Despite all the critics and nay-sayers, I am not even ashamed to admit this: in 1994, I was a diehard fan of the POWER RANGERS
Before they had stupid spin-off's and whatnot, the first 2 or 3 seasons of this show was awesome if you were a 10-year-old kid at the time. I used to run home with my old best buddy, Nelly, just so we could catch the opening (it came on 2:30, 2:25 school got out, so we'd run home)
Thanks for all the wonderful childhood memories, Power Rangers
It was a classic spectacular tale of GOOD vs. EVIL... and of course, I'm not going to deny one of the reasons I was such a big fan -- Amy Jo Johnson... thanks to her, puberty sure came fast for many boys, believe that.... [Double meaning FTW! -Ed.]
I was in the 5th grade when Power Rangers exploded on the scene. Everybody followed it, and I do mean EVERYBODY. There wasn't a single 5th grade boy in my class who didn't have a crush on the lovely Amy Jo Johnson, AKA everyone's favorite, the Pink Ranger
There was also an Asian chick, but nobody liked her in THAT way
On a side note, it was sad to hear, several years back, that the Asian girl who played Trini, died in a fatal car accident =/
Not only did the guys watch this show, but so did the girls. They had their own reasons, mainly being the muscular guy who played the Red Ranger, Jason
The other one was the new kid in town, a rebel-karate type, named Tommy. He became the Green Ranger
The show was at its peak, in my opinion, during these times. Not before long, the Green Ranger was put to rest. Tommy lost his powers... and a new mysterious force had arrived on the scene...
The enigmatic White Ranger ushered in a new era
But who was this dashing charismatic bloke? Next week's show was going to reveal his true identity....
It was HUGE... a totally crazy time. We talked about it during recess, during lunch, EVEN during class. People passing notes. Open it and it'd say:
"WHO IS THE WHITE RANGER???? ANSWER: ___________________"
Before you know it, Joshua suggested making a bet. Since the notes were going around, whoever wants in, put a dollar where your mouth is, he said.
I told him I'd sleep on it. I know, I was living on the edge =p
Amazingly, what came in the mail that day?
My knight in shining armor!
Inside...
Hey would you look at that.... why it's the MAN OF THE HOUR...
The next day I told Josh to count me in. I kind of had the gut feeling it WAS Tommy but I wasn't 100% sure. A dollar was a lot to me back then. That was at least a solid half hour at the arcade!
7 kids got in the bet: me, Josh, 3 other guys and 2 girls. I was the only one who pledged Tommy
The show came and and the moment of revealing happened. The White Ranger was indeed Tommy
So that week, I made $6 all thanks to EGM. Thanks to the power of a subscription, because remember, back in those days subscribers got the mag a week earlier than newsstands did
Ironically, Josh said this to me as he forked the dollar bill over reluctantly:
"You cheated, right? Like, you read it in some... magazine?"
