Characters

The series revolves around Jerrica Benton, the owner and manager of Starlight Music, and her alter-ego Jem, lead singer of the rock group the Holograms.^[7] 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.^[8] 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 became the band's synth drummer after Shana briefly leaves the group to pursue a career in fashion. Upon her return to the Holograms, Shana becomes the band's bassist.

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 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.^[4] Rio romantically pursues both women, not knowing they are one and the same.^[4] 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

A music video featured in the show.	A music video that deviates from the normal action in the show.[9]

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.^[10] 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.^[11][12]

Conception and staffing

Hasbro and an outside inventor started developing Jem in response to an interest that children were shown in music videos.^[13] 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.^[14]

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.^[15] 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.^[16] The initial take from the audition was used as the first opening theme song "Truly Outrageous".^[16] 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.^[17]

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.^[18] 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.^[19]

Music

Beat This by Jem and the Holograms (Britta Phillips)

30 second sample from the music video "Beat This" featured in "The Talent Search Part 2"

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Problems playing this file? See media help.

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.^[20] Over 200 original songs was written for the series.^[16] Several songs are featured on cassette tapes of Hasbro's Jem toy line.^[21]

Sunbow Productions employed several musicians and songwriters.^[22] Ford Kinder and Anne Bryant composed the music, and Barry Hamon wrote the lyrics of the songs.^[22] Britta Phillips performed as Jem,^[16][22] Ellen Bernfeld performed as Pizzazz,^[22] and Gordon Grody, performed as Riot.^{[citation needed]} Anne Bryant, who chose the singers and musicians, created a pop sound for Jem and the Holograms supported by acoustic instruments.^{[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.^{[citation needed]} This was done to create an identifiable punk electronica style in stark contrast to their rival singing groups.^{[citation needed]} In season three, Bryant introduced the slower funky groove for the third group that entered the show, the Stingers.^{[citation needed]}

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.^[13] 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".^[13] 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."^[13] 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.^[13] 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.^[23] 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.^[13] The showroom was filled with Jem dolls and decorated with neon colors, "Miami Vice-styled" fashions, and video screens with animation clips and commercials.^[13]

In mid-1986, Nickelodeon partnered with Hasbro to sponsor a contest,^[24][25] in which an individual was asked to call a toll-free telephone number and sing the theme song of the series.^[24] The grand prize was $7,000^[25] and a trip to the MTV Video Music Awards in New York City.^[24][25] Other prizes include a 19-inch color television, a VCR player, the Jem home video library, a dress identical to the Jem doll, and the cost of $1,000.^[25] Carosi explained that the promotion "added proof of Jem's popularity", receiving more than 375,000 phone calls and breaking the telephone system once within eight weeks of the contest.^[24] The winner of the contest was Keri King of Seymour, Indiana, who was chosen out of 325,000 children aged 12 and under.^[25]

Broadcast

Jem started airing October 6, 1985,^{[citation needed]} in syndication.^[16] It consisted of one seven-minute short that aired every week^[13] as part of the Super Sunday lineup.^[16] Starting in September 1987, the series aired five times weekly.^[16] It has aired in multiple countries including Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, West Germany, Netherlands, United States, Italy and France.^[26] The series aired reruns on The Hub Network/Discovery Family from May 31, 2011, to November 15, 2015.^[27][28]

On July 25, 2011, Teletoon Retro, a Canadian channel dedicated to cartoons, announced that Jem would be part of its fall 2011 lineup.^[29] On April 5, 2012, Hasbro announced that Jem, along with several other Hasbro franchises, will be available on Netflix.^[30]

Dolls

Hasbro's first Jem toy line consisted of eight dolls, packaged with a cassette tape, an instrument, a rock strand, a hair pick, and a poster, priced at $15 per doll.^[13] A cassette per doll contained the theme song "Truly Outrageous" and two other songs performed by Jem and the Holograms or The Misifts.^[16] The lineup also included the Jem Star Stage and Jem's Rockin' Roadster.^[13] As of June 1986, Jem's sales surpassed their competitor Barbie and the Rockers.^[24] As of September 1987, over three million dolls were sold since its introduction of the toy line.^[16]

On September 8, 2011, Hasbro issued a press release announcing its attendance at the 2011 New York Comic Con convention, which ran from October 13 to October 16. The press release stated that Hasbro would be showing new and upcoming products from its toy lines at its booth, including Jem and the Holograms.^[45]

On June 27, 2012, Integrity Toys, Inc. announced their plans to release a brand-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.^[46] The Jem doll sold out on day two of the convention.^[47]

On October 5, 2012, the four (then-upcoming) dolls in the new Integrity Toys limited edition collectible line were presented with pictures: Classic Jem, Jerrica Benton, Synergy and Rio Pacheco.^[48] The suggested retail price is US$119 and they began shipping in late November 2012; pre-orders were accepted via Integrity Toys' network of authorized dealers.^[49] As of October 2016, Integrity Toys has produced over forty different dolls based on the classic show.^[50]

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.^[51] The comic book offers a modern re-imagining of the series with new character designs and different situations, such as 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 & the Holograms: Infinite #1 and Jem & the Holograms: Misfits Infinite #1 was released later in the month.^[43]

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.^[52]

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.^[53]

On March 20, 2014, a live-action motion picture adaptation of Jem and the Holograms was announced, to be directed by Jon M. Chu.^[54] Filming on the production began in April 2014.^[55] 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.^[56] On April 30, 2014, actor Ryan Guzman was cast as Rio.^[57] On May 20, Juliette Lewis and Molly Ringwald joined the film.^[58] The film was theatrically released on October 23, 2015;^[59] 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.^[60] It was a box office bomb, grossing less than half its $5 million budget, and was removed from theaters by Universal after two weeks.^[61] SF Weekly criticized the fan backlash as entitlement.^[62]

Music

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.^[63] This release was digital only.^[64]