Jem (TV series)

Template:Short description Template:About Template:Redirect Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox television Jem, also known as Jem and The Holograms, is an American animated musical television series that ran from 1985 to 1988. The series is about record company owner Jerrica Benton, her singer alter-ego Jem, and the adventures of her band Jem and The Holograms.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The series was a joint collaboration by Hasbro, Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions, the same team responsible for G.I. Joe and Transformers.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> The creator of the series, Christy Marx, had also been a staff writer for the aforementioned programs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The animation for most of the episodes was provided by Japanese animation studio Toei Animation.<ref name="Collaborations">Template:Cite web</ref> Eleven episodes and the opening sequence were instead provided by the South Korean studio AKOM. First-run syndication in the United Kingdom was from 1987 to 1988 on TV-am, from 1987 to 1990 on Sky Channel, from 1992 to 1994 on UK Gold and in 1994 on The Children's Channel.

Premise

Characters

File:Jerrica benton jem.jpg

Jem and her true identity Jerrica Benton

The series revolves around Jerrica Benton, the owner and manager of Starlight Music, and her alter-ego Jem, lead singer of the rock group Jem and The Holograms.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Jerrica adopts the persona of Jem with the help of a holographic computer, known as Synergy, which was built by Jerrica's father and is bequeathed to her after his death.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Jem and The Holograms consists of Kimber Benton, Jerrica's younger sister, keyboardist, and main songwriter for the band; Aja Leith, Asian-American guitarist; Shana Elmsford, African-American, who plays the synth drums. Carmen "Raya" Alonso becomes the band's synth drummer after Shana briefly leaves the group to pursue a career in fashion. Upon her return to Jem and The Holograms, Shana becomes the band's bassist. Jem and The Holograms have two rival bands: The Misfits and The Stingers:

• The Misfits (no relation to the real-world band Misfits) consist of petulant rich girl Pizzazz and her group: no-nonsense guitarist Roxy and kind-hearted, sensitive keytar player Stormer. In the second season, they are joined by the manipulative British saxophonist Jetta.
• The Stingers debut in the third season when they cause disruptions for both groups by becoming co-owners of Stinger Sound with Eric Raymond. Originally from Germany, The Stingers are composed of egotistical lead singer Riot, guitarist/con artist Rapture, and keyboardist Minx.

Plot

Episodes of the series frequently revolve around Jerrica's efforts to keep her two identities separate, protect Synergy from those who might exploit the holographic technology, and support the twelve foster children known as the Starlight Girls who live with her and Jem and The Holograms. The Misfits frequently attempt to upstage Jem and the Holograms' endeavors, often nearly resulting in physical harm to members of the group. This rivalry is encouraged and manipulated by their manager and central villain in the series, Eric Raymond, the former half-owner of Starlight Music who runs Misfits Music (later Stinger Sound) while working under Pizzazz's father, Harvey Gabor.

During the series, Eric Raymond constantly plots to become owner of Starlight Music and get revenge on Jem and The Holograms for having cost him control of the company. Jerrica also deals with a complex and emotionally draining faux-love triangle involving her alter identity, Jem, and Rio Pacheco, Jerrica's longtime boyfriend.<ref name=":0" /> Rio romantically pursues both women, not knowing they are one and the same.<ref name=":0" /> Later in the series, Jem is also romantically sought after by Riot, who becomes infatuated with her – adding further complications to her relationships.

Music videos and songs

The series' format included three songs for the featured music videos in each episode. The theme song "Truly Outrageous" was the opening and closing theme for the show until late 1987, when "Jem Girls" became the series' opening theme for the majority of episodes and "Truly Outrageous" was kept as the show's permanent closing theme.<ref name="shout_joe_bacal">Bascal, Joe. (2011). Commentary. Jem and The Holograms: The Truly Outrageous Complete Series (DVD). Shout! Factory.</ref> Music videos featured an "in-your-face" style that was directed at the viewer or the more traditional style. The music videos paralleled the style of rock videos found on MTV at the time featuring fast editing, a quick pace, and special effects.<ref>Marx, Christy. (2011). Commentary. Jem and The Holograms: The Truly Outrageous Complete Series (DVD). Shout! Factory.</ref><ref name="shout_tom_griffin">Griffen, Tom. (2011). Commentary. Jem and The Holograms: The Truly Outrageous Complete Series (DVD). Shout! Factory.</ref>

Episodes

List of Jem episodes

Production

Conception and staffing

Hasbro and an outside investor started developing Jem in response to an interest that children were showing in music videos.<ref name=":1" /> Hasbro hired advertising agency Griffin-Bacal Advertising, the founders of Sunbow Productions, to create the 65-episode animation series. Griffin-Bacal (Sunbow), as well as Marvel Productions, had previously created the successful G.I. Joe series for Hasbro. G.I. Joe writer Christy Marx was hired to create the series based on the line of dolls and the original concept, which consisted of the two girl bands, Synergy, the boyfriend Rio, and the Rockin' Roadster. Marx created the full character biographies and relationships, including the love triangle aspect between Rio and Jerrica Benton/Jem, Starlight Music and Starlight House, the Starlight Girls, the villain Eric Raymond and various secondary characters. Later, Marx was asked to develop new characters as they were introduced,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with several of them named after pioneers in the history of holography.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Casting

Samantha Newark provided the speaking voices of Jem and Jerrica. Despite having toured as a child singer in Africa, she did not do the singing for Jem. The voiceover cast never auditioned for the music side of the series and vice versa. The music for Jem was all cast and recorded in New York and Atlanta and the voiceover actors were cast and recorded in Burbank, California. They matched the speaking voices of the cast to the singing voices.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Britta Phillips, who had never before worked professionally as a singer, was cast as the singing voice of Jem after obtaining an audition through her father who worked on jingles in New York.<ref name="britta">Template:Cite news</ref> The initial take from the audition was used as the first opening theme song "Truly Outrageous".<ref name="britta" /> The remaining Holograms speaking voices were provided by Cathianne Blore (Kimber Benton/Aja Leith), Cindy McGee (Shana Elmsford), and Linda Dangcil (Carmen 'Raya' Alonso).

The Misfits' speaking voices were provided by Patricia Alice Albrecht (Phyllis "Pizzazz" Gabor), Samantha Paris/Bobbie Block (Roxanne "Roxy" Pellegrini), Susan Blu (Mary "Stormer" Phillips), and Louise Dorsey (Sheila "Jetta" Burns), the daughter of Engelbert Humperdinck. Ellen Bernfeld provided the singing voice of Pizzazz. The Stingers' speaking voices were provided by Townsend Coleman (Rory "Riot" Llewelyn), Ellen Gerstell (Phoebe "Rapture" Ashe), and Kath Soucie (Ingrid "Minx" Kruger). Gordon Grody, a vocal coach who later worked with Lady Gaga, provided the singing voice for Riot.<ref name="grody">Template:Cite book</ref>

Other notable cast members included Charlie Adler as Eric Raymond. He also provided the voices of both of Eric's major henchmen Zipper and Techrat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Vicki Sue Robinson, famous for the 1970s discothèque-oriented hit "Turn the Beat Around", provided the singing voices of both Rapture and Minx. Ari Gold, pop singer and songwriter, gave the singing voice of Ba Nee.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Music

Template:Listen The inclusion of music videos in Jem was a result of the success and popularity of MTV (Music Television) at the time, which began airing four years prior. The show contains a total of 187 music videos with 151 unique songs.<ref>Template:Cite video</ref> Over 200 original songs were written for the series.<ref name="britta" /> Several songs are featured on cassette tapes of Hasbro's Jem toy line.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Sunbow Productions employed several musicians and songwriters.<ref name=":4">Template:Cite news</ref> Ford Kinder and Anne Bryant composed the music, and Barry Hamon wrote the lyrics of the songs.<ref name=":4" /> Britta Phillips performed as Jem,<ref name="britta" /><ref name=":4" /> Ellen Bernfeld performed as Pizzazz,<ref name=":4" /> and Gordon Grody, performed as Riot.Template:Citation needed Anne Bryant, who chose the singers and musicians, created a pop sound for Jem and The Holograms supported by acoustic instruments.Template:Citation needed The sound for The Misfits was crafted as strictly electronic other than the addition of guitars and an occasional sax solo when the character of Jetta was introduced into The Misfits.Template:Citation needed This was done to create an identifiable punk electronica style in stark contrast to their rival singing groups.Template:Citation needed In season three, Bryant introduced the slower funky groove for the third group that entered the show, The Stingers.Template:Citation needed

Release

Marketing

According to Newsday in 1986, the budget for the first year of advertising the franchise totaled approximately $10 million— a large sum for a multifaced line at the time.<ref name=":1" /> Along with the series, Hasbro promoted Jem with a complete line of toys and accessories, hoping to create the "next fashion doll superstar in a market".<ref name=":1" /> Steven Eisenberg, a toy industry analyst at Bear Stearns, stated that the lineup would be "very successful" and "represent a potentially significant challenge to Barbie."<ref name=":1" /> Alfred C. Carosi, Jr., former vice president of marketing services for Hasbro, also said, "Jem is getting as much push in terms of marketing muscle as any major line", explaining that the marketing services promoted several "Jem Coming Soon" advertisements.<ref name=":1" /> In a response to an analysis chart of toy sales, Paul Valentine, a toy analyst at Standard & Poor's Corporation, predicted the Jem toy line to be a flop.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Hasbro's first Jem doll line was unveiled on February 10, 1986, at Hasbro's Madison Avenue showroom in New York City's North American International Toy Fair.<ref name=":1" /> The showroom was filled with Jem dolls and decorated with neon colors, "Miami Vice-styled" fashions, and video screens with animation clips and commercials.<ref name=":1" />

In mid-1986, Nickelodeon partnered with Hasbro to sponsor a contest<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> in which people were asked to call a toll-free telephone number and sing the theme song of the series.<ref name=":2" /> The grand prize was worth $7,000<ref name=":3">Template:Cite news</ref> and featured a trip to the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=":3" /> Other prizes included a 19-inch color television, a VCR and the Jem home video library, a dress identical to the one made for the Jem doll, and $1,000 cash.<ref name=":3" /> Carosi explained that the promotion "added proof of Jem's popularity", garnering more than 375,000 phone calls and breaking the telephone system once during the eight weeks of the contest.<ref name=":2" /> The contest winner was Keri King of Seymour, Indiana, who was chosen out of 325,000 children aged 12 and under.<ref name=":3" />

Broadcast

Jem started airing 1985, in syndication.<ref name="britta" /> It consisted of one seven-minute short that aired every week<ref name=":1">Template:Cite news</ref> as part of the Super Sunday lineup.<ref name="britta" /> On May 4, 1986, Jem started to air as a television series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Starting in September 1987, the series aired five times weekly.<ref name="britta" /> It has aired in multiple countries including Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, West Germany, Netherlands, United States, Italy and France.<ref name="pop">Template:Cite news</ref> The series aired reruns on The Hub Network/Discovery Family from May 31, 2011, to November 15, 2015.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On July 25, 2011, Teletoon Retro, a Canadian channel dedicated to cartoons, announced that Jem would be part of its fall 2011 lineup.<ref name="auto">Template:Cite press release</ref> On April 5, 2012, Hasbro announced that Jem, along with several other Hasbro franchises, will be available on Netflix.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

Reception

Jem was the #1 Nielsen rated syndicated cartoon series in November 1986.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1987, it was the third most watched children's program in syndication with 2.5 million viewers weekly.<ref name="britta" /> The show was nominated for the Young Artist Award twice, once in 1986 for "Exceptional Young Actresses in Animation: Series, Specials, or Film Features" for Samantha Newark's performance, then in 1988 for "Best Animation Series".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Home media

Release name	Ep #	Company	Release date	Notes
Various VHS releases<ref name="Jem On Video">Template:Cite web</ref>	25 (total)	Kid Rhino, Family Home Entertainment, Avid Entertainment (US)	1986–1987 (FHE, Avid) 1999 (Kid Rhino)	Various home video releases containing between two and five episodes.<ref name="Jem On Video"/>
Various VHS releases	20 (total)	Video Gems, Tempo Video (UK)	1986–1987 (Video Gems) 1987–1991 (Tempo Video, Tempo Kids Club)	Various home video releases containing between two and five episodes. Video Gems distributed the TV movie, Truly Outrageous.
JemTemplate:Spaced ndashThe Complete First and Second Seasons JemTemplate:Spaced ndashSeason 3, Part One	45	Rhino Entertainment (US)	March 30, 2004 September 14, 2004	Contains all 26 original, uncut episodes of season one released as Jem and The HologramsTemplate:Spaced ndashThe Complete 1st & 2nd Seasons and the first 19 episodes of season 2 released as Jem and The Holograms: Season 3Template:Spaced ndashPart 1. Each DVD release is digitally remastered and fully restored and contains Dolby Digital 5.1 remastered audio along with the Dolby Digital 2.0.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
JemTemplate:Spaced ndashTruly Outrageous: The Movie	5	Metrodome (UK)	October 2, 2006 June 4, 2007	Contains the first 5 episodes of the series in their TV movie format.<ref name="Amazon.co.uk">Template:Cite web</ref> This would include alternate and a few removed scenes from later broadcast versions of the first five episodes.
Jem et les HologrammesTemplate:Spaced ndashEdition VFTemplate:Spaced ndash4 DVDTemplate:Spaced ndashPartie 1 Jem et les HologrammesTemplate:Spaced ndashEdition VFTemplate:Spaced ndash4 DVDTemplate:Spaced ndashPartie 2 Jem et les HologrammesTemplate:Spaced ndashEdition VFTemplate:Spaced ndash4 DVDTemplate:Spaced ndashPartie 3	64	Declic images (France)	January 15, 2010 January 15, 2010 April 30, 2010	The episodes are dubbed in French with the exception of the music videos. The set is missing the episode "Fathers' Day".
Jem and The Holograms: The Truly Outrageous Complete Series	65	Shout! Factory (US)	October 11, 2011 / September 29, 2015 (as a bare-bones re-issue edition with no bonus material)	The complete series on 11 DVDs with bonus material. Bonus material includes the documentary featurettes "Showtime, Synergy! The Truly Outrageous Creation of an '80s Icon", "Glamour & Glitter", and "Jem Girls (and Boys!) Remember", as well as original commercials, animatics, and rare DVD-ROM material. Walmart began offering an exclusive edition in simpler packaging with the series authored onto only eight discs on September 29, 2015. This edition contains only the series episodes with no bonus material content.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Jem and The Holograms: Season One	26	Shout! Factory (US)	October 11, 2011	All 26 episodes from season one.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Jem and The Holograms: Season Two	26	Shout! Factory (US)	February 14, 2012	26 episodes from season two, excluding "Britrock".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Jem and The Holograms: Season Three	13	Shout! Factory (US)	July 10, 2012	12 episodes from season three and "Britrock".<ref>"Jem and The Holograms – Shout!'s 'Season 3' DVD Set is Scheduled for Stores" Template:Webarchive</ref>
Jem and The Holograms: The Truly Outrageous Complete Series	65	Universal Pictures UK	February 15, 2016<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>	All 65 episodes spread over 10 discs, a Region 2 PAL re-release of the US Shout! Factory release, though lacks the 11th bonus material disc.

Franchise

Christy Marx has long expressed a desire to make a modern-day revival of the animated series, but stated in a 2004 interview that there are a great deal of complications concerning the rights to the Jem properties.<ref>Template:Citation</ref>

Dolls

Hasbro's first Jem toy line consisted of eight dolls, each packaged with a cassette tape, a few accessories and a poster, priced at $15 per doll.<ref name=":1" /> The cassettes contained the theme song "Truly Outrageous" and two other songs performed by Jem and The Holograms or The Misifts.<ref name="britta" /> The toy line also included the Jem Star Stage and Jem's Rockin' Roadster.<ref name=":1" /> As of June 1986, Jem's sales surpassed those of their competitor Barbie and the Rockers.<ref name=":2" /> By September 1987, more than three million dolls had been sold since the toy line was introduced.<ref name="britta" /> In September 8, 2011, Hasbro issued a press release announcing its attendance at the New York Comic Con from October 13–16, 2011, where it would be showing new and upcoming products at its booth, including those from Jem and The Holograms.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref>

In June 27, 2012, Integrity Toys, Inc. announced their plans to release a new series of collectible fashion dolls based on the TV series. The special edition Hollywood Jem doll became available at the Hasbro Toy Shop booth during Comic-Con International in San Diego at an approximate retail price of $135.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Jem doll sold out on day two of the convention.<ref>http://kjemradio.wordpress.com/2012/07/14/breaking-news-hollywood-jem-sold-out-at-sdccTemplate:Dead link</ref> In October 5, 2012, the four (then-upcoming) dolls in Integrity Toys' new limited edition collectible line were presented with pictures: Classic Jem, Jerrica Benton, Synergy and Rio Pacheco,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with a suggested retail price of $119, to begin shipping in late November 2012. Pre-orders were accepted through Integrity Toys' network of authorized dealers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of October 2016, Integrity Toys has produced more than 40 different dolls based on the TV show.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 2024, The Loyal Subjects inked a deal with Hasbro to relaunch a host of legacy brands, including Jem and the Holograms.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2025, the company started a collection of dolls, beginning in February with the release of a 12-inch Jem doll.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> More characters joined the collection in the following months, including Aja, Kimber and Shana.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Comics

In 2011, Hasbro released a one-off comic book titled Unit:E as an exclusive at the New York Comic-Con; this was created by "HasLab" as a potential multi-brand crossover platform. The plot depicted Synergy, now an alien artificial intelligence, assisting the descendant of Acroyear and a Biotron from Micronauts in searching for heroes to help him combat Baron Karza. She shows them characters from G.I. Joe, Transformers, Battleship Galaxies, Stretch Armstrong, Action Man, M.A.S.K. and Candy Land among others. Jerrica herself is shown as not having taken up the Jem identity yet, but will eventually compose the "Music of the Spheres" (presumably with Synergy's aid). The comic was never followed up. The Jem comic book was released by IDW in March 2015: written by Kelly Thompson, art by Sophie Campbell and colors by M. Victoria Robado.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The comic book offers a modern re-imagining of the series with new character designs and different situations, such as Jem and The Holograms and The Misfits being unsigned bands at the start with Eric Raymond being hired as The Misfits' manager during the second story arc. In addition, Kimber and Stormer begin a romantic relationship. As of Issue #16, which is Campbell's final issue as regular artist, The Stingers have been introduced to the series with Raya featured as a fourth member of the band. The title's current status within the new Hasbro Comic Book Universe (consisting of several new or relaunched titles, using the IDW Transformers comics as the backbone for a cohesive universe) has been somewhat erratic; IDW writers have generally indicated that, while characters from Jem will not show up in crossovers (including the Revolution mini-series that launched the universe), they do exist and will receive occasional references. The series ended on June 14, 2017, with issue #26, but a six-issue miniseries--Jem and The Holograms: Infinite #1 and Jem and The Holograms: Misfits Infinite #1 was released later in the month.<ref name=cbr>Template:Cite web</ref> A one-shot Jem and The Holograms: IDW 20/20 was published in January 2019 as part of IDW 20/20 which celebrated the 20th anniversary of IDW Publishing. The comic takes place 20 years after the final issue of the ongoing comic.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In October 2025, it was announced the comic license was transferred to Boom Studios. A new ongoing Jem and the Holograms comic will be published in 2026.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Boom Studios will also launch a Kickstarter for a trade collection of the IDW Publishing comics in November 2025.

Film

After the success of G.I. Joe and Transformers films, Hasbro began considering a live-action film adaptation or a new incarnation of the animated series with Universal Pictures, with which Hasbro had signed a six-film contract in 2010.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On March 20, 2014, a live-action motion picture adaptation of Jem and The Holograms was announced, to be directed by Jon M. Chu.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Filming on the production began in April 2014.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On April 24, it was announced that Aubrey Peeples had been cast as Jem, with Stefanie Scott as Kimber, Hayley Kiyoko as Aja and Aurora Perrineau as Shana.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> On April 30, 2014, actor Ryan Guzman was cast as Rio.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On May 20, Juliette Lewis and Molly Ringwald joined the film.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The film was theatrically released on October 23, 2015;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> it received generally negative reviews from critics and fans, with criticism targeted at the angsty teen drama, strayed too far from the source material as well as original series fan content being manipulated into reaction to the in-film characters.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was a box office bomb, grossing less than half its $5 million budget, and was removed from theaters by Universal after two weeks.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> SF Weekly criticized the fan backlash as entitlement.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Music

Truly Outrageous: A Tribute to Starlight Records (2015)

Hasbro Studios with Legacy Recordings released its first non-soundtrack album, Truly Outrageous: A Tribute to Starlight Records on August 7, 2015. The record was part of the promotion of the Jem film. The album consisted of original songs that only had the titles and sometimes a few lyrics in common with the Jem TV series songs.<ref name="bb">Template:Cite magazine</ref> This release was digital only.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

40th anniversary releases (2025)

An extended play featuring six re-recorded songs from Jem, sung by Britta Phillips, the singing voice for Jem, was released by Hasbro and The Orchard on July 25, 2025, coinciding with the show's 40th anniversary.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A re-recorded version of Glitter & Gold was digitally released on September 5.

External links

• Template:IMDb title
• Jem and The Holograms at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Archived from the original on October 8, 2016.