[3][4] In 1985, Hasbro, long unable to compete with Mattel's near-monopoly on the fashion doll market with Barbie, opted to create Jem, concerning the titular singer (who assumed a dual identity via the supercomputer Synergy, which enabled her to appear as Jem via realistic holographic disguises) and her soap opera-esque tribulations, including love triangles and rivalries with other bands; as with other Hasbro toylines of the era (such as GI Joe: A Real American Hero), it was accompanied by an animated series created by Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions (initially as a segment of the animated anthology Super Sunday before becoming a standalone show).
[8][9] To counter Hasbro's animated series, Mattel commissioned a direct-to-video special from DiC Animation City, to be released by Hi-Tops Video (the children's arm of Media Home Entertainment) in the fall of 1987; this was something Mattel had previously avoided, thanks to Barbie having long been marketed as a "blank slate", leading to an internal fear that characterizing Barbie would lead to her being characterized in a cartoonish fashion with "nothing left to the imagination".
[10][11] Mattel began aggressively marketing Barbie and the Rockers with a mall tour in both the United States and Canada and via tie-in merchandise, including picture books and lunch boxes.
The marketing blitz (initiated by future Mattel CEO Jill Barad) was topped by consecutive appearances by Barbie and the Rockers during the 1986 and 1987 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
[17][18] In addition to the dolls themselves (later waves of which advertised "real dancing action"), the packaging included punch-out cardboard items themed after music (ie.