- For the IDW comics character, see Pizzazz (comics).
| “ | I wanna be famous! I want my name spoken with awe. I want people to throw themselves at my feet. |
„ |
| ~ Pizzazz in Starbright (Part 1) |
Phyllis Margaret Gabor, better known by her stage name, Pizzazz, is the main vocalist, rhythm guitarist and leader of the American rock band The Misfits. She is one of the main antagonists in the first two seasons of the Jem animated series, and remains as a regular villain and troublemaker for the third season.
She was voiced by Patricia Alice Albrecht (talking voice) and Ellen Bernfeld (singing voice).
History[]
Pizzazz is a spoiled, young woman with a bad temper who is the leader of the American rock band The Misfits. She is violently jealous of Jem and her band, The Holograms, and will stop at nothing to sabotage them. She desires fame and adoration above everything, even though she doesn't comprehend that her abrasive personality is what keeps her from obtaining it. She's later shown to become much more sensitive and softer on the topic of love, and genuinely cares for her father and Riot. She looks down on their manager, Eric Raymond, and on some occasions she can even seem to outright dislike him, although she copes with him for convenience.
Pizzazz is friends with Stormer, Roxy, Jetta and Clash, and even though she cares about them, she's often rude to them by either insulting or berating them. At one point, when Stormer left the band, Pizzazz attempted to bribe her back and even begged her to return. When Jetta joined The Misfits, Pizzazz took an immediate liking to her.
Some unspecified time before the series started, Pizzazz formed The Misfits, who were originally signed to Starlight Music when Eric Raymond was in control of it. When Jerrica took over and terminated their contract, they were left without a label to promote them. Pizzazz then asked her wealthy father, Harvey Gabor, to buy her a record label, which they named Misfits Music. The company remained in her possession for most of the series as an analogy of the rivalry between them and The Holograms. It was eventually bought by Eric Raymond, who sold half of it to Riot, who renamed it Stingers Sound.
Pizzazz became infatuatied with Riot, a fact he and his bandmates took advantage of whenever they needed something from The Misfits — or just to see Pizzazz humiliate herself. The other Misfits attempted to warn Pizzazz of Riot's true nature, but she refused to listen to them and she even split from the group at one point in order to pursue him. After Riot's rejection, Pizzazz returned to the band, apologetic, and she was welcomed her back with open arms (in the "Now" music video, the plot of the video has Pizzazz walking along the beach, depressed and lonely, but The Misfits join her to illustrate their friendship).
As is usually the case with infatuation, Pizzazz's obsession with Riot proved to be short-lived. When she attended Ba Nee's farewell party, she seemed completely indifferent to Riot's presence.
Early life[]
Pizzazz was born Phyllis Margaret Gabor, to wealthy parents. She was very young when her mother left, leaving her father to raise her alone. Her father, Harvey Gabor, was very preoccupied with his work and never paid attention to Pizzazz. He spoiled her with gifts and whatever she wanted, even though it's hinted she would have preferred love and attention. Even in adulthood, Harvey Gabor gives his daughter whatever she wants so he can stay focused on his business. Harvey Gabor is aware that his daughter's poor temper is his fault, although he does not know how to change. Pizzazz craves fame through The Misfits in an attempt to make up for her loveless upbringing, even though she treats her bandmates badly. It isn't until much later when she realizes The Misfits are her true family.
Appearance[]
Her original outfit is a black and white, tiger-striped collar with a pink undershirt and a matching tiger-striped skirt. She wears a green sock with black shoes, a pink bracelet, and has green hair. Early in the series, she had a thinner collar and a shorter skirt with no bracelet. She also wore a black leg band in addition to her green sock stitched to the other leg, but her appearance was changed to match the doll line.
Personality[]
Pizzazz is extraordinarily self-absorbed, displaying extreme narcissistic tendencies. This is likely the result of a mother who abandoned her at at young age and an emotionally detached father. While her workaholic father with buy her anything she wants, he spends very little time bonding with her.
As is usual with narcissists, Pizzazz is demanding, selfish, arrogant, and entitled, displaying very little empathy. This is reflected in the songs produced by The Misfits, which tend to be self-aggrandizing. She also tends to be rude, condescending and bullying when dealing with others, even her own bandmates.
But for all her faults, Pizzazz is also well-disciplined. She has obviously worked hard to become a professional singer, even displaying operatic skill,[1] indicating that she applied herself in her training to become a singer.
Her work ethic and discipline are especially surprising in light of the fact that, due to her father's immense wealth, Pizzazz needn't work at all. She could live quite comfortably off her father's money, as her father will buy her just about anything she asks for and lives in her father's opulence.
An ironic aspect of her personality (considering how often she schemes to upstage and humiliate her rivals) is that Pizzazz tends to be naive and rather easily duped. She was nearly conned out of a substantial fortune by Jetta,[2] and once fell prey to the machinations of Rapture, who used Pizzazz's infatuation with Riot to essentially make a fool out of her, dressing herself in a ridiculous outfit and consuming a "potion" that included raw eggs and liver.[3]
While Pizzazz particularly loathes Jem and Jerrica (obviously not realizing they are the same person) and relishes any humiliation inflicted on them, she draws the line at intentional physical harm and murder. On one occasion, Pizzazz, Roxy, Stormer and Eric Raymond broke into a concert where Jem and The Holograms were performing to warn them of a bomb planted on the stage,[4] thereby saving the lives of their bitterest rivals, to Jem's utter amazement. Despite her history of cruelty directed at Jem and The Holograms, she at least doesn't want to see them get killed. It has been shown on a few occasions when The Holograms and The Misfits had to work together that, had it not been for their rivalry, they have the potential to be friends. By the series end, The Holograms, The Misfits and The Stingers have reached a truce, ending their rivalry once and for all.
Pizzazz has been infatuated with a few men in the series, including Rio and Riot. However, she admitted her aggression toward Rio was only to annoy Jerrica. Her true feelings (as much as someone so self-absorbed can experience love) were for Riot. In both cases, however, these infatuations were short-lived. In A Father Should Be, despite her previously stated feelings for him, she didn't seem to even notice Riot at Ba Nee's farewell party.
Relationships[]
Harvey Gabor[]
While Pizzazz seems to care about her father, she tends to treat him just like an easy source of money. She knows how to persuade him to pay for almost anything she wants. More than anything, though, she wants his love and attention, the only two things he always seems to deprive her of. Harvey is aware that his daughter's atrocious behavior is a result of his neglect, but doesn't know how to fix things between them. Their relationship frequently runs the gamut between toleration and strain.
Roxy[]
Prior to the introduction of Jetta, Roxy was probably Pizzazz's closest friend in the group. They tended to be equals in terms of ruthlessness. Once Jetta was introduced, Pizzazz seemed to find a more kindred spirit in her, and the two of them would sometimes ridicule and taunt Roxy.
But as is the case with Stormer, Pizzazz also recognizes Roxy's importance to The Misfits. When Roxy quit the group, Pizzazz was confident that Roxy would return on her own, claiming that Roxy had no other friends. When Roxy failed to return, Pizzazz and the other Misfits went to great lengths to persuade her to return.[5]
Stormer[]
Pizzazz, like Roxy and Jetta, tends to regard Stormer with contempt, probably due to the latter's greater empathy and unwillingness to commit to The Misfits' schemes if it means someone will come to harm.
However, as is the case with Roxy, Pizzazz recognizes Stormer's importance to the group and went to great lengths and expense to persuade Stormer to return when she quit The Misfits.[1]
Pizzazz also knows that Stormer is the kindest and most caring of The Misfits, which is why she puts aside her own ego to beg Stormer to come back, and was overjoyed when she did.
Jetta[]
Pizzazz took an instant liking to Jetta when they first met, appreciating her aggressive and outspoken nature, as well as her talent on the saxophone. So much so, that Pizzazz invited Jetta to join The Misfits after a single performance with them (over Roxy's forceful objections). And the feeling seem mutual, as the two of them seem to have similar attitudes and levels of intelligence.
On one occasion, Jetta did attempt to extort a great deal of money from Pizzazz by selling her a manor and title in England (neither of which Jetta could sell or confer).[2] Pizzazz, however, harbors no resentment toward Jetta for this duplicity, possibly because it was her father's money, not hers, that would have been lost, and possibly because she would have done the same thing if she were Jetta.
Clash[]
Pizzazz regards Clash with mild annoyance, but also recognizes her value as a useful pawn that can easily be manipulated into participating in The Misfits' schemes to sabotage Jem and The Holograms. As Clash desires to be made a member of The Misfits, she will usually obey Pizzazz without question. It is doubtful that Pizzazz truly has any intention of honoring her agreement and make Clash into a Misfit for the simple reason that she has no musical talent. Clash may know deep down that she will never be an official Misfit, but is in deep denial.
Gallery[]
- Main article: Pizzazz/Gallery
Trivia[]
- According to Christy Marx, many characters from the Jem animated series were named after people who were involved in holography and related sciences. Pizzazz's last name, Gabor, possibly comes from Dennis Gabor, a Hungarian-British electrical engineer and physicist, most notable for inventing holography, for which he later received the 1971 Nobel Prize in Physics.
- "Gabor" is a Hungarian name, which could imply she is of Hungarian descent.
- In the early concept, her name was spelled "Pizazz", with a single first 'z'.
- The name Pizzazz suits her character as it means "an attractive combination of vitality and glamour".
- She can't stand being called by her real name, Phyllis. The only person who can call her that without her reacting is her father.
- The name "Phyllis" means green leaf. Pretty fitting for Pizzazz's hair color.
- Pizzazz has neon, lime-green hair, although some episodes by Rhino for the original DVD release of the series have been put through a color filter to make it look brown or dirty blond.
- Even though her father hardly ever spends time with her, in the episode Father's Day, it was shown via flashbacks he may have spent at least a little time with her when she was little.
- Pizzazz was shown to have three guard dogs at home, although they presumably belonged to her father since he was the only one that could control them.
- There was an idea to have Pizzazz's mother make an appearance in the animated series, but due to the cancellation of the dolls line and the subsequent cancellation of the series, this never came to be. A majority of Pizzazz' spiteful personality was a result of her mother's abandonment.
- She apparently is a fan of billiards, having pool tables in both her office and some of her living rooms.
- Out of all The Misfits, she might be closest to Jetta, as she was immediately impressed by her the first time they met and vice versa. The two also seem to take pleasure on occasionally making fun of Roxy.
- While she was often shown to develop an interest in both Jem and Jerrica's love interests, she claims her feelings for Rio were only to upset them, although her actual feelings went to Riot, whom she was very determined to be with.
- Despite often making fun of her fellow Misfits, it seems she doesn't really mean it and it's just a part of who she is.
- According to Roxy, Pizzazz hates everything.
- Pizzazz lacks real eyebrows, and has fake penciled on brows composed of her makeup.
- She seems to have a fondness for animal print clothing, frequently wearing stripes and spots.
- Her destructive tendencies seem to be a desperate cry for attention and help.
- The voice actress of Pizzazz, Patricia Alice Albrecht, passed away on December 25, 2019.
- Pizzazz is portrayed by American pop-singer Kesha in a mid-credits scene in the film adaptation.
- It is possible the character Pizzaz Miller from Moonbeam City was named after Jemʼs Pizzazz. In an interview by Paste magazine to Moonbeam City's creator, Scott Gairdner, he mentioned that among taking many influences from the 1980s, the series' style was heavily influenced by the Jem animated series.[6]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Bands Break Up
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Britrock
- ↑ The Stingers Hit Town, Part 2
- ↑ The Princess and the Singer
- ↑ Roxy Rumbles
- ↑ Retrofuture Shock: Moonbeam City and the Music and Style of the '80s at Paste (September 16, 2015):
Paste: "Speaking of the visual style of Dazzle and the other characters, when did you strike on that cocaine-skin Patrick Nagel art style?"
Scott Gairdner: "I knew that aesthetic, but didn't even know it was associated with a specific artist. I knew it from like laundromats and nail salons, there's a version of that kind of artwork. I knew that primarily, from those kind of paintings rusting in windows in my neighborhood. Also, Jem and the Holograms is a big influence on the style of the show. I was kind of scared of but also in love with any '80s cartoon where the characters looked more human than not. They just always kind of freaked me out."