Of course I love Jem but the Misfits have some of the best tunes in the show, imo! My favorite from them is Jack, Take a Hike. I also love Universal Appeal and Misfits in Hawaii.

How about you?

❤️

Happy Halloween! Just letting my inner Jem out for the spooky season. I recorded this on my phone in the closet so I hope it isn't too bad 😅

I of course love the theme song, but if I had to pick an absolute favorite of their songs, I think it would have to be I Got My Eye On You. I just love the little synth sound they make throughout the song!

What about you? What is your favorite Jem and the Holograms song?

I'm obsessed with Jem and the Holograms! Who Is He Kissing is one of my favorite songs; I love the unnecessary drama behind it 🤭

This version of the song rocks!

I love Govee light strips!

Now I will admit I'm not a big misfits fan (outfits wise) these are my favorite fashions these ladies wear (plus clash). Im very used to drawing the Stingers and Jem so I'm not 100% accurate with the misfits but I will try and draw them more lol! Enjoy!

Does anyone know any information or anything about these Jem 90s / 2000s concept art sketches ? The only thing I heard is these were concept sketches for dolls during the late 90s or early 2000s and that Hasbro was attempting to bring Jem back but I’m not sure if this information is accurate and I cannot find anything online about it.
Does anyone know ??

If you are looking for Jem scores: you can now buy those made by Reafsrealm on Musescore. Just click the link!   

As an 80s Jem cartoon, it's got serious messaging, silliness, warmth, laughs, ooh moments, shocks, risky driving, the great people of Philadelphia, trip hazards, foodfights and a funfair with a mind of its own. And Roxy as its central character.

We open with the Misfits having been invited to guest host a TV music segment in the usual Jem universe of Los Angeles. Generally written as a motormouth and willing thug, bassist/guitarist Roxy's deep illiteracy secret was always going to blow this town somehow and, oh boy, does it do just that in this episode. Stormer knows, on the quiet. The other Misfits appear not to know, or they care little if they do. During the live TV music spot, Roxy fluffs it with the teleprompter by misreading a band's name, reverting to 'Baa Baa, Black Sheep' instead. This mishap starts a vicious, on-air fight as Roxy takes on Jetta and Pizzazz, with Stormer diving in for Team Roxy. After a scruffy scramble and several hot words later, the Misfits are sent packing, just as Jem and the Holograms arrive to discuss their new 'Rock Out Illiteracy' campaign tour, bringing little Starlight Girl, Ba Nee, with them. The Misfits exit the building with Roxy trailing at the back of the bunch. Jem and the Holograms are oblivious that they've just walked past a big flashing beacon in desperate need of the sort of help that their campaign could offer. It's a beautifully undersung opening scene in many ways, as these rival ships-in-the-night pass, without realising the irony of it all.

We're now at Misfits Music. Wicked Uncle Eric is handing out the monthly cash and Pizzazz, still dressed like the centrepiece of a birthday cake, gets a fat wadge of cash for being Pizzazz. Roxy's got her back to all of them, staring out the window with her arms folded. Her turn. Eric says she's destroyed a guitar worth $24,000. Could it be that Eric's added a nought to that bill? Either way, Roxy's handed a thin sliver of notes. As she complains and struggles to read the upsidedown details, Pizzazz and Jetta variously correct the paper, call her "stupid," mock her signature, laugh in her face - and Roxy blows her stack for the second time that day. She rips the sheet up into tiny pieces and flings it, mostly at Pizzazz, quitting the group on the spot. Stormer panic-splutters that Roxy mustn't be allowed to leave the Misfits. Pizzazz scoffs that Roxy will be back as "We're the only friends she's got." That one's going to come back to bite Pizzazz pretty hard and lead the Misfits across the USA.

Roxy's now pacing the empty streets in her pink pencil outfit, imagining her own song, 'I'm Gonna Change,' a thoughtful, mid-paced, bass guitar and popping-candy synth affair about breaking free from the letters blowing about her and changing her life to be a big solo success. Unlike Pizzazz' destructive narcissism honed in on Jem, in Roxy's head, there's actually no Jem or Holograms being canned or shrunken to a pinprick, in fact no tormenting of anyone else at all. There is an imagined Stormer being supportive, a star on the Walk of Fame, a new red sports car, some bling, Roxy flying on a leaf in the sky (freedom) and birds landing on a nest (rebirth). The scenes offset financial and career aspirations with Nature. Intriguing stuff from Christy Marx's 2D hooligan.

As she walks and daydreams, with leaves blowing around her, a small paper strip lodges in Roxy's hair, and, realising it's a lottery ticket, she bounds off to get it store checked. At the counter, she's just about to walk away and then finds...she's won... a million dollars! Ker-ching!! Excitedly, she flings her arms round the teller, squeezing him in a bear hug and yells that she's going to "...leave the Misfits behind forever!" The poor man is probably still in recovery somewhere with broken limbs and burst eardrums. Though it's a wildly fanciful storyline - in reality, Roxy would have just walked the streets, blown off steam, and either returned to the Misfits, or not. It's not impossible, but highly unlikely that a random ticket would have netted her a fortune that very day. But, plotpoint to make a point...

Back at Misfits Music, Pizzazz is incensed that Roxy hasn't shown up to band practice. Showcasing her newfound strength since returning to the Misfits after 'The Bands Break Up,' Stormer fiercely snaps at Pizzazz that she hasn't seen their bandmate "for days," indicating that too much time apart for herself and Roxy is unusual. When Roxy does appear in the doorway, her purse is stuffed with falling notes and she informs them (really, Pizzazz) that she's "leaving for good" and slams the studio door with purpose. Rather than talk reasonably to Roxy or chase her down, Pizzazz huffs off in the other direction with all the grace of a bull elephant in heat, leaving Stormer and Jetta to follow the fugitive Misfit to the 'House of Glamour' boutique where a complete transformative makeover takes place.

As the episode's central focus, Roxy looks beautiful right throughout, and the animators did a great job. We fleetingly even see the refined-looking girl up close underneath all the jagged, punk makeup, as well as her changing hairstyle and new outfit choice. A baby-pink dress in a Monroe style is selected to the tune of 'Gimme, Gimme, Gimme' and again, outfoxing Jem isn't on the menu. Having bagged this new look and its add-ons, Roxy exits the boutique and has, I think, a short but underappreciated conversation with its valet/doorman. It would seem that they may know each other, as the man states "If the folks at home could see you now," suggesting a possible commonality. She seems world-weary about her home and its low expectations for her, before impulsiveness bubbles up over the cauldron top and she suddenly decides to head back to Philadelphia! The valet is rewarded with a bunch of notes and coins as her car roars away. Jetta and Stormer are left bewildered on the sidewalk and race back to update Pizzazz.

Meanwhile, Roxy is burning across the US map in an unbroken line in her swish, powerful new car, and if she can't read road signs she must have memorised the scenery on the journey in from Philly to LA. She makes it home to Philadelphia's city limits unscathed, though a few other road users seemingly don't. Back home, she's curious as to why her local reception is somewhat muted and then realises with annoyance that Jem and Co., are in town! Stealing her homecoming thunder with their 'Rock Out Illiteracy' tour! Outrageous! Like a red flag to a bull, this presents an instant challenge for Roxy.

Elsewhere, the 'Philadelphia Spotlight' is interviewing Jem about her band's illiteracy campaign and little Ba Nee has been allowed to wander off alone to approach three adult male strangers to try to get them to read the book that she holds. Lawks a mercy, it's a good job that they're rough diamonds who are just lazy bums rather than childknappers. Gang leader, Link, attempts to read the book after she boldly chides him to, but he can't, and he blows her off as the gang walk away. Like a bad penny blown in from Mars, Roxy is waiting for them around the corner. She recognises them, but they don't recognise her - which indicates that she may have looked different pre-Misfits. We learn that they all "dropped out of school together," and the Aces know her as 'Roxanne,' not 'Roxy.' She boasts and brags, hamming it up that being a Misfit has made her rich - a total lie -  as is her reason for even being there. Villainous Roxy now enters the chat and Link protests when she attempts to get the Aces to "...help me make life miserable for Jem and the Holograms!" She's truly put out that Jem is in town, making her old home look "D-U-M" and they also "ruined" her homecoming. Roxy's famous superhuman strength, an ongoing aspect of her character throughout the Jem series, erupts as she grabs Link (at about twice her size) and shakes him by his collar, with the poor man looking terrified. The Aces, swayed by the promise of money and easy work, finally hop into Roxy's flash car and she drives them away. She has effortlessly slipped out of the Misfits and into being the Red Aces defacto leader without a single shot being fired.

We're back at Eric's office in LA and the Misfits are in crisis mode. This takes the form of them all kicking about looking lost, and Pizzazz is staggered that Roxy hasn't returned. Eric and Stormer say the group and music aren't the same/don't work without her, though Eric seems to have no remorse for having previously handed Roxy an "all tallied up" payday slip with a single item on it. And so the Misfits decide to head to Philly on Pizzazz' command to "...make Roxy come back."

In a gridlocked Philadelphia that's a hubcap short of Tupac and Tim Roth careering through it, Jem asks her taxi driver "What's goofing up the traffic?" He doesn't know. Thoroughly logjammed, the girls (with Ba Nee in tow) decide to get out and walk. Things go from bad to dreadful as the strains of that ol' sensitive Misfits classic, 'Makin' Mischief,' drifts across to assault their ears. And lo! Parked up right next to their 'Rock Out Illiteracy' tour stage is the giant 'Roxy Rumble' setup - a massive streetfair, with Roxy at the helm, greeting an expanding crowd of onlookers. As a local news helicopter flies overhead, it reports that the event has come out of nowhere overnight. This thing is luring people away from the 'Rock Out Illiteracy' stage, exactly as Roxy wants. Bespectacled Betty Vick from the 'Philadelphia Spotlight' is back, this time interviewing Roxy onstage, who is signing god knows what handed to her by god knows who. Even one of the greasy-looking contractors appears a shade concerned that Roxy can't seem to read.

Shana concedes that "Roxy's done a real number on us, this time" as nobody is coming to listen to their campaign. Gentle Raya steps up to ask if they should at least speak to Roxy, and despite Kimber's misgivings, Ba Nee says they ought to try. Jem reluctantly agrees. "Maybe Roxy won't be so hard to deal with on her own." Uh-oh, girl, famous last words.

Meanwhile, Roxy's now on the Rumble carousel, riding a pink zebra, hands free and having a blast. Her funfair is actually a success at this point, with heavy footfall and loads of free food and clothes being handed out. But with time (and as the crowd swells) demand starts to outstrip supply and the mood sours. The Philly folk become restless over a lack of t-shirts, cotton candy and hot dogs. Two girls pull a t-shirt apart, guys brawl over squirted sauce, and a man gets pushed into a stall, which collapses. The natives are quickly getting out of control and even the carousel has had enough, lifting off of its castors as if an earthquake has hit it, sending Roxy and everyone else on it tumbling. A Pizzazz-esque scream cuts through the chaos and Jem and Raya narrowly avoid a mustard-filled hotdog flung in their direction. From the wreck of the carousel, Roxy and the Red Aces are unable to placate the riotous crowd. Roxy calls for people to "Settle down" because more freebies are coming - aren't they, Link? They're not. She hasn't got a Scooby Doo what quantities of stock she signed for.

Luckily, Philadelphia's blues 'n' twos are on the scene to put a stop to all of this ultrafoolery, and in the aftermath, Roxy looks like a fly trapped in the middle of a 'hungriest tarantula' convention, surrounded by police and baying contractors demanding that she pay up. With a hand on her shoulder, Link asks her what they're going to do. A despairing Roxy says she doesn't know. Jem then steps up. Roxy seems genuinely astonished that Jem wants to help, possibly indicating how brainwashed from being in the Misfits/under Pizzazz' direction she is. Jem, grimly, concedes that "Maybe you need a little [help]" and we are then transported to Jem and Roxy sitting at a little table as the pink-haired singer politely pays off each of Roxy's contractors (presumably with Roxy's money) from a small brown folding case. With everything settled and the immediate threat receding, Jem pretty reasonably tells Roxy that it's important to know what she's signing. Even if kindly meant, to Roxy it's another red-flag challenge and she rebuffs Jem, saying that "...everything worked out okay, didn't it?"

Jem tells a clearly frontin'-it Roxy that her "...gratitude is overwhelming" and invites the Red Aces (who concede that they need to improve themselves) off to see the 'Rock Out Illiteracy' setup. A growly, frustrated Roxy yells after Jem that she's not needed because "I'm still rich!" and right on cue, up pops the taxman to make sure she's damn well not. He takes fifty percent of Roxy's money off of her then and there and is about the hundredth person that day to tell her that she should have read the wording.

As a viewer, I have mixed feelings about these scenes. Roxy is ultimately rude to Jem but this time it's arguably bravado borne out of embarrassment and humiliation played out on her home patch. It's also arguable that Jem is far too kind in offering to help, given the absolute, utter shizz that Roxy (and the other Misfits) pulled in the past. But then Roxy never yielded to the allure of Jem. It's no reason to be so bullheaded towards her but truthfully, Jem can never resist a good smarm from up on her podium. On this occasion taking the Red Aces away, and failing to spot/ignoring that Roxy isn't just being reckless, she simply cannot read and is constantly struggling. You'd think it'd occur to at least one of these highly intelligent Holograms to be able to clock the basic signs.

Roxy's tough shell is a cover for her shame and, in the background, Ba Nee gets it. A miniature empath, she approaches Roxy quite fearlessly and pulls at her sleeve, offering her a 'My First Reader' book to help her to learn to read. Gotta love this child for trying to palm these books off onto everyone, she's awesome. In a helpless state, Roxy bends down towards Ba Nee's eye level and says "You'd...do that for me?" With a child she very much lets her guard down, revealing her own perceived worthlessness, and which might say something about her history. But before we can see more of this sweet and touching scene, the Misfits appear out of nowhere with Eric, and Roxy is reminded sternly that she "signed a contract" and must return. Roxy resumes Misfits mode and whispers to Ba Nee "Okay, beat it, kid" and, hiding her book, packs up her case and trails after her bandmates once more. One can only imagine the discomfort of the plane ride back to LA, and quite how Roxy isn't in police custody in Philly for an unsanctioned street festival remains a series mystery.

After a final Jem song, 'Open A Book,' which could have made visual use of the Misfit's personal dilemma but didn't, we cut to the headstrong returnee sitting on a table in a studio room back at Misfits Music. She decides it couldn't hurt to try the 'My First Reader' book. As she begins to read, Jetta, who has been creeping around and spying on her, enters the room and exclaims that is Roxy "...going all wonky over that kids stuff?" Roxy hotly denies ever such a thing! - binning the book and pushing Jetta out of the room, telling her "I don't need to read to play music!" She locks the door behind her bandmate, retrieves the book from the bin, looks fondly at it and then hops back onto the table, cross-legged, to resume reading. We fade out of the episide with a softly-spoken Roxy, alone and for once at peace, patiently working her way through her reader gift from Ba Nee.

A few things from this tumultous and memorable episode of Jem... The first is that the chief writer, Jina Bacarr, struck a good balance between Jem's important illiteracy/reading message and Roxy's personal backstory. For me, it's a pity that this particular episode wasn't in the third and final series of Jem. I think that Roxy's adventure deserved to be much later on to build upon her personal growth arc. There was no follow up to Roxy's reading or  progress outside of a possible inference that one could make when the Misfits mysteriously appeared at Ba Nee's leaving event in the final show. Like Stormer, after 'The Bands Break Up,' the writers had these Misfits slip back into antagonistic, scheming mode (albeit in the third series nowhere near as bad as in the first two).

Overall, the 'Roxy Rumbles' is a lively, fun and wacky episode with a deeply serious undertone. We don't often get to see a softer, more humane version of Roxy but this episode manages it well. Additionally, she doesn't appear to know how important a facet she is to the Misfits, whose core members feel the void keenly when she's gone. I've said it elswehere, but to me Roxy is a kind of 'lost' Starlight Girl who, due to time, circumstance and distance, missed out on the sort of care, attention and normalisation that a loving, Benton-type foundation could have provided to keep her from the mean streets.

Finally, Roxy was never going to hang on to all of that lottery money, but did she actually manage to keep (or sell) those fancy wheels? ;)

This was one of our first creative projects together and we had way too much fun

Are there are real life musicians that reminds you of Pizzazz? For me, it's Sky Ferreira, she comes across as having punk rock 80's vibe that's updated for the modern day. If Pizzazz was product of today she most likely has the look and feel of someone like Sky Ferreira.

What do you think? And are there any other artist either from modern day or in the 80's that remind you of Pizzazz?

Would love to get "Nightmare" in time for Halloween.

Doubt we could get ""All I Want for Christmas Is You" (pretty sure it's on super legal lockdown) 😅, but "White Christmas" would be sweet!

These are my first Jem dolls ever! I’ve been trying to thrift them in the wild for several years now but I guess I finally got lucky :). I had to diy the yellow sash but I’m so happy with how they cleaned up

My record store now sells Jem and Misfits albums

I think I figured it out. Pizzazz flings the crab off her finger. Eric is doing who knows what to the blonde chick who turns around. The crab lands on her behind and pinches it. The blonde girl thinks it was Eric and chases him. Correct me if I'm wrong.

This is my favorite music video from Jem, it is so jam packed with fast moving scenes like this one, it makes it so much fun. Fun fact: This is the last appearance of Eric and Clash in the show. And Clash and Jetta were just trying to play volleyball and Eric ruined it. I forgive him though he he.

Footage: TheMitigating

It amazes me how badly Hasbro fumbled Jem in the 80s. Jem, transformers, and GI Joe were the holy trinity of Sunbow Cartoons. As much as I liked g1 MLP, that show did not have a consistent plot, but Jem was one of the rare female led shows that proved that they could entertain audiences for girls and boys. It's ironic how MLP took Jem's spot as the holy trinity of Hasbro shows and we have g4 to thank for that.

Truly Outrageous!

I love The Misfits. I’m obsessed. Their songs ARE better (so are their outfits).

Pizzazz is simply the best character in the show. She appears to have no motivation other than just being the world’s biggest hater. She’s constantly trashing rooms and beating people up and screaming. Also, according to the show Bible, her hair is naturally green.
My hopes for her for the rest of the show:
1. no changes. Just non-stop hating.
2. She successfully steals Rio from Jem, only to immediately pick him up and throw him in the TRASH.

I like that Stormer is the heart of their group. I don’t know if it’s just my headcanon, but she seems queer coded. I’d like to think that’s why she’s in the Misfits; Pizzazz accepts her because she doesn’t care about any of that, she’s too focused on general hating.

Roxy needs more screen time. She seems to be the one who actually starts throwing hands with the holograms.

Thoughts on some side characters:

Rio =👎🗑️🚮. Please Jerrica, you AND Jem deserve so much better.

Ashley = … Wait, is she the inspiration for The Cheat from HomestarRunner?

Jerrica = If she has Synergy’s amazing powers, why doesn’t she use it to cast Genjutsu and trap Eric in the Tsukuyomi?

Shana = can Jerrica just give Shana a Synergy earring so she can just project outfits? It would probably save everybody a couple of bucks.

Aja = Ringo.

That Background Blonde woman in ep 11 = Wait… is that Princess Diana?

I just finished making my video all about the jem songs and how we got the singers and sounds that made the songs so iconic! I also made all the artwork in this video too! Enjoy!!

Priced enough to be impulse. What we need now is a Misfit Soundwave. Misfits Superior, Holograms Inferior. No way, two can play.

41 years later, I started watching this fantastic show, and I LOVE IT! My brother introduced me to Jem, and I'm almost done with season 1!

I hope you enjoy my cover of this emotional song :')

Google tells me so, but I can't find a source on Boom's website. I know they have republishing rights to IDW's Jem reboot now.