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They virtually came out of nowhere and caught the attention of music lovers everywhere, slowly building their way up the charts to music stardom. They had their rivals and no matter how many other rock bands tried, no one could unseat these ladies from the top of the charts. While other music bands couldn't end their reign, business politics did and this band's career ended when it seemed like they would go on forever.
Years have gone by since the demise of Jem and the Holograms, but their legacy lives on as their hit songs can be downloaded from Napster, at least the fans that have missed the group, can still hold onto the memories. Could this band make a comeback? Probably not, but for the benefit of those who miss the show and for those who don't know what I am talking about, Bandwidth presents the very first installment of its Animation Archives. Jem and the Holograms.
Jem was and probably is still considered a young girl's show. My sister adored the show and taped every episode she could, so she could watch it two or three times. Each episode contained two songs or more and of course, my sister had to have those songs on tape. And I was the one volunteered for the job to tape the songs for her small collection. As I watched this girl show, I strangely realized the fact that this show was not only for girls. I actually enjoyed it myself.
Jem originally aired in seven-minute segments as part of a syndicated package called Super Sunday, which included Robotix and Bigfoot & The Muscle Machines. Jem was the real star of the show and was spun off into her own weekly and eventually daily series. I actually began watching the show with my sister. It was pretty good, and I honestly thought the show would have been better for adults than just kids. Some of the stories were complex and while kids could grasp the show's content, I thought adults would actually enjoy it more. It had romance, intrigue, and complex character interactions, making it one of the best 30-minute toy commercials on television.
It all began when Hasbro had the idea of creating a toy that would be able to compete with Barbie, while not exactly being a carbon copy of the popular toy line. They decided a rock star icon would do the trick. Capitalizing on the MTV generation, Jem would wear the latest fashions, sing hip songs and just look good doing it. With videos being all the rage, Jem seemed perfect for her own animated adventures. And what a splash they made on the animated world, with excellent animation, interesting stories, and terrific voice acting. Hasbro/Sunbow Productions, the same people that brought you GI-Joe had a new hit on their hands.
I have a feeling many of you do not even know what I am talking about; so let me refresh some memories. Jem's alter ego is Jerrica Benton. Her father died, but before his death, he created the next big thing in entertainment, which used a computer, and created holograms for an incredible show. The computer projected a hologram of herself, and was called Synergy. Synergy looked like his late wife and Jerrica's mother. The secrets of his new innovation were passed onto Jerrica in the form of high-tech earrings, which once worn, transformed the young girl into the beautiful Jem. Together with her sister, Kimber and their friends, The Holograms were born, and the music world was about to change.
In their way was Eric Raymond, a devious boss who took over Jerrica's father's company and embezzled money to promote his own band, The Misfits. His corruption was something Jerrica couldn't stand for, and a big feud was born, leading to Jerrica using her alter-go, Jem to take control of the company from Raymond. Raymond started his own company and the majority of the shows focused on the two bands, Jem and the Holograms and the Misfits competing against each other for number one on the music charts. Things got even more interesting when a new band, The Stingers arrived and saw Jerrica and Raymond compete for their services. Three seasons filled with back-stabbing, plotting and general vindictiveness ended when the final episode actual saw a touching scene where all the bands made amends realizing that the music was more important and not the feuding.
That was just the suspenseful part of the show. We haven't even discused the romance. Jerrica had a boyfriend named Rio. He had a crush on her alter ego, Jem, which really meant he loved Jerrica in all her forms. I wonder if he would ever use that excuse. To make matters worse, the last season features a new band called The Stingers. Riot, the lead singer of this group wants Jem, and she actually seems to like him at times, but he doesn't seem to have any real feelings for Jerrica. Confused yet? Talk about some complex love triangles! Pretty cool.
Jem also featured some pretty cool music that never made it to the charts, but were pretty catchy and fun to listen to. I mean, my sister thought so. The songs were a staple of all 65-episodes that ran from the fall of 1985 to the spring of 1988. Repeats ran on the USA Network into the early 90's, and some shows were released on video. Cassettes of some of the songs were released with each doll, but not all of them. So, I sat down for each episode and taped every song, so my sister could be happy. Then Jem disappeared, and my sister was upset. Even I was upset.
So, whatever happened to Jem and the Holograms? Well, a new toy line was designed for the fall of 1988, but rumors started to swirl that the toy line was going to be cancelled. Jem was a big toy and her size was much bigger than that of Barbie, so none of Barbie's clothes could fit her. This became a problem since girls liked to dress up their characters and were limited on what they could dress Jem with. Also, the idea of Jem seemed too unreal for girls to identify with. While it was fun to watch the show on TV, the idea of owning a toy that you had little in common with, didn't appeal to young girls and the toy line just didn't sell well. Ideas were tossed around and an idea was made to make Hollywood Jem, and turn the star into an actress, an idea that seemed more reality-based. New fashions were going to be made as well as a new theme song. Still, those ideas were scrapped and whatever dolls were made of such characters as the Stingers, were sold only in France. Strangely, the ones that did make it to the states ended up selling for thousands. Even the toys that were reduced in price on the shelves of Toys R Us and other toy stores, sold right off the shelves, due to the price reduction. Jem still had popularity. Unfortunately, Jem was one of those 30-minute toy commercials, and without a toy line to sell, the Jem series also ended.
Jem disappeared from television, and the rights to air the show got more expensive, just like they did for GI-Joe and some of your other favorite shows we will mention in these pages. This meant that even the Cartoon Network couldn't air the show due to the costly price tags for repeats. Without a major toy line to back up the show, there may never be a chance to see these or new episodes. So for now, Jem will live on in our memories. Oh how the pop icons fall.
If you would like to comment on this article or have additional information on the Jem series contact me at Bandwidth@ybfree.com