September 3

1 comments

Cheap Imitations

Remember when Power Rangers came out in the early '90's? It was a culture phenomenon.

Kids went crazy for it.

They couldn't keep the toys on the shelves.

It was every kid's dream to be a power ranger. 

Then, about two years later, you were the biggest loser in school if you still liked power rangers. (There are probably a couple blog posts there about passing fads and peer pressure, but that's for another time.)

What I found most interesting about the Power Rangers craze was the number of copycats that came out immediately after its success.

These included:

  • VR Troopers
  • Superhuman Samurai Cyber-Squad
  • Big Bad Beetleborgs
  • Masked Rider
  • Mystic Knights of Tir Na Nog (a medieval take on the concept)
  • Tattooed Teenage Alien Fighters from Beverly Hills (a really weird take on the concept)

These were all failures that lasted one, maybe two seasons.

Meanwhile, even though Power Rangers tanked in popularity, it's still on TV today. Almost three decades since its premiere in 1993, with 29 seasons.

You can be inspired by other successes to create successes of your own. You can even borrow ideas and combine them with your own.

But if you imitate a huge success, especially right after it's a proven success, then you're just a cheap imitation that gets canceled after one season.

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About Jonathan Roberts

I am the founder and director of the South Shore Piano School, and I have been teaching the piano for nearly 20 years. My work centers around bringing music to the lives of kids, parents, and adults in an enriching, meaningful way. At the South Shore Piano School, my incredible colleagues and I accomplish this through skill-based teaching, community, and an innovative, people-first business model. You can read more about me here.

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  1. I am the mom to an awesome human being born in 1991, so I unfortunately, am EXTREMELY acquainted with Power Rangers & have lost many hours I’ll never get back watching the show w my son. I’ve even created SEVERAL Halloween Power Ranger costumes in the early years but I still can’t understand how such a poorly produced B show, IMHO, becalmed such a hit!!

    But I digress, to your point, I never know where the line is between taking ideas from something and then putting your own twist on it & outright plagiarism. I know the extreme examples but it’s the gray area in between that always gets me.

    And since it’s Sunday, Please God, May I NEVER be subjected to another episode of PR’s!!

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