Day of the Dumpster
Encyclopedia
"Day of the Dumpster" is the first episode of the American
television program
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
, and, as a result, the first episode of the Power Rangers
franchise. It was initially broadcast on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Network, as part of the Fox Kids
programming block, and was later released on VHS
and later DVD
. A new re-version
of the episode later broadcasted on January 2, 2010, on the American Broadcasting Company
, as part of the ABC Kids programming block. As with all of the first season Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episodes, the vast majority of scenes featuring the Rangers in costume and the Zord
s are taken from the Japan
ese tokusatsu
series, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, the 16th entry of the Super Sentai
franchise.
The VHS of this episode ranked #35 in a list of top video sales, and #11 in a list of top kids' video sales, for the year of 1994 as compiled by Billboard
. The tie-in 3D read-along audio cassette of "Day of the Dumpster" became the number one seller at Walden Kids
, displacing The Lion King
.
and her minions Goldar
, Squatt, Baboo, and Finster emerge from a 10,000-year captivity. Rita decides the time has come to conquer Earth
and rebuilds her palace on the moon.
In the city of Angel Grove
, California
, Jason Lee Scott
, Zack Taylor
, Billy Cranston
, Trini Kwan
, and Kimberly Hart
are hanging out at Ernie’s Youth Center. The guys are working on karate
, while the girls are practicing gymnastics
. Farkus Bulkmeier and Eugene Skullovitch
(a.k.a. "Bulk" and "Skull") come to harass them, but end up making fools of themselves.
The five teens are later sitting down to some fruit shakes from Ernie’s Juice Bar when an earthquake begins, caused by Rita. At that moment, in the Command Center
, Zordon
, the wise sage who battled Rita many millennia ago, tells his robotic assistant, Alpha 5
, to bring him five "overbearing and overemotional humans" (a.k.a. teenagers) to defend the Earth from Rita.
Jason, Zack, Billy, Trini, and Kimberly are then teleported to the Command Center, where Zordon explains the situation and declares them as the first Power Rangers. At first they don't buy into it, until Rita sends her Putty Patrollers to attack them. They are initially outmatched by the Putties, until Jason suggests using their recently-acquired Power Morphers. The five teens then morph into the Power Rangers for the first time and defeat the Putties. Rita, however, uses her magic staff to turn Goldar into a giant and unleashes him on the city, but the Rangers, in response, summon the Dinozords and combine them into the Megazord. After an evenly-matched battle, the Rangers force Goldar to retreat when they summon the Megazord's Power Sword.
Back at the Command Center, the five teens are finally convinced that they can save the world from Rita’s evil, and they agree to the following rules: (1) “Never use your power for personal gain”; (2) “Never escalate a battle unless Rita forces you to do so”; (3) “Keep your identity secret.” Zordon promises that he will be there to advise them whenever they need it, and thus the first team of Power Rangers comes together to save the world.
and Walter Jones
. It contained the same basic story as the released "Day of the Dumpster," but with several differences. This included actress Audri DuBois in the role of Trini, different voice actors for the villains, and the absence of Ernie's Juice Bar. In its original unaired, unedited form the archetypal Zord
s are referred to as "Droids", the Power Morphers referred to as "Trans Morphers" and Zordon was referred to as "Zoltar".
A second pilot episode was presented in 2007 at the inaugural Power Morphicon convention by Tony Oliver
. This featured Thuy Trang
as Trini, Jason Narvy
as Skull, and Richard Genelle
as Ernie, as well as other aspects that made it to the aired series premiere.
ed broadcast of the series, several visual effects were added to the scenes to produce the effect of new footage being broadcast in addition to some scenes removed. This includes cutting in comic book
-referenced graphics and adding onomatopoeia words on screen, akin to the Batman show from the 1960s
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
television program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is an American live-action children's television series based on the 16th installment of the Japanese Super Sentai franchise, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. Both the show and its related merchandise saw unbridled overnight success, catapulting into pop culture in mere months...
, and, as a result, the first episode of the Power Rangers
Power Rangers
Power Rangers is a long-running American entertainment and merchandising franchise built around a live action children's television series featuring teams of costumed heroes...
franchise. It was initially broadcast on August 28, 1993, on the Fox Network, as part of the Fox Kids
Fox Kids
Fox Kids was the Fox Broadcasting Company's American children's programming division and brand name from September 8, 1990 until September 7, 2002. It was owned by Fox Television Entertainment airing programming on Monday–Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings.Depending on the show, the...
programming block, and was later released on VHS
VHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
and later DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
. A new re-version
Re-version
A relatively recent phenomenon in television production, re-versioning is the process of re-releasing an existing production or an entire series, updated in some form, as a "new" show. It is an alternative to a straight rerun of a series...
of the episode later broadcasted on January 2, 2010, on the American Broadcasting Company
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, as part of the ABC Kids programming block. As with all of the first season Mighty Morphin Power Rangers episodes, the vast majority of scenes featuring the Rangers in costume and the Zord
Zord
In the universe of the television series Power Rangers, Zords are colossal mechanical or bio-mechanical robotic vehicles. When monsters grow to incredible sizes, usually the only way the Power Rangers can fight them is by summoning and piloting these robots...
s are taken from the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese tokusatsu
Tokusatsu
is a Japanese term that applies to any live-action film or television drama that usually features superheroes and makes considerable use of special effects ....
series, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger, the 16th entry of the Super Sentai
Super Sentai
The is the name given to the long-running Japanese superhero team genre of shows produced by Toei Co., Ltd., Toei Agency and Bandai, and aired by TV Asahi...
franchise.
The VHS of this episode ranked #35 in a list of top video sales, and #11 in a list of top kids' video sales, for the year of 1994 as compiled by Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
. The tie-in 3D read-along audio cassette of "Day of the Dumpster" became the number one seller at Walden Kids
Waldenbooks
Waldenbooks , operated by the Walden Book Company, Inc., was an American shopping mall-based bookstore chain and a subsidiary of Borders Group. The chain also ran a video game and software chain under the name Waldensoftware as well as a children's edutainment chain under Walden Kids...
, displacing The Lion King
The Lion King
The Lion King is a 1994 American animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It is the 32nd feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
.
Plot summary
Two astronauts explore the moon and come across a space dumpster. When they open it, the evil sorceress Rita RepulsaRita Repulsa
Rita Repulsa is a fictional character from the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. She is based on the Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger villain Witch Bandora...
and her minions Goldar
Goldar
Goldar , is a fictional character from the Power Rangers universe, first appearing in the American series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He is based on the Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger villain Grifforzer. He is a powerful yet very overconfident warrior that served under the command of Rita Repulsa and...
, Squatt, Baboo, and Finster emerge from a 10,000-year captivity. Rita decides the time has come to conquer Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
and rebuilds her palace on the moon.
In the city of Angel Grove
Angel Grove
Angel Grove is the fictional town in the Power Rangers universe, the setting for much of the action of the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and its immediate sequels. Angel Grove is presumably a fictional suburb of Los Angeles, California, however no specific location was ever...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Jason Lee Scott
Jason Lee Scott
Jason Lee Scott is a fictional character in the Power Rangers franchise, played by actor Austin St. John. Jason is best remembered as the original Red Ranger from the first entry of the franchise, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, as well as the leader of the original team of Power Rangers...
, Zack Taylor
Zack Taylor
Zachary "Zack" Taylor is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, appearing in the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He is the original Black Ranger of the first generation of Power Rangers...
, Billy Cranston
Billy Cranston
Billy Cranston is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. He is the Blue Ranger in the series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, portrayed by actor David Yost. Billy is the only original Power Ranger to remain for the entire MMPR series, and is the third longest-serving Ranger overall...
, Trini Kwan
Trini Kwan
Trini Kwan is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, portrayed by Vietnamese actress Thuy Trang. She is best remembered as the original Yellow Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the first entry of the franchise....
, and Kimberly Hart
Kimberly Hart
Kimberly Ann Hart is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. She was played by actress Amy Jo Johnson during the first three seasons of the show, plus on the two feature films of the franchise. Kimberly is best remembered as the first Pink Ranger from the first entry of the franchise...
are hanging out at Ernie’s Youth Center. The guys are working on karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
, while the girls are practicing gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
. Farkus Bulkmeier and Eugene Skullovitch
Bulk and Skull
Bulk and Skull are fictional characters in the Power Rangers universe. They appeared as permanent cast members from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers until Power Rangers in Space...
(a.k.a. "Bulk" and "Skull") come to harass them, but end up making fools of themselves.
The five teens are later sitting down to some fruit shakes from Ernie’s Juice Bar when an earthquake begins, caused by Rita. At that moment, in the Command Center
Power Chamber
The Command Center, later called the Power Chamber, is the fictional headquarters for the Power Rangers in the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and its sequels up to Power Rangers Turbo....
, Zordon
Zordon
Zordon is a powerful wizard and mentor to the Power Rangers franchise, appearing in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series and many of its subsequent incarnations....
, the wise sage who battled Rita many millennia ago, tells his robotic assistant, Alpha 5
Alpha 5
Alpha 5 is a fictional robot on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series. On Alpha's chest is a yellow stylized lightning bolt similar to the Power Rangers' lightning bolt symbol, but inverted. His head is in the shape of a golden flying saucer with a visor that flashes when he is speaking...
, to bring him five "overbearing and overemotional humans" (a.k.a. teenagers) to defend the Earth from Rita.
Jason, Zack, Billy, Trini, and Kimberly are then teleported to the Command Center, where Zordon explains the situation and declares them as the first Power Rangers. At first they don't buy into it, until Rita sends her Putty Patrollers to attack them. They are initially outmatched by the Putties, until Jason suggests using their recently-acquired Power Morphers. The five teens then morph into the Power Rangers for the first time and defeat the Putties. Rita, however, uses her magic staff to turn Goldar into a giant and unleashes him on the city, but the Rangers, in response, summon the Dinozords and combine them into the Megazord. After an evenly-matched battle, the Rangers force Goldar to retreat when they summon the Megazord's Power Sword.
Back at the Command Center, the five teens are finally convinced that they can save the world from Rita’s evil, and they agree to the following rules: (1) “Never use your power for personal gain”; (2) “Never escalate a battle unless Rita forces you to do so”; (3) “Keep your identity secret.” Zordon promises that he will be there to advise them whenever they need it, and thus the first team of Power Rangers comes together to save the world.
Primary cast
- Austin St. JohnAustin St. JohnAustin St. John is a former American actor and martial artist known for his role in the popular Power Rangers children's television series as Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Ranger and first leader of the Power Rangers. He is an emergency medical technician and firefighter.-Personal life:St...
as Jason Lee ScottJason Lee ScottJason Lee Scott is a fictional character in the Power Rangers franchise, played by actor Austin St. John. Jason is best remembered as the original Red Ranger from the first entry of the franchise, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, as well as the leader of the original team of Power Rangers...
, Red Ranger - Thuy TrangThuy TrangThuy Trang was a Vietnamese American actress. She was best known for her role as Trini Kwan, the original Yellow Ranger in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series.-Early life:...
as Trini KwanTrini KwanTrini Kwan is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, portrayed by Vietnamese actress Thuy Trang. She is best remembered as the original Yellow Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, the first entry of the franchise....
, Yellow Ranger - Walter Emanuel JonesWalter Emanuel JonesWalter Emanuel Jones is an American actor and dancer known for playing the role of Zack Taylor, the Black Ranger on the hit television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.-Life and career:...
as Zack TaylorZack TaylorZachary "Zack" Taylor is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe, appearing in the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He is the original Black Ranger of the first generation of Power Rangers...
, Black Ranger - Amy Jo JohnsonAmy Jo JohnsonAmy Jo Johnson is an American actress, singer, songwriter and musician.She is best known for her roles in the televison series as the constable Jules Callaghan in the Canadian CTV television series Flashpoint, the famous jockey Tina Sharp in the ABC Family's original show Wildfire, the rookie cop...
as Kimberly HartKimberly HartKimberly Ann Hart is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. She was played by actress Amy Jo Johnson during the first three seasons of the show, plus on the two feature films of the franchise. Kimberly is best remembered as the first Pink Ranger from the first entry of the franchise...
, Pink Ranger - David YostDavid YostDavid Harold Yost is an American actor and producer known for his role of Billy Cranston on the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie and Power Rangers Zeo.-Early life:...
as Billy CranstonBilly CranstonBilly Cranston is a fictional character in the Power Rangers universe. He is the Blue Ranger in the series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, portrayed by actor David Yost. Billy is the only original Power Ranger to remain for the entire MMPR series, and is the third longest-serving Ranger overall...
, Blue Ranger - Paul SchrierPaul SchrierPaul L. Schrier II is an American actor. He is perhaps best known for his role of Farkas "Bulk" Bulkmeier in the Power Rangers series. He portrayed the character for seven seasons from 1993–1999, returning in 2011 for the eighteenth season of Power Rangers Samurai, and was the last original cast...
as Farkas “Bulk” BulkmeierBulk and SkullBulk and Skull are fictional characters in the Power Rangers universe. They appeared as permanent cast members from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers until Power Rangers in Space... - Jason NarvyJason NarvyJason A. Narvy, Ph.D is an American actor who spent a number of years playing the character Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch on the Power Rangers television series and starred in both movies based on the series....
as Eugene “Skull” SkullovitchBulk and SkullBulk and Skull are fictional characters in the Power Rangers universe. They appeared as permanent cast members from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers until Power Rangers in Space... - David Fielding as ZordonZordonZordon is a powerful wizard and mentor to the Power Rangers franchise, appearing in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series and many of its subsequent incarnations....
Secondary cast
- Machiko SogaMachiko Sogawas a Japanese voice actress and actress.- Life and career :Machiko had humble upbringings and was raised to be a singer, though her talents were with acting. She was “discovered” after doing a play in Tokyo Center...
as Rita RepulsaRita RepulsaRita Repulsa is a fictional character from the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. She is based on the Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger villain Witch Bandora... - Richard GenelleRichard GenelleRichard Michael Genelle was an entrepreneur and actor best known for playing Ernie on the children's series Power Rangers....
as ErnieErnieErnie is a fictional character, a Muppet on the Public Broadcasting Service's long-running children's television show, Sesame Street. He and his roommate Bert form a comic duo that is one of the program's centerpieces, with Ernie acting the role of the naïve troublemaker and Bert the world-weary foil... - Romy J. Sharf as Alpha 5Alpha 5Alpha 5 is a fictional robot on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series. On Alpha's chest is a yellow stylized lightning bolt similar to the Power Rangers' lightning bolt symbol, but inverted. His head is in the shape of a golden flying saucer with a visor that flashes when he is speaking...
- Richard Steven HorvitzRichard Steven HorvitzRichard Steven Horvitz, sometimes credited as Richard S. Horvitz, Richard Horvitz, or Richard Wood, is an American actor and voice actor best known for his work as the voice of the original Alpha 5 in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Power Rangers Zeo, and Power Rangers Turbo, as Raz in Psychonauts,...
as the voice of Alpha 5Alpha 5Alpha 5 is a fictional robot on the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series. On Alpha's chest is a yellow stylized lightning bolt similar to the Power Rangers' lightning bolt symbol, but inverted. His head is in the shape of a golden flying saucer with a visor that flashes when he is speaking... - Barbara GoodsonBarbara GoodsonBarbara Goodson is an American actress known mostly for her versatility in voicing original and dubbed cartoons. She is voted one of the ten best women to do the voices for young males in cartoons...
as the voice of Rita RepulsaRita RepulsaRita Repulsa is a fictional character from the television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. She is based on the Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger villain Witch Bandora... - Kerrigan MahanKerrigan MahanKerrigan Mahan is an American voice actor, also known as Ryan O'Flannigan.Mahan was born in Los Angeles, California. His voice ranges from young and exuberant to sneering and Lee Van Cleef-ish...
as the voice of GoldarGoldarGoldar , is a fictional character from the Power Rangers universe, first appearing in the American series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. He is based on the Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger villain Grifforzer. He is a powerful yet very overconfident warrior that served under the command of Rita Repulsa and... - Michael SorichMichael SorichMichael John Sorich is an American voice actor who is also a screen actor, writer, director and voice director.- Biography :...
as the voice of Squatt - Dave MallowDave MallowDave Mallow is an American voice actor. One of his known aliases is Colin Phillips.-Life and career:Mallow was born in Park Ridge, Illinois. His father worked in radio and television and was a thirty year on-air veteran at Chicago's WGN. He attained a BFA in Theater Arts from Drake University in...
as the voice of Baboo - Robert AxelrodRobert Axelrod (actor)Robert Axelrod is a U.S. actor who has been in several movies and lent his voice to countless televisual shows including Digimon, having started vocal acting for the English versions of Japanese cartoons in 1980...
as the voice of Finster
Unaired pilots
The original pilot episode, in an edited form, was shown in a 1999 special titled "The Lost Episode," which was hosted by Austin St. JohnAustin St. John
Austin St. John is a former American actor and martial artist known for his role in the popular Power Rangers children's television series as Jason Lee Scott, the original Red Ranger and first leader of the Power Rangers. He is an emergency medical technician and firefighter.-Personal life:St...
and Walter Jones
Walter Emanuel Jones
Walter Emanuel Jones is an American actor and dancer known for playing the role of Zack Taylor, the Black Ranger on the hit television series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.-Life and career:...
. It contained the same basic story as the released "Day of the Dumpster," but with several differences. This included actress Audri DuBois in the role of Trini, different voice actors for the villains, and the absence of Ernie's Juice Bar. In its original unaired, unedited form the archetypal Zord
Zord
In the universe of the television series Power Rangers, Zords are colossal mechanical or bio-mechanical robotic vehicles. When monsters grow to incredible sizes, usually the only way the Power Rangers can fight them is by summoning and piloting these robots...
s are referred to as "Droids", the Power Morphers referred to as "Trans Morphers" and Zordon was referred to as "Zoltar".
A second pilot episode was presented in 2007 at the inaugural Power Morphicon convention by Tony Oliver
Tony Oliver
Rafael Antonio Olivier , better known as Tony Oliver, is an American voice actor best known for voicing Rick Hunter from Robotech and Arsène Lupin III from Lupin The 3rd...
. This featured Thuy Trang
Thuy Trang
Thuy Trang was a Vietnamese American actress. She was best known for her role as Trini Kwan, the original Yellow Ranger in the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers television series.-Early life:...
as Trini, Jason Narvy
Jason Narvy
Jason A. Narvy, Ph.D is an American actor who spent a number of years playing the character Eugene "Skull" Skullovitch on the Power Rangers television series and starred in both movies based on the series....
as Skull, and Richard Genelle
Richard Genelle
Richard Michael Genelle was an entrepreneur and actor best known for playing Ernie on the children's series Power Rangers....
as Ernie, as well as other aspects that made it to the aired series premiere.
Re-versioning
As part of the 2010 re-versionRe-version
A relatively recent phenomenon in television production, re-versioning is the process of re-releasing an existing production or an entire series, updated in some form, as a "new" show. It is an alternative to a straight rerun of a series...
ed broadcast of the series, several visual effects were added to the scenes to produce the effect of new footage being broadcast in addition to some scenes removed. This includes cutting in comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
-referenced graphics and adding onomatopoeia words on screen, akin to the Batman show from the 1960s
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
.