30 Years Later, The 'Mighty Morphin Power Rangers' Is A Timeless TV Series

"That evening, the anchors on the 6 o’clock news delivered the worst news of my life."

In 1993, Angel Grove’s finest took the world by storm. Yes, I’m talking about Zachary, Kimberly, Billy, Trini, Jason and Tommy, all affectionately known as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

I was 8 years old when the series premiered. I videotaped the pilot and watched it 10 times in a row.

I couldn’t get enough.

But as quickly as I fell in love with the Power Rangers, the series was taken away from me and other kids in Aotearoa, the Maori language name for the land of New Zealand. The smash hit series no longer had a place on the country’s programming schedule due to parents complaining to the Broadcasting Standards Authority that children had become more violent at recess trying to emulate the karate-kickin’ action heroes.

Thirty years on, the “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” has reinvented itself time and time again, resonating with children over the last three decades. But for me and other kids who grew up in New Zealand, the series has a long legacy, which came full circle this year.