Power Rangers franchise celebrates 25 years this week

Power Rangers originally morphed its way into the lives of children in the early 1990's and on Tuesday the superhero franchise celebrated its 25th anniversary.

According to a recent GQ article, Power Rangers originator Haim Saban is the main reason why the long-running Power Rangers television series is "uniquely American."

Saban was born in Egypt to a Jewish family who migrated to the United States in the 1980s to start Saban Entertainment. Soon after, Saban saw the Japanese show "Bioman" and "never got over it."

"Bioman" was a "super sentai show," the umbrella term for a series of shows originally produced by Toei Co. Most of the characters featured a team of people "who could transform into superheroes to fight an evil force bent on world domination."

The super sentai shows were methodic and cycled out almost every year, with a new series replacing the old one, according to the article.

And then Power Rangers was born.

Since that time, the franchise has remained synonymous with childhood and those still young at heart.

Tuesday, "Dimensions in Danger," the 10th episode of "Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel" -- aired on Nickelodeon as a tribute to Power Rangers' 25-year anniversary.

Last year, a reinvented Power Rangers movie was released with-all new actors. And according to CNET, a recent report from Licensing.org said Hasbro CEO Brian Goldner said the toy company has big plans for the popular 1990s-era franchise, including a new film.

The franchise has stood the test of time by surviving a sale to Disney in 2001, returning to Saban Entertainment in 2010 and then being acquired by Hasbro for $522 million.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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