Spectra Vondergeist

"But I have been waiting my entire death to cover a story like this. So much chaos makes for great headlines!"

- Spectra Vondergeist in "Fright On!"

Spectra Vondergeist is a 2011-introduced and all-around character. She is a ghost and a student at Monster High. Also known as The Ghostly Gossip to those who follow her blog, Spectra is the kind of journalist who puts sensation before fact-checking. In fact, she regularly creates stories from loosely related details that she may not have heard correctly, which she connects by means of her own imagination. Her method of journalism runs so deep in her psyche that she cannot tell her fabrications apart from reality. Even when they pertain to her own person, she sooner believes her own fantasies than the documented truth. Because of all this, Spectra is one of the most controversial students at Monster High. On one hand, she owns one of the two most popular news sources at the school, but on the other, she has hurt more than a few fellow students by spreading lies about them. Leaked photos of Spectra revealed she was called Spectra Von Hauntington.

Portrayers
She is voiced by Erin Fitzgerald in English.

Though Spectra herself does not make an appearance in the music video for the Monster High Fright Song, there are several different character ghost analogues who received creative interpretation by the video crew. The "Ghost Girl" is portrayed by Catina Duscio.

Personality
Spectra has a very forceful personality and she often makes quick judgments and leaps to conclusions without supporting evidence. When she's confronted with the facts, she tends to dig in her heels. She draws the line at planting a fake story though. This makes for an excellent gossip columnist, but not a friend you would want to share secrets with. In her diary it's hinted that she's constructed a mysterious, fanciful history for herself, and even began to believe it herself, but that the truth about her family is actually quite tragic (though it's never revealed). This may be why she's still a ghost; she hasn't "moved on" from whatever happened to them in life. But despite all this, she is seen as a kind monster and helps those in need of her, she also is known to easily get the truth out of other monsters which also gives her a detective/reporter complex.

Appearance
Due to the fact that Spectra is a ghost, her skin is ghostly pale -almost stark white- and then fades to transparent at the beginning of her hands and feet. Her face is somewhat gaunt.

Spectra's hair is violet, with rather noticeable periwinkle and pinkish purple highlights. It is usually frisky; the ends sticking up and looking as if it were floating like a ghost. (Like she is!)

Her eyes are a bright icy blue, with the pupils being a dark blue and the sclera (or "whites" of her eyes) are a pale lilac. Her lips are purple.

Family
Spectra writes in her diary that her long-lost love haunts "the family's ancestral castle" but it's strongly implied that all of this was something she'd made up.

Her parents are ghosts, but nothing else is known about them. In her diary it's hinted that the truth about her family is actually quite tragic, though it's never revealed -- the story Spectra writes about (castles, a midnight journey across borders) is something she made up, and even began to believe it until Ghoulia reminded her about the truth. As per Ghoul Spirit, Spectra is a ghost from the 19th century.

Friends
Her bio states it as 'everybody loves Spectra V', but seeming she wrote the bio, she may be lying. In the webisodes she is never really seen hanging out with anyone.

Pet
Spectra's pet is a purple ghost ferret is named Rhuen. Rhuen's lower half is fairly translucent, and she wears a dark purple bow over right ear. Rhuen's friends are Sir Hoots A Lot (Ghoulia Yelps's owl) and Shiver (Abbey Bominable's pet wooly mammoth).

Romance
In Where There's a Wolf, There's a Way, Spectra expressed interest in Billy Phaidin, a boy she'd known since eighth grade. As of Back and Deader Than Ever, it is known that the two are dating. In 'Fright On', she is seen initiating a dance with a student from Belfry Prep.

Porter "Paintergeist" Geiss has an interest in Spectra. The interest is mutual. This was revealed in Haunted. Porter called them a ‘duo’ and on many occasions complimented Spectra, whether he meant to or not, such as saying she was smart. Spectra expressed her worries about Porter when she stayed back at Haunted High wishing he could come with her. Spectra has hugged Porter and kissed him on the cheek.

Timeline

 * November 2, 2010: Mattel requests the trademark for Spectra Vondergeist.
 * November 17, 2010: An Amazon listing appears for a Spectra Von Hauntington plush doll.
 * March 8, 2011: A picture of a prototype Spectra doll is posted on Flickr.com. The name on the box is Spectra von Hauntington.
 * April 13, 2011: A photo of Clawd and Draculaura 2-pack box is found online, giving a first look at Spectra Vondergeist's first doll.
 * May 14, 2011: Spectra Vondergeist's first doll is displayed on the Monster High Facebook account.
 * Early June, 2011: Spectra Vondergeist's Friends plushie is released.
 * June 9, 2011: Spectra Vondergeist's profile is published on the Monster High website.
 * June 9, 2011: Spectra Vondergeist's profile art is revealed.
 * June 16, 2011: Spectra Vondergeist partially makes her 2D cartoon debut in "Miss Infearmation".
 * June, 2011: Spectra Vondergeist's first doll is released as part of the School's Out series.
 * June, 2011: Spectra Vondergeist makes her diary debut in her School's Out diary.
 * September 20, 2011: Spectra Vondergeist makes her Monster High book debut in Where There's a Wolf, There's a Way.
 * September 22, 2011: Spectra Vondergeist is properly introduced in the cartoon through "Ghostly Gossip".
 * February 12, 2012: Spectra Vondergeist makes her 3D cartoon debut in "Why Do Ghouls Fall in Love?".
 * November 26, 2014: Spectra Vondergeist makes her anime debut in "Horror! Acting Cool on the Black Carpet".