It's Morphin' Time
It's 1999, I'm 5 years old and my whole life revolves around two things - Dinosaurs and the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. That original group of Rangers ran from 1993 to 1996, so it is a testament to their impact that that is the group that stuck with me the most throughout my childhood. Absolutely I enjoyed watching the subsequent series - Time Force and Zeo are probably the standouts for me - it was always Mighty Morphin' that I was desperate to catch on Nickelodeon after school.
I always thought the thick necks stood out so much without the helmets
The show itself is desperately camp and low budget. If you're not aware, Power Rangers has always been an adaptation of the Japanese "Super Sentai" series. However, where most adaptations create a completely new show from the concept they are adapting, Saiban decided to re-use the film of the heroes in costume while creating a new story around that of teenagers in high school. The actors then dubbed over the Japanese footage to make it appear seamless. As a kid it was magic and I never noticed that juxtaposition between footage. Now, as an adult, it is a bit more obvious that the Yellow Ranger is a man in the Japanese footage but that is part of the charm!
An interesting point is that Mighty Morphin is based on Zyuranger which is the 16th instalment of Super Sentai. I adore the costumes on this series so I am glad that they adapted this one in particular, but it is interesting that they chose this one to adapt. It might be as simple a choice as - "Dinosaurs are cool" - and 1999 Jamie would absolutely agree with that sentiment. I do like the avian motif of Choujin Sentai Jetman though which is the series that came before Zyuranger. I actually have a soft spot for that set in particular as it closely resembles the Featherman outfits from Persona 4 - more on that later.
*To confuse things even more, the White Ranger is taken from Dairanger rather than Zyuranger.
The spliced in footage and cast of relatively unknown actors really didn't spell well for the show. Stan Lee had tried to pull it off in the 80s to no avail until Haim Saiban was finally able to realize the vision. It skyrocketed in popularity and I think both a younger version of myself and the current one would agree on many of the reasons why. The opening theme is absolutely spectacular. The focus on hiring martial artists over trained actors gave the show an action-packed energy. Kimberly and Tommy ultimately became such a pairing, and the show just seemed to keep building on itself. The introduction of the green ranger followed by the white ranger with those multi-part episodes are so grandiose.
I don't think any of the studio knew what kind of popularity they had on their hands. A special event was organised at Universal Studios Hollywood that backed up the highway for hours with more than 35,000 people trying to get entry. It quickly shifted from one show in a small hall to multiple shows at an amphitheatre. The highway footage from that day is incredible honestly.
As a kid born before constant internet access, there was also just a lot about the Power Rangers that I didn't know at the time. Nothing was watched chronologically and I didn't see every episode from the 3 seasons until many years later. I had no idea that when the show replaced rangers it was because they weren't getting paid enough or the set was considered unsafe. Ultimately the reason for the changing suits and actors over time was less of an attempt to keep the show evolving and more of an attempt to continue paying these young actors as little as possible. Jason being swapped out with Rocky for the movie was a particularly big change that many have described as Saiban trying to show the rest of the cast that they were replaceable. It really gives it a level of context that I just didn't have before.
It's 2001 and my brother has just been born. It's customary to get the older brother a present from the new arrival to help avoid any feelings of neglect. I was quite happy to be given a bit of space and Luke definitely commanded that space. I was given the Supertrain Megazord from Lightspeed Rescue which would have been airing around that time. I wasn't hugely into trains but this set was pretty cool. At this stage my bedroom showed the beginning signs of what would be my collecting endeavours in the future. I had a mural painted on the wall featuring the White Power Ranger prominently in the centre and toys proudly on displaying all around the room. I remember having a raised bed where the floor area was hidden away behind a little curtain so you could play in peace. The hand-me-down Action Men would fight the Power Rangers every week.
This set was huge!
It's 2007 and I've and after a few years of falling out of love with nerd culture there are signs that I am falling back into it. Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition has reignited my love for gaming and a trip to Florida opens my eyes to the wider world of collectibles. Obviously, I have nostalgia for the plastic Rangers that can flip their heads to take their helmets on and off. I loved my plastic Megazord with the peeling stickers. It was here in Florida though, that I discovered how much further my passions could go. The state was littered with comic book shops with amazing collectibles. The Legacy set from Bandai was die cast metal and over the course of multiple Florida trips I collected the Watch, Morphers, Dragon Dagger, Megazords and so much more. These were heavy and accurate collectibles that I still adore to this day.
My collection has evolved a lot since then but this is where it stood before leaving the family home
It's 2012, Persona 4 Golden releases. I wasn't sure about the game to be honest but I was obsessed with Podcast Beyond - IGNs Playstation Podcast - at the time and I loved my Playstation Vita. They would not shut up about it so I picked it up. It took over my life in the summer leading up to me going to college. The game is all about a group of teenagers going through high school while trying to defeat monsters and solve a grand mystery after class. Once you unlock the Jetman inspired "Featherman" outfits the game inches even closer into the realm of Super Sentai. This game, and that summer, was the catalyst that made me want to go to college and make genuine bonds. It defined the next 10 years of my life and is the best "Power Rangers" game ever released.
I adore these costumes
It's 2016 and BOOM studios announce a brand new series of comics. The IDW My Little Pony series had kept me in touch with Big Bang Comics in Dundrum and this was another exciting series to keep the fire burning. Truthfully, Kyle Higgins managed to capture the feeling of the original show while helping to mature slightly it for an older audience. Those original volumes with the lead up to Lord Drakkon were wonderfully written. I was delighted to be able to travel to New York Comic Con to meet Jason David Frank (Tommy) and the author Kyle himself. It was a great show and the US adoration of Power Rangers really stood out as there was so much merch, so many variant covers and cosplays to see at the show.
My copy of issue #1 has been signed by the majority of the rangers now. A prize piece of the collection
It's 2022 and Tommy has passed. There was always chatter about Jason having a bit of an ego and he did appear to have some feuds during his career - most notable with Red Ranger Austin St. John. For me, the defining memory I have of Jason is at that NYCC show. His line was tremendously long, and, to this day, he remains the only guest to address the full crowd and thank everyone for their patience. For me it was a moment of genuine gratitude, and it mirrored the kind of attitude that Tommy had in the show. He is the actor who has donned the most colours in the series and he is the image in my head when I think of the show. I'm very grateful that I had the pleasure to meet him twice over the years and I was devastated when he passed.
My second time meeting Jason David Frank. This time, on home turf in Dublin
Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers stands tall as a pillar of my childhood. It acts as a root to which many branches and segments of my life have grown - from my interest in anime through the Sentai connection or Johnny Yong Bosch playing the Black ranger before starring in multiple anime and Persona 4 to Bryan Cranston playing many of the monsters before I became engrossed in Breaking Bad - the finale of which I watched in a university auditorium with a group of friends. It led me to MCM London to meet the cast and it kept lit my interest in comics for many years.
I recently had the pleasure to meet Bulk and Skull
It's corny as hell but I will always adore the Power Rangers. Deep down, I'll always be a teenager with attitude.