Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live action children's television series that premiered on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Kids weekday afternoon block. The show is about a group of teenagers who were chosen to protect the world from a group of alien invaders and were given the ability to "morph" into super-powered warriors and to pilot giant robots called "Zords." It was adapted and used stock footage from the Japanese television show Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, which was the 16th installment of Bandai Visual and Toei Company's Super Sentai franchise. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, becoming a staple of 1990s pop culture in mere months. Under the original name, "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers," the series ran from 1993 to 1995 and spawned the feature film Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
The second and third seasons of the show 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 lead cast. Only the mecha and the Kiba Ranger costume (worn by the White Ranger) were retained from Dairanger for the second season, while only the mecha from Kakuranger were featured in the third season. However the Kakuranger costumes were later used for the title characters of the mini-series, Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers. The series was produced by MMPR Productions, distributed by Saban Entertainment, and aired on Fox Kids. The show's merchandise was produced and distributed by Bandai Entertainment.
In 1996, the series was rebranded as the Power Rangers franchise, renaming the series every year after, and using costumes, props, and footage from subsequent Super Sentai series, as well as changing the cast and story line. While an overarching story line would continue until Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, subsequent series after MMPR are not sequels or spin-offs in the traditional sense.
In 2010, a re-version of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, with a new logo, comic book-referenced graphics, and extra alternative special effects, was broadcast on ABC Kids, and Bandai produced brand new toys to coincide with the series.
