The Loyal Subjects have been producing updated versions of ’80s properties for a few years now. Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake have both been given The Loyal Subjects treatment recently. Now, they’re turning their attention to Jem and The Holograms.
I didn’t have much exposure to Jem growing up. My sister was more of a Barbie and The Rockers fan girl, and I don’t recall the cartoon airing in my area. I knew the catchy theme song from commercials, but outside of knowing that Jem was truly outrageous, I didn’t know much else.
When I saw that Jem had started to hit Walmart, I decided to get my hands on one to see what I’d been missing out on. I was not prepared to go down a rabbit hole, but it happened, and we need to talk about it.
My experience growing up was probably similar to many midwestern kids in the eighties. Boys were marketed to differently than girls. There are still clear signs of this to this day. Toy departments have a clear delineation of “boy toys” and “girl toys.” As a kid, you wouldn’t find me in the Barbie/Jem section unless I was buying a birthday gift for someone. Nowadays, I’m secure in my masculinity. I know Jem isn’t going to give me cooties unless I buy the additional accessory pack.
When I picked up Jem for the first time, it all felt familiar. If you aren’t aware, Jem was created by Hasbro and Marvel when they attempted to apply the G.I. Joe formula to a girl’s franchise. They created a cartoon alongside their G.I. Joe partners at Sunbow. More impressive than the Joe cartoons, however, each episode of Jem had original music and videos. They weren’t all bangers, but in a world without AI, there must have been an incredible amount of talent or cocaine that allowed for three seasons of truly outrageous music to be created. The Loyal Subjects have included an electronic microphone stand that plays a clip from the Jem theme song. It doesn’t quite sound like the original recording, but it’s pretty close. I haven’t taken Jem out of the box, but I did slide the electronic device out so I could enjoy the tunes.
I was pretty sure I would take Jem out to display her, but I was introduced to the artwork of Sharon Knettell and couldn’t bring myself to get rid of the box. I’ve sung the praises of The Art of G.I. Joe in the past. Little did I know that Jem was putting out some equally incredible artwork at the same time. Sharon’s work still looks fantastic. The artwork on the box is what sold me if I’m being honest. It gave me something more to appreciate beyond it simply being a novelty purchase that my granddaughters might find amusing someday. It’s a time capsule of eighties fashion art that deserves to be appreciated. I’m glad The Loyal Subjects included it in the new release.
I often applaud companies that provide multiple looks in their figures. How did I not realize girls were doing that with dolls for years? As a kid, I wouldn’t have wanted to play dress up with my dolls, but as an adult collector, I’ll spend hours mixing and matching just the right parts to put together the perfect CM Punk figure. How did this happen? Is this the woke mind virus I’ve heard about recently? The Loyal Subjects have included the classic Jem outfit as well as an alternate outfit to get a dressed-down version of Jem’s alter ego, Jerrica.
I went back and started watching Jem on Tubi, and it’s pretty damn good. It’s been no different than my rewatches of Transformers or G.I. Joe. They’re geared towards kids. They don’t really age well, but there’s just something charming about them. If anything, Jem may hold up a bit better than the other Hasbro cartoons. Jerrica was a simple girl running an orphanage when her father passed away, leaving her responsible for a major record company and an artificial intelligence that may or may not be connected to Cobra Commander. Haven’t we all been there?
The Loyal Subjects have announced a few additional figures dolls are on the way including Pizzazz, the lead singer of The Misfits (not those Misfits). She’s the Megatron to Jem’s Optimus. Assuming she has a unique Misfits electronic mic stand, I might be on the hook for her as well. I don’t collect dolls… but if someone were interested in exploring a 6-inch line of figures… I might be down for a set of both Holograms and Misfits. Hasbro has a shared universe, and they’ve actually dropped a bit of a Jem Easter Egg on the upcoming box art for their San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive Cold Slither box set. Jem in the Classified line? Yes, please.
At the end of the day, there’s a lot to love about Jem, and The Loyal Subjects helped teach me that. She’s deserving of her spot near the top of iconic eighties toys. She played the hits, and she played them well. If you’re going to ignore an icon simply because it’s a doll or a “girl’s toy”, you’re doing yourself a disservice. Simply put, Jem is excitement. Jem is adventure. Glamour and glitter, fashion and fame. Jem is truly outrageous. Truly. Truly. Truly outrageous.
