ANATOMY OF A BLOCKBUSTER
Anatomy of a blockbuster toy:
Power Rangers A franchise that Mighty Morphed its way into the hearts of a generation some 20 years ago, the Power Rangers continues to be a mainstay of the toy industry. With a new TV series and a movie on the way this month, Robert Hutchins explores what makes Saban and Bandai’s powerhouse property the blockbuster it is
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he borrowing of sensibilities from Eastern mythology and legend to fuel the billion dollar Hollywood culture of the West is no new concept. From the rise of Japanese anime and the likes of Pokémon and its venerable success across the UK and US, to the Hollywood adaptations of box office smash hits like Godzilla or dare we say it, The Ring – it is a tradition that has swept generations on end. However, none have been quite so impactful or impressionable upon the UK and US toy industries as that of Power Rangers, a cultural phenomenon among youngsters and adult fans alike that has spanned no fewer than four decades. Power Rangers, without doubt or hyperbole, has become a mainstay of the UK toy space, and even a quick look at the NPD’s top ten action figure properties of the last, say, 20 years will prove this to be more than true. Under the guidance of the toy industry giant Bandai, Power Rangers has been named the number one property in the action figure category no fewer than five times and during its 23-year run as master toy partner for the hit series, the firm has managed to shift a staggering 225 million Power Ranger action figures to fans to date. And given the often brutal competiveness of the action figure market, particularly at a time when
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big, toy brand led movies flood the cinemas and toy shelves alike, is a hugely impressive achievement. Having been created some 40 years ago by Japan’s Toei, Power Rangers – or to give it its original title, Super Sentai – is a series steeped in rich cultural heritage. In a process spanning more than two decades, Saban has westernised this original, karateinfluenced content, delivering the Power Rangers, in the many forms the show has taken over 20 years, to new markets across the globe. And with Bandai working closely alongside the firm, the toy line has been propelled into the heady heights of populism with such resolve that Power Rangers’ title of a blockbuster brand is one thoroughly deserved. But what is it about the property that makes it such a hit with children for the last 20 years, and how, particularly now, in an era of digital and technological advancement among toys, has Power Rangers maintained its position as an iconic, market leading toy brand? “Although brands and trends come and go over the years, children have consistently aspired to characters with super powers that save the world from the bad guys,” Tess Parsons-Broome, Power Rangers product manager at Bandai, tells ToyNews. “Power Rangers offers children their first superhero experience and with the recent dominance of superhero movies, the audience
tuning in to watch the show is skewing younger than ever. “The brand is now at a stage of its lifecycle where original Mighty Morphin fans have children of their own, meaning the programme is as relevant as ever with an air of nostalgia.” It seems then, that Power Rangers transcends generations, which goes someway to explain why Bandai’s latest
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22/02/2017 10:10