SPECIALIZING IN VINTAGE TOY LINES FROM THE 80s AND 90s
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SPECIALIZING IN VINTAGE TOY LINES FROM THE 80s AND 90s
This page contains affiliate links. As a partner, I may be compensated if you make a purchase.
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Jem & The Holograms is an animated musical television series that ran from 1985 to 1988. The series followed record company owner Jerrica Benton, her singer alter-ego Jem, and the adventures of her band The Holograms. The Jem & The Holograms dolls are highly collectible, with boxed dolls easily surpassing three digits. Let’s take a look at this beloved 80s line and how it recently made a second debut!
The leader and main vocalist of the worldwide famous rock band The Holograms.
The leader and main vocalist of the rock band The Holograms.
The lead guitarist of Jem and The Holograms.
Manager, glam metal rock star, and lead singer of The Holograms.
Rory Llewelyn or Riot is the lead singer of The Stingers.
Rory Llewelyn or Riot is the lead singer of The Stingers.
Manager, glam metal rock star, and lead singer of The Holograms.
The lead guitarist of Jem and The Holograms.
The Jem & The Holograms series was a collaboration by Hasbro, Marvel Productions, and Sunbow Productions. The popularity of Mattel’s Barbie franchise inspired a competition between Hasbro’s Jem product line and Barbie and the Rockers. This resulted in reduced sales for both products.
Hasbro discontinued the Jem toyline at the end of 1987, although the series continued to air until 1988. Hasbro’s Jem concept centered around a beautiful, young woman of the ’80s with a secret dual identity. Off-stage, she’s Jerrica Benton, co-owner of Starlight Music Corporation. She transforms into Jem, a rock singer, with the help of a holographic computer image named SYNERGY, which focuses her power through special LED earrings.
Interesting Tip!: You can see the original doll lineup in the Hasbro 1986 Toy Fair Catalog, which was kindly scanned and shared by The Sunbow Marvel Archive .
The Holograms are Jem’s rock band. Mattel produced dolls for all the Holograms (Kimber Benton, Jerrica’s younger sister, keyboardist, and songwriter; Aja Leith, guitarist; and Shana Elmsford, synth drummer) during 1986 and 1987. These are the Jem & The Holograms original dolls, which measure 12 1/2 inches. The collection features the band’s members and (except for the Jem/Jerrica doll) came with cassette tapes. The dolls were released in two waves, with a third year of merchandise never produced.
“JEM’s fabulous musical group, are high energy in motion! They’re dressed in ‘outrageous’ stage costumes and feature the latest hair styles and colours. Kimber, Aja, and Shana, come with their own unique musical instruments and a cassette tape featuring rock music from the JEM animated series! Each fully articulated, 121/2″ doll includes a stage fashion, instrument, pumps, hairpick, cassette tape, rock poster and figure stand.”
The Misfits are the rival band of the Holograms. Mattel produced dolls for the Misfits members Pizzazz (real name Phyllis Gabor), guitarist Roxy (Roxanne Pelligrini), and kind-hearted keytar player Stormer (Mary Phillips). The Misfits are later joined by British saxophonist Jetta (Sheila Burns). The line-up for the Misfits + Rio has four dolls:
“The mischievous musical group and JEM’s beautiful adversaries-The Misfits! Pizzazz, Stormer and Roxy have their own unique style with exciting hair colours, wild makeup, and hot fashions to set them apart from the Holograms! Each doll comes with a cassette tape featuring exclusive music from the Misfits! These fully poseable 121/2″ dolls come with a stage fashion, musical instrument, pumps, hairpick, cassette tape, 2 bracelets, rock poster and figure stand.”
The Jem & The Holograms doll line expanded considerably in 1987, with nineteen new dolls released that year, including nine new characters. The collection featured four new Jem dolls, among them Synergy in her transformed Jem appearance, as well as a new version of Rio.
“Synergy” Doll (1987)
Synergy was the sophisticated artificial intelligence at the heart of Jem and the Holograms. She was essentially the technology that made Jem possible.
The Holograms also welcomed three new members, who appeared across a total of six dolls, while two new members joined The Misfits, bringing that group’s 1987 releases to five dolls. Rounding out the collection were three entirely new characters introduced as friends of Jerrica. Together, these releases greatly expanded the cast represented in the toy line and made 1987 one of its most varied years… and, unfortunately, the last for the dolls.
“Raya” Doll (1987)
Raya is the newest member of Jem and The Holograms and the group’s drummer.
“Video” Doll (1987)
Vivien “Video” Montgomery is a filmmaker and music-video director.
“Danse” Doll (1987)
Giselle Dvorak, or Danse, is a professional dancer and choreographer.
“Kimber” Doll (1987)
Jerrica’s younger sister, Kimber is the Holograms’ keyboardist and principal songwriter.
“Aja” Doll (1987)
Aja is the Holograms’ lead guitarist and one of Jerrica and Kimber’s closest friends.
“Shana” Doll (1987)
Shana begins the series as the Holograms’ drummer but is also a gifted fashion designer.
You might notice the design for these Jem doll boxes is similar for both groups of second wave products. These are bigger than the original 1986 ones, with the included cassette tape clearly displayed next to the figure.
“Jetta” Doll (1987)
Jetta is a saxophonist introduced in the second-wave Misfits lineup.
“Clash” Doll (1987)
Clash is associated with The Misfits but isn’t actually a member of the band in the animated series.
“Pizzazz” Doll (1987)
Pizzazz is the lead singer, guitarist, and formidable leader of The Misfits.
“Stormer” Doll (1987)
Stormer is the Misfits’ keytar player and principal songwriter.
“Roxy” Doll (1987)
Roxy is the tough, confrontational guitarist of The Misfits. She’s brash and loyal.
The Starlight Girls dolls were a small sub-line within the original Jem collection, released in 1987, the second and final year of the vintage doll line. Unlike most of the adult Jem characters, the Starlight Girls used smaller, child-proportioned bodies and were based on the foster girls who lived at Starlight House/Starlight Mansion under Jerrica Benton’s care.
Although the animated series featured a much larger group of Starlight Girls (including Becky, Deirdre, Lela, Nancy, and others), only three Starlight Girls were made as dolls: Ashley, Ba Nee, and Krissie.
“Ba Nee” Doll (1987)
Ba Nee is a Vietnamese girl and one of the youngest residents of the House
There are two playsets released by Hasbro for Jem and the Holograms. These are the Rockin’ Roadster (1986) and the Waterbed (1986). Additionally, there was a series of wrist watches in three colors (yellow, aqua, and white). Other brands also collaborated with Jem to produce a variety of merch, including lunchboxes (Aladdino, 1986), puzzles and board games (Milton Bradley, 1986), backpacks (SGI), and more. The line was so popular that even sleeping bags sold like pancakes!
Wrist Watches (1986)
These digital watches were released as stand-alone products and are cleverly designed around music.
Rockin’ Roadster Car (1986)
The Rockin’ Roadster playset is The Hologram’s “official” band car. It appears in the first episode of the series.
Waterbed (1986)
The waterbed playset actually uses water and also converts into a working electronic piano with 17 keys or notes.
Jem merchandise and dolls didn’t completely disappear after the 1980s. In fact, there are several new products inspired by the original series – and some are incredibly popular. For example, there is a beautiful San Diego Comic-Con exclusive Glitter and Gold Jem doll edition many collectors wish they had! And, last year, we got an entire line of retro Jem & The Holograms Dolls!
