Saban's Little Mermaid - HEDWIG!

Adventures of the Little Mermaid - Collectible Figures - Hedwig - Toy Group 1991

I love a good sea witch. There is something so captivating about a mer-creature with villainous intent that it trumps all my other vampy character obsessions. An interesting thing about all the various interpretations of The Little Mermaid in popular culture is that the antagonist is always a fairly unique creation. In Toei's 1975 film, she is a very creepy-looking stingray. In the 1989 Disney film, she is voluptuous baudy octopus. And in the 1991 television series, Saban's The Adventures of the Little Mermaid, she is a crone named Hedwig with a mermaid-like tail that has dragon (or eel-like) details. I think she is a fun variation. I especially love that she rides on the back of a stingray and has fingers that magically grow into long tendrils. I believe this 1991 "collectible figure" from The Toy Group is the only time she was merchandised. She is made from a dense, but pliable, plastic similar to a floating bath toy. While I would have loved an actual action figure, I doubt the animated details would have been captured so well.

Saban's Little Mermaid - MARINA!

Adventures of the Little Mermaid - Collectible Figures - Marina - Toy Group 1991

I am a big fan of The Little Mermaid. I love mermaids in general, Hans Christian Anderson's folktale, and almost all interpretations of the story in popular culture. But, oddly enough, I'm not a huge fan of the Disney version with Ariel. I don't hate it or anything, but it's pretty far down my list. My favorite is the 1975 anime film by Toei Animation. It's well-animated and sticks to the original story. A close second though is Saban's Adventures of the Little Mermaid from 1991. The story is more cutesy and the animation isn't as refined, but there are a lot of notable similarities, mostly in the little mermaid herself. In both versions, she is a young blonde mermaid named Marina drawn with an anime influence. In the 1975 movie, she is topless with strategically flowing hair. But in the 1991 show, she has scales that continue up her torso in a design I find very appealing (the Disney seashell bra always seemed silly to me... and uncomfortable). I love Marina's two-tone green tail especially (but I could do without the little earrings).

Power Rangers - LOST GALAXY YELLOW!

Power Rangers Lightning Collection - Lost Galaxy Yellow Ranger - Hasbro 2023

Power Rangers Lost Galaxy is the seventh season in the Power Ranger franchise from 1999 (based on the 22nd Super Sentai series, Seijuu Sentai Gingaman). The series is notable for having the first sentient Zords in the franchise. Each Ranger is paired with a Galactabeast from an unnamed wild planet that the Rangers rescued from captivity. Galaxy Ranger Yellow's Galactabeast is a large yellow wolf. A key weapon for each of the Rangers are the Quasar Sabers. They were all hidden on the planet Mirinoi, a seemingly peaceful and simple planet (perhaps void of technology?). The Sabers were embedded in stone there until retrieved by the the Rangers when they arrived to the planet and removed them Sword-in-the-Stone-style. Maya was a native Mirinoi girl who withdrew the Quasar Saber Yellow and became the Yellow Galaxy Ranger. This figure was a Gamestop exclusive in 2023 and continued to tradition of Gamestop filling in team gaps with missing female Rangers. Let's check out Lost Galaxy Yellow below!

Power Rangers - LOST GALAXY PINK!

Power Rangers Lightning Collection - Lost Galaxy Pink Ranger - Hasbro 2023

Power Rangers Lost Galaxy is the seventh season in the Power Ranger franchise from 1999 (based on the 22nd Super Sentai series, Seijuu Sentai Gingaman). The series is notable for having the first sentient Zords in the franchise. Each Ranger is paired with a Galactabeast from an unnamed wild planet that the Rangers rescued from captivity. The Pink Ranger's Galactabeast is a large pink alien wildcat whose design I love. This series is also notable for having the first Ranger "death." The first Pink Ranger (Kendrix Morgan) was killed while saving her fellow Rangers. The actor, Valerie Vernon, had to leave the show to be treated for leukemia. The treatment was a success and she returned for the finale. This figure represents the first Galaxy Pink, Kendrix. The second Galaxy Pink was Karone, the brainwashed villain Astronema (for which we've seen two figures so far). I don't know why this toy, of all toys, doesn't contain a second head representing Karone. Let's check out Galaxy Pink below!

Power Rangers S.P.D. - YELLOW RANGER!

Power Rangers Lightning Collection - S.P.D. Yellow Ranger - Hasbro 2023

Power Rangers S.P.D. (Space Patrol Delta) is the the 13th season of the US Power Rangers franchise based on Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger, the 28th Super Sentai series from 2004-2005. For a long time, this season was my least favorite by a longshot. When there are themes of mythical creatures, wild animals, dinosaurs, and other toyetic individualized avatars, the idea of space police just seemed boring. Plus the large numbers emblazoned on their torsos (Yellow is 4) just seemed unexciting. But these Lighting Collection figures have really made me appreciate the designs on their own merits. Also, I learned that all the Rangers have genetic powers in addition to any abilities gained through Morphing. S.P.D. Yellow, aka Elizabeth "Z" Delgado (played by Monica May) has the ability to duplicate herself. Also, I love that the main Ranger roster here is the "B-Squad" and the original "A-Squad" have been corrupted and are antagonists of the series. A very cool plot twist. Let's check out S.P.D. Yellow below!

Power Rangers - WHITE ALIEN RANGER!

Power Ranger Lightning Collection - Alien Rangers of Aquitar Box - Hasbro 2023

Mighty Morphin Alien Rangers was the second series in the US Power Rangers Franchise, beginning right after the 3rd season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers in 1996 (although the footage was from the 18th Japanese Super Sentai series). The team is known as the Alien Rangers of Aquitar (notably the first team and only series to not use the word "Power" in the official title). The Alien Rangers are from the planet Aquitar and are summoned to Earth to help when the original MMPR team is rendered unable to morph and fight. The Alien Rangers series is only 10 episodes and acts as a transition between MMPR and Power Ranger Zeo. The White Alien Ranger of Aquitar, Delphine, is the leader of the team. She is notably the only full-time female leader of a Ranger team. Other female characters have become temporary leaders, or end-of-season promotions to the role, but Delphine was the leader from the start. I'm really glad she made it into the Lightning Collection. Let's check out Delphine below!

Power Rangers - NINJA YELLOW RANGER!

Power Rangers Lightning Collection - Mighty Morphin Ninja Yellow - Hasbro 2022

Aisha Campbell was the second Yellow Ranger in the American Mighty Morphin Power Rangers franchise. halfway through season two, three of the original Rangers left the show (rumor has it they unsuccessfully demanded more money). In the show, the three characters left for a peace conference in Switzerland, and three replacements were introduced. The original Yellow Ranger, Trini Kwan, was in 88 episodes, but Aisha Campbell (played by Karan Ashley) appeared in a not-too-shabby 65. She started as the typical sabertooth-themed Yellow Ranger, but her story arc eventually had her become a Ninja Ranger (along with all the others) in Season 3 and in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers The Movie. Technically in the movie they were Ninjetti, which had slightly different costumes, but luckily these Lightning Collection figures contain all the costume variations in a single purchase. I truly appreciate the variety and economy of that decision. Let's check out Aisha Campbell and Ninja Ranger Yellow below!

Power Rangers - NINJA PINK RANGER!

Power Rangers Lightning Collection - Mighty Morphin Ninja Pink - Hasbro 2022

The Ninja Rangers are an iteration of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers that I was honestly unaware of until these Lightning Collection figures were announced. I only peripherally watched the original MMPR (my friend's little brother would always be watching it when we were waiting to play Super Nintendo.. which accumulated in a surprising amount of MMPR imagery in my brain). The Ninja Rangers were a power-up in Season 3 that was technically less-powerful than their standard forms, but useful in hand-to-hand combat. I think it's pretty cool that this iteration finally visually embraced the martial arts that were a focal point of whole franchise. In 1995 there was a 5.5" action figure series as well as a 3" PVC line featuring these costumes. The modern Lightning Collection figures are exclusive to Target and include both a Kimberly and Katharine version of Ninja Pink. I only picked up Kimberly since she was released first and I don't typically display unmasked heads. Let's check out Ninja Pink below!

Power Rangers in Space - PINK RANGER!

Power Rangers Lightning Collection - In Space Pink Ranger - Hasbro 2021 

Power Rangers: In Space was the sixth season of the American Power Rangers franchise from 1998 based on the 21st Super Sentai series, Denji Sentai Megaranger, from 1997. The series was notable to me for two things. Firstly, having a bizarre TMNT crossover episode (featuring the fifth turtle Venus de Milo!), and secondly, having a lot of very interesting female characters. The traditional Pink and Yellow Rangers were of course present, but more fascinating were the evil antics of Divatox, Rita Repulsa, and Queen Machina, the mysterious brainwashed Astronema and her constantly-changing hair, and of course her Psycho Rangers which have some of my favorite costumes in all of Super Sentai. As far as female action figure go, Power Rangers: In space has the most representation of any season. In fact, this Pink Ranger Cassie Chan marks the sixth In Space lady in my collection (seventh if you include Rita, which I do not). Now we just need Divatox. Let's check out In Space Pink below!

Power Ranger - S.P.D. A-SQUAD PINK & RED!

Power Rangers Lightning Collection - S.P.D. A-Squad Red & Pink - Hasbro 2021

Power Rangers S.P.D. is probably my least favorite of the Power Rangers franchises. It stands for Space Police Delta and is probably the most militant of all the Super Sentai iterations and seems more like a Sci-Fi series than Sentai. But the real reason I didn't like it was because it was missing the interesting design theme like dinosaurs, wild animals, mythological creatures, etc. Instead the S.P.D. Rangers were differentiated simply by color and a number on their torso. However, the toys of these characters always appeal to me. They have a certain tactical detail that stands out among my other Ranger toys. The two figures in this post area identical sculpts with different paint jobs. The A-Squad was a team of Rangers that vanished without a trace and paved the way for the B-Squad to be promoted to active duty and be the focus of the series. But I always like the darker palette's of the A-Squad costumes. The Red figure was a Fan-Channel exclusive and the Pink figure was exclusive to Gamestop.

Power Rangers - DINO CHARGE PINK!

Power Rangers Lightning Collection - Dino Charge Pink Ranger - Hasbro 2022

Power Rangers Dino Charge (and it's sequel Dino Super Charge) both hold a very special place in my heart. I have always loved dinosaurs, I love Super Sentai, and a I love female characters. The original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series is obviously the most popular dinosaur-themed iteration of the franchise, but I was at an odd age when it first aired and the lore just wasn't strong enough to get me over the choppy effects and cheesy dialogue. When Dino Thunder came out in 2004, I was much more receptive to the genre, but there was only one female Ranger and I didn't have cable to watch it. Flash forward to 2015 and the premiere of Dino Charge: Streaming made it accessible, the special effects had 25 years of improvement over MMPR, and there were three female Rangers (including the first time Purple and Cyan Rangers (both female)). Shelby Watkins is the Triceratops-themed Pink Ranger and is a wonderful addition to the Lighting Collection. Let's check her out below!

Super7 ReAction - YELLOW RANGER!

ReAction Action Figures - Power Rangers Wave 3 - Yellow Ranger - Super7 2022

I'm really curious to see what characters future waves of Super7's Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ReAction figures will include. Because I only ever saw four core female characters (Kimberly, Trina, Rita, and Scorpina) in the show, and this Yellow Ranger marks the fourth and final one to get a figure. Unless they expand to other seasons or give us unhelmeted variations, this might be the end of my MMPR ReAction collection. Trini Kwan as the Yellow Ranger was always my favorite because her Sabretooth helmet design is so recognizable. (Prehistoric mammals have always been way more appealing to be than dinosaurs). Plus her duals-sais weapons made me realize the that Ranger weapons were representative of their Zords (Trini's Sais looking like smilodon fangs, Kimberly's bow looking like pterosaur wings, Billy's 3-pronged lance looking like triceratops horns, etc). I love a multi-level design theme and Power Rangers always give you that in spades. Let's check out the long-awaited Trini ReAction below!

Super7 ReAction - PINK RANGER!

ReAction Action Figures - Power Rangers Wave 2 - Pink Ranger - Super7 2021

I remember being an adult toy collector and being very resistant to the Power Rangers franchise. I was in high school when Mighty Morphin Power Rangers first hit the US. I was plenty nerdy at the time, I watched Robotech and Birdman every morning before school, I read comics fiendishly, and every Friday I would watch Are You Afraid of the Dark? with my friends. But for some reason I just never got into MMPR. As I got older and my peers would lump the show in with other (1980s) nostalgic properties I would get irrationally angry about it. But when Bandai started to reintroduce MMPR characters to the toy shelves decades later, I started to dabble. A lot of this was because the female Ranger toys finally had distinct female bodies. Plus I had become obsessed with Japanese pop culture in my post-college years. Either way, I'm a big fan now and I have more Power Rangers toys than ThunderCats and TMNT combined. Let's check out my newest Pink Ranger ReAction figure below!

Super7 ReAction - SCORPINA!

ReAction Action Figures - Power Rangers Wave 2 - Scorpina - Super7 2021

I don't think any single ReAction figure I've seen so far exemplifies the potential of the line more than this Scorpina. For a character who I personally feel has the most interesting and unique design of the original Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers show, she has has shockingly little merchandise produced. And despite her recently getting a nearly perfect Lightning Collection figure last year, I think this small retro-styled figure from Super7 is my favorite. Her complex asymmetrical organic costume somehow works extremely well with a simple 5-point body construction and the mix of flat colors and metallics really pops. When I look back to one of my first ReAction purchases, the MOTU Sorceress, (irregular sculpting, bad paint, awkward posture) and it's hard to believe these are from the same line. Most of the modern figures are great, but have simplistic designs by nature (G.I. Joe, ThunderCats, etc) so I focus on Scorpina as an example of how Super7 handles complexity. And they kill it. Let's check her out below!

Power Rangers - ASTRONEMA (V2)!

Power Ranger Lightning Collection - In Space Ecliptor & Astronema - Hasbro 2022

Astronema is one of those characters that everyone seems to love but that I have never seen on screen. My first exposure to her was her blue-haired figure from two years ago. I taught myself a little about her at the time, and this time around I learned a little more. Karone was a young girl from Planet KO-35. She and her brother Andros (future Red Ranger) dreamed of being Power Rangers, but Karona was kidnapped and raised by Ecliptor to be evil. As an adult, she became Astronema, a major Antagonist in the In Space and Lost Galaxy seasons. At one point her brainwashing became undone and she became the second Galaxy Ranger Pink. Only to adopt the Astronema identity again to infiltrate the bad guys. I'm not sure which iteration of Astronema this lavender-haired figure represents, but she is known for sporting a wide variety of hair colors and styles. I wonder if this will be the last... I could so with at least one more for a punky trifecta.  Let's check out Astronema (v2) below!

Power Rangers - ZEO PINK!

Power Rangers Lightning Collection - Pink Ranger 2-Pack - Hasbro 2021

I never really watched much Power Rangers. When Mighty Morphin Power Rangers debuted in the US, I was in high school and my only real exposure was my best friend's little brother who was obsessed (and was also insistent I looked just like Tommy the Green Ranger - I did not). But I was aware of the property and I loved seeing the flip-action morphin' toys at Walmart (a gimmick I hadn't seen since TigerSharks). Then about five years ago I started watching Dino Charge and really enjoyed it. But everything in between is a blur of pink and yellow that I have trouble keeping straight. My only exposure to all these chapters of Power Rangers is the toys. The Zeo toys always stood out to me because of their intricate gold adornments. There is something ancient and historic about the design that you don't see in other Ranger lineups. Plus the masks with their bold visor shapes and non-silver lip sculpt remind me of the first Sentai series Himitsu Sentai Gorenger from 1975. Let's check out Zeo Pink below!

Power Rangers - ZEO YELLOW!

Power Rangers Lightning Collection - Zeo Yellow Ranger - Hasbro 2021

I'm always trying to decipher the themes of the different Power Rangers iterations. This can prove to be a challenging task since there are often subjects that are culturally specific to Japan and sometimes there are even multiple interwoven themes. When I researched the Zeo Rangers for the Bandai figures back in 2018, I learned that each Ranger has a number, and the helmet symbols represent that number (based on an ancient Pangaean culture and symbology). Tanya is Ranger 2, so her visor symbol is two horizontal lines. But now four years later I discovered a secondary theme. Each visor shape also represents the Ranger's secret weapon. In this case, Zeo Yellow has a pair on "power clubs" or nunchucks, and sure enough she has an abstract picture of them on her face. Zeo Pink has a big circle on her visor and her weapon is a shield. Zeo Blue has triangle blades. Zeo Red has a star-shaped sword. And Zeo Green has square guns. I feel so smart for figuring it out. Let's check out Tanya bleow!

12" Power Rangers - YELLOW RANGER!

Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers - 12" Series - Yellow Ranger - Hasbro 2021

Hasbro is pretty tricky with their non-collector toylines sometimes. When it comes to stuff like Marvel Legends and Power Rangers Lightning Collection, we usually know at least six months in advance exactly what we will find on the shelves. But every other line toyline that isn't geared toward us collectors  gets almost no promotion. I personally think this is thrilling. I love toy hunting, and I love being surprised. 12-inch "Titan-style" figure tend to be especially surprising. I remember discovering Spider-Girl, Quickshadow, and Cuddle Team Leader and being totally caught offguard at their very existence. This MMPR Yellow Ranger isn't quite the same scenario because after MMPR Pink was released last year, I figured would very likely get a Yellow. But I occasionally search for expected figures like this and this particular search always came up fruitless. But then two weeks ago I walked into a calendar store in the mall to check out their toy corner and boom! A gorgeous 12" Trini. Let's check her out below!

Power Rangers - ASTRONEMA!

Power Ranger Lightning Collection - Red Ranger & Astronema - Hasbro 2020

I felt very defeated when the Power Rangers license shifted from Bandai to Hasbro. I had invested a lot of energy and excitement in the Legacy line and starting over with the Lightning Collection just seemed depressing. However, I must say that Hasbro's efforts to give us the weird and quirky villains from the Power Rangers franchise has been very encouraging. In all the years of the Legacy Collection we saw very few villains, but with Hasbro we've seen a steady inclusion of bad guys. Astronema is known as the Princess of Evil and is the prime antagonist in Power Rangers In Space. She also appeared in several other series and has been portrayed by a number of actors (mainly Melody Perkins), and is notable for numerous outlandish hairstyles. I never watched In Space or Lost Galaxy, but in recent reading I learned that Astronema becomes the Pink Galaxy Ranger and is the sister of In Space Red Ranger. Now I find her immensely more interesting. Let's check out Astronema below!

VR Troopers - KAITLIN STAR!

Saban's VR Troopers - Deluxe Figures - Battle Grid Kaitlin Star - Kenner 1996

VR Troopers was the first "spin-off" of the Power Rangers franchise which ran on US Television from 1994 to 1996. It has no connection to Power Rangers, but it followed a similar formula of taking existing action sequences from a Japanese property and re-splicing it with new American footage. Where Power Rangers was created from the Super Sentai Series, VR Troopers came from the Metal Hero Series (Big Bad Beetleborgs was the only other property adapted from this series in the US). VR Troopers is unique because it creatively mashes together three different shows, and it uses the oldest footage (1984) of all the 90's Saban properties. VR Troopers was focused on the popular 90's theme of virtual reality and features three teens who meet a hologram who exposes them to the the VR dimension and makes them heroes. Kaitlin is the token female and a budding photographer and journalist. She had three action figures produced, but this particular one stands out. Let's check her out below!