Morphenomenal

WHEN IT FIRST APPEARED ON AMERICAN TELEVISION SETS IN 1993, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers was like nothing else on TV. The brainchild of Israeli-American music producer Haim Saban, the show stitched together segments from the Japanese children's program Super Sentai with newly recorded live-action footage, and its unexpected popularity quickly cemented the Fox Kids Network's reputation as a pop-culture powerhouse. Garish, heartfelt, utterly strange, and bursting with irrepressible energy, the show was a dramatic departure from the animated fare that dominated kids TV at the time, and came closer than any program before-or since-to being a "live-action cartoon."
Three decades later, the Power Rangers are global icons and a billion-dollar business. In Morphenomenal, journalist and lifelong fan Joshua Moore delivers a deeply researched narrative history of Power Rangers-from its inception to today-and details milestone moments for the brand and show, as well as offering fresh looks at its thriving toy line and an adult fandom that can't get enough of those "teenagers with attitude." Drawing on original interviews, new research, and the kinds of insights that only a true devotee can bring, this is a bold and boisterous account of one of the most unusual and beloved franchises in pop-culture history.

JOSHUA MOORE has been a fan of Power Rangers since it began airing in 1993, according to his mother. (He was two years old when it premiered). Over the last decade he has written about sports, business, the COVID-19 pandemic, movies, video games, and Power Rangers for the Lexington Herald-Leader and other media, including popular fan site Ranger Command Power Hour. A marketer, freelance journalist, and broadcaster, he also runs Ranger Reader, a newsletter about Power Rangers.

Contents
A Note on Sourcing
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Rockstar
Chapter 2: Day of the Dumpster
Chapter 3: Teamwork
Chapter 4: A Pressing Engagement
Chapter 5: High Five
Chapter 6: Green with Evil
Chapter 7: A Pig Surprise
Chapter 8: The Mutiny
Chapter 9: A Monster of Global Proportions
Chapter 10: The Power Transfer
Chapter 11: Ninja Quest
Chapter 12: Rangers in Reverse
Chapter 13: Countdown to Destruction
Chapter 14: A Parting of Ways
Chapter 15: Fighting Spirit
Chapter 16: One Last Second Chance
Chapter 17: The Master Returns
Chapter 18: Edge of Extinction
Chapter 19: The End
Chapter 20: Lightning Strikes
Acknowledgements
Interviews
Bibliography