Jem Collection - The Bands Break Up Mary "Stormer" Phillips Gift Set

Mary “Stormer” Phillips, writer, guitarist and keyboardist of the red-hot Rock group, the Misfits, has written her last lyric, plucked her last string, and tapped her last key in preparation for stardom as a solo artist! It all began one afternoon at Misfits Music Studios, when she presented an instrumental sample for her new song to her bandmates and was hit with a hailstorm of criticism. Though the beat and melody were more in the genre of Pop, Stormer stressed to her girls that a new sound would be good for their image, and also mentioned that Eric wanted a new album by the end of the week. She felt it was time to get serious about their music and tried to convince them once more but, to her dismay, her bandmates rejected the idea with Pizzazz quipping that she had seen “better notes on a tax form!” Not willing to back down so soon, Stormer continued her plea for her bandmates to at least try and open up their minds to a new approach to music. After finishing up with her latest edition of Cool Trash Magazine, Pizzazz, along with Roxy and Jetta, answered back by performing a silly three-part act in falsetto to show just how “serious” they were. Their callous actions and rude comments fumed the sweet-spirited keyboardist, forcing her to walk out of the studio abruptly while exclaiming that the girls never cared about anything she had to say, and that she despised all three! A short time after, Stormer landed herself at The Scene, a performance night club for singers/musicians, and treated herself to a double vanilla cola and a hot fudge sundae, “three scoops with a banana!” While chowing down and enjoying the screeching sounds of the Limp Lizards, she nearly choked when she noticed Holograms keyboardist, Kimber Benton, who was sitting shoulder to shoulder with her the whole time at the bar. Several insults were exchanged and claws began to draw! Then, out of nowhere, the two were thrusted on stage and into the spotlight where they decided to perform their future hit, “I'm Okay!” It didn't take long before the girls formed a partnership together, and they eventually started off on a mini tour with talks of a new album in the works. Over yonder, at Pizzazz's mansion, the rowdy rockers caught wind of the news about Kimber and their ex-bandmate by tuning into VTV cable network, and decided to put a stop to her shenanigans as soon as possible! Pizzazz was livid and felt defeated. So, with Roxy and Jetta, she hopped in her rockstar tour van and floored the gas pedal all the way to Stormer's recent concert to get answers! Upon walking in, the three Misfits took one look at their keyboardist and pounced on stage in an attempt to dissuade her from continuing to perform. Moments in, Jem and the Holograms showed up and rushed the opposite side of the stage with claims that the Glam-metal keytarist was too much of a rebel and would land her in serious trouble. Now closed in between both bands, Stormer and Kimber screamed out that they were obligated to perform and preferred working together...and nobody was going to stop them...NOBODY! Jem just couldn't take one more minute of her sister's drama, so she decided to exit the building, but Pizzazz refused to leave quietly and began shouting to the top of her lungs that, without the Misfits, Stormer would never make it, and that she would come crawling back. The following day, before their voice session, at Flash Recording Studios, the two girls happened in on a phone conversation between Eric Raymond and his recording engineer who was confirming a dirty deed that was sure to foil the debut of their album. Only then did Stormer and Kimber notice the bigger picture and wondered how they would survive Eric's wrath. On the opposite end, Pizzazz was doing damage control by coaxing her ex-bandmate to rejoin the group, and presented her with a flashy red Porsche, unlimited credit cards, and a trip to the House of Glamor. Stormer was back!...lock, stock, and music! Even though their partnership came to an end, the girls were bounded by law to perform due to their contract with Eric and risked losing part of Starlight Music if they didn't cut the entire record. Stormer hadn't the slightest clue as to what to do, but Kimber knew exactly where to turn for assistance and asked Mary to start the car and point it towards Starlight Mansion so that she could apologize to her sister and the Holograms for her behavior. As Jerrica reached inside the refrigerator for a cool beverage, she promised her sister that all was forgiven, and agreed to help package and promote their album. Jem took over from there, producing enough local and international fanfare to propel the record straight to Number One on the charts during its first week release! No sooner than celebrating their success did the Misfits appear groveling at the feet of their star lyricist to come back to the group, and admitting that they needed her to complete the band. Eventually, Stormer caved and decided to give them a second chance while demanding equal partnership and respect. On that very day, the Holograms and the Misfits made big changes within their groups, deciding once and for all to listen to each other and respect their views on what may or may not be best, both lyrically and musically. Throughout their time touring, traveling, shopping and performing together, Stormer and Kimber had become dear friends, and have maintained a long-standing friendship that exists today!

 

There was something extremely catchy about all four 2016 On-Stage Summer Exclusives, and many will agree that the bar and tone were set pretty high for what was to come from Integrity Toys' Jem! Most of us anticipated what was known as a fan-inspired celebration, a celebration that produced several flashy fashions from the show, through Integrity Toys, and directly into our homes. Riot received the royal treatment, Kimber radiated with pinks, reds and golds, and Pizzazz dazzled with just her eyes alone! It's now one year later and all four dolls have remained relevant. As for this gift set, it's fair to say that the Design Team had their own vision as to how Mary should look, and I'd say that they hit the nail on the head exactly! With this new release, Stormer gets her very own backstage dressing room while the other two Misfits are forced to share close quarters with the Acid Queen! I recall that memorable day when I bought my first wave Stormer Phillips doll, and I was actually very excited to purchase this second version of her as well! The Design Team repeated the texture of Stormer's super curly blue hair, which seems a bit more fuller than usual. Also, her signature flower is available for decorating her big and bold tresses. I've always adored her face sculpt. Just like every other doll in the collection, she looks exactly as she appears in the show, particularly in “The Bands Break Up!” Mary now has thin blue, highly-arched eyebrows and looks more serious with a straightforward glare! The makeup sure is bright enough for a Misfits doll, but suits only Stormer, of course. Ms. Consideration decided on a fair coverage of light yellow “Happy-Go-Lucky” highlighter across her brow bones, and a thick, oval-shaped wing of fluorescent “Supernova” yellow that covers the creases of her eyes and travels outward and around under her lash lines. Then, with her orange “Settin' Sun” eyeshadow, she went in and swept her eyelids twice, then dragged the color down around her tear ducts and along the inner corners of her lash lines. Both eyes are defined with winged-out “Raisin' Teetotal Hell” black eyeliner, her cheeks are patted with “Open Your Heart” rose blush, and her lips are coated with red “Fahrenheit” lipgloss! She's kept her orange zigzag design on the left (her left) side of her cheek, along with three orange scratch marks across her right cheek. And her nails are finished with red “Hot to Trot” nail polish. As far as wardrobe is concerned, I am particularly in favor of her light purple dress. There's such a cutesy, charming essence to the purple number, so cute in fact that her appearance reminds me of the iconic “Like a Virgin” era! The material has a sparkling light violet glow with a thin layer of lace underneath. Her legs are wrapped in a pair of shiny dark purple tights, her feet sit in a pair of pink socks with light purple polka dots, and she's standing tall in a shiny pair of dark purple heels—all three items look GREAT! Accessories sometimes run a bit short with the Jem dolls, but this set comes with its fair share of fashionable contents. Inside her dressing room, on her table sits a pair of pink oval-shaped earrings, her pink beaded necklace, pink silver-lined cuff bracelet, her pink belt with light purple polka dots and matching pink hair band! This talented artist has packed everything, even a few hangers and an extra neon green stool to kick off her Summer tour!

 

Admittedly, the pros for this set barely outweigh the cons and I think that it's important to acknowledge every aspect. I will now turn the tables and briefly summarize all that's WRONG with this set! For starters, one major con, in general, is Stormer's red dress that Integrity provided as an alternative outfit. I remember feeling blindsided by the debut of this dress, and I can't say that they were utterly successful with their execution, no, because utter success would have produced Jetta's dress as well! Integrity then created Stormer's “I'm Okay” outfit several months later and it looks great—easily a personal best! But, once again, the need for a new “free frock” gimmick was obviously too good to ignore because the Design Team chose to add the alternate outfit with the first wave doll that's still in inventory at Integrity Toys, knowing full well that “I'm Okay” should have made its original debut with THIS set instead! Usually it's easy to forgive such a blunder, then quickly you realize another troubling mishap, the exclusion of two very important pieces to her outfit: HER BOOTS! Stormer's boots symbolize the overall tone of solitude and rebellion, thus categorizing the entire outfit a rare one-of-a-kind! There's no doubt that the creation process would prove to be one serious challenge for any Jem doll. However, I do believe that the passion to reimagine and redesign should have automatically prevailed! I'm guessing instead of a flat surface, maybe it would have been possible to design both boots with a heel-lift inside. The ultimate option, of course, would have been to recreate an all-new Stormer Phillips doll with the Fashion Royalty flat foot construction. Unlikely idea, I know, although you must admit that such a doll would outshine any other ever created in the collection. One thing's for sure, The Bands Break Up Stormer gift set is far from perfection, but, with all its faults, it deserves to be commended in similar fashion as its counterparts!

 

All in all, I am very pleased to own this particular version of my blue-haired, good-hearted bada**! 💙

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