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UPDATE: I've brighten the coloring and 'orange up' the gradients with this one, using a method shown to me by my friend Rosy, better known as Silver-Ray (silver-ray.deviantart.com/) online.
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Name: The Pumpkin Rapper
Portrayed By: Michael Sorich (voice actor)
Television Series of Origin: "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers"
First Appearance: Episode 54 “Trick Or Treat”
Original Air Date: May 3, 1994 (5/3/’94)
Species: Magically created humanoid pumpkin / plant being
Kaiju Portrait Order: #43
Previous Kaiju Portrait: Hedorah (Showa-era)
****
Name: The Pumpkin Rapper
Portrayed By: Michael Sorich (voice actor)
Television Series of Origin: "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers"
First Appearance: Episode 54 “Trick Or Treat”
Original Air Date: May 3, 1994 (5/3/’94)
Species: Magically created humanoid pumpkin / plant being
Kaiju Portrait Order: #43
Previous Kaiju Portrait: Hedorah (Showa-era)
:origin()/pre03/891e/th/pre/i/2013/067/d/b/hedorah__showa_era_version_by_enshohma-d5wknl6.jpg)
When "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" became a surprised hit during its debut year of 1993, Saban Entertainment realized that they needed more episodes, passed the initially planned forty. However, special effects footage from the Japanese series that it was built around, "Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger", had almost all been used up.
So Saban hired the originators of "Zyuranger", Toei Productions, to create new fight scenes and original monsters for their now popular American spin-off. This phase of production has since been dubbed by fans as 'Zyu2', which featured largely animal and plant based adversaries, over "Zyurangers" mythological and classical literature-based motifs.
The Pumpkin Rapper is one such Zyu2 character, who became the obligatory Halloween representative from this era of the franchise. And very true to his name, was a humanoid pumpkin that spoke only in raps and rhymes.
And no, I'm not kidding. This was the 1990's - needlessly random rapping was a devastating epidemic back then.
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The Pumpkin Rapper was planted by the useless side-villains Squat and Baboo, while the Power Rangers themselves were attending the Halloween-theme game show of the title. Seriously, how can any network keep that kind of programming going year round? Zordon soon contacted The Rangers about the newly germinating menace, which forced them to forfeit the game show.
Within a fog covered, rotting pumpkin patch, The Pumpkin Rapper, along with his own brand of pumpkin-headed Putty Patrollers (the evil foot soldiers for season one), attempted to first suffocate the Rangers with some teleporting, head-hugging pumpkins. When that nasty trap failed, the villains just fought our heroes outright, with The Pumpkin Rapper himself using tentacle vines and 'pumpkin bombs' during the battle.
Despite being a fairly tough opponent, The Pumpkin Rapper was easily finished off by the heroes' Power Blaster; a laser firing cannon, comprised from the team's individual weapons.
:origin()/pre12/c1c7/th/pre/f/2013/304/5/d/pumpkin_rapper_by_megazeo-d4e8yx8.png)
But there was still more Pumpkin Rapper effects footage to be used up. So the rapping and rhyming plant man returned in episode 81, "Zedd's Monster Mash" (October 28th, 1994). Apart of one of Lord Zedd's many traps to kill Tommy the White Ranger, The Pumpkin Rapper was resurrected, alongside several other past villains, by the tombstone headed creature Doomstone.
The Pumpkin Rapper was planted by the useless side-villains Squat and Baboo, while the Power Rangers themselves were attending the Halloween-theme game show of the title. Seriously, how can any network keep that kind of programming going year round? Zordon soon contacted The Rangers about the newly germinating menace, which forced them to forfeit the game show.
Within a fog covered, rotting pumpkin patch, The Pumpkin Rapper, along with his own brand of pumpkin-headed Putty Patrollers (the evil foot soldiers for season one), attempted to first suffocate the Rangers with some teleporting, head-hugging pumpkins. When that nasty trap failed, the villains just fought our heroes outright, with The Pumpkin Rapper himself using tentacle vines and 'pumpkin bombs' during the battle.
Despite being a fairly tough opponent, The Pumpkin Rapper was easily finished off by the heroes' Power Blaster; a laser firing cannon, comprised from the team's individual weapons.
But there was still more Pumpkin Rapper effects footage to be used up. So the rapping and rhyming plant man returned in episode 81, "Zedd's Monster Mash" (October 28th, 1994). Apart of one of Lord Zedd's many traps to kill Tommy the White Ranger, The Pumpkin Rapper was resurrected, alongside several other past villains, by the tombstone headed creature Doomstone.
And all this taking place in the graveyard-like dimension dubbed The Haunted Forest, or as I use to call it when I was a kid, 'The Coolest F***ing Place In the Whole Multiverse'!
But before any sexy girl monsters could show up to the party (with Big Burpa possibly bringing along the keg), the other Power Rangers arrive to free Tommy from The Haunted Forest. And effectively ending this awesome, yet murderous Halloween party. This sudden turn of the tide forces Lord Zedd to enlarge The Pumpkin Rapper to giant monster size, which then causes the Power Rangers to summon their Thunder Zords.
Unfortunately by this time in the series' production, Saban would heavily alter their remaining 'Zyu2' footage, with the giant robots from the otherwise unrelated Japanese follow-up "Gosei Sentai Dairanger"; a Super Sentai series that, in the humble opinion of my dear friend Burkion, had some really terrible, and all too brief giant-robot-vs-monster battles.
This resulted in some poorly edited fight scenes, where The Pumpkin Rapper is not even in the same frame as his unrelated Thunder Zord opponents. And obviously, without any true physical contact between the two differing effects footage sources. Eventually, the 'off-camera' Thunder Zords destroys the Pumpkin Rapper with its Power Sword.
But before any sexy girl monsters could show up to the party (with Big Burpa possibly bringing along the keg), the other Power Rangers arrive to free Tommy from The Haunted Forest. And effectively ending this awesome, yet murderous Halloween party. This sudden turn of the tide forces Lord Zedd to enlarge The Pumpkin Rapper to giant monster size, which then causes the Power Rangers to summon their Thunder Zords.
Unfortunately by this time in the series' production, Saban would heavily alter their remaining 'Zyu2' footage, with the giant robots from the otherwise unrelated Japanese follow-up "Gosei Sentai Dairanger"; a Super Sentai series that, in the humble opinion of my dear friend Burkion, had some really terrible, and all too brief giant-robot-vs-monster battles.
This resulted in some poorly edited fight scenes, where The Pumpkin Rapper is not even in the same frame as his unrelated Thunder Zord opponents. And obviously, without any true physical contact between the two differing effects footage sources. Eventually, the 'off-camera' Thunder Zords destroys the Pumpkin Rapper with its Power Sword.
:origin()/pre04/8e88/th/pre/f/2008/096/0/4/ranger_revamp__pumpkin_rapper_by_kaijulord21.jpg)
Enshohma's Additional Comments:
As my watchers and fans may know, I REALLY do love the villains and monsters from the Power Rangers and Super Sentai franchises.
As my watchers and fans may know, I REALLY do love the villains and monsters from the Power Rangers and Super Sentai franchises.
I know they're silly, cheesy, and often nonsensical, but they are a colorful alternative to more serious, traditional Japanese Kaiju. And unlike a lot of the boring, or emotionless villains in most other Japanese fantasy series, these characters have fun, sometimes even well rounded personalities, which adds to their appeal.
However, that doesn't mean I instantly support all of these wacky characters, as even my crazy minded self has limits. Namely, I don't like most of the really ugly, and needlessly complicated creature designs from entries like "Power Rangers Ninja Storm", or "Power Rangers Dino-Thunder".
However, that doesn't mean I instantly support all of these wacky characters, as even my crazy minded self has limits. Namely, I don't like most of the really ugly, and needlessly complicated creature designs from entries like "Power Rangers Ninja Storm", or "Power Rangers Dino-Thunder".
With all that said, The Pumpkin Rapper is a guilty pleasure for me.
And funny that I should state it as such, considering my own dislike for using this now overused term of 'guilty pleasure'. I like The Pumpkin Rapper's simplistic, appealing suit design, with the upside down gourd head and single visible eyeball being two unique touches. And again, he's a very tough fighter, for a walking pumpkin man-thing.
But even I can't fully defend the annoying decision of having The Pumpkin Rapper constantly speak in raps the rhymes, even if that's the whole deal of the character.
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No offense to voice actor Michael Sorich, but how much cooler would this pumpkin-headed fiend had been, if he was given a creepy Boris Karloff-sounding voice instead. You could still have The Pumpkin Rapper rhyme away his dialog, but in that "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" manner, that Karloff did so well. And with the rapping portions being dropped, of course.
Regardless, I still like The Pumpkin Rapper quite a bit. And well enough to give him a really good entry into my ongoing Kaiju Portraits. And now was the time to do so, seeing how its the eve of Halloween. And how I missed last year with this same exact illustration, which I've only now gotten around to coloring.
I love Halloween, but the timing of any and all holidays sucks for me nonetheless...NOT looking forward to Christmas by-the-way.
Related Links:
Extensive image gallery for The Pumpkin Rapper
Podcasters With Attitude review the monster's debut episode
Image size
1351x1575px 817 KB
© 2013 - 2024 Enshohma
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“Ooh you Rangers make me mad, waking me up with a rap so bad!”