Jem is Back!
The iconic 1980's doll icon is getting new life thanks to The Loyal Subjects.
Now at Walmart from The Loyal Subjects is one of the 80’s most iconic dolls- Jem from Jem and the Holograms. The Loyal Subjects seems to be making their mark re-releasing well known popular brands from ‘back in the day’, as they have with Strawberry Shortcake and Rainbow Brite, but they’re taking it to a new, truly outrageous level with this much longed for Jem and the Holograms line!
The original Jem and the Holograms doll line was released by Hasbro in 1986 and 1987, with a cancelled 1988 line that has been leaked over the years. Along with the doll line was a music filled cartoon of the same name fondly remembered for having catchy, memorable original songs and an iconic theme song.
My history with Jem is pretty simple. I grew up watching the cartoon, then re-discovered it as a twenty-something. Growing up, I had one Jem doll, gifted to me from my grandmother, the original first wave Jem/Jerrica. She’s my favorite Jem doll. I didn’t get any new Jem dolls until I was an adult, and in fact, held it over my mom’s head for years that I never got Jem’s amazing Rockin’ Roadster vehicle. When I found it decades later at a flea market, you should have seen my face! It came home with me that day. My Jem collection, at the moment, basically encompasses one of each doll, in a Jem outfit. Not all the dolls are perfect or mint, but I love each one of them.
In 2012, high end doll company Integrity began releasing their own Jem line. They released dolls pretty steadily until 2017, when they took a break until 2020 with a handful of releases until 2022, when the line ceased production. The Integrity dolls had a high fashion look to their face design, which I personally was not a fan of. I was also, not crazy about their outrageous prices and limited releases. One nice thing about this line, though, was they did release some new characters to the doll line, such as The Stingers, Eric Raymond and TechRat.
And now in 2025, I’m so excited that we have a brand new line to talk about— especially because it’s far less limited, more affordable and truer to the original line than the Integrity years. The Loyal Subjects Jem stands at 12” tall, just like her original counterpart. She’s currently exclusive to Walmart stores, with other stores joining Walmart Summer 2025, and is being sold at $24.99. Right off the bat, I love this price! It’s affordable for all collectors, casual fans and potential new fans.
Her box is chockful of nostalgia with artwork from the original Jem line, which I also love. The box art on Jem dolls was and is gorgeous. Speaking about the doll inside, Jem has rooted pink hair. From photos, it looks like that may be where The Loyal Subjects skimped a little, as it looks like it could be polypropylene and not an easier to manage nylon or saran. They may have also chosen that kind of hair to get the potential volume one needs for an 80’s hairstyle like Jem. That being said, judging from photos, it looks fine for a doll of this price.
She’s articulated, so you can pose her in lots of different ways. Until I see her in person, I can’t say for sure, but judging from photos, Jem has a sweet face, which is perfect for the character.
Because she’s Jem, she’s dressed in her iconic pink dress. It’s a little darker than the 80’s Jem, but looks great. As Jem is an alter ego of Jerrica Benton, following suit with the first original Jem doll, she comes with Jerrica’s striped dress to swap out. It’s a little harder for this doll to look like Jerrica, because the hair and face paint is so pink, but it’s a nice accessory. Jem also comes with some other fun accessories, as seen in the photo below.
I’m very much looking forward to getting my hands on The Loyal Subjects new Jem doll and hope that they continue to release more dolls. It would be great to get the rest of the Holograms, the Misfits and for the first time, dolls like the Stingers in an affordable 12” scale.
Are you excited about Jem hitting stores again? Let us know in the comments!