Sewing for Hasbro's Jem

Hasbro's Jem had a radical bad-girl look that kids adored in 1985. Their mothers tried to discourage it, telling kids the doll couldn't wear Barbie's clothing. (This did nothing to calm the Jem-lust.) Jem had in-your-face fashions in screaming neon and animal prints, and boatlike shoes. Strangely, some Barbie fashions of this era fit Jem better than they fit Barbie. At 12 inches, Jem is 1/2 an inch taller and several ounces heavier than  Rocker Barbie. Mattel found out about Jem months before she was introduced and issued Barbie and the Rockers with horrible makeup to compete.

Hasbro's Jem dolls are surprisingly sturdy. Even at thrift stores, they can be found in good to excellent condition, often with a piece of Hasbro clothing. The shoes are much harder to find. I've seen them on eBay for $14.99 -- more than the starting price for the nude Jem. Finding Jem/Jerrica with working light-up earrings is slightly harder. But how hard is it to replace a battery? The hardest part should be finding the tiny screwdriver. The most common injury to Jem is that half of one foot will be missing, possibly because one shoe fits more tightly than the other. The most common Barbie doll injuries, aside from nibbled fingers, are broken neck plastic.

It's even possible to find Jem in her original spangled silver tights and pink lame' blouse.
I always thought that top needed a skirt, and made one from a Barbie pattern. No alterations were required. Yes, Virginia, Jem and Barbie can swap some clothing, especially knit clothing.

 Barbie bodice patterns need to be tweaked a bit to work, but they do indeed work. Jem is less chesty than Barbie but just as broad. The pink lame' has a waist that is bigger than Barbie's and was made from a shirt sleeve. The burnt orange is a knit tube with elastic at the top, and a fat sash.

         

The silver tissue outfit was a happy accident. I used my standard Barbie mini skirt pattern with silver tissue and lined it with tulle. The shape of the top comes from a pattern for Skipper. Adding a few darts turns it into a Jem top. The crystal pleated cape came from my stash. 

Sewing for Jem is easier than sewing for Barbie. The curves are less pronounced, the legs  and torso are slightly longer. You can use any Barbie pattern except the ones for the super slender princess dolls. Those T-shirt dresses that are annoyingly large on Barbie arms fit Jem very nicely.

The doll in silver is missing 1/2 a foot, the most common Jem problem. From left to right, they are Jem, Stormer, Jerrica, Jem, Jerrica.

When I began this sewing adventure,  I read that Integrity Toys and Hasbro have come out with new versions of Jem & the Misfits, and the new versions are skinnier, more in line with the Integrity 11 1/2 inch fashion doll line and Barbie. She retails at nearly $130, making her an adult collectible. Canny mothers everywhere should head to 2nd hand stores and start sewing. Today, 1985 doll looks fresh, almost brand new. The ability to swap  shoes and clothing with Barbie shouldn't be an item's major selling point.