Bandai America Inc., a subsidiary of Bandai Co. Ltd., is the world's third largest toy company, holding the master toy license for the Power Rangers since the brand's inception. Bandai had produced more than 148 million toys over the past 10 years, including action figures, toysets, megazords, vehicles and role play items that have consistently topped the sales charts since 1993.

With a decade of success under its belt, Power Rangers is a proven brand that embodies teamwork, imagination and the fight for good over evil.

"It is quite a feat these days for a toy brand to sustain its popularity over a couple years time. Power Rangers toys, however, have managed to appeal to kids and remain the top selling action figure for ten years - an amazing accomplishment in the toy industry," said Sean McGowan, co-founder of PlayDate Inc. and veteran toy industry and research analyst.

"We are thrilled to have captivated millions of kids with Power Rangers toys for the past ten years," said Bill Beebe, senior vice president, sales and marketing at Bandai. "The Power Rangers phenomenon is a strong indicator that kids love to see new, innovative toys each season - and Bandai is proud to bring these time-honored characters to life through our toys."

10th Anniversary "Red Ranger Month" Festivities

To celebrate 10 years of Power Rangers, ABC Kids and ABC Family have designated October "Red Ranger Month," in honor of the most popular Power Ranger. To kick-off Red Ranger Month, on the morning of Saturday, October 5, ABC-TV will air a Red Rangers special episode entitled "Forever Red," uniting for the first time ten Red Power Rangers from the past 10 seasons. The Red Rangers episode will air again the morning of Saturday, October 12 on ABC Family.

Power Rangers Overview - 10 Years of Action Heroes

The "Power Rangers" brand is based on five average multi-ethnic teenagers who become Power Rangers with superhero powers to defend the earth against evil forces. Over the past ten years, the Power Rangers have been on earth, in space, on the moon, under water, traveling through time, in the jungle and anywhere evil lurks. They've battled Rita Repulsa, Divatox, Master Org, Dark Spector, Toxica, Jindrax and many more evil-doers - villains who have been shrunk to miniatures, tossed in jail reduced to ooze or banished. Over time, the brand has maintained its themes of teamwork, honesty, loyalty, courage, family, friends and above all, the victory of good over evil.

More than 450 episodes later, the Power Rangers plots and toylines included:

Season 1, 2, 3: "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers"
Season 4: "Power Rangers Zeo"
Season 5: "Power Rangers Turbo"
Season 6: "Power Rangers in Space"
Season 7: "Power Rangers Lost Galaxy"
Season 8: "Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue"
Season 9: "Power Rangers Time Force"
Season 10: "Power Rangers Wild Force"

Power Rangers Toy History 101*

• 1975: The original TV series was introduced in Japan as a children's show entitled, "Himitsu Sentai Goranger" ("Secret Task Force Goranger")

• 1993: "Kyoryuu Sentai Zyuranger" ("Dinosaur Task Force Beast Rangers"), a 1992 Sentai show from Japan, was repackaged for the U.S., renamed "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" and blasted onto kid's television as an instant success; book publishing, toys, films and merchandise immediately followed

  Bandai America Inc. secured the master toy license for Power Rangers action figures

• 1995: The first feature film, "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie" was released

  All new cast members were selected to provide freshness to the television series, and ever since, the cast and storyline change each season

• 1996: Toy sales remained strong and the TV show maintained its position at the top of the ratings list of most popular shows

• 1999: Nielsen Galaxy Explorer proclaimed Power Rangers the "Most Popular Kids Show of the 1990's"

• 2000: Power Rangers are declared "#1 Again!" by the NPD Group, a toy industry research and sales tracking organization, rating Power Rangers action figures as the "#1 Male Action Toy Brand" and "Best Selling Action Figure of the 1990's"

  By end of the year, Power Rangers also earned the honor of "Best Selling Action Toy of the Year" ahead of Pokemon, Star Wars, Transformers and GI Joe

• 2001: An annual survey of toy retailers, conducted by PlayDate Inc., an independent marketing services firm, names Power Rangers as a Top Ten Best Selling Brand Family for Holiday 2001

  Power Rangers toys continue to top the sales charts - once again winning the title of "Best Selling Male Action Brand" by NPD Group

• 2002: Power Rangers celebrates its 10th anniversary with a new toyline and series "Power Rangers: Wild Force"

10th Anniversary Fun Fact: Based on Bandai's sales since 1993, a 5" Power Ranger toy can be found in one out of every five U.S. households.

10th Anniversary Fun Fact: One of the largest manufacturers of motorcycles, Bandai sells more than 11 million Power Rangers cycles since the brand's inception

(*Some information provided by CharacterProducts.com)

About Bandai America

Bandai America Inc. is a subsidiary of Bandai Co. Ltd., the world's third largest toy company, with 27 subsidiaries in 8 countries worldwide. Global interests include toys and children's entertainment, video game software, multimedia, music, full-length feature films, vending machines, trading cards, candies and licensed apparel. Bandai America Inc. is the master toy licensee of some of the most popular properties in children's toys and entertainment, including the Power Rangers, Gundam, Digimon, Strawberry Shortcake, and Hello Kitty product lines. Bandai America is headquartered in Cypress, California and company information is available at bandai.com.