Mighty Morphin' Nostalgia Bringers
Nostalgia is a hell of a thing, and millennials have it in spades.
Since millennials are typically categorized as anyone born between1981-1996, they have an arsenal of entertainment to be nostalgic about. If there's one group that has a special core memory of the Power Rangers- it's millennials. Some most fondly remember watching the show Saturday mornings before karate chopping their way around the house; and for others, it was the toys they were able to direct their own crazy fight scenes with. Personally, I jumped off the back of a lot of couches while fighting the invisible baddies.
With the recent surge of "revivals" and "reboots" there is no shortage of cashing in on that nostalgia. Luckily, that's not really a bad thing. Nostalgia used to be considered a medical disease, "a psychopathological condition affecting individuals who are uprooted, whose social contacts are fragmented, who are isolated and who feel totally frustrated and alienated". That was how it was first described in the 17th century. Now, we see nostalgia as a wistful or sentimental yearning to return to some past period... We see it as a good thing. Times were simpler then. We knew the outcome, sensing no unknowns and making the most relaxing place for your mind to wander.
In a 2016 study they used an MRI machine to monitor people's brains when nostalgia-inducing stimuli was introduced. "When nostalgia was triggered, participants’ brains showed activity in two powerful neural networks: the areas of the brain associated with memory and the brain’s reward system." So studios can bring back any series, game, movie, toy - we'll love it. It's in our nature.
With the 2017 film Power Rangers not grabbing audiences as they had hoped, any future films were effectively killed. (For the record, I personally enjoyed it. My sister and I went to the theater for sister date night to see it, even!) However, when Hasbro acquired the franchise in 2018, talks for yet another reboot entered the chat.
Here we are, they're going back in time to really pile on the nostalgia with original cast members returning for the 30th anniversary special. David Yost, Walter Jones, Steve Cardenas, and others will be hitting the small screen on April 19th, 2023, which just so happens to be my 38th birthday. I'd say there's no better way to celebrate than with a new Power Rangers adventure.
Catch Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Once and Always coming up, this April!
Fun Facts
Haim Saban, who brought Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to America, was also part of a music group that did the theme songs for Masters of the Universe, Rainbow Bright, Inspector Gadget, and X-Men among others.
In order to convince affiliate networks to air the show, Margaret Loesch promised them a portion of the toy sales, which was unheard of in that day. Those affiliates then later gave her an award for how she handled that whole deal.
Margaret Loesch believed in the show so much she put her job at risk. If the show hadn't succeeded she would have been fired. That's some strong dedication.
The name Mighty Morphin was capitalizing on Transformers being so popular. Afterall, the rangers DID transform into their alter egos.
Originally. Bandai toys sold sidewalk chalk.
Check out the trailer here: https://youtu.be/1QN9fHIITZI
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