Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

This article is about the first installment in the series. For the media franchise, see Power Rangers.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
File:Mmprlogo.jpg Top: Opening title card Bottom: New logo created for the 2010 re-version
Created by	Haim Saban Shuki Levy
Starring	Austin St. John (93-94) Thuy Trang (93-94) Walter Emanuel Jones (93-94) Amy Jo Johnson (93-95) David Yost (93-95) Jason David Frank (93-95) Johnny Yong Bosch (94-95) Karan Ashley (94-95) Steve Cardenas (94-95) Catherine Sutherland (95) Paul Schrier (93-95) Jason Narvy (93-95) David Fielding (93-94) Robert L. Manahan (94-95) Richard Steven Horvitz (93-95) Machiko Soga (93-94) Carla Perez (94-95) Barbara Goodson (93-95) Ed Neil (94-95) Robert Axelrod (94-95) Kerrigan Mahan (93-95) Bob Papenbrook (94-95) Michael Sorich (93-95) Dave Mallow (93-95) Ami Kawai (93-94) Wendee Lee (93-94)
Theme music composer	Saban Records
Opening theme	"Go Go Power Rangers"
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	147 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers	Haim Saban Shuki Levy James Simone (Re-version)
Producers	Ronnie Hadar Jonathan Tzachor Dan Evans III (Re-version)
Running time	22 minutes (without commercials)
Production company	Saban Entertainment
Original release
Network	Fox (Fox Kids) ABC (ABC Kids) (Re-version)
Release	August 28, 1993 – November 27, 1995

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (abbreviated 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. Both the show and its related merchandise 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 for the main five Rangers and several regular villains. Only the Zords and the Kiba Ranger suit (worn by the White Ranger) were retained from Dairanger for the second season, while the five Kakuranger suits were used in the mini series, Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers; however, the Kakuranger Zords were featured extensively in season 3 of the show, and served as the basis for the Zords seen in the movie produced between seasons 2 and 3 (although they appeared in American-produced CGI in that film). The series was produced by MMPR Productions, distributed by Saban Entertainment, and aired on Fox Kids.

In 1996, the Mighty Morphin label was retired as the series began a rebranding as the Power Rangers franchise: renaming the series every year and using costumes, props, and footage from subsequent Super Sentai series and also changing the cast and storyline. While an overarching storyline would continue through Power Rangers in Space, subsequent series after MMPR are not sequels or spin-offs in the traditional sense.

On January 2, 2010 a re-version of the series, with a new logo, comic book-referenced graphics, and extra alternative special effects, began airing on ABC Kids, and Bandai produced brand new toys to coincide with the series. The original logo of the show continues to be used on-air in advertisements.

Series overview

Season 1 (1993-94)

File:MMPRgroup.jpg

The five original Power Rangers and Tommy.

The series takes place in the fictional town of Angel Grove, California. On an exploratory mission, 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 alien 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 teens chosen are Jason Lee Scott, Kimberly Hart, Zack Taylor, Trini Kwan and Billy Cranston. Zordon gives them 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 mighty Megazord.

The series begins with five teenagers combating Rita 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.

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, 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. Season 1 used a lot of stock footage from its Super Sentai counterpart; each season after that used less and less to fit the Americanized story lines.

Season 2 (1994-95)

Lord Zedd, emperor of all that he sees, arrives at Rita's Moon Palace, where he takes her place and throws her into a space dumpster again. He then begins to attack the Power Rangers with Pirantishead, a stronger monster than the Rangers are used to fighting. Pirantishead freezes four of the Dinozords and takes control of the Tyrannosaurus Dinozord and the Dragonzord. However, Zordon and Alpha are able to regain control of the Dinozords by upgrading them into the more powerful Thunderzords, which can combine into the Thunder Megazord. The Rangers then defeat Pirantishead with their new Megazord and give Zedd his first defeat.

After several more defeats, Zedd realizes he needs to eliminate the Green Ranger. He does so with a special Green Crystal, using it to take away the Green Ranger's powers permanently. The Green Crystal also powers up Zedd's Dark Rangers, but when Tommy smashes it, the Dark Rangers powers are transferred back to the regular Rangers. Following the permanent loss of the Green Ranger's powers, Zordon and Alpha create in secret a new White Ranger to aid the other Rangers in battle. The White Ranger is revealed Tommy, who is also elected the new leader of the Rangers.

During the Team Ninja Trials in Angel Grove, the Rangers make some new friends in three teenagers from Stone Canyon - Rocky DeSantos, Adam Park, and Aisha Campbell. During an ensuing battle with Zedd and a magical serpent, Rocky, Adam, and Aisha discover the Rangers' identities and, having been entrusted with their secret by Zordon himself, the three newcomers become allies of the team.

Later on, Jason, Zack and Trini are selected to go to the Peace Conference in Switzerland, and the Rangers are faced with the task of finding replacements, but in order to transfer the powers of the Red, Black, and Yellow Rangers, they must find the Sword of Light, which is located on the Deserted Planet. However, Zedd pursues them across the galaxy in Serpentera, his massive personal Zord, which destroys most of the Deserted Planet. Fortunately, Serpentera runs out of power before being able to finish the Rangers, and they return to Earth safely with the Sword of Light. Zordon then chooses Rocky, Adam, and Aisha to replace Jason, Zack, and Trini as the Red, Black, and Yellow Rangers respectively.

Some time before the Power Transfer, Rita had returned to Earth when Tommy made his debut as the White Ranger, and fell into the hands of Bulk and Skull, but the Rangers sent her back into space. She later returns to the Moon while the Rangers are in Australia, and with the help of Finster, she gets a special "makeover" to gain a younger and "prettier" face. She then uses a love potion on Zedd, who is in a deep sleep during his centennial re-evilizer, and he falls in love with her when he wakes up. They get married and thus join forces to make an even more terrible threat for the Rangers, but not even this can prepare them for what is to come.

Season 3 (1995)

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 even more powerful 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, turning the Rangers into powerless children. These events culminate in the mini-series Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers, which led to the next incarnation of the Power Rangers franchise entitled Power Rangers: Zeo.

Characters

The Power Rangers

Jason Lee Scott

The original Red Power Ranger and leader of the team. Jason was a martial arts master and even taught a karate class for teenagers, which Billy was a part of. 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. 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 (credited as Walter Jones in season one).

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. 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. She was a gymnast with a Valley girl attitude, as well as Tommy's girlfriend. In the middle of season three, she went to be on the Olympic Gymnastics team. She was portrayed by Amy Jo Johnson.

Billy Cranston

The Blue Power Ranger. He held his position for the longest, and was the smartest member of the team as well as the inventor. He was portrayed by David Yost.

Tommy Oliver

The Green Power Ranger and later the White Power 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 in season two. He returned as the White Ranger soon after, and became the team's new leader. Tommy was also Kimberly's boyfriend. He was portrayed by Jason David Frank (credited as Jason Frank in season one).

Rocky DeSantos

The second Red Power Ranger, chosen by Zordon to replace Jason. He was portrayed by Steve Cardenas.

Adam Park

The second Black Power Ranger, chosen by Zordon to replace Zack. He was portrayed by Johnny Yong Bosch.

Aisha Campbell

The second Yellow Power Ranger, chosen by Zordon to replace Trini. She was portrayed by Karan Ashley.

Katherine "Kat" Hillard

The second Pink Power Ranger, chosen by Kimberly to replace herself. She was portrayed by Catherine Sutherland.

Allies

• Zordon: Voiced and portrayed by David Fielding, and later voiced by Robert L. Manahan (credited as Bob Manahan).
• Alpha 5: Voiced by Richard Steven Horvitz (credited as Richard Wood).
• Ninjor: Voiced by Kim Strauss (credited as Mr. Strauss).
• Farkus "Bulk" Bulkmeier: Portrayed by Paul Schrier.
• Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch: Portrayed by Jason Narvy.
• Ernie: Portrayed by Richard Genelle.
• Mr. Kaplan: Portrayed by Henry Cannon (uncredited).
• Ms. Appleby: Portrayed by Royce Herron (uncredited).
• Lt. Stone: Portrayed by Gregg Bullock.
• Prince Dex/Masked Rider: Portrayed by Ted Jan Roberts (credited as T.J. Roberts)

Villains

Main article: Villains in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

• Rita Repulsa: Portrayed by Machiko Soga in the first season, and Carla Perez onwards, voiced by Barbara Goodson.
• Lord Zedd: Portrayed by Edwin Neal (credited as Ed Neal) and voiced by Robert Axelrod.
• Finster: Voiced by Robert Axelrod.
• Goldar: Voiced by Kerrigan Mahan (credited as Ryan O'Flannigan).
• Scorpina: Portrayed by Ami Kawai and voiced by Wendee Lee.
• Rito Revolto: Voiced by Bob Papenbrook.
• Squatt: Voiced by Michael Sorich (credited as Michael J. Sorich).
• Baboo: Voiced by Dave Mallow (credited as Colin Phillips).
• Master Vile: Voiced by Tom Wyner (uncredited).
• Lokar: Voiced by Robert Axelrod.
• Hydro Hog: Voiced by Brad Orchard (uncredited).
• Putty Patrollers: Warriors made of clay who act as Rita Repulsa's foot soldiers, the Putties were often sent to wear the Rangers down before a monster battle, as well as for sabotage and special missions.
• Z-Putty Patrollers: Lord Zedd's upgraded Putty design that completely replaced Rita Repulsa's since their introduction. They are superior to the original Putties and are more expendable. However, they also have a big weakness — striking the Z-logo on the chest causes the Z-Putty to explode. The "Z-Putty" name is a fan based creation to differentiate these Putties from Rita Repulsa's, but it was never used on the actual show. On the television show they are simply referred to as "Putty Patrollers".
• Tengu/Tenga Warriors: Crow-like soldiers able to speak introduced in Season 3 when Rito Revolto brought them with him to the moon as a wedding gift and replaced Lord Zedd's Putties in attacking the Power Rangers. The Power Rangers would use their Ninja Powers to fight them. Unlike the Putties, the Tenga Warriors were not expendable and would return to the moon when defeated. They also appeared in the Power Rangers movie (going by the name of Tengu Warriors) under the command of Ivan Ooze. The reason for the name change between the movie and television show is unknown.

Arsenal

• Communicators : They were created by Billy. The Rangers used them to communicate with each other and teleport to the Command Center.
• 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 Revolto 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 season 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 Zack, 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.
• Thunder Slingers: To defeat Rita Repulsa'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. This form isn't as strong as their Power Ranger forms.

Zords

Main article: Zords in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

Dinozords

File:MMPRZ-1.JPG

The six original Zords.

The Dinozords are the first Zords that the Power Rangers had access to. They consist of the, Mastadon, Saber-Tooth Tiger, Triceratops, Pteradactyl and the Tyrannosaurus. In the unaired pilot episode they are known as Droids. Together, they form the original Megazord. Later on, the Dragonzord is added to the Dinozord team.Tyrannosaurus

Thunderzords

When the Dinozords are frozen and taken over by Zedd, Alpha causes a refraction of energy that transforms the old Dinozords into the more powerful Thunderzords. They consist of the Red Dragon, Lion, Unicorn, Griffin, and Firebird (which together form the Thunder Megazord), and, later on, the Tigerzord.

Ninjazords

When the Thunderzords are destroyed by Rito Revolto, leaving their original Power Coins severely damaged, the Power Rangers seek out Ninjor, who gives them new Power Coins which give them access to their new Ninjazords. They consist of the Ape, Frog, Wolf, Bear, and Crane (which together form the Ninja Megazord), and the Falconzord

Shogunzords

When Zedd kidnaps Ninjor and steals the Falconzord (with help from a then-evil Katherine), he uses Ninjor as a power source for the Shogunzords and copies the Ninjazords' battle technology using the Falconzord. With Kimberly in captivity, he forces the Rangers into using the Shogunzords for evil, but this fails to pan out when Billy finds a way to use the Ninja Coins to obtain control of them. They consist of the Red, Black, Blue, Yellow, and White Shogunzords. Together, they form the Shogun Megazord.

Reception and controversy

Despite the show's high popularity, it was also 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, 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 complaints sent to the recently formed Canadian Broadcast Standards Council, YTV removed 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.

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 Hurricanger, whose footage was used on Power Rangers: Ninja Storm.

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. 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. Later series in the Power Rangers franchise, such as Power Rangers: Mystic Force and Power Rangers: Jungle Fury, are filmed in New Zealand, but the programs are still not shown in the country.

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

External links

• Official Power Rangers Website
• Mighty Morphin Power Rangers at IMDb
• Template:Tv.com show