A sad year in the Jem collecting world, the Integrity Toys Jem doll line had officially ended, just like the Hasbro
line did in the late 80's.
At this time, many Jem fan wallets were emptied by six straight years
of high-quality doll collecting, so this was a year to catch our breath and think of all the dreams IT
had made come true for us. To enjoy what we already had, and complete our collections with what we didn't.
Our top iconic Jem looks and most recognizable characters had been released.
Quite an amazing accomplishment to keep a licensed line going for six
years in a row! I can pretty much assure you this has never happened in the doll industry before with
any other brand. How is it even possible for a licensed revived brand to be this popular over 30 years
later???
With those prices, I don't know if it was more the love for the Jem line or the high quality
of the dolls that kept the line going. Most likely a perfect mix.
Still it felt surreal that it was over. At this time we didn't know it would make a comeback only a
two years later, in Jem's 35th anniversary.
But even at this point it wasn't really over, not for the most attentive Jem fans. We had been
introduced to a new doll format, and since IT had several other lines sharing the same size of doll
bodies, there was alot to choose from for any collector that wanted more clothes and accessories.
But that's not all!
Because, since IT started making the Jem line, we could see how their other lines were somewhat influenced by the
colorful rockworld of Jem. There had long been talk among Jem fans whether IT would release things that
would keep us Jem fans as customers. Colorful characters, fashions and accessories that would fit in with
our Jem dolls. And already before the IT Jem line ended, IT had released unlicensed dolls that would work
perfectly as stad-ins for a number of unreleased Jem characters, either because of the look of the doll and
fashion, or only the doll. These weren't colorful rockstar dolls, but rather resembled the more ordinary
looking characters, like Jeff, Howard, Jacqui and Jamie. Some of these are perfect replacements for our
Jem characters, and because of a number of reasons and hints, some of us Jem collectors view them as Jem dolls.
This Jem-less year, infact turned out to be a year full of Jem substitute dolls. Whether you see it or not, is on you.
It depends on whether you are a big enough Jem fan to care and to know these characteristics to begin with, and whether you are
attentive.
Perhaps your wallet doesn't allow you collect unlicensed Jem dolls, and some of these are very hard to get by now.
Whether you see it or not, you won't find a single big Jem site that doesn't refer to some of
these none-Jem IT dolls as Jem dolls. And lots of social media accounts calls them Jem dolls.
It's just a matter of where they draw the line.
There is not alot to go by about the group, the Limp Lizards, from the cartoon, where they first appeared. But since
they appeared in the very first Jem episode, as an invention by Christy Marx, this
unfortunate sounding band have made a surprising amount of appearances in the cartoon aswell
as even Jem books. They became almost an injoke repeating their same song "Broken Glass" whenever a story called
for an extra band. Despite their several appearances, all we know is that they are all female
bandmembers (except for in one book where some are male) dressed in lizardskin outfits. Well there are a few
other details, but we infact don't know their names.
Other than these four dolls, there were three more dolls in this set, one of which Jem fans have
dubbed "Shimber" since it's a mix of features from Shana and Kimber. The other two I see no resemblance in to Jem characters,
other than one having the Pizzazz' sculpt, so they're not listed here.
Shimber is a very interesting doll, since she is a mix of features from two Jem dolls, and at first sight
very much resembles Shana. But like the Limp Lizards, she was released with no clothing. Already in 2015 a "mixed" doll,
a doll with Jem's sculpt and red hair was released (Jem = Kimber). And this year another doll, a mix between Stormer and Pizzazz
was released in a separate set.
On top of unclothed convention dolls, and mixed dolls, there are three more dolls I will focus on on this
page. Two bare resemblance to unreleased Jem characters, one of them quite strongly. And a third one, which was not a
convention doll, wears a recognizable outfit that might be of interest to some Jem fans.
The by far most difficult of these four dolls to find.
Same sculpt as Synergy aswell as the Jacqueline that is supposed to be Jacqui.
She has the correct haircolor, eye color and lipstick to match one of the Limp Lizards.
Although sometimes the cartoon character
is seen with brown eyes, but she always has black eyebrows in the cartoon.
The cartoon character plays a purple guitar in the cartoon, which this doll doesn't come with.
Doll specs:
Packaging:
In bag
Other info on this site:
A blonde Jetta? Or a mix between Minx and Jetta? Jinx?
Very interesting seeing how different a sculpt can look with another haircolor.
She has the correct eye color, blue, and red lipstip, according to the cartoon character.
And just like the
Limp Lizards member, she has no bangs. The eyebrows could have been black, but IT usually makes
all eyebrows brown for their dolls.
She plays a blue guitar in the cartoon, which this doll doesn't come with.
Doll specs:
Packaging:
In bag
Other info on this site:
She is the only one of these that doesn't come in a sculpt created for the Jem line.
She has the correct haircolor, eye color, eyebrows and lipstick, according to the cartoon character.
She plays a yellow/brownish guitar in the cartoon, which this doll doesn't come with.
As can be seen in Christy's original script, she intended the Limp Lizards to all have lank, hanging
black hair which mostly conceals their faces. So I guess most of them looked like Camira in Christy's
mind, but perhaps without the bangs.
Doll specs:
Packaging:
In bag
Other info on this site:
Same sculpt as Raya.
She has the correct haircolor and lipstick according to the cartoon character. Although she has blue eyes in the cartoon.
But she always has black eyebrows in the cartoon.
She plays yellow drums with a lizard pictured on them and the groupname in the cartoon.
Doll specs:
Packaging:
In bag
Other info on this site:
This is Shimber, a mix between Shana and Kimber. Not officially her name, but Jem fans named her
that, as they see the likeness from Shana and Kimber.
At first glance this looks like Shana. Because of the curly lavender (or lilac as it's called,
a darker lavender)
haircolor, and the FR Black skintone. Some Jem fans see a Shana without makeup, despite her
not having an African American sculpt, but instead Kimber's sculpt.
But who can blame them for seeing Shana, since Shimber arrived when the Jem line had temporarily ended, and we
didn't know if we would ever get a new Shana doll.
Some don't see Shana at all, nor a Jem connection.
So, what else differs this from being a
Shana doll, except that it isn't officially marketed as that, is the lack of stage-makeup and lack of Shana outfit.
So why change Shana's headsculpt?
Well this wasn't meant as Shana, but probably still meant to attract Jem collectors.
Having even the same sculpt would have been too close to being Shana in a none Jem-licensed
product.
Of course if the main focus had been to make this look like Shana, they could have instead
switched to another AA sculpt. But on the other hand, using a sculpt from the Jem line makes it more Jem,
and IT didn't white-wash this doll, but kept the FR Black skintone.
Interesting idea, what would it look like if these two characters merged.
And that they choose a sculpt from the same band.
But if it wasn't for the lack of an AA sculpt, this isn't so far from the changes
made in the 2020/2021 official Jem dolls where seveal characters got both a different sculpt and
slightly different haircolor.
Beautiful doll in its own way. Of course I prefer all the real Shanas. Unfortunately
this one is so hard to find these days.
She didn't come with an outfit. She didn't even wear any suggested separate fashion,
since she is a convention only doll. So for these pictures I
dressed her in a mix of the original IT Shana and Kimber fashion pieces.
Maybe you would have made a different mix and match?
So how much Jem is she? In the IT world, where dolls most of the time don't have
punk hair colors, this stands out as fitting more with the Jem line. But we don't have any
fashion to compare with.
I definitely want more of these mixed Jem dolls, especially if the official IT Jem line ends some day.
Infact there are two more IT dolls that follow the same
style of mixed featured from IT Jem dolls. One is a mix of Pizzazz and Stormer from this same year, and one
is a mix of Jem and Kimber from 2015, not officially, but sharing sculpts and haircolors.
Doll specs:
Packaging:
In bag
Other info on this site:
This is Rufus Blue, or Stizzazz. Yes I made up the name, in the way
Shimber's name was formed. There was no way to better
combine the names Pizzazz and Stormer. This is a mix of Pizzazz' sculpt
resized slightly smaller, and Stormer's exact haircolor from the first two releases,
with Stormer's eye color. So just like with Shimber, IT used a sculpt from the same band as the haircolor.
To me, this looks like Pizzazz without makeup, who dyed her hair blue. Unlike Shimber,
this doll does not have the same hairstyle as the doll it got it's haircolor from, nor the one
it got it's head sculpt from.
Unlike Shimber, she has painted nails, black. I really like her look, shoe looks so cool,
like a Misfit.
Part of the same set as Lark Lawrence (Luna Dark lookalike) and Hollis Hughes (Lela lookalike),
The Miss Behave Collection, perhaps a nod to The Misfits. Also the "Punk Rock, Live Concert"
print on her shirt reminds me of the Misfits. Fashion is called Punk Rock fashion.
The outfit was sold separately, although she wore this outfit in publicity pictures.
I really like her pants, they kinda bring my thoughts to the 80's doll fashion Award Night.
With this headsculpt, haircolor and fashion, there is no way it wouldn't catch Jem fans
attention.
But I've never actually seen another Jem fan refer to this as a
Jem-like doll or having bought it, and few seem to agree. I guess a problem is that the body is
slightly smaller than
the IT Jem dolls, especially the feet which can't wear the same shoes.
On the other had, that wasn't a
problem for Jem fans with Mischievous Keeki Adaeze in 2020, even though that doll only shared a
similar look in the fashion and name.
With that said, the difference in size and shape is otherwise barely noticable,
considering these clothing pieces fit the Jem bodies.
Although I was won over by this doll, I was torn. It's got pretty much all it's features
from the Jem line, and is very colorful unlike dolls like Howard and Jeff. But do you
see Jem in this, and do you need it to have a complete IT Jem collection? That's up to you.
Each doll in this set, included a bonus "build-a-doll" component that allows you to build an
additional complete Poppy Parker dressed doll. This doll included a purse for that.
Storywise in the IT description Rufus Blue is a famous stylist who
owns a New York city boutique.
Doll specs:
Promotional pictures:
Packaging:
Contents:
Hands:.
Ring:
Pants:
Back.
Back open.
Back open closure.
Underarm support:
Saddle support:
Pole:
Instructions:.
Certificate of authenticity:.
Other info on this site:
I don't think it's too far-fetched to atleast see the resemblance of one of 13 Starlight girls
in one of IT's other lines. So here it is. The Starlight girls are in most cases, in the cartoon, shorter
than the Jem characters that have been released in the IT Jem line. And so were those that were
released as dolls in the 80's line. Which Lela wasn't.
But Lela is one of the oldest and tallest Starlight girls in the cartoon, only a few years younger than Kimber.
Maybe the fact that she is a Starlight girl could excuse the smaller feet of these dolls,
since the Starlight girls in the 80's line had smaller feet anyway.
Hollis shares face sculpt with a Jem character, but resized smaller. Regine. Although that
sculpt was not created for Regine originally.
We'll probably never see an official Lela doll from IT. She isn't one of the most famous Starlight girls.
But perhaps this is an unofficial one.
Lela was the very first Starlight girl as we find out in the cartoon, so maybe it's only
fair she would be the first by IT, incase others like Ashley, Ba Nee and Krissie would be released at some
point. The music-connection in the
IT release wouldn't be far-fetched since Lela played in the Starlight girls band
The Starlights.
Hollis Hughes has a yellow shirt which reminds me of the yellow dress Lela mostly wore.
Beautiful jacket, with the shiny pattern and furlike collar. And plateau boots.
The doll was marketed with this outfit, although the outfit was sold separately.
Doll specs:
Promotional pictures:
Packaging:
Belt:
Instructions:.
Certificate of authenticity:.
Other info on this site:
Hinted before this by IT, already in the first year of this line, 2012, in an accessory with
the doll Jerrica, that writes out "Luna Dark". And the mention of Luna Dark wasn't how that
magazine toplist originally looked in the cartoon, adding "Luna Dark" was a deliberate change by IT.
Which makes it obvious that Luna Dark has the attention of IT. And to take it even further, to add
"Luna Dark", they replaced "Mundanna", both of which were based on Madonna, which to me speaks for that
they replaced it deliberately because it meant the same thing anyway, which means they are aware of the
Madonna connection.
Although, according to my
list of characters in order of importance, Luna is the furthest
down character among all the ones
I see as possible substitute Jem dolls. That's not to say she's the least wanted or least likely, but still
quite far-fetched.
Lark has the same sculpt as Minx, but resized slightly smaller.
She reminds me of Luna Dark from the Jem cartoon with her blonde curly hair.
Both names start with an
L, and Lark rhymes with Dark, and "Cherry Bomb" was the planned name for this character by Christy
which was changed before the episode was animated.
Lark Lawrence, was marketed as wearing the Cherry Bomb fashion, although that fashion is sold separately.
In the cartoon, Luna Dark was a tribute to Madonna, and the outfit of this doll to me resembles
Madonna's new style she had in the late 00's, like in her music video for "Sorry" in which one of
Madonna's dancers wears a t-shirt with a Jem and the Holograms print.
Jem-connection or not, Lark's jacket looks amazing. The jacket alone tempts me to buy this
doll, although I usually only allow myself to buy dolls if they are Jem or have an undeniable
connection.
And both Lark and Dark have big hanging earrings. Those heart earrings, they look great! Almost as response to
Jem's star earrings.
This doll was announced in the same set of dolls as Rufus Blue (Stizzazz) and Hollis Hughes (Lela).
Doll specs:
Promotional pictures:
Packaging:
Belt:
Instructions:.
Certificate of authenticity:.
Other info on this site:
This doll itself doesn't resemble any Jem character as far as I can tell. But the outfit
resembles a Stormer outfit from the music video to the song "We're the Misfits in Hawaii" from
the episode "Hot Time in Hawaii". Infact it's quite a close resemblance in shape and color.
But there's more. This IT doll is part of a set of three female dolls that formed their own music group,
with their first song being titled "Lovesick", which is a wellknown Misfits song. This set of dolls
almost reminds me of the Starlights, from the Jem cartoon. Another one of the girls in this set is called
Color Clash btw.
Storywise in the IT description there's even a connection to the doll Rufus Blue ("Stizzazz"),
who is a stylist that owns a famous New York city boutique.
This line is not designed by the Jem designer, but by David Buttry.
Doll specs:
Promotional pictures:
Packaging:
Earrings:
Golden metal dangles with a turquoise gemstone in the stud, aswell as one in the middle of the dangle which is shaped kinda like a
flower.
Necklace:
Golden metal choker, with three rows of white pearls, and a golden metal piece hanging down with gemstones in turquoise, orange and
what looks like black or blue.
Bracelet:
Golden metal with three flower-shapes with turquoise gemstones in the middle.
Ring:
A big golden metal ring with a turquise gemstone.
Coat:
Turquoise Brocade, with fuzzy yellow fabric in the collar, cuffs and hem.
Jumpsuit:
Orange satin, with pretend pockets at the chest aswell as on the legs. Orange metal zipper closure in front.
Belt:
Orange satin, with golden metal buckle in front, and orange metal buckle in the back.
Stockings:
Darkblue thigh-high, with double layers at the welts.
Boots:
Darkblue tall lace-up, in leather-like fabric, with darkblue shoelaces. Blue zipper closure in back, from top to bottom.
Golden heels and outsoles.
Handbag:
Golden in a round shape, with golden handle and zipper.
Instructions:.
Certificate of authenticity:.
Other info on this site:
So far IT has released Riot dolls with a ring in their right ear. But how about an actual gay doll for this
line? It's not officially a Jem character, and bares no direct resemblance to any character I can think of. But
this is actually not the about the doll, but about the fashion. A black tuxedo with a white shirt is so classic it
couldn't possibly be directly associated with Jem in particular. But for anyone who wanted an IT version of
Rio's Truly Outrageous outfit from the 80's line and cartoon, this looks like a perfect substitute.
As classic as this looks though, the black fabric actually has a pattern that is more obvious in reality.
But let's remember the latest Rio has the same sculpt as Milo, which is another thing that connects them.
Doll specs:
Promotional pictures:
Packaging:
Ring:
Underarm support:
Pole:
Instructions:
Certificate of authenticity:
Other info on this site:
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Most of the dolls presented on this page were announced at the Luxe Life Convention, or the "Jem convention" as I
call it.
Five of the dolls belong to the same set and were sold without a fashion, and there are no
publicity photos with any recommended fashions. And all five of those have unpainted nails.
So the fashion you see them wearing on this page, is a re-used and/or digitally re-colored outfit.
So for them, the Jem-connection comes down to only the doll itself. And for four of them, how they
each strongly resembles a member of the band Limp Lizards.
It makes sense if IT would ever release secondary characters like these, it would be in unlicensed form.
Not even Hasbro considered releasing them in the 80's. But IT have given attention to the Limp Lizards
before by including an accessory with the Broadway Jem doll with a picture and logo of the band.
But the eyemakeup on these dolls is an IT addition because in the cartoon
they have none. Limp Lizards or not, I can bet there is never going to be a doll from IT that looks more
like them, especially released in a group like this which hints they belong together.
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