JEM

 

 

Long before Hannah Montana girls rocked to a girl that was "Truly Outrageous"!

                                                                         

 

 

"MTV" (Music Television) premiered August 1st, 1981 and was the brainchild of Robert W. Pittman. His idea was to have music stars make elaborate video clips of their hit songs and play them for a combination of sight and sound. By 1985 "MTV" was a household commodity and it was making a new era of music with an emphasis on fashion.

About this time, the Jem Project, as it was referred to at Hasbro, was being launched. It was a brilliant idea. Have a line of rock star dolls to cash in on the "MTV"/music video craze. Orginally, Jem was to be called "M", for a tie-in with "MTV", but corporate lawyers cancelled that when they learned a letter cannot be copyrighted. The plans had gone so far that Kimber's keyboard had already been made in the shape of an "M" so a name with "M" had to be used and the name Jem evolved. In the early planning stages, Jem andThe Holograms were to be all male but Hasbro wisely made them all female.

Shown at Toy Fair in 1986, Jem was everything anyone could want in a fashion doll. By June, trade papers were touting amazing statistics about her creation. Her size of 121/2 inches, and her high quality, high fashion wardrobe and her flashing LED Jemstar earings made her spectacular!

Hasbro Inc. announced that Jem would be introduced simultaneously around the world. 21 licensees with an emphasis on apparel, accessories and personal care items were granted.

Jem was introduced through a weekly half-hour television series of well-written beautifully animated almost adult themed shows. The Jem television show combined adventure and fashion with music videos with captions exactly like on "MTV". Hasbro scheduled a $10 million advertisement campain for Jem that included highly sophisticated television commercials developed by Charlex, a company that produces award-winning music videos. A joint promotion was carried out with "MTV" including doll-sized black "MTV" jackets for Jem and The Holograms, and a singing contest called "Jem's Truly Outrageous Audition Contest". Included with each doll were fabulous posters of Jem, The Holograms or The Misfits! 

Beautifully coordinated, the promotion included dolls with cassette tapes of professionally recorded songs sung by the dolls character. The songs coordinated to names of stunningly made outfits, and the whole package of doll, song and costume tied into the television show! It was not only truly outrageous, but truly brilliant.
**
 




 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
**

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

**

 

 

 

Jem [Animated Series] Summary:
The animated series Jem follows the adventures of a pop star named Jem and her band, the Holograms. Determined to use their fame and fortune to help others, the group runs a home for runaway girls called Starlight House. They have a secret, however, in that lead singer Jem and the band's manager, Jerrica, are actually the same person. Jerrica's late father, a brilliant scientist, created a super computer called Synergy, into which he programmed the soul of Jerrica's late mother. Jerrica remains connected to Synergy by wearing a pair of specially designed earrings that can communicate with the computer through no more than a whisper. When she needs to don her Jem persona, she says the magic phrase "Show time, Synergy!" and through the use of holograms, she is instantly outfitted with the pink hair and outrageous outfits that make her no longer recognizable as Jerrica, even to her boyfriend, Rio. Unfortunately, the band's secret makes them vulnerable to the mean-spirited rival band the Misfits, who are always out to ruin the lives and careers of the Holograms. Jem originally ran from 1985 to 1988 and retains a cult status, especially among its original audience. The flamboyant 1980s style of the clothes and music featured on the show make it a favorite among those with a taste for all things retro.

 

Voice Actors from the Animated Series.

Townsend Coleman
Role: Riot/Rory Llewelyn [season 3]

Townsend Coleman was a disk jockey for WGCL for Cleveland, Ohio in the late 1970s. He got his start as an actor through Jerry Leonard's Heights Youth Theater ensemble. The plays were preformed Wiley Junior High School in University Heights, Ohio — just down the road from John Carroll.

Britta Phillips
Role: Jem/Jerrica Benton [singing voice]

Bass Voice and Thespian Chops!!!

Louise Dorsey
Role: Jetta/Sheila Burns [season 2]
Ford Kinder
Role: Riot [singing voice Season 3]
Linda Dangcil
Role: Raya Carmen Alonso [season 2]
Bobbie Block
Role: Roxy/Roxanne Pelligrini
Marlene Aragon
Role: Synergy
Patricia Alice Albrecht
Role: Pizzazz/Phyllis Gabor
Ellen Gerstell
Role: Rapture/Phoebe Ashe [season 3]
Cathianne Blore
Role: Kimber Benton / Aja Leith
Susan Blu
Role: Stormer/Mary Phillips
Michael Sheehan
Role: Rio Pacheco
Samantha Newark
Role: Jem/Jerrica Benton
Charlie Adler
Role: Eric Raymond

Charlie Adler has been one of the most sought after voice actors in recent years and he has received several awards for his work throughout his career. While he has been nominated for several Annie awards, which is one of the highest awards available for animated programs.

Vicki Sue Robinson
Role: Rapture/Phoebe Ashe [singing voice season 3]
Kath Soucie
Role: Minx/Ingrid Kruger [season 3]

Kath Soucie is a voice actress who lives in Los Angeles, though she began her entertainment career in New York, as a theatrical actress. However, she was soon offered some roles in some television episodes and various movies, which is why she moved to Los Angeles.

Ellen Bernfeld
Role: Pizzazz [singing voice]
Cindy McGee
Role: Shana Elmsford

 

For an Exclusive Rock video of Samantha Newark (voice of JEM/Jerrica Benton) follow this link

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=32896329

 

And for the exclusive new JEM Doll check out http://jemgirl.com/

 

The COLLECTOR TOY DOMINION