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MEMORIES:
pardus remembers...My cousin had Jem. She always kind of freaked me out because she was so much bigger than a Barbie. ... More »
Posted on 08/12/08
Manufacturer:
“Look out, Barbie, there’s a new chick on the block and she’s come to knock you off that pedestal.”
Ah, the famous last words of many a doll maker who take a swipe at the iconic princess. But in the case of Jem, she did have a few tricks up her sleeve and managed to hold her own for a handful of years, thanks to a revolution that was changing the entertainment world, known simply as MTV.
While the world was being serenaded for the first time by videos of The Buggles, Duran Duran and Loverboy, Hasbro Toys was trying to figure out a way to use this new phenomenon to promote a doll that might finally give Barbie a run for her money. After toying with a few ideas, they settled upon Jem, a flashy and fashionable vixen who borrowed a few secret identity pointers from Clark Kent. See, by day, she was Jerrica Benton, a high-powered corporate exec in the music industry and President of Starlight Records. When the sun went down and the spotlight went on, however, she would transform herself, via a special set of earrings and a supercomputer (of course) into the truly outrageous, pink-haired rocker, Jem.
Jem was the lead vocalist of The Holograms, an all-girl super band, similar to the Go Go’s or The Bangles, but with a wardrobe more suited for Madonna. Rounding out the band were Kimber (Jem’s little sister) on keyboards; Aja Leith, Chinese lead guitarist extraordinaire; Shana Elmsford, the African-American bass player of the group; and finally, Carmen Raya Alonso banging on the synth drums. Both Aja and Shana were recipients of Jem’s charitable nature, having come from Starlight House, the foster home Jem had set up for orphaned girls.
Of course, an girl band worth their weight in salt must have an evil rival band to contend with and in the case of Jem and the girls, they faced of against The Misfits, a decidedly edgier punk bank led by spoiled rich girl, Pizzazz. Along with Roxy, Stormer, Jetta, and their sinister manager, Eric, The Misfits were the bad girls on the block, dressed to the nines in ripped fluorescent outfits, touting lightning bolt-styled makeup and carrying an angry chip on their shoulders. Their attempts at taking over Starlight Records were frequent yet never successful for, try as they might, they could never win the Battle of the Bands.
Now, It might seem most unusual for this amount of backstory to accompany a doll. But, Jew was also living out her life in animated form – in a popular cartoon series that was created to help sell more Jem dolls. The show offered a glimpse into the world of an MTV rock star and also gave everyone a chance to see and hear the band perform in their very own … are you ready? … music videos! That’s right, Jem had the music video ace up her sleeve and Barbie was never going to know what hit her.
That wasn’t the only difference, of course. Jem and her collection of friends and foes were larger than Barbie and had some of the most fashionable wardrobes around. They also carried a higher price tag, however, parents weren’t completely enamored with paying more money for clothes and accessories that weren’t even compatible with Barbie products. But girls did get a bang for their buck – along with cooler wardrobe choices, there were also the nifty LED-powered earrings, and a groovy cassette tape included with every doll (of which each character from the series was represented) that gave girls a chance to rock out with all their favorite Jem tunes. And if you wanted to have that special Jem look, an official satin concert jacket, complete with MTV logo, was only a mere mail-order warehouse away.
When it came to accessories, Jem was well-provided for. She had her sleek roadster to hit travel around town and a stage, complete with built-in cassette player. When she decided to head out on her “Dream Tour”, her and the band were in mighty good company, thanks to a provided cassette tape that included music from The Fixx, Loverboy, The Thompson Twins and Toto.
It might have seemed as if nothing could go wrong for Jem, but the truth was, her fifteen minutes of fame was beginning to come to a close and by 1988, she lived only the memories of her adoring fans who, if nothing else, surely have an E True Hollywood story to look forward to, somewhere down the line. She may have taken a swipe at Barbie for a short time but everyone knows that Barbie is invincible, and not even the allure of MTV could provide the kryptonite necessary to wobble that pedestal. But for all that remember her, Jem was a star in her own right and one not soon forgotten.
