Jem is an American animated television series that ran from 1985 to 1988 in U.S. first-run syndication. The cartoon is about a singer named Jem, her band the Holograms and their adventures. Catch phrases from the show included "Showtime, Synergy!" and "Truly outrageous!" (the latter usually associated with supporting character Kimber).
The series was a joint collaboration between Hasbro and Sunbow Productions, the same team responsible for GI Joe and Transformers, and was intended to target female viewers. The creator of the series was Christy Marx, who also had been a staff writer for the aforementioned programs.
Despite the fact that the show was originally designed by Hasbro for the purpose of marketing a line of dolls, it employed several interweaving storylines and a complex backstory — both unusual in an animated television series during the 1980s. The show also features one-minute music videos, tying it in with the concept of MTV and its burgeoning popularity. The animated series still retains a fan-following.

Origin

The show was originally designed to appeal to both girls and boys, with a mix of action/adventure,drama, music, and fashion. It was first slotted as a 6 minute cartoon that aired during Super Sunday (or "Super Saturday" depending on the market) along with the boy-oriented properties Bigfoot and the Muscle Machines, Robotix, and Inhumanoids. Originally the main character was called "Misty" and then "M," but that idea was dropped due to the inability to trademark a letter. As the show progressed, it became more and more targeted towards young girls, especially as the theme song lyrics were changed, with Jem enticing the viewer to "come on and be a Jem girl" as opposed to saying only that "Jem is excitement...Jem is adventure."

Creative Team
Hasbro turned to advertising agency, Griffin-Bacal, to create the 65-episode animation series. Griffin-Bacal had previously created the successful G.I. Joe series for Hasbro.
G.I. Joe writer Christy Marx was hired to create the series based upon the line of dolls and the original concept for them, which consisted of the two girl bands, Synergy, the boyfriend Rio and the Rockin' Roadster. Marx created the full character bios and relationships (including the love triangle aspect between Jem/Jerrica and Rio), Starlight Music and Starlight House, the Starlight Girls, the villain Eric Raymond and various secondary characters.
Later, Marx was asked to develop new characters as they were introduced (Raya, Jetta, etc.) In total, Marx wrote 22 of the 65 shows.
The producers were Joe Bacal, Tom Griffin, Jay Bacal and Carole Weitzman. The story editor was Roger Slifer who wrote many memorable episodes which expanded upon the rich character relationships. The voice director was industry veteran, Wally Burr.
Other writers for the series included: Jina Bacarr, Cary Bates & Greg Weisman, George Bloom, Beth Bornstein, Carla Conway, Paul Dini, Buzz Dixon, Sandy Fries, Evelyn Gabai, Ellen Guon, Michael Hill, Rick Merwin, Steve Mitchell & Barbara Petty, Chris Pelzer, Michael Reaves, Mary Skrenes, Misty Stewart, David Wise, Cherie Wilkerson, Marv Wolfman. There were prototype dolls of projected 1988 characters Regine Cesare (fashion designer), Astral (magician) and Graphix (Artist) though none were ever released in stores and Graphix did not even make it into the cartoon series.
Other characters important enough to have related dolls were filmmaker Video (Vivien Montgomery), her cousin and obsessive Misfits fan Clash (Constance Montgomery), choreographer Danse (Giselle Dvorjak) and three of the most prominent Starlight Girls: Ashley, Ba Nee and Krissie. Hasbro's Rama Llama toy seems to have been loosely associated with Jem though was never used as anything more than a mail in offer and may never have featured in later Jem projects.

Character List

The Holograms

Jem (Lead Vocals) — Jem is the leader of the Holograms and the most popular singer of her day. She is the alter-ego of Jerrica Benton, owner of Starlight Music. Jerrica also runs Starlight House, a home for foster girls. Using the power of Synergy, an incredibly powerful holographic/audio synthesizer, Jerrica can become Jem by touching her special star-shaped earrings (the "Jemstar earrings") while saying "Showtime Synergy" (Jem changes back to Jerrica by saying "show's over, Synergy"). A primary storyline of the series involves her hiding her identity from others, especially Rio Pacheco, who loves both Jem and Jerrica. The character was voiced by Samantha Newark and Britta Phillips.
Kimber Benton (Keyboards, Synthesizers and Backup Vocals) — Kimber is Jerrica's younger sister. She is the primary songwriter of the Holograms. Episodes in which Kimber is the main focus often involve romance and rebellion. Kimber, more than once, has been shown to be a little jealous of all the media attention that Jem gets. The character was voiced by Cathianne Blore
Aja Leith (Lead Guitarist and Backup Vocals) — Aja was a Chinese-American foster girl who grew up with the other Holograms at Starlight House. She was the first one adopted by Jacqui and Emmett Benton, Jerrica & Kimber's parents. A natural fixer and sports fan, Aja is cool and level headed. She is the girlfriend of Craig Phillips, the brother of the Misfit's keytarist, Stormer. Aja is almost always the driver of the Rockin' Roadster. The character was voiced by Cathianne Blore
Shana Elmsford (Synth Drums, Bass Guitarist and Backup Vocals) — Shana was an African American foster girl who grew up with Kimber, Jerrica and Aja at Starlight House. Despite her shy demeanor she eventually became good friends with the other girls. She designs many of the Holograms' costumes and even left the band for a short time, wrongly assuming the others wanted her out of the band for good, to pursue a career in fashion as a designer for actress Liz Stratton. However, when Stratton's unreasonable demands and egotistical behavior became too much for Shana to take, she walked off the job and returned to the band, where she learned that the girls never wanted her out, they just wanted to see her fulfill her dream of being a professional designer. She switched to playing the bass guitar with Raya taking over on drums. The character was voiced by Cindy McGee
Carmen 'Raya' Alonso (Synth Drums) — Raya is the talented drummer of the Holograms. Quiet, kind and unassuming, Raya won the position of drummer for the Holograms during a worldwide talent search, beating close competitor Craig Phillips (Stormer's Brother) in a drum duel. Raya is the only member of the Holograms who comes from a traditional family. The character was voiced by Linda Dangcil

The Misfits

Phyllis 'Pizzazz' Gabor (Lead Vocals and Guitarist) — Pizzazz is an archetypal spoiled rich girl. Abandoned by her mother when she was a child, Pizzazz was raised by her tycoon father and given almost anything her heart desired. She is the primary antagonist on the show, constantly trying to upstage Jem and the Holograms. She has been shown to be attracted to Rio (Jem/Jerrica's paramour), Sean Harrison (British teen idol and Kimber's on-and-off boyfriend), and Riot (of The Stingers). She despises her real name "Phyllis" and is prone to fits of rage if things don't go her way. The character was voiced by Patricia Alice Albrecht and her singing voice was recorded by Ellen Bernfield
Roxanne 'Roxy' Pellegrini (Bassist and Backup Vocals) — Roxy is the Misfits' tough-as-nails bassist. A high school dropout, she was almost completely illiterate until one of the Starlight girls, Ba Nee, gave her a kid's book to learn to read. She takes an instant dislike to new Misfit Jetta, and the two are often at odds with eachother. The character was voiced by Bobbi Block (now known as Samantha Paris)
Mary 'Stormer' Phillips (Keytarist and Backup Vocals) — Stormer is the primary songwriter of the Misfits and overall creative force behind the group (though she is almost never given credit for it). She is a world-renowned guitarist and expert Keytar player. She is sweet-natured and compassionate, and often pushed around by the other Misfits. She and Kimber forge a friendship when both women, feeling unappreciated by their bandmates, strike out on their own, join forces, and record an album together. Though Stormer eventually returns to The Misfits (and Kimber to The Holograms), she does so with new-found self-assurance, and remains friends with Kimber. Stormer's underdog demeanor and gracious attitude has made her one of the best-loved characters in the series. The character was voiced by Susan Blu
Sheila 'Jetta' Burns (Saxophone and Backup Vocals) — Jetta became the newest Misfit when Stormer suddenly heard music, particularly a "powerful" saxophone, blaring in a seedy dance club. Jetta, a conceited, pathological liar, is originally from England and comes from a poor family; despite this, she likes telling people her family has close ties with British Royalty. She is also a skilled pickpocket. Extremely perceptive and stuck-up, she almost immediately begins a rivalry with Roxy. The character was voiced by Louise Dorsey
Eric Raymond — Eric is the main villain in the series, a greedy and manipulative music executive who was running Starlight Music at the time of Emmett Benton's death. Shortly afterwards, his main focus was to gain back full control of the company, half of which was left to him, and the other half left to Jerrica. Eric is not a member of the Misfits but created the group in an attempt to oust Jerrica. Afterwards, he runs Misfits Music (with Pizzazz's father's money) which is later renamed Stingers Sound when he signs new band The Stingers. Handsome and extremely devious, he is a very smart (albeit dishonest) business man and will resort to almost anything to sabotage Jem and the Holograms, from fraud, to hiring goons to do the really dirty work, to passing out wads of cash to total strangers on the condition they use the funds to purchase Misfit albums. He also longs to know Jem's real identity, even going so far as to offer new Hologram Raya a music contract if she reveals to him Jem's secret. The character was voiced by Charlie Adler

The Stingers

A new band introduced in season 3
Riot/Rory Llewelyn (Lead Vocals) — Riot grew up in a strict household with his mother and army officer father who tried to force his values onto him. To escape his father's stronghold, Riot joined the army but went AWOL in Germany where he met Minx. Rapture soon joined and The Stingers were born. Riot is charming but aloof and arrogant. He is confident with his looks, believing he is the perfect man. He commands respect and demands devotion from his bandmates and fans. He is aware of the power he has over people and uses it to get what he wants. Riot's romantic interest in the show is Jem - he believes she is the perfect woman for him and pursues her relentlessly. His relationship with his father was deeply strained over the years, but due to his mother's temporary illness and the efforts of Jem to reconcile them in the episode, Riot's Hope, their relationship has greatly improved. The character was voiced by Townsend Coleman and Gordon Grody.
Rapture/Phoebe Ashe (Guitarist and Backup Vocals) Rapture is a con-artist and uses her interest in the occult to trick people out of money. She enjoys making fools out of people for her own entertainment and will quickly discard them once she has had her fill of fun. Rapture is arrogant and self-centered but will take orders from Riot on a business level - she knows all too well that his charm and charisma will take him places where she wants to go too. She has no romantic interest on the show. The character was voiced by Ellen Gerstell.
Minx/Ingrid Krueger (Synthesizers and Backup Vocals) Minx like the other members of The Stingers, she too is arrogant and only interested in herself but will take orders and advice from the charismatic Riot as she knows he is a man with a future and she wants to be there when it happens. She is cunning and manipulative and prides herself on being able to have her pick of men, only to toss them away once she gets bored, which happens with alarming regularity. Minx is also very technologically minded and can work her magic with any computer of synthesizer. The only character in the show that she shows any genuine affiliation towards is Techrat, due to his interest in computers too. Her romantic interest in the show is Rio who she teases and flirts with despite his constant rejections. She sees him as a challenge because she can usually have any man she wants. The character was voiced by Kath Soucie and Vicki Sue Robinson.

Additional Characters
Synergy - A extraordinarily sophisticated holographic computer designed to be the ultimate audio/visual entertainment synthesizer. Synergy was created by Emmett Benton, and is in many ways considered to be his life's work. Synergy can generate holographic images that are extremely lifelike and convincing, apart from the fact that they aren't solid. Synergy's artificial intelligence, appearance and voice are all based on the likeness of Emmett's late wife, Jacqui, as he intended her to be a surrogate mentor, friend and mother figure to Jerrica and Kimber and not just a simple computer. She manifests herself physically as a hologram in the form of a light purple-skinned woman with dark purple hair and eyes. The character was voiced by Marlene Aragorn.
Rio Pacheco - Jerrica's long-time childhood friend and boyfriend, who plays a Mal Evans-like role as a road manager and engineer for the Holograms. He loves Jerrica, but has a crush on Jem. Rio has issues with secrecy, anger and lying which are never fully explained, but it is those issues which make Jerrica reluctant to reveal her masquerade to her long-time boyfriend for fear that he will feel betrayed and made a fool. The character was voiced by Michael Sheehan.
Techrat - This odd technical genius has a profound dislike of being touched and relates better to technology than other human beings, the only exception is the techno-savvy Minx, who he seems to be sweet on. He was Eric's secret weapon to invent various gadgets that could be used against Jem and the Holograms. The character was voiced by Charles Adler.
Zipper - is a not-too-bright henchman of Eric's. He was responsible for burning the original Starlight house. The character was voiced by Charles Adler.
Vivien "Video" Montgomery - A young filmmaker who makes and produces The Holograms music videos. She is Clash's cousin. The character was voiced by Noelle North.
Constance "Clash" Montgomery - The Misfits groupie/biggest fan/hench person, she gets her nickname due to the fact she clashes cymbals to get attention. She is Video's cousin.
Mrs. Bailey - The housemother at Starlight Houses. The character was voiced by Marlene Aragorn.
The Starlight Girls - the name given to the foster girls Jerrica and the Holograms care for. There are twelve foster girls. They include Anne, Ashley, Ba Nee, Becky, Deirdre, Delaree, JoEllen, Krissie, Lela, Marianne, Nancy and Terri.
Lindsay Pierce/Lin-Z - The popular host of Lin-Z TV, a music video/news/talk show which regularly features the Holograms and Misfits videos. While Lindsay is usually impartial to the rivalry between the two groups while on the air, she is a good friend and ally to Jem, and maintains a grudge against Pizzazz for disrupting her show with her usual antics. The character was voiced by Susan Blu.
Giselle "Danse" Dvorak - A gifted dancer and choreographer, who is a friend and constant collaborator with the Holograms. She also does charity work and volunteers at "Haven House", a home for troubled teens. The character was voiced by Desirée Goyette
Craig Phillips - Stormer's older brother, a drummer who tried to audition for the Holograms to be closer to his crush, Aja, but lost the spot to Raya. The day the winner of the competition was to be announced, Raya went to Eric Raymond for help when her parent's plant nursery was ransacked by thugs, who were paid by Jetta with Eric's money as a pressure tactic to force Raya into confessing Jem's secret identity. As she was struggling with the decision to do so, she noticed Jetta wearing a stolen orchid from the nursery in her hair. Infuriated, she physically attacked Jetta and berated Eric and the Misfits for their ruthlessness. She then stormed out of the office, vowing she would never reveal Jem's secret to the likes of them. Unbeknownst to Raya, Craig had heard the whole exchange and forced Eric to pay restitution to Raya's family for the damage the thugs caused. To this day, Raya is unaware Craig did this for her. Later on, he backed out of the competition as so not to endanger the Holograms: He did not want to be used to hurt them, especially with Eric pressuring him to learn Jem's true identity. Raya was worried about winning by default, feeling she would not have rightfully earned the place in the band, but Craig quickly reassured her of her talent and was confident she would be win, even if he hadn't withdrawn from the contest. Sure enough when the votes came in seconds later, Raya was the undisputed winner.
Harvey Gabor - Pizzazz's rich father who gives his daughter whatever she wants every time she whines for it. Rarely does he ever take his daughter in hand and make her take responsibility for her actions, although he has taken her to task on some occasions.
Howard Sands - One of Hollywood's foremost producers, and a close friend of Jem. Sands sweetens the rivalry between Jem and the Holograms and the Misfits by offering a movie contract and a mansion to the winner of the contest to become the most popular musical act in the country. Even-tempered and firm on fair-play, he does his best not to favor either band. However, when the Starlight House burns down and Jerrica appeals to him for a place to house her foster girls, he bends the rules enough to allow the Starlight Girls to stay in the mansion that is part of the prize. After that, he continues to try maintaining impartiality, but he soon he treats Jem and the Holograms as his preferred winners. He introduces them to Countess Danielle DuVoisin. There appears to be more than professional interest between him and the Countess. The character was voiced by Neil Ross.
Danielle DuVoisin - A close, personal friend of producer Howard Sands. The lively, sophisticated French fashion designer frequently takes young designers such as Shana Elmsford and Regine Cesaire under her wing. The character was voiced by Marlene Aragorn.
Anthony Julian - One of the industry's most talented directors. He and Shana quickly develop a romantic relationship. He supports Shana in her sideline of fashion design, and when he is put in charge of a mini-series and the original designer is fired by star/producer Liz Stratton, Anthony brings Shana in to meet Stratton, earning her the empty position. But after Shana quits the project due to Stratton's inflated ego, he remains at Shana's side and helps to bring her back into the Holograms. The character was voiced by T.K. Carter.

Plot

The central "secret" of the series is that Jem is in fact the alter ego of Jerrica Benton, owner/manager of Starlight Music, who adopts this persona with the help of Synergy, a holographic computer designed to be the ultimate, audio, visual, entertainment synthesizer built by her father, who left it to her upon his death.
The other Holograms are Kimber Benton, Jerrica's younger sister, keyboardist and main songwriter for the band; Aja Leith, guitarist; and Shana Elmsford, who plays the synth drums. Aja and Shana are also childhood friends and adopted foster sisters of Jerrica and Kimber. Shana briefly left the group in a two-part episode called "The Talent Search", where a new character, Carmen "Raya" Alonso, is introduced as her replacement. When Shana returns, Raya Alonso remains the Holograms' drummer while Shana takes up the guitar.
Only the Holograms are aware of Jem's secret identity, although Jerrica revealed it to the United States President in a season 3 episode, "The Presidential Affair",an old Tibetan woman in the episode "Journey to Shangri-La" and the princess Audrianna (who is mistaken for Kimber) in the episode "The Princess and the Singer". Episodes of the series frequently revolved around Jerrica's efforts to keep her two identities separate. This often caused conflict with her boyfriend, Rio, who is attracted to both Jerrica and Jem while not realizing that they are actually the same person.
Jerrica's other main concern is Starlight House, a home for foster girls run by the Holograms. The Holograms' main purpose is to fund the Starlight Foundation and support the Starlight Girls. Jerrica's childhood home, where the foster girls were housed was accidentally burned down by Zipper, one of Eric Raymond's not-too-bright henchmen.
Jem and the Holograms later got possession of the Starlight Mansion when they won the Battle of the Bands, as well as a movie contract -- these prizes were offered by movie producer Howard Sands, who became one of the group's biggest supporters. Other friends of the Holograms included Countess Danielle DuVoisin, a renowned fashion designer, Anthony Julian, a music director who is romantically involved with Shana, Danse(Giselle Dvorak) a charity worker and choreographer and Craig Phillips, who entered the contest for the Holograms new drummer and is the older brother of the Misfit, Stormer. He has an ongoing relationship with Aja.
The Holograms' rival band are the Misfits: petulant rich girl Pizzazz (Phyllis Gabor) and her cohorts: no-nonsense and streetwise Roxy (Roxanne Pelligrini) and kind-hearted and sensitive keytar player Stormer (Mary Phillips), who are later joined by the sardonic and manipulative British saxophone player, Jetta (Sheila Burns). (This group should not be confused with the real-life band The Misfits, led by Glenn Danzig.) Most episodes of the series involve a plot by the Misfits to sabotage and/or upstage Jem and the Holograms' latest glamorous escapade. This rivalry is encouraged and manipulated by their manager, the ruthless Eric Raymond. In the middle of the third season a new group, the Stingers, appear and shakes things up for both groups. In the final episode of the series, all three groups seemed to have declared a truce between them.

Discography

The Jem and the Holograms music catalogue was sold on several cassettes, mainly with the dolls. Each doll was sold with an audio cassette containing the following tracks, as well as an identical instrumental B-side:

• KIMBER (1986)
  • "JEM Theme" (extended version)
  • "Only The Beginning"
  • "Twilight In Paris"

• AJA (1986)
  • "JEM Theme" (extended version)
  • "Like A Dream
  • "She's Got The Power

• SHANA (1986)
  • "JEM Theme" (extended version)
  • "Gettin' Down To Business"
  • "Too Close For Comfort"

• RIO (1986)
  • "JEM Theme" (extended version)
  • "Deception
  • "I Got My Eye On You"

• GLITTER N GOLD JEM/JERRICA (1987)
  • "Glitter N Gold JEM theme" (doll version)
  • "It All Depends On The Mood I'm In"
  • "Love Is Here"

• FLASH N SIZZLE JEM/JERRICA (1987)
  • "JEM Theme"
  • "Time Is Running Out"
  • "Set Your Sails"

• 2nd Edition KIMBER (1987)
  • "JEM Theme"
  • "Can't Get My Love Together"
  • "Love's Not Easy"

• 2nd Edition AJA (1987)
  • "JEM Theme"
  • "Something Is Missing In My Life"
  • "Share A Little Bit Of Yourself" (Feat The Misfits)

• 2nd Edition SHANA (1987)
  • "JEM Theme"
  • "Broadway Magic"
  • "It All Depends On The Mood I'm In"

• RAYA (1987)
  • "JEM Theme"
  • "Love Unites Us"
  • "There's A Melody Playin'"

• DANSE (1987)
  • "JEM Theme"
  • "Runnin' Like The Wind"
  • "Only Me And The Music"

• VIDEO (1987)
  • "JEM Theme"
  • "She Makes An Impression"
  • "Come On In (The Waters Fine)"

• SYNERGY (1987)
  • "JEM Theme"
  • "Friend or Stranger
  • "We Can Change It

• GLITTER N GOLD RIO (1987)
  • "Glitter N gold JEM theme" (doll version)
  • "Puttin' It All Together
  • "People Who Care"

The Misfit dolls also came with tapes.
PIZZAZZ (1986/1987)

• Jem Theme
• Outta My Way
• Makin' Mischief

ROXY (1986/1987)

• Jem Theme
• Click Clash
• Takin' It All

STORMER (1986/1987)

• Jem Theme
• Winning is Everything
• Music is Magic

CLASH (1987)

• Jem Theme
• I Am A Giant
• You Oughta See The View

JETTA (1987)

• Jem Theme
• Who Is She Anyway?
• Designing Woman

JEM/JERRICA (1986), ROCK'N CURL JEM (1987), and the three STARLIGHT GIRLS (1987) did not come with cassettes.

Singles

Love Is Here - (included in the Video Madness playset of the same name)

1. "Jem Theme"
2. "Love Is Here"
3. "Can't Get My Love Together"

Show Me The Way - (included in the Video Madness playset of the same name)

1. "Jem Theme"
2. "Show Me The Way" (TV edit)
3. "People Who Care"

It's Workin' Out - (included in the Video Madness playset of the same name)

1. "Jem Theme"
2. "It's Workin' Out/It's Doing Me In" Jem and the Holograms/ The Misfits
3. "We Can Change It"

Welcome To The Jungle - (included in the Video Madness playset of the same name)

1. "Jem Theme"
2. "Welcome To The Jungle" - The Misfits
3. "Gimme, Gimme, Gimme" - The Misfits

Glitter N Gold - (This is the 2nd year mail-in offer. This would was good for any doll other than the Glitter'n Gold Collection)

1. "Glitter N Gold" (extended TV version)
2. "Back N Shape" (extended version)
3. "Jem Theme" (extended version)

Soundtracks

Truly Outrageous - (There is no official soundtrack, these are the songs from TO! also known as the first fifteen 7 min. segments of Super Sunday.)

• "Jem Theme"
• "Takin' It All" — The Misfits
• "Outta My Way" — The Misfits
• "Winning is Everything" — The Misfits
• "Only the Beginning" — Jem and the Holograms
• "Gettin' Down To Business" — Jem and the Holograms
• "Music Is Magic" — Jem and the Holograms
• "I Got My Eye On You" — Jem and the Holograms
• "Click/Clash" — Jem and the Holograms/ The Misfits
• "Like a Dream" — Jem and the Holograms
• "Makin' Mischief" — The Misfits
• "She's Got the Power" — Jem and the Holograms
• "Twilight In Paris" — Jem and the Holograms
• "Truly Outrageous" — Jem and the Holograms
• "Too Close For Comfort"- Jem and the Holograms
• "Deception" — Jem and the Holograms

Free Cassette Offer - This is the Cassette Tape that was an original mail-in offer, it was also distributed to stores and given out at purchase. The songs are taken from "Starbright-Part 1."

1. "Jem Theme" (extended version)
2. "Who Is He Kissing?" — Jem and the Holograms
3. "Jealousy" — Jem and the Holograms
4. "Universal Appeal" — The Misfits
5. "Jem Theme"

It should be noted that these are not actual Soundtracks but promotional cassettes obtained by purchasing Jem merchandise. No official Jem "Soundtrack" was ever released, although all but one of the songs released on cassette in any form were featured in the first season (up to and including Glitter and Gold). Love's Not Easy (included with the 2nd Edition Kimber doll) is the only one not to be featured in the first season, although it has been speculated that the producers intended to use it, but simply never did use it. Adding strength to the speculation is the fact that scripting for Jem episodes often included references to songs that were not eventually used or which were replaced by others before final production. [citation needed]
Dream Tour

1. "How You Play The Game" — Jem and the Holograms
2. "Doctor, Doctor" — Thompson Twins
3. "One Thing Leads to Another" — The Fixx
4. "Rock N Roll Forever" — Jem and the Holograms
5. "Crush on You" — The Jets
6. "The Kid is Hot Tonight" — Loverboy
7. "Walkin on Sunshine" — Katrina and the Waves
8. "Electric Avenue" — Eddy Grant
9. "Rosanna" — Toto
10. "Cool it Now" — New Edition
11. "Glitter N Gold" — Jem and the Holograms

Revival and current status of franchise

Almost 20 years after the Jem toy line was introduced to the U.S. market and 17 years after its demise, Hasbro has shown some legal activity in maintaining their trademarks and intellectual property, leading some fans to believe they may be considering reviving the line via the trademark renewal "for the purpose of selling dolls and doll clothes". However, this may just be standard practice, as if they had not renewed the trademarks they would have lost any future rights to their creation.
Two volumes comprising of one set containing the first and second seasons and a second set containing the first half of season three were released on DVD by Rhino. However, before they could release the third and final volume, Season Three, Part Two, the company lost the rights to the series. The rights are now believed to be reverted back to Sony (who absorbed the original producers (Sunbow Productions) and their library), who holds the decisions on any future release. Copies of the two previously released DVD volumes regularly sell for several times their original retail price as they are now considered "out of print", especially those that are still sealed in their packaging. It is highly likely that if and when Sony decides to re-release the series on DVD (or licenses it out again) that the entire series would be reissued and not simply the missing volume. Because of the cancellation of the final set, many bootleg copies of the remaining episodes have shown up on auction sites and on popular file sharing protocols.
In September 2004, Cartoon Network Australia bought the TV rights to Jem and aired the show for ten months on their classics network Boomerang.It returned for a couple more months in 2006 but then disappeared off the schedule in early 2007.
The indie synthpop band Freezepop's 2004 album, "Fancy Ultra-Fresh," includes a bonus multimedia track which is a remake of the Jem themesong. This themesong is a fad on YTMND.
An MSNBC commentator's ranking of the top five cartoon bands listed the series' Misfits as number four, decrying Jem's music as "namby-pamby songs" and lauding the edgier and more caustic tunes by the Misfits as "true rock 'n' roll".[1]
In the Family Guy episode Deep Throats, mayor Adam West is watching an episode of Jem, and says, "Jem, you are outrageous. Truly, truly, truly outrageous..."

Home Video releases

In 1986-1987, Family Home Entertainment released nine videos of the series featuring a selection of 23 episodes on VHS in the US. These videos are now long out of print and are a rare find. They are:

• Jem: Truly Outrageous (Vol.1) - A special edition version of the 5-part Jem origin story

• Jem: Last Resorts (Vol.2) - "Last Resorts", "World Hunger Shindig" and "Adventure In China"

• Jem: The Music Awards (Vol.3) - "The Music Awards" (Parts 1 and 2) and "Rock Fashion Book"

• Jem: Jem Jam (Vol.4) - "The Jem Jam" (Parts 1 and 2)

• Jem: Hot Time In Hawaii (Vol.5) - "Hot Time In Hawaii" and "Island of Deception"

• Jem: Glitter N' Gold (Vol.6) - "Glitter N' Gold" and "Broadway Magic"

• Jem: Talent Search (Vol.7) - "The Talent Search" (Parts 1 and 2)

• Jem: Culture Clash (Vol.8) - "Culture Clash" and "Intrigue at the Indy 500"

• Jem: The Princess and the Singer (Vol.9) - "The Princess and the Singer" and "Scandal"

In 1999-2000, prior to their DVD releases, Rhino Home Video released two volumes of the series on VHS in the US. These videos are also now out of print.

• Jem Volume 1: Passport to Rock (episodes "The World Hunger Shindig" and "Adventure In China")
• Jem Volume 2: Fashion Fiasco (episodes "In Stiches" and "Culture Clash").

DVD releases

Jem was first released on DVD in the US in 2004 remastered and in 5.1 Audio. Since then Australia and France have also released JEM on DVD/Boxsets. The US boxsets are now out of print.
USA Audio: English 5.1 & 2.0 | Remastered | No Subtitles

• Season 1 and 2 Complete — 26 episodes
• Season 3, Part 1 — 19 episodes

Australia Audio: English 2.0 | Not Remastered | No Subtitles

• Volume 1 — First 5 episodes
• Volume 2 — Starbright Pt 1-3 & World Hunger Shindig
• Volume 3 — Adventure In China, Last Resort & In Stitiches
• Volume 4 — Music Awards Pts 1 & 2, Rock Fashion Book & Broadway Magic
• Volume 5 — In Search of the Stolen Album, Hot Time In Hawaii & The Princess and the Singer (TBC)
• Volume 6 — Island Of Deception, Old Meets New & Intrigue At The Indy 500 (TBC)
• Volume 7 — The Jem Jam — Pt 1, The Jem Jam — Pt 2, Culture Clash & Glitter and Gold" (TBC)

Vol 5–7 were scheduled to be released on the 9th May 2007, However they've been put back to "To Be Confirmed".
France Audio: French 2.0 (Songs in English) | Not Remastered | No Subtitles

• Volume 1 — 22 episodes
• Volume 2 — 22 episodes — Comes with a bonus Jem Music Video DVD.
• Volume 3 — ??

UK The UK company Metrodome released Jem: The Movie on October 2, 2006 (The movie is a compilation of season 1 episodes).
In 2005, Rhino Home Video lost the rights to distribute the Sunbow catalog in the U.S. before the final set, (Season 3, Part 2) of Jem DVDs could be released. Sony Wonder, a division of Sony Music Entertainment acquired the rights in May of that year, but did not release any titles. In the spring of 2007, Sony Music announced that Sony Wonder would be shut down in order to focus on its core music business. Sony Wonder was later revived by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, and as a result now has the distribution rights for the Sunbow catalog. However, as of August 2007, no future releases have been scheduled at this time.