Truly Outrageous: Kimber TLS Doll Review

How about a break from toy soaps and instead a nice review? Click the link below for the truly truly outrageous TLS Kimber doll!

It's no surprise that I am a big fan of Jem and the Holograms. I grew up watching the cartoon and loving the glitter, fashion, and fame of it all. I never had the original dolls, in the ignorance of my youth I was put off with the size difference Jem had with Barbie dolls. Regardless, I have always been thrilled whenever Jem products are released. The new dolls from The Loyal Subjects is no different. You can read all about my review of their first release with Jem, here. It took a while, but the rest of the Holograms have been released. I won't get into the challenges that have riddled the release of the Holograms just yet, but as of this post, TLS will no longer be releasing any new Jem dolls. More on that in a bit. For now, let's check out Kimber.

Like Jem, TLS kept the same look with the packaging with just a slight difference. The Holograms come in boxes that are a little taller than the box that Jem came in. I don't know specifics, but I would guess the new boxes are about half an inch taller or so than the Jem release a year ago. 

Classic illustrations by Sharon Knettell are used throughout the box.

This makes this new line feel like a continuation of the vintage one. Almost like the vintage line never ended and it just got upgraded for modern times without the need for a packaging reboot. While I still would love to see a Jem doll line with a new package design (sort of like what Integrity Toys did), I don't think we're there yet in terms of the toy line's evolution. This classic packaging is truly truly the only way to go. 

More images of the box art.

Love this image of Kimber. She was my favorite out of the Holograms. I love them all, but Kimber's boy crazy antics and dramatics always resonated with me as a kid and especially as an adult. When I was little I loved being the damsel in distress, being tied up on the rail road tracks or a tree in my neighbor's front yard. So when Kimber got kidnapped and placed in a volcano tied up with her life in danger, I found myself recreating that scene in my imaginative play as a kid. More times than I care to admit. Kimber fan forever,

Like Jem, Kimber comes packed with nice items. VIP Backstage Pass with lanyard, comb, sticker sheet, and keyboard.

Stickers are just a continuation of Sharon's classic Jem illustrations. 

The comb is consistent with what came with Jem.

The backstage pass has another image of Kimber. The holographic foil makes it a little hard to capture the image through photos, but in person the image is more visible. 

Here's Kimber free and ready to rock. First impressions are that they really did a great job. The clothes are so nice. Fabric feels expensive in a day when toy companies are cutting back on quality when it comes to doll fashions. Over all sculpt/articulation is similar to Jem, very sturdy and nice. Not a fan of the elbow joints having pins, but that doesn't take away from the overall quality of the figure.

Facial screening is nice too. One thing to note, Kimber's head looks a little bigger than Jem's head. One of the critiques many fans shared with Jem was that the doll's head seemed small compared to her body, and I am not sure if this was intentional or not, but Kimber's head looks more proportional to her body. 

Another upgrade from the first TLS Jem release is the hair. This I feel like they did take note of and made fantastic changes. The Jem doll was in need of her Biotin and Minoxidil because her hair was sparse, but Kimber? Nice lush head of hair that is also styled really well. I also love the vibrancy in color. 

Some poses. Joints are tight but able to move easily. Sometimes doll joints feel like they'll break if you bend an arm or leg.

Recreating that classic pose.

Very pleased with how Kimber turned out. 

She also came with a stand, each of the Holograms do. The stand is similar to Jem's, as are the other Holograms aside from each stand having a specific color that corresponds with each character. Kimber's is red. The song also plays a snippet of the cartoon's title theme song. Originally TLS had shared that each stand would have a different song for Kimber, Shana, and Aja from the cartoon, but that did not come to pass. 

Final verdict? I think this is a great doll. If you like Jem and the Holograms, and want something new, this is a great option. The vintage and Integrity dolls are all great, however it's nice to see a new line of Jem dolls. Though, this new line was over before it truly began. As I mentioned above, there's been some challenges with this line. Delays in production/shipping, cost increases, and changes to the line at the last minute (like with the stand songs) were just a few things that have upset fans. It would also appear this latest line of dolls experienced some quality control issues with damaged boxes or misprinted facial screenings according to some fans. Also, unlike Jem, these dolls are only available online, no big box retailers. I don't know for sure if these challenges have contributed to the end of the line, but the Loyal Subjects announced in July that they would no longer be completing the Jem and the Holograms line. They had teased a prototype for Pizzazz, ushering the Misfits to the line, which is a shame that fans won't see her come to pass. Their dolls were better. 

Personally I'm sad to see that this line is over. I understand how the challenges listed above have impacted other people, with that said, TLS is not a heavy hitter like Hasbro or Mattel. Smaller toy companies all around have had to face delays in production and shipments arriving on time, to say nothing of the impact tariffs and inflation have had on everything. This release of Holograms and the quality put into them showed that TLS was heading into a nice direction. With that now over, I hope Hasbro will license out this property to another company. Personally the collabs Hasbro has been doing with Mattel has had me secretly hoping they usher in a whole new era for Jem and the Holograms. That would be truly truly outrageous. 

For now, enjoy the new Kimber doll. I plan to do reviews with the other Holograms and the Glitter and Gold Jem doll as well. If you collect these, what are your thoughts? What do you want to see next for Jem and the Holograms and of course the Misfits? Let me know. 

Like the previous posts on this blog, it is with great sadness that the blogging community lost William Bruce West this year. My heart goes out to his family, including his wife Lindsay and two daughters. Will contributed so much to the toy/comics/pop culture blogging and podcast community. His opinions on pop culture are the stuff of legend. Please check out the West Family GoFundMe and consider donating, they need our support more than ever. If you can't donate, please spread the word. West Family GoFundMe