Jem Introduction!

Jem Introduction!

In 1985, 9 years before the Spice Girls were formed, Hasbro released the first edition of their new line of high quality dolls, the Jem dolls. And the cartoon TV-series which was created to market the Jem dolls, first started airing.

The story in the cartoon was about Jerrica Benton, who inherited a special gift from her father, a holographic computer which made it possible for her to create a hologram over her body to become the glamorous singer Jem. Togheter Jerrica, as her new idenity Jem, along with her sister Kimber and three friends Aja, Shana, and Raya form their own band Jem & the Holograms.

The cartoon also featured the girlband the Misfits, who were the biggest competition of Jem & the Holograms, and in later episodes, the new band the Stingers joined in. Overall the Jem cartoon had a mature and realistic tone to it, with a share of action and a touch of soapopera. Unlike many other cartoons, it didn't allow "magic" as an explanation, and the "bad guys" weren't monsters, but looked just as good as Jem & the Holograms, and even their songs were as well written.

The over a hundred songs of the Jem cartoon show were written and performed by very talented and experienced songwriters and singers. Britta Phillips who was the singing voice of Jem, has sung and played guitar and bass in bands like the Belltower, UltraBabyfat and Luna, and appeared in several TV-series and even had a leading singing role in a movie with Julia Roberts, Liam Neeson, Justine Bateman and Debbie Harry. Ellen Bernfeld the singing voice of Pizzazz, has sung with Michael Bolton and Luther Vandross. Anne Bryant, one of the writers of songs in the Jem cartoon, has as an arranger and conductor, written for many jazz and pop stars like Roberta Flack, Peabo Bryson, Richie Havens, The Pointer Sisters, Judy Garland, Gerry Mulligan and Stan Getz.

Jem was not created simply for the enjoyment of a younger audience, thereby the big popularity in all ages pretty much all around the world, and especially in the countries Italy, Spain, France and United Kingdom. In several countries the show was so popular that even the songs of the cartoon were dubbed into their own language.

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