Power Rangers Interview with Hasbro at San Diego Comic Con 2019

San Diego Comic Con means new reveals, products, and news from Hasbro!

In 2019, that rung especially true for Power Rangers, as the toy giant embarked on its first year with the franchise under its belt.

Power Rangers NOW had the chance to catch up with the brand’s Toy Development team, and Brand/Marketing team. Check out the full interview below!

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Toy Development Team

Why does the Magna Defender Lightning Collection Figure not come included with Mike’s human head?

That’s because we wanted to start with the origin story version of Magna Defender, before Mike takes over. It will allow us to have more variety if we honor Mike’s version of Magna Defender down the line.

How will you handle Lightning Collection Figures who have more than one human head, such as Kimberly and Katherine for the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Pink Ranger?

It would be great for us to have more variety, and celebrate one character a time. So right now, we want to celebrate Kimberly as a character first, especially since she’s a fan favorite.

We can celebrate Katherine later.

So would someone have to re-buy the same action figure later just to get a new human head, such as in this case with Katherine?

Not necessarily. We don’t want to upset fans, and we know they don’t want to pay $20 for the same figure. So we’re looking at other ways to achieve this, but right now we don’t have any set plans.

Some fans feel some of the Lightning Collection Figure helmets have been off so far, such as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Red Ranger. Are there any plans to fix those?

We definitely hear the fans loud and clear, and we are looking to see what we can possibly do.

Is the eventual goal of the Lightning Collection to create every Ranger ever?

That would be awesome, we would love to do it. But as you know, there are over 26 years of Rangers, so right now we’re just really focusing on the ones fans tell us are their favorites.

But we have such a long way to go. We’re just scratching the surface.

What would you say to fans who don’t want to buy Lightning Collection Figures because they’re afraid they’ll never see a complete team?

That’s a great question. We definitely keep those fans in mind, and we don’t want them to be upset. It’s just that there are a lot of fan favorite characters, and we have to focus on those right now.

We can’t satisfy every fan, but we are constantly listening to what they want to try and satisfy them all. Stay tuned.

Why has the Lightning Collection been very gender lopsided so far, with roughly 13 males to only 1 female being revealed?

We wouldn’t say it’s gender lopsided, it’s just Wave 2. But we obviously want to make sure we have a variety of characters, and it’s about more than gender. It’s about heroes, villains, types of characters, their origin stories. We want to showcase a good variety.

Plus, you look at what we did with Kimberly’s figure, and the new upper body articulation. We did her right.

Is there any fear of doing female Lightning Collection Figures because Bandai had trouble selling those?

We definitely look at those shortcomings as a reference. We just want to make sure that if we do it, we do it properly.

Any comment on potential Lightning Collection Megazords or Morphers?

No comment. We hear the fans loud and clear, stay tuned.

How are Power Rangers toys selling so far compared to the other brands?

I’d say we’re doing well so far. For the Lightning Collection and Power Rangers Beast Morphers toys.

Will Power Rangers Beast Morphers’ Scrozzle get an action figure?

There are a lot of characters in the show, and we are limited in how many we can do. So we have to pick the best of the best. And we do a lot of research to determine this, including watching the Super Sentai. But you can’t do everybody.

Is there a reason the villain Power Rangers Beast Morphers figures have less leg mobility than the Rangers do?

For us, we feel the Power Rangers are the one’s that are in the action. They’re the ones you pose the most. So that’s why we gave them more articulation.

Will fans be able to buy all five Power Rangers Beast Morphers Zords together, as opposed to individually sold?

Only through the Amazon exclusive we announced today.

The Striker Morpher toy fans have seen so far has not been received well. Is there another version coming?

The one you’ve seen is the core item we have. So what you see is it.

Will the Power Rangers Beast Morphers Communicator be released as a toy?

We are still considering that.

At Toy Fair, there was a Grid Battleforce backpack on display. When will that release?

Later this year. Only at GameStop.

Brand/Marketing Team

What will Power Rangers Beast Morphers‘ second season in 2020 be called?

I don’t think we can confirm that just yet, but let’s just say fans should not expect the word “Super” to appear in the title.

When will new episodes of Power Rangers Beast Morphers return to the United States?

We don’t have the date just yet from Nickelodeon.

As you know, a lot of Power Rangers Beast Morphers is currently airing overseas, and new episodes are being spoiled online. Are these international spoilers something you can stop, or want to stop?

At the end of the day, there’s only so much we can do. But we appreciate the enthusiasm of the international fans. And our goal is to make sure this is an international brand, so we want to provide global content too.

Power Rangers Beast Morphers has the lowest ratings of the franchise so far. Are you happy with where the ratings currently are?

We think we’re in a good spot, especially considering how the entire television landscape is shifting.

Why is the Gold Ranger based on a mantis in the show?

He’s apparently a rhino beetle in the Super Sentai, but we have to make this show for kids. So we need to ensure that the types of animals we choose are ones that kids can say and recognize.

Why is the Power Rangers Beast Morphers cast not at Comic Con?

They’re defending the Morphin Gird from Evox, obviously!

But in all seriousness, we want to focus on toys at our conventions.

Would you say space or dinosaurs would be better for a Power Rangers season moving forward?

What a strange question! Let’s just say both are awesome. We know both are fan favorite themes from previous seasons.

There seems to be growing chatter of animated Power Rangers. Is there any truth to it?

We haven’t heard those rumors. But right now, we’re just trying to land taking over the brand from Saban Brands. But there are a lot of things we’d like to explore, with the right timing.

Is Power Rangers Hyperforce Season 2 dead?

That one we can’t comment on.

What are your thoughts on the recent news that the Power Rangers movie will be rebooted?

Obviously we can’t comment on this.

Why do you think the previous Power Rangers movie under performed?

We just want to focus on what we as Hasbro can do. We’re just focused on our next movie and what’s coming up.

Would you say the Power Rangers brand is where it needs to be from a mainstream perspective?

That’s a really good question. We want to make sure we’re bridging the connection between the new fans, and the adult fans who have watched the show for years. So we’re really focused on bridging that gap so we can be relevant to everybody.

We love the history of this brand, and we want to pay homage to that. But we don’t want to be known as just an older 90’s brand. So we’re working hard to make sure we’re more top of mind. And we have some work to do on that. But it is a focus.

How are you aiming to bring new fans into the brand?

It’s our content. Content is king. We have a great YouTube channel that we’re growing, we have a huge library of content on Netflix, we have a ton of new subscribers through Hasbro Pulse. So we’re just taking advantage of every avenue we have.

The nice thing is, Hasbro has a big reach with kids that already believe in us, so we’re continuing to put all the feelers out there.

Has Hasbro given any thought to doing anything with Kamen Rider?

We’re honestly not too sure what that is. We do have great partnerships with our Japanese partners, but right now, for Hasbro, our focus is on Power Rangers.

Have you given any thought to crossing over Power Rangers with other Hasbro brands, like Transformers?

We’ve been shocked how many times this has been asked. But right now, we’ve only had the brand for a little over a year. So we’re focused on establishing Power Rangers before crossing it over with any other properties.