The original team of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Billy, Kimberly, Jason, Trini and Zack - complete with weapons.
The original team of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers - Billy,
Kimberly, Jason, Trini and Zack - complete with weapons.
In order to fully understand the character of Lord Zedd I guess one has to place him back in context - and that is as part of the phenomenally successful Mighty Morphin Power Rangers TV show of the mid-nineties.
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (hereafter "MMPR" to save my sanity) was to be the first of many series in the Power Rangers franchise, which today, now owned by Buena Vista Entertainment (or Disney) is still a very popular kids' TV programme.
MMPR aired in 1993 in the USA and generally in 1994 elsewhere (speaking as a Brit, I didn't see Power Rangers first until summer 1994). Madcap and illogical, it was nevertheless a hit with children worldwide. We loved the concept of morphing, of kicking and punching our enemies (though we usually ended up kicking and punching our siblings and school friends), and of calling upon giant dinosaur robots and piloting them into battle (I used to imagine I was in the Sabre-Tooth Tiger Zord whilst on the top floor of a double-decker bus!). MMPR also had the most amazing rock soundtrack of any kid's show ever, which helped intensify the action and excitement tenfold!
It's success was reflected in its toy sales, and I'm sure many of us old-timers remember how our poor parents struggled to get hold of anything with the Power Rangers brand name for months during the height of its popularity. (It took my mother until autumn 1994 to secure me a black and red ranger, following a summer of my constant whining.) As with all over-popular franchises, myriads of licensed products sprung up overnight, from towels to books, soft toys to walkie-talkies and toothbrushes to boys' underpants. It was everywhere! (The Power Rangers even released a song in time for Christmas, though I believe, if memory serves, they were beaten to UK number 1 by East 17!)
MMPR's success wasn't only transitory - the fact that Power Rangers is still on television today, in its umpteenth series, is testament to its appeal and popularity as entertainment for kids and bigger kids alike.
But back to Mighty Morphin:
MMPR, the original (and some would say the best) incarnation of the franchise ran for three series and included one high-budget (though not canon) movie. Lord Zedd featured in two of the three series, and entered the stage during the peak in the show's popularity (some might even claim that he was in part responsible for the programme's continued success). He is thus well remembered by children of the nineties, for haunting their nightmares if nothing else. XD
Cover Art for the American-released VHS tape of "Lord Zedd's
Monster Mash"
The show's popularity began to wane through the airing of season 3, as we were left with only two original Power Rangers in the team, and a band of not-to-threatening aliens. And then, the Rangers began to follow the trends of their Sentai counterparts and changed costumes, Zords and villains every season. The classic era of PR had come and gone. But it certainly hasn't been forgotten! Retro-PR is now back in fashion and Zedd remains as one of the most well-remembered (and well-loved) of the classic villains, with his voice actor Robert Axelrod being well-received at recent conventions in the USA. Gee, I wish I could go...
A list of episodes, with my own personal ratings, from all three series:
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