At the end of 2012 Hasbro and Integrity Toys released the first wave of all new highly collectible Jem and the Holograms dolls. These are the first all new Jem dolls since, well, the vintage dolls came out in the late 80’s. The first wave included Classic Jem, Jerrica Benton, Synergy, and Rio Pacheco. There was also a special edition Hollywood Jem sold at the 2012 San Diego Comic Con this past Summer. So with an all new design and new price to go with inflation, I thought it would be great to check out the all new and outrageous Classic Jem!

First up is the box. Integrity Toys took a very different approach with the packaging for the new Jem dolls. There is a slip that goes around the box and features that iconic Jem and the Holograms print. The coloring really pops and though there is not a fun artist rendering of the Jem character, the box does have a Jem essence about it.

The back of the slip has some fun things going on. First there are the palm trees, which really play up that whole 80’s L.A. vibe like the original. There is also a nice description about the line and what fans can come to expect from Integrity Toys.

Removing the slip, we can really see even more fun stuff. A giant record with ‘Jem and the Holograms’ emblazoned across the lower section greets the owner. The hot pink and black are really striking. It sort of reminds me of those old milk carton packs of gum. Remember those? The pink lemonade flavor was a black carton with a hot pink lemon. It was the best. In the upper right corner ‘Classic Jem’ is etched in silver inside the shape of a star. Also it is important to note that these dolls are truly made with passion by fans for fans. I’ve read a few articles where the design team at Integrity Toys talk about being big fans of Jem and the amount of work and detail that went into this line is for the adult collector. (With a price point of $119.00 these are totally for adults.)

I love the large dose of hot pink that is just all over the inside. It is a welcoming sight and is really a nice inside for a box. Jem is to the right and all her accessories and pieces are to the left underneath the closet door. (I think of it as a closet door.)

One thing I really love about the way the Jem dolls are packaged involves everything being held in place by ribbons. There are no plastic hooks or wires keeping the doll in place. It was a very easy experience to remove Jem from the box. I just had to untie the ribbons and simply remove her. It was very easy. Jem of course arrives wearing her iconic dress, belt, and flashy tights. Unlike the vintage doll, this new Jem is sporting sparkly fishnets.

Opening the closet door reveals a smattering of accessories. Smaller pieces are wrapped in individual bags and everything was pretty secure prior to removal.

A closer look at the items shows that there is a microphone and mike stand along with an amp chord. Jem’s magical earrings and extra sets of hands (for holding the mike) also make up some cool extra pieces. There is also a bracelet as well as Jem’s shoes. Her shoes are actually made like a real shoe. Leather and manmade materials are used in the construction of the shoes, and that quality really shows through. There are also parts for a stand. The stand allows Jem to be posed in different ways.

This stand piece can go under Jem’s arms. The drawback with this is that you can see the bars under her arms.

The second stand option is placed between Jem’s legs and allows for the piece to be hidden. The stand is also adjustable.

It is important to note that Jem can be posed with her stand or she can actually stand on her own. (I quite like that.) Her shoes are made in such a way that they allow for her to balance rather well without falling over. Her earrings (shown below) are pretty good replicas of the earrings that Synergy gives to Jem in the old cartoon. The earrings have to also be pierced into Jem’s ears, but more on that in a second.

After removing Jem from the box, there are a few things to take note of. Like most dolls these days, Jem has some product in her hair so as not to mess up the style while packaged up. However, this does cause a bit of a problem. The back of her hair becomes incredibly flat and matted. Let’s check out some pictures to see what I am talking about.

The solution for this problem is quite simple. One can either choose to leave it the way it is, or with a bit of a wash and set, Jem can have all new hair. After reading some responses on the fabulous site Jemcon.org, I have pulled together some of the best tips I could find and what I ended up going with.

First off, do not be scared to wash your doll’s hair. I would also avoid submerging the Jem doll in water and always use cool to cold water when wetting the hair. The glue holding the eye lashes on Jem’s face (or any doll’s face for that matter) could come undone with warmer water. In terms of shampooing and such, mild liquid detergents or mild shampoo and conditioners can work on a doll’s hair. Remove the clothing and do your best to only get the hair wet.

I used a clear shampoo for color treated hair and a tiny (emphasis on tiny) bit of conditioner from Bumble and Bumble. I also only washed the lower back section of Jem’s hair. I was able to style the front and top in such a way that I did not need to worry about washing the product out in that area. After everything had been rinsed and dried, Jem’s hair was much more manageable and was able to have a fluffy and full look with some brushing. I know other collectors have put some hair product in Jem’s hair after washing, but I think that is up to the individual. I did not wish to put any gels or other such products in her hair. (My hair styling skills are miserable.) Check the pictures below though for how her hair turned out.

One other thing that I had to do was pierce Jem’s ears. The holes in Jem’s ears are not fully open for the earrings to go through. There are tiny little holes that only need to be poked with a safety pin just a little bit. Do not poke the whole safety pin through, it only needs just a little poke. After that, carefully slide the earrings in. This is what they look like:

So after all that work, Jem was ready to rock a stage. I was beyond impressed with the way Jem looked all put together. Her multiple points of articulation are fantastic. (Articulation points include the knees, hips, chest, neck, wrists, elbows, and shoulders.) Aside from some minor things like fixing her hair and piercing her ears, Jem does look like a fantastic updated version from the 80’s. It’s show time Synergy!

Glamour and Glitter, Fashion and Fame!

Ladies and Gentlemen: Jem!

The stitching and construction of her outfit is really nice. The materials feel sturdy. Her dress zips up in the back and has a hook and eye closure. Her belt also has a similar hook and eye feature. The outfit as a whole is very reminiscent of the vintage outfit.

I Got my Eye On You!

Jem is Excitement!

Even her makeup has that outrageous Jem essence without being outdated. I could see this style of Jem coming back with a new animated series in a fantastic way.

She’s Got the Power!

Music is Magic

So Classic Jem was part of the first all new Wave of Jem and the Holograms dolls. The second wave is already out for pre-order and features Kimber, Aja, and Shana. For some fun images of this new wave, click here. Ordering these dolls is easy. They can be purchased from most registered Integrity Toys dealers. Once they are released they will more than likely be found on secondary markets for crazy prices. The beauty of Integrity dealers is that they offer pre-orders at the normal retail price though some may be ten to twenty dollars more depending on things like shipping and such. A list of those dealers can be found here. The price is not cheap. At a suggested retail value of $119.00, these dolls have certainly gone up in price since their original debut. In fact, the cost of a new Jem doll isn’t that far from the cost of a vintage mint one.

However, I prefer to think of the new Jem dolls as investment pieces. The amount of detail and work that went into this line is truly mindboggling. This will be a special item for years to come. (This is especially true since I am sure this will be the only Jem line we get for the foreseeable future.) Hasbro and Integrity Toys have really given Jem fans the ultimate Jem doll.

Grade: A. The only thing stopping me from giving this doll an A+ deals with working on the hair and ears. Washing hair and piercing ears on a doll with such an expensive price point caused just the least bit of stress for me.

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