Photospam: Jem and the Holograms Concert Clash board game
I’ve been on a Jem kick recently. With the addition of Synergy to my collection and deciding to re-watch the series, I’ve been pretty obsessed about looking up random facts and searching for fun products on eBay. One of my purchases because of this obsession? The Jem and the Holograms Concert Clash board game. I don’t remember this coming out as a kid, but I know I probably wanted it really bad. I was (and still am) a total Jem girl!
The premise of the game? According to the instructions, “Those nasty misfits are challenging Jem and the Holograms to a Battle of the Bands. The Holograms are trying to collect all their records and bring them to the battle. But the Misfits are blocking them at every turn. The only way to outwit the Misfits is for the Holograms to split up and each try to get as many records as possible. Which hologram will make it to the battle of the Bands first with the records she needs to win?” The game has Jem, Aja, Kimber, and Shana tokens, a record player shaped spinner, and some fantastic board art. Oh, and did I forget to mention that it has a truly outrageous cassette tape with Jem songs on it (that are also used for game play)?! Want to see some pictures?
So what do you think? Did you want one of these as a kid? Share!
Dolly Report- Jem and the Holograms
As promised, I’ve started up my Dolly Reports! What doll line graces us with its presence this week? Jem and the Holograms!
Back in 1985, Hasbro had an idea for a doll line about a female musical group with truly outrageous fashions. This group would soon be known as Jem and the Holograms! To market their doll line, Hasbro used something that was very popular back in the 80′s– cartoons.
The Jem and the Holograms cartoon debuted October of 1985 and ran for 65 episodes! It’s hard to give a good description of the show (for me anyways!), but I’ll try! The show follows Jerrica Benton, owner of Starlight Music and the Starlight Home for Girls, as she tries to outwit conniving record producer/rival Eric Raymond. Eric is set on putting Starlight Music out of business and in order to do so, employs ‘The Misfits’, a wild rock group. To combat ‘The Misfits’, Jerrica uses holographic earrings to turn into Jem, lead singer of Jem and the Holograms! Together with her friends Kimber, Aja, and Shana, the band has to outwit Eric and The Misfits, while dealing with their own obstacles! One of the best things about Jem and the Holograms is that the storylines usually crossover into multiple episodes. Not to forget the music in the series!
The Jem Doll line is known for a few things. First off, they’re known for some truly outrageous fashions. Fashions are usually pretty flashy and bright. Secondly, they’re know for some wild hair. Jem/Jerrica has a mix of pink/white blonde hair, while her hologram friends have colors as out there as blue, purple, and bright red! Personally, I love the hair colors. It adds a neat element to the dolls! Last, the doll line is known for their facepaint and size. Jem dolls are taller and thicker than your typical Barbie doll. They have a different look and each has unique make up. Funnily enough, the make up doesn’t match the make up in the cartoons. It would have been interesting to see a doll that modeled the cartoon look.
The doll line ran through 1987 and grew to encompass a grand number of dolls, including two hologram, misfits, and Rio lines, secondary characters like Danse, Synergy, and Video, various playsets, including the Rock’n Roadster, and even Starlight girls Ashley, Ba-Nee, and Krissy! Prototypes for season three characters ‘The Stingers’ were created, but never mass produced due to the cancelation of the line. (Too bad, as the prototypes looked GREAT!)
This Christmas, I made it a goal to ask for more Jem and the Holograms dolls. You see, while I am a product of the 80′s, I only received one during their original run. That one being a first edition Jerrica/Jem with light up earrings. A few years back I found a Shana at a toy show. At JemCon 2007, I picked up my first Misfit, Pizzazz, and Jems boyfriend, Rio! My mom, who is fantastic about listening to Christmas/Birthday idea’s, ran with the Jem and the Holograms idea and ended up wrapping up a second generation Kimber and Aja for me!!!
My collection is not complete by far, but the fact that I have the complete Jem and the Holograms (minus season 2′s Raya) makes me pretty happy! Next up on my Jem wishlist? Stormer, Synergy, and the Rock’n Roadster!
Here’s a bit of photo-spam of my dolls!
There are some great resources for Jem info on the web. ‘Totally Jem’ is a great resources and still gets updated on a frequent basis! And don’t forget the great, creative people who OOAK Jem dolls, like JemGirl!
Do you have a Jem collection or have fond memories of the cartoon/doll line line? Leave a comment and share!
