It was just a few weeks ago that I discussed my top five favorite Jem and the Holograms songs/music videos, and like I said, I would eventually get to the Misfits. So here we are: the top five Misfits songs/music videos that totally rock my world.

Before we do the countdown though, I must share this story about the Misfits. For those just tuning in, the Misfits were the rival band to Jem and the Holograms. Pizzazz was the leader and her cronies consisted of the loud mouth Roxy, slightly shy Stormer, and eventually the fourth member Jetta. They were full of mischief and mayhem and should have been arrested so many times, yet they always found a way to avoid the law. I loved the Misfits. They were loud and outrageous. Their songs were some of the best from the series. However growing up I had no concept of the other real life horror punk band the Misfits.

This is where the tale turns tragic. One day in high school I was heading into school and I saw one of the skater punk rock guys standing around. He looked beyond dreamy with his spiky hair and facial expression that read, “I hate everything. Even you.” Bad boys were my Kyptonite in the 90’s and when I saw this guy in a shirt that said ‘the Misfits’ across the front, I just about freaked out. “He’s a fan of Jem and the Holograms!” I squealed to myself. I figured this would be the perfect way for me to say hello.

That’s just what I did. I said hello and expressed my shock that someone else was such a fan of the rival band to Jem and the Holograms. You would have thought I had asked him to eat angel food cake. The little devil could only stare at me with a blank stare and a sneer as he got the joy of letting me know just how lame I was and how pathetic that I had no clue who the real life Misfits were.

I was publicly shamed in public high school. Is there no other worse fate? I was beyond mortified. Of course from that moment on I promised myself to never fall for a bad boy again. They just don’t care about the heart of a dorky girl. (It took me a few years to make that promise work.)

Anyways, now that you know how lame I am, let’s check out the top five Misfits songs you will all be jamming out to this Summer.

5. Get Outta My Way

One of the things I enjoyed so much about my “research” for this article was going back and looking at these Misfits videos. I make it seem like I hardly ever view them, but I have them seared into my mind. This video was the audience’s first introduction to Pizzazz, Roxy, and Stormer. They ride around on guitar cycles. How could anyone not find this cool? Plus their reckless abandon to terrorize poor Jerrica is a very interesting point for a cartoon aimed at girls. Usually in a “girly” cartoon the antagonist is not much of a threat or doesn’t exist at all. But these were some real mean girls for the 80’s. Now-a-days their attitudes and actions would just be that of a typical friendship. What, you don’t ride around on guitar cycles in office buildings?

4. Misfits in Hawaii

This song/video came from one of my favorite episodes ever. Kimber gets kidnapped and placed inside a volcano. That’s all I can say. When the internet made it easier to go back and watch cartoons from yesteryear, this was one of the videos that I actively recalled watching as a kid. The visuals of Stormer’s sunburn and tan lines were just so vivid in my mind. For all their evil intent, this video shows a humorous side to the Misfits as they end up on a trip from hell. It’s also a catchy song.

3. Universal Appeal

Completely one of the best songs of the entire series; hands down. The music is cool as is the animation. I love the moon chasing the sun. The coloring in the animation is nice too. The song has a lot of appeal to it. I like the whole space theme and the kiss that Pizzazz blows at the end of the video is just great. These characters had so much personality, which really gets to shine through in the videos.

2. I Am a Giant

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There is so much to love in this video; I don’t even know where to begin. I think the animated sequence at the beginning with them performing and dancing on stage is so cool. It feels so real, like this is not a cartoon. The movement is that spot on. I also love the role reversal of the King Kong story with Pizzazz taking on the role of the colossal gorilla. It’s a nice video with a cool story that gets played out for the short amount of time that the song lasts.

1. Gimme a Gimmick

My ultimate favorite Misfits song is Gimme a Gimmick. Words cannot even express how cool this song and video are to me. Go ahead, give it another shot. The animation is superb and it just screams the late 80’s to me. I feel instantly transported back to being a kid and watching cartoons with all my toys and dolls for company. There is a pop art look to it and one of those final scenes where the puppet sequence reveals that Pizzazz is ultimately pulling the strings is such a nice look to it. There were some male villains in this show that certainly had their own motives to where it seemed like they were using Pizzazz and the Misfits, but the slight twist that Pizzazz is always pulling the strings makes her that much more of an interesting villain, and one of my favorites.

So that is about it for my top five Misfits songs/music videos. Do any of you recall the Misfits? What are your thoughts upon seeing these videos? Let me know! And don’t go too far. I know it has been a moment since I last posted any new articles, and that is due to my life taking on more work and just not having enough time to get everything done that I’d like. However, I have greatly enjoyed writing these articles for Retro-Daze, and I am still going to be writing fun retro filled articles. They just won’t be rolling out two a week like they were. I hope you all understand and I thank you guys for always leaving comments and taking the time to read these memories of mine. Hope you are all doing well!