Jem and the Holograms: Season 1 and 2 (DVD)

Jem and the Holograms was originally a toy line created by Hasbro. Oncewriter/executive story editor Christy Marx came onboard Jem and her friends weretransformed from mere dolls to the cartoon many came to love. Jem and the Hologramsis best described as a wish fulfillment soap-opera with some action/adventure twists.The show was intended for girls but it was originally aired in fifteen minute segmentsbetween boys’ cartoons on Saturday mornings. The assumption was that the boys werecontrolling the remotes on Saturday morning and that if they wanted to keep theirattention on this girly cartoon they would have to include some action scenes. Itmight also have had something to do with the fact that Christy Marx had written forFantastic Four and G.I. Joe before she began writing for JEM.

As the story begins, Jerrica Benton has just lost her father and inherited half of Starlight MusicCorporation, the Starlight House and some extra surprises. Jerrica’s sister Kimber,along with their friends Aja and Shana help run Starlight House, a foster home for younggirls. When she is in need of money for the Starlight House, she approaches Eric Raymond,new CEO of Starlight Music and the inheritor of the other half of the company. Jerricafinds out that there is no money left to fund Starlight House because Eric has beenembezzling money to promote his new singing trio, The Misfits. The Misfits, who aremade up of three punked out trouble makers, Pizazz, Stormer and Roxy, will stop atnothing to be famous. Jerrica returns home to find a box on her vanity addressed to her.The box contains earrings which bring magical powers to Jerrica and allow her totransform into Jem by the power of Cynergy, a hologram producing machine. With her newfound power, Jerrica and her friends form a band called Jem and the Holograms and takeon the Misfits in a race for popularity, a mansion, a movie deal and more. Of course, nosoap opera would be complete without the necessary love triangle thrown into the mix.In this case, Jerrica keeps her identity as Jem a secret from long time boyfriend Rioand he ends up being torn between his love for Jerrica and his new interest in Jem,never knowing they are one in the same.

In the mid 1980s, holograms were a new and cool technology, pop music was all the rageand MTV was a new channel on which music videos were aired. Jem and the Holograms was anoriginal cartoon which used fantasy and magic and coupled it with adventure and music.Within each episode of JEM were usually three music videos, one Misfits and two Jem andthe Holograms. The Jem and the Hologram songs were usually inspriational songs aboutlove, sharing and respecting others and yourself. The Misfits’ songs were about creatingmischief and winning and squashing people who get in your way. The videos thataccompanied the songs were used to illustrate to the young and impressionable girlswatching the show that Jem and her friends were fun and outrageous and the Misfits weretroublemakers. However, I always thought the Misfits had better songs.

Season 1 and 2 of Jem and the Holograms is incorporated into a four-disc collection of26 full length episodes and some nice special features. Christy Marx does commentarytracks for episodes 1, 13, 23 and 26 as well as a fifteen minute long interview on discfour. Samantha Newark, speaking voice of Jem (Britta Phillips was the singing voice ofJem), also does an interview on disc four, but it is much shorter and is mostlyself-promotional tripe about her singing career. Also included in special features arepublic service announcements where Jem and the Holograms teach kids not to talk tostrangers, how to ride your bike on the street and how to avoid a downed electrical wire.There is a “play songs” feature as well in which you can just watch the music video whichran about one minute in length each.

The final special feature on the JEM DVD is excerpts from the JEM production bible. Itis difficult to read this small white print but it does go into a lot of detail and backstory for Jem and the other characters. It’s too bad that they didn’t have time toincorporate a lot of these details about the characters into the show.In the commentary tracks and in the bonus interview with Christy Marx, she reveals a lotof answers to questions that every JEM fan has ever asked. Have you ever wondered abouta connection between the Misfits in the cartoon and the real band? Marx admits that shehas been asked many times about the connection and she was unware of a band named theMisfits and she is sure Hasbro was not aware of them when they created the toy line.Also, Marx describes the struggle against the toy company’s demands and her own creativeneeds. She didn’t want JEM to be considered a 30-minute commercial.

It was really fun to be reacquainted with one of my favorite childhood cartoons. Eventhough watching the cartoon as an adult I am able to see the flaws and the cheesy aspects,there is still more enjoyment to watching Jem and the Holograms than mere nostalgia.The season 1 and 2 boxed set is truly outrageous! — Alicia

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