
As the years went on, my Lagoona collection continued to grow. It was especially easy when the dolls were abundant in stores, but dwindling in popularity. It meant that places like Barnes and Noble were slashing their prices by 50%. That’s how Ghouls Night Out and 13 Wishes Lagoona materialized in 2014. I was originally ONLY going to get 13 Wishes…she did after all have that coveted Neptuna. Colleen and I were majorly bummed when we discovered our mangy “Lagoona Bin” first edition doll was missing her beloved pet (she also had super loose legs, chipped lips, and the worst case of glue seepage I’ve ever seen). As soon as we realized that Neptuna was available with 13 Wishes Lagoona, it made her a “must have” doll in our collection. But somehow, we ended up with a pile of 50% off Monster High dolls at the register, including Ghouls Night Out. Even as Monster High dolls finally finished trickling out from stores, my Lagoona collection expanded whenever I found her secondhand. There was the decrepit Dance Class gal I rescued from the local Salvation Army, the mint Dance Class doll I bought at the local flea market not long after (I needed one with her outfit obviously), “Emoji” Lagoona also from the Salvation Army, and the arm-less Student Exchange Lagoona from the flea market. I was grateful that one of Student Exchange Lagoona’s arms was missing, because the person who had been contemplating buying her decided not to because of the amputation. Lucky for me, and Lagoona, I had arms for her already at home! Not only did I chase the dolls, but I also made a point to hoard any Lagoona fashion packs I came across in stores too. Sadly, she didn’t have as many options as say Frankie (I would have loved a “Deluxe” fashion set for Lagoona).
In 2022, as I’m typing this, I have close to 200 Monster High dolls, featuring a wide variety of characters. But Lagoona still holds her own, and is still one of my favorites to stumble upon in the wild. I always make sure to keep a stash of extra limbs for her, in the event another doll in need, like Monster Exchange, turns up. Whether they are in perfect condition or battered like my “1st Edition” lady, it doesn’t matter. In fact, when I first saw images of 2022 “1st Edition” re-releases pop up online, I was most excited about Lagoona. I knew I HAD to get her. Although I “needed” a Cleo upgrade more (my doll has cut hair and no accessories), it was still the Lagoona I coveted most of all. “1st Edition” Lagoona was and always will be one of my personal faves…which explains why my shabby friend has been given several pairs of handmade earrings over the years (I always think of a cooler pair to design for her with better charms). I have a fondness for all my Lagoona dolls, but some admittedly have more memories associated with them. There were the outdoor photo shoots we used to take of “Swim Class” Lagoona not long after I bought her. There were the skits we used to shoot (in comic book form) for my old Flickr, that showcased Triton as Lagoona’s much older boyfriend. Then there was the time Colleen and I actually played dolls like we used to as kids, and it was Picture Day Lagoona who was cast as Triton and Ursula’s daughter. I can’t tell you how many times Mad Science Lagoona has been used for various photo shoots for Flickr and Youtube thumbnails because of her lab outfit and awesome accessories. I’ll always owe it to Lagoona for being the doll that opened the door to my Monster High collection. She made that first year after Dad passed away a little brighter, and she helped me and Colleen recapture the childlike innocence that once captivated us years before. While I love other characters just as much, if not more, Lagoona will always have an irreplaceable spot in my heart and collection.
