Jem & The Holograms
It’s truly outrageous!
Ep. 003 is live!
A weekly cartoon with elements of danger, science fiction, rock and roll, and secret identities. At first glance, one might assume I’m talking about something similar to Buckaroo Banzai, for those of the deep-cut persuasion. Alas, I’m talking about the girl rocker that was TRULY outrageous with plenty of glam to boot: Jem!
Jem ran for 3 seasons in syndication from October 6 1985 to May 2 1989 for 65 episodes. The show began its life as a part of Super Saturdays (sometimes known as Super Sundays) which was a pilot program, of sorts, for Jem and three other programs. Jem, Inhumanoids, Robotix, and Big Foot, and the Muscle Machines were packaged together, each segment running for roughly six to seven minutes. Proving to be quite popular, Jem went to series along with Inhumanoids. An interesting fact that many overlook was that this programming block acted as a shared universe, of sorts. Though none of the individual series directly reference one another, there is the common thread of the character Hector Ramirez appearing as a reporter. This same character also appeared in GI Joe.
One of the brilliant factors of Jem, in my opinion, was who was hand-picked to steer the ship. Christy Marx, a staff writer for the other two successful Hasbro/Sunbow/Marvel Productions series, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero and Transformers, was brought in to be the series creator. Though Hasbro came up with the idea for Jem and her toy line, it was Christy who crafted the backstory and mythology that kept many of us kidults coming back to our televisions every Saturday for three great seasons. Though the toy line may have been designed and intended for girls, by way of marketing and managerial mentality, Marx certainly did a fine job of creating something anyone could enjoy. That is where not only the brilliance of the show lies but also the sheer talent of Marx and the team surrounding her.
Not everyone, however, always got to enjoy this show. Though the show was made to appeal to both boys and girls, the toys were created with the intention of the female market, and snatching some share away from Mattel’s Barbie. The fact that Jem was competing against the queen of the mountain made one thing very “clear” to the more myopic parents of the 1980s: Jem was for girls.
Up until a certain point in my childhood, I had fairly free reign to enjoy pretty much whatever I wanted, within reason. Call it being a child of divorce, chalk it up to the laissez faire nature of some parents in the 80’s, call it what you will...I really didn’t run into much opposition in regards to what cartoons or toys I could enjoy. Really, the only “obstacle” I ever faced was the financial constraints either my parents faced. That was until my father met my stepmother Susan in 1987. Susan was pretty great when she first came into my life. She was a lot of fun, helped me play catch up on a number of very basic skills for five years old that I was lacking, and spent actual quality time with me. Things changed rather quickly, though, once her and my dad got married once she found out she was pregnant. By the summer of 1988, I was now living with my father and Susan, my younger brother had been born, we had started going to church, and Susan began acting very differently.
We’ve all had our own experiences with the Satanic Panic, whether directly or adjacently, so I’m not special by any stretch. The lengths that Susan’s mania went to was something else, though. Very quickly, the days of enjoying MOTU, The Smurfs (you read that quickly), and many more started dying a slow death. Of all the properties to also suffer this fate, Jem was the one that had effects that last to today.
“No, that’s not for you, you’re a boy,” or my favorite, little more personalized gem (you’ll pardon the pun) of “Your friends are going to see you with girl stuff and they’re going to make fun of you. I’m going to tell all your friends you play with girls' toys and watch girls’ shows, and then they’re not going to be your friends anymore.” Clearly, I never forgot those words. Now, I’ve learned to show some grace in these last couple of years, especially since my dad and (biological) mom passed away. And becoming a father certainly changed me as well. But this whole idea of not being able to enjoy something because of your genitals seemed strange to me, even at six. I never really looked at things through that lens, for some reason. If I didn’t like something it was either because I “thought it was for babies,” meaning I thought it was for kids younger than me, or I just didn’t find it interesting.
Again, my story is nothing special. Over the years I’ve encountered many folks who were told similar things: “you can’t have a GI Joe, you’re a girl,” or “why do you need an Easy Bake Oven, you’re a boy.” When you get older, and you see people out in the world, doing all sorts of things regardless of their sexuality or gender, you really start to realize just how asinine and detrimental those comments were. Thankfully, from that trauma a new way of thinking arose. By and large, most parents I encounter today tend to use age and emotional maturity as the guide post for what sort of media their child is allowed to consume, or what sort of toys they are allowed to have. Some find places of compromise so their kid doesn’t necessarily miss out on certain natural forms of play; maybe you don’t like guns or realistic looking weapon toys in the house, but your compromise is Nerf or a foam Minecraft sword. That approach is perfectly healthy and sensible. But “gendering” a show or toy? It’s a thing, an object or product. The only time that makes sense, with inanimate objects, is when one is referring to male or female parts when it comes to building materials and such. GI Joe isn't just for boys, a play kitchen isn’t just for girls. Both are tools for a child to flex their creative muscles. That little girl playing with Hot Wheels might become an amazing engineer someday, or that boy playing with a babydoll may become a premiere pediatrics doctor. Maybe that girl becomes the best damn mechanic at your local service drive, and that boy becomes the best damn preschool teacher in your district. The point is these things were all there to entertain us, let our imaginations run wild, and yes...sell us shit. In the long run, I did keep my affinity for Jem through the years. And please believe I snuck watching episodes when she was distracted. How I was treated, though, did have a profound effect on me, especially as a father.
There are many things from my childhood that I share with my son Henry. It’s fun for me, because in a way it helps me remember the better things about my dad. How we’d race up his front yard every Friday after he picked me for his visitation time, and we go inside and play before watching Hanna Barbera cartoons on USA Cartoon Express. I didn’t realize it at the time, but that was him sharing part of his childhood with me. I often find myself wondering how that felt for him, personally. If it was anything like how I feel when I share He-Man or Ghostbusters with Henry...then I suppose he had to feel pretty good. Until my stepmother came along, dad was pretty loose with what I could watch. To be fair, he didn’t always make the best choices; I really don’t know that I should have seen Weird Science as young as I did, but I liked it and got the humor. I try to remember that version of my dad, as well as what ended up happening to me when it comes to my approach to Henry. To that end, one of his favorite shows is Vamparina, which I find to be a delightful show, really; there’s a loving family, strong support system of friends, there’s always a lesson, there’s even songs. The family just happens to be vampires. Susan, my stepmother, would have hated this show. Henry loves it, can’t get enough of it, and I love watching it with him. And though it hasn’t happened yet, if that little boy saw a Vamparina doll, mini-playset, or figure of some sort at the store and wanted it...the only reason we wouldn’t leave with it would be because I just couldn’t spend the money on it that week. Rest assured, though. I’d go back and get it. Because it’s a damn toy from a cartoon he likes.
Now, personal deep dive aside, Jem has had legs past the 80’s. 2012 saw Integrity Toys partner with Hasbro to make TRULY OUTRAGEOUS and exquisite Jem dolls. They were expensive at the outset of their release, and they’ve only gone up in value. At the time of writing this, I searched for some of these figures on eBay because I know I want a Classic Jem, at the very least. If I am going to achieve that, I’ll be parting with just over $300. I don’t see a wild hair up my ass prompting me to snatch up a Synergy, who is currently sitting at $1600! Sorry, Synergy, there’s only room for one wildly priced machine/computer/humanoid hybrid in my heart, and wallet, and I’m afraid I only have eyes for one...someday, Super Powers Collection Cyborg, someday. In 2014, the Jem and the Holograms movie hit theaters...for two weeks. I suggest checking out the fan film “Truly Outrageous” instead. IDW Comics, famous for their legacy property titles, released a Jem series in 2015 that did give us some different designs. Outside of the abandoned attempt at a shared Hasbro cinematic universe with Paramount, no new media has been discussed in quite some time. However, a suggestion/dream that has been thrown about has been the idea of Hasbro sliding Jem into their Marvel Legends line, or at the very least giving us a Legends scaled Jem. This “dreamcasting,” if you will, stems from Hasbro’s SDCC reveal that Crystarr, a DEEP CUT character that originally had a toy line from Remco and comic from Marvel, will be released in Hasbro’s Marvel Legends line. Will this happen? Who's to say. The popularity of the recent Barbie movie, though, may once again prompt Hasbro to try to steal a little bit of Mattel’s lunch. If properly handled, a modern update of Jem could absolutely be truly, truly...outrageous.
I want to give very special and heartfelt thank yous to fellow collector and friend Cora Buhlert, Colt aka Dad-at-Arms on X and YouTube, my friend Allison Troy of Allison Troy - Retro Toy Princess on YouTube, and Colleen Glatfelter of Geek. Dad. Life. for taking the time to talk to me about their own experiences growing up, and any hindrances in regards to enjoying certain shows or toys. If I missed anyone in this thank you, I do apologize. If you enjoyed this more personal write up please let us know with some feedback. Take care everyone, and enjoy! -Derek
