Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
| Mighty Morphin Power Rangers | |
|---|---|
| File:Mmprlogo.jpg Opening Title Card | |
| Created by | Haim Saban Shuki Levy |
| Starring | Austin St. John Walter Emanuel Jones David Yost Thuy Trang Amy Jo Johnson Jason David Frank Steve Cardenas Johnny Yong Bosch Karan Ashley Catherine Sutherland Paul Schrier Jason Narvy Robert L. Manahan Richard Steven Horvitz Machiko Soga Barbara Goodson Ed Neil Robert Axelrod Kerrigan Mahan |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 145 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Haim Saban, Shuki Levy |
| Producers | Ronnie Hadar, Jonathan Tzachor |
| Running time | 22 minutes (without commercials) |
| Original release | |
| Network | FOX |
| Release | August 28, 1993 – November 27, 1995 |
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (often abbreviated by fans as MMPR) is an American live-action television series, created for the American market, based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. The show and its related merchandise both saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months. Under the original name Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the series ran from 1993 to 1995 and spawned a feature film, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
The second and third seasons drew on footage and elements from the Super Sentai series Gosei Sentai Dairanger and Ninja Sentai Kakuranger respectively, though the Zyuranger costumes were still used extensively; the main five Dairanger suits were never used at all, as only the Kiba Ranger suit was used for the White Power Ranger, while the five Kakuranger suits were used in the mini series Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. The series was produced by MMPR Productions and distributed by Saban Entertainment, and aired on Fox Kids.
In 1996, the Mighty Morphin label was retired as the series would follow in the footsteps of Super Sentai, changing its name, cast and plot every year; thus the Power Rangers franchise was born. Power Rangers still runs in this format to this day, though currently the majority of post-MMPR series are not spin-offs in the traditional sense.
Series overview
The series takes place in the fictional town of Angel Grove, California. Two unwitting astronauts discover an extraterrestrial container (referred to as a dumpster as a result of its stench), and breach the unit inadvertently releasing the evil witch, Rita Repulsa, from 10,000 years of confinement. Upon her release, she and her army of evil Space Aliens set their sights on conquering the nearest planet: Earth. When the wise sage Zordon becomes aware of the release of the evil witch he was responsible for capturing so long ago, he orders his robotic assistant, Alpha 5, to find five "teenagers with attitude," to defend the Earth from Rita's attacks. The five socially diverse teens chosen are Jason Lee Scott, Kimberly Hart, Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan and Billy Cranston. Zordon gives the five teens the ability to morph into Power Rangers, including an arsenal of weapons at their disposal as well as large robotic machines called Zords, which can combine into the Megazord.
The series begins with five teenagers combating Rita Repulsa and her seemingly endless array of monsters, however, consecutive failures lead Rita to adopt a new method for conquering Earth and destroying the Power Rangers: by attacking them with one of their own. In possession of a special Green Ranger power, Rita kidnaps and brainwashes a local teen whose fighting skills prove to equal that of Jason's in a martial arts contest held in Angel Grove. The new teen, Tommy Oliver, passes Rita's tests, becoming the Green Ranger during the five-part story arc "Green with Evil." Eventually, the Green Ranger is overcome, and the Sword of Darkness, the new source for the continuance of the evil spell he has fallen victim to, is destroyed by Jason. As a result, Tommy will use the Powers he's left with to defeat the evil that gave them to him in the first place. His Zord, the Dragonzord, retains the power to join with the other Ranger's Dinozords to form more powerful Zord combinations, including the Mega Dragonzord.
Along the way, Billy works on improving his self-confidence while Tommy begins to court Kimberly, both sharing a great amount of screen time. Trini works to raise environmental awareness, Zack continues to pursue love interest Angela, while Jason continues to improve his skills. The entire team regularly makes efforts to contribute to their community outside of being Power Rangers, spending much of their personal time dedicated to volunteering and helping the community.
As time goes on, discontent with regularly being defeated with the aide of the Green Ranger powers she believes are hers, Rita focuses her plans on eliminating Tommy and regaining the powers. Utilizing a special wax touched by Tommy when he was evil, Rita uses a green candle (in a story arc under the same title) to sever Tommy's link to the Morphing Grid and slowly remove his powers, returning them to her. Because Tommy's proximity to the candle accelerates its melting process, Jason enters the Dark Dimension where the candle is guarded by Goldar to retrieve it. Unfortunately, Rita unleashes a monster attack in Angel Grove that keeps Jason and his friends from retrieving the candle. In the end, Tommy loses his powers, however, he is able to prevent Rita from reclaiming it by transferring the remains to another Ranger who can operate them based on their own link to the Morphing Grid. Tommy chooses Jason who, feeling guilt for failing to protect Tommy's powers, accepts them.
The five Rangers continue to protect Earth from the ongoing threat of Rita Repulsa, with Jason wielding the Green Ranger powers in conjunction with his own Red Ranger powers. In a story arc seeing the kidnap of the parents of all the students at Angel Grove High School, including that of the five Ranger teens, the Rangers are forced to give up their five Power Coins in trade for their parents' safety. In an act of subterfuge, Goldar accepts the coins and keeps the captive parents. To make matters worse, Rita brainwashes Billy into stealing the Dragon Dagger and giving it to Goldar who unleashes the Dragonzord upon a town that no longer has the protection of the Power Rangers. With no powers of their own to use, Jason reveals that he is still in possession of the Dragon Coin. Tommy returns, agreeing to take part in a dangerous process in which Zordon transfers energy from himself into the Dragon Coin, allowing it to temporarily enable Tommy to morph into the Green Ranger once more. He steals back the coins and dagger, seemingly at the cost of his own life, having been electrocuted by a force-field protecting both sets of items. The Rangers regain their powers and fight for the safety of their parents, to no avail. In a turn of events, Tommy is resurrected; it is revealed that he'd been energized by the power of the force-field that electrocuted him. He once again uses his powers to save the day, but they are only temporary and can be re-generated only for a short time by Zordon who continues to use his own energy to supplement Tommy's failing ones, making no attempts to hide the fact that the Green Ranger's powers will ultimately fail. With every battle that occurs from here on, Tommy is left to decide whether or not he will get involved and waste away the last of his powers.
Following multiple defeats, Rita's fortress is invaded by her superior, Lord Zedd. Disgusted with her failure, he takes over, discarding Rita back into space within another Space Dumpster, then launches his own campaign against the Power Rangers, this time focusing on turning living things into monsters in order to waver the Ranger's ability to destroy them. As Zedd focuses his attacks on the Green Ranger powers that continue to waste away with every battle he engages in, the other Rangers see an upgrade to their Zords; they are transformed into mythical beasts known as the Thunderzords, also able to form a brand new, more powerful Zord combination; the Thunder Megazord. Eventually, Tommy loses his Green Ranger powers for good, and leaves the group for a time.
Soon after however, Zordon and Alpha choose Tommy to become the new White Ranger. Later, Jason, Zack and Trini are selected to attend a World Peace Conference in Switzerland and they are forced to leave the team. Their powers are then transferred onto three replacements chosen by Zordon; Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park and Aisha Campbell. Rita later returns and ingratiates herself by slipping Zedd a love potion. Unhappy with the return of the evil witch who had mistreated him and forced him into servitude, Goldar makes several attempts to turn Zedd against Rita to get rid of her once and for all. However, after Goldar discovers that Rita gave Zedd a love potion, he is dismayed to find that even after he bullies Finster into administering an antidote, Zedd truly loves her anyway.
Rito Revolto, Rita's skeletal brother, later comes to Earth and, with the help from a group of monsters, manages to destroy the Rangers' Thunderzords. Consequently, the original Dinozords are destroyed too and the Power Coins are damaged beyond repair. Undaunted, they seek the aid of Ninjor, alleged creator of the Power Coins, who gives them new Ninja Coins and the Ninjazords.
Later, an Australian girl named Katherine Hillard moves to Angel Grove. She befriends Kimberly, and displays an intense affection for Tommy. Later it is found that Rita had captured Katherine and put her under a powerful spell. As a result, she steals Kimberly's Crane Coin, vastly weakening the Pink Ranger whose life force, like that of the other Ninja Rangers, is connected to their Ninja Coins. Katherine eventually overcomes the spell, and gives the coin back to Kimberly. Having already been disconnected from the Crane Coin and Zordon's declaration that her time as a Ranger has ended, Kimberly now has a chance to pursue her personal athletic dreams. She leaves to train for the Pan Globals, deciding to entrust the Crane Coin to Katherine, making her the new Pink Ranger. Though her initial fear and hesitation keeps her from contributing fully to the fight against evil, Katherine eventually becomes both more comfortable and capable of fulfilling her duty as a Ranger.
After several more battles, Zedd and Rita are joined by Rita's father, Master Vile. Following his failed attempts to defeat the Rangers, he reverses time, destroying the Ninja Coins and eliminating the threat of Ninjor. These events culminate in the mini-series Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, which leads to the next incarnation of the Power Rangers, titled Power Rangers: Zeo.
Cast
The Power Rangers
- Jason Lee Scott
- The original Red Power Ranger and the first leader of the team. Jason was a martial arts master and even had a karate class for teenagers, which Billy was a part of. He was armed with the Power Sword. In the middle of season two, he was sent to be a representative at a peace conference in Switzerland. He was portrayed by Austin St. John.
- Zack Taylor
- The original Black Power Ranger and second-in-command. A practical joker, he used dance moves and martial arts to fight. He wielded the Power Axe which could convert to an energy cannon. In the middle of season two, he was sent to be a representative at a peace conference in Switzerland. He was portrayed by Walter Emanuel Jones.
- Billy Cranston
- The original Blue Power Ranger and later the Blue Ninja Ranger. He held his position for the longest, and was the smartest member of the team as well as the inventor. After Kimberly had left Billy became second-in-command. He possessed the Power Lance. He was portrayed by David Yost.
- Trini Kwan
- The original Yellow Power Ranger. She tried to set a good example and was able to translate Billy's technobabble. She was afraid of heights as seen in the episode "High Five" of season one, however she had conquered this fear by the end of the episode. She was armed with the Power Daggers. In the middle of season two, she was sent to be a representative at a peace conference in Switzerland. She was portrayed by Thuy Trang.
- Kimberly Hart
- The original Pink Power Ranger and later the Pink Ninja Ranger. She was a gymnast with a valley girl attitude, as well as Tommy's girlfriend. Her weapon was the Power Bow. When Jason, Trini and Zack had left, Kimberly became second-in-command. In the middle of season three, she went to be on the Olympic Gymnastics team. She was portrayed by Amy Jo Johnson.
- Tommy Oliver
- The Green Power Ranger and later the White Power Ranger and White Ninja Ranger. Originally a villain because of an evil spell. Once the spell was broken, he joined the Power Rangers until he lost his Green Ranger powers. He returned as the White Ranger in season two, and became the team's leader. As the Green Ranger his weapon was the Dragon Dagger which doubled as a remote control input for the Dragonzord. As the White Ranger he possessed Saba, a talking saber which also assisted him in the Tigerzord. Tommy was also Kimberly's boyfriend. He was portrayed by Jason David Frank.
- Rocky DeSantos
- The second Red Power Ranger and later the Red Ninja Ranger, chosen by Zordon after Jason had to leave. He was portrayed by Steve Cardenas.
- Adam Park
- The second Black Power Ranger and later the Black Ninja Ranger, chosen by Zordon after Zack had to leave. He was portrayed by Johnny Yong Bosch.
- Aisha Campbell
- The second Yellow Power Ranger and later the Yellow Ninja Ranger, chosen by Zordon after Trini had to leave. She was portrayed by Karan Ashley.
- Katherine Hillard
- The second Pink Power Ranger and Pink Ninja Ranger, chosen by Kimberly after she had to leave. She was portrayed by Catherine Sutherland.
Allies
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| David Fielding | Zordon (Voice, 1993, Appearance 1993-1995) |
| Robert L. Manahan (Credited as Bob Manahan) | Zordon (Voice, onwards) |
| Richard Steven Horvitz (Credited as Richard Wood) | Alpha 5 (Voice) |
| Kim Strauss (Credited as Kurt Strauss) | Ninjor (Voice) |
| Paul Schrier | Farkus "Bulk" Bulkmeier |
| Jason Narvy | Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch |
| Richard Genelle | Ernie |
| Henry Cannon (Uncredited) | Mr. Kaplan |
| Royce Herron (Uncredited) | Ms. Appleby |
| Gregg Bullock | Lt. Stone |
| Ted Jan Roberts (Credited as T.J. Roberts) | Prince Dex/Masked Rider |
Villains
| Actor | Character |
|---|---|
| Machiko Soga | Rita Repulsa (1993-1994) |
| Carla Perez | Rita Repulsa (onwards) |
| Barbara Goodson | Rita Repulsa (Voice) |
| Ed Neil | Lord Zedd |
| Robert Axelrod | Lord Zedd, Finster, and Lokar (Voices) |
| Kerrigan Mahan (Credited as Ryan O'Flannigan) | Goldar (Voice) |
| Tom Wyner (Uncredited) | Master Vile (Voice) |
| Ami Kawai | Scorpina |
| Wendee Lee (Credited as Wendee Swan) | Scorpina (Voice) |
| Bob Papenbrook | Rito Revolto (Voice) |
| Michael Sorich (Credited as Michael J. Sorich) | Squatt (Voice) |
| Dave Mallow (Credited as Colin Phillips) | Baboo (Voice) |
| Brad Orchard (Uncredited) | Hydro Hog (Voice) |
- List of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers monsters (Season One)
- List of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers monsters (Season Two)
- List of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers monsters (Season Three)
- Dark Rangers
- Enemy Foot Soldiers:
- Putty Patrollers
- Z-Putty Patrollers
- Tenga Warriors (They were referred to as Tengu Warriors in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie).
Arsenal
- Power Morphers: Hand-held devices utilizing Power Coins, with each coin depicting a prehistoric creature. Upon calling out "It's Morphin' Time!" the Rangers morphed by holding their Morphers out and pressing the activation trigger while pronouncing the name of their respective creature.
- "Dragonzord!" and later "Tigerzord!"
- "Mastodon!"
- "Pterodactyl!"
- "Triceratops!"
- "Saber-Toothed Tiger!"
- "Tyrannosaurus!"
After the Rangers' powers were destroyed when Rito demolished the Thunderzords, the team journeyed to the Temple of Power in the Desert of Despair and met Ninjor, the creator of the Power Coins who gave them each the power and skills of the Ninja. Upon receiving their new Ninja Coins, the Rangers shouted the following phrases to morph:
- "White Ranger Power!"
- "Black Ranger Power!"
- "Pink Ranger Power!"
- "Blue Ranger Power!"
- "Yellow Ranger Power!"
- "Red Ranger Power!"
- Blade Blasters: Each Ranger carried a sidearm blaster that could also convert into a short sword. These weapons were used constantly throughout seasons one but were rarely used in seasons two and three.
- Power Blaster: A powerful assemblage of the 5 core Ranger's Power Weapons. It resembled a crossbow, and its two central pieces were the Power Bow and the Power Axe. The Power Blaster was formed by placing the Power Bow horizontally within the locking mechanism of the Power Axe-in-Cannon Mode, with the Power Dagger's and separated Power Lance Mace's connected to the length of the Bow, with their handles facing forward, acting as additional barrels to the cannon. The Power Sword, the key to the Blaster, was locked in on top of the cannon, similar to where an arrow would be placed in a crossbow. The Power Blaster was used by the original team of Rangers extensively, but the second team would replace it with the more powerful Power Cannon.
- Power Sword: Red Ranger's weapon, a one-handed sword capable of being energized and used as a directed energy weapon.
- Power Axe: Black Ranger's weapon. Can be used as a traditional axe or, by sliding a locking mechanism down the handle, can be used as a powerful energy cannon. The Axe handle acts as the barrel of the cannon. In the episode "On Fins And Needles" it was powerful enough to shoot through the ground and reach the Slippery Shark monster. In the episode "A Different Drum", the Power Axe was called the "Cosmic Cannon".
- Power Lance: Blue Ranger's weapon. Could be broken down into two mini-lances called Mace's. In the episode "A Different Drum", the Power Lance was called the "Mighty Mace".
- Power Daggers: Yellow Ranger's weapons. In the episode "A Different Drum", the Power Daggers were called the "Dino Daggers".
- Power Bow: Pink Ranger's weapon. In the episode "The Song of Guitardo", after discovering the music-based monster had to be fought with music, Kimberly's Bow sported a succession of strings, allowing it to be used as a harp that fires sonic energy attacks when played, and in the same episode, she fired the Dragon Dagger from it after energizing it with her Bow. In the episode "A Different Drum", the Power Bow was called the "Battle Bow".
- Dragon Shield: The golden shield worn by the Green Ranger was often almost impervious to attack, especially when the Green Ranger was playing his Dragon Dagger. Along with the chest shield, the Green Ranger also wore golden arm bands and his gloves and boots featured gold trim. The set of armor, or the individual shield, could also be transferred to other Rangers. As in the case in which Zach, the Black Ranger, was given the Dragon Shield to protect him in the season one episode "Oyster Stew". When Tommy's Green Ranger powers were slowly being drained by the magic of the Green Candle, he transferred his powers over to Jason, and he would be in possession of the Green Ranger powers, including the Dragon Shield, the accompanying armor, the Dragon Dagger, and the Dragon Power Coin. After regaining his Green Ranger powers, Tommy would once again possess the shield. The shield also would be the most recognizable way to tell the difference between the Japanese footage and American footage, as in Zyuranger footage the shield was made of hard foam or rubber, while in MMPR footage, it was made of shiny polyester.
- Dragon Dagger: Green Ranger's weapon. It could be played like a flute by the Green Ranger to either summon the Dragonzord or to activate his Dragon Shield's deflective capacities. It replaced the Blade Blaster in the Green Ranger's arsenal and was stored within a black holster although, in some American-made scenes, the Green Ranger's black holster is replaced by a white one. Tommy had a Blade Blaster when he got his temporary power boost from Zordon in the season one episode "Return Of An Old Friend". This was never explained in the show and is mostly likely a production error. In the season two episode "The Green Dream", the Green Ranger can be seen using an oddly shaped American prop version of the dagger.
- Saba: An enchanted, talking sabre brandished by the White Ranger, used to summon and control the Tigerzord. Saba could also fly and emit lasers from his eyes. After the destruction of the Thunderzords, it was reduced to a visual-only item. Saba was voiced by Tony Oliver.
- Special Weapons: To defeat Rita's Super Putties, the Rangers needed these powerful blasters that were guarded by Titanus the Carrierzord.
- Power Cannon: A giant bazooka that fires loadable spheres of energy, more powerful than the Power Blaster.
- Metallic Armor: Special armor created for battling the new-and-improved Tenga Warriors. Enhances the Rangers' speed, strength & resistance to injury or magic spells.
- RADBUG: Billy modified a white Volkswagen Beetle that could fly through the air and go from 0 to 3,000 in 2.8 seconds. The RADBUG was used when teleportation in the Command Center was down for whatever reason.
- Battle Bikes: The "Battle Bikes" appeared briefly in the season one episode "Calamity Kimberly", though they were never named as such on screen. Apparently, they were motorcycles the Rangers used with the Red Ranger having his own bike, and the Black and Blue Rangers had sidecars for the Yellow and Pink Rangers, respectively (based on the "Road Saurers" from Zyuranger).
- Shark Cycles: Shark-themed motorcycles created by the fossilized fin of an ancient shark. They were only used twice during season three. Kat never used the pink Shark Cycle within the storyline.
- Ninja Ranger Power: After they gained their new powers from Ninjor, the Rangers had a new power-up where they became ninjas. They wore masks and ninja outfits, and also wore an emblem of their Ninja Animal (similar to the Ninja Coins) on their uniforms (similar to how promotional materials for MMPR showed the Power Coin as a chest emblem). They also gained ninja powers such as super-speed, the use of illusions, and the ability to move underground to evade enemy attack. When turning into this form, the Rangers would hold their hands out, with one hand on top, the other on bottom. With index fingers and thumbs extended, the Rangers would shout, "Ninja Ranger Power, Now!" Lighting would emit from their hands and they would morph into their Ninja Ranger forms. Though this form isn't as strong as their Power Ranger forms.
Zords
Dinozords
The Dinozords were the first Zords that the Power Rangers had access to. They were based on prehistoric creatures. In the unaired pilot episode they were known as Droids.
- Ultrazord
- Titanus the Carrierzord
- Mega Dragonzord
- Dragonzord, controlled by Tommy as the Green Ranger(refactored from dragon)
- Megazord
- Tyrannosaurus Dinozord, controlled by Jason as the Red Ranger
- Saber-Toothed Tiger Dinozord, controlled by Trini as the Yellow Ranger(refactored from dragon)
- Triceratops Dinozord, controlled by Billy as the Blue Ranger(refactored from dragon)
- Pterodactyl Dinozord, controlled by Kimberly as the Pink Ranger
- Mastodon Dinozord, controlled by Zack as the Black Ranger(refactored from dragon)
- Template:Ent The Dragonzord could combine with the Saber-Toothed Tiger, Triceratops, and Mastodon Dinozords to form Dragonzord in Battle Mode.
Thunderzords
When the Dinozords were frozen and taken over by Zedd, Alpha made a refraction of energy that transformed the old Zords into the Thunderzords. These Zords were based on mythological creatures.
- Thunder Ultrazord
- Tor the Shuttlezord
- Tigerzord, controlled by Tommy as the White Ranger(refactored from tiger)
- Thunder Megazord
- Red Dragon Thunderzord, controlled by Jason/Rocky as the Red Ranger
- Thunderzord Assault Team(refactored from tiger)
- Template:Ent The Tigerzord in warrior mode could combine with the Thunderzord Assault Team to form the Mega Tigerzord. The Red Dragon Thunderzord in warrior mode could ride the Tigerzord in tiger mode as if it were a horse in an unnamed assault mode.
Ninjazords
When the Thunderzords were destroyed by Rito (and subsequent irreparable damage to the Power Coins which rendered them useless), the Power Rangers sought out Ninjor, who gave them new Ninjazords, and upgraded their powers.
- Ninja Ultrazord
- Titanus the Carrierzord (same Titanus from season one)
- Ninja Mega Falconzord
- Falconzord, controlled by Tommy as the White Ranger
- Ninja Megazord
Shogunzords
When Zedd kidnapped Ninjor and stole the Falconzord (with help from a then-evil Katherine), he used Ninjor as a power source for the Shogunzords and copied the Ninjazords' battle technology using the Falconzord. With Kimberly in captivity, he forced the Rangers into using the Shogunzords for evil, but this failed to pan out when Billy found a way to use the Ninja Coins to obtain control of them.
- Shogun Ultrazord
- Titanus the Carrierzord (same Titanus from season one)
- Shogun Mega Falconzord
- Falconzord, controlled by Tommy as the White Ranger
- Shogun Megazord
- Red Shogunzord, controlled by Rocky as the Red Ranger
- Yellow Shogunzord, controlled by Aisha as the Yellow Ranger
- Blue Shogunzord, controlled by Billy as the Blue Ranger
- White Shogunzord, controlled by Tommy and Kimberly/Katherine as the White and Pink Rangers
- Black Shogunzord, controlled by Adam as the Black Ranger
Controversy
In the USA and Canada, the show was subject to much controversy from parents who felt the show was too violent for young children. Note that this was before television stations issued content warnings (in Canada), the V-chip and television ratings. In the USA, numerous complaints were sent to the FCC. In 1993, YTV obtained the Canadian broadcast rights to the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, which played to a receptive audience on weekday afternoons, trailing the American broadcast by several months. However, due to a handful of complaints sent to the recently formed Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, YTV was pressured to remove the series from their line-up due to its violent content. Despite not actually being a member of the CBSC board, YTV complied and pulled the series before the end of its first season. While a phone-in poll was conducted to see if viewers wanted Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers back on YTV, no further installments of the Power Rangers series ever aired on the network, although commercials for toys and videos were advertised on the network. Newer versions of the series are run on Family.[1]
In Malaysia, as part of its campaign against drugs, the word "Morphin" is censored, by substituting or muting footage where the word is spoken (the phrase "It's morphin' time") or displayed onscreen, for fear that it could encourage children to become addicted with the uses of morphine. When it was broadcast on RTM (along with its toy commercials), it was called Mighty Power Rangers, or simply Power Rangers or Power Ranger. Litt Tak, Malaysia-based distributor of the Power Rangers toys since the first broadcast of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, has advertised the same second season toyline for the third season. In 2005, Litt Tak has turned its attention from the distribution of the toys under the Power Rangers brand, in favor of the toys under the Super Sentai series starting from Ninpuu Sentai Hurricaneger, whose footage was used on Power Rangers: Ninja Storm.[2]
In 1994, the New Zealand Broadcasting Standards Authority (BSA) upheld several complaints from members of the public about the level of violence in the show. The main concern of those complainants was that the show portrayed violence as the primary means of resolving conflict, and that this was influencing children to behave more violently more frequently. Immediately following the BSA decision, the second season of the show was all but canceled by Television New Zealand. New Zealand is the only country in the world where this show has been prematurely withdrawn from public broadcast to date.[3] DVD and video releases of the more recent Power Rangers series that were filmed in New Zealand can be found at The Warehouse, although general sales through video stores and other retailers are scarce.
When brought up on VH1's I Love the 90s, the original cast members interviewed (Amy Jo Johnson, Walter Emanuel Jones) as well as other celebrity commentators, mentioned that the original line-up had Jones' role as the Black Ranger and Thuy Trang's role as the Yellow Ranger as the actors and characters were of African and Asian descent, respectively.
Video games
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Fighting Edition
References
- ^ [1] - Canadian Broadcast Standards Council - Ontario Regional Council October 24, 1994 decision regarding CanWest Global's broadcasting of the show.
- ^ Power Rangers toyline on the Litt Tak official website
- ^ Bpinnz.Pdf
