One of Britain’s most promising London 2012 Olympic hopefuls has been transformed into a giant action figure to become a real-life Power Ranger toy.
Aaron Cook, 20, the current British Taekwondo Champion and one of the UK’S strongest contenders for a gold medal at London 2012 Olympics, is the only person outside of the TV show to wear the iconic red suit and the first ever honourary member of the Power Rangers.
To mark the occasion Cook will be exhibited in a giant 3 metre by 1.5 metre replica toy box at Westfield shopping centre (Friday 1st July) in front of hundreds of Olympic fans.
Cook comments: “I was mad about Power Rangers as a kid so my parents took me to a local Taekwondo club in Dorchester where I fell in love with the sport. The rest, as they say, is history. I’m hoping that by joining the Power Rangers I’ll help to inspire British children to follow in my footsteps, which will hopefully include a medal at the London 2012 Olympics.”
The Power Rangers TV show started in 1993 following the adventures of five teenagers with attitude known as the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as they battled to save the planet from evil space aliens. The show is broadcast in more than 60 countries and translated into numerous languages.
Toy maker Bandai is hoping that the immortalisation of Cook will kick-start strong sales of Power Rangers Samurai, the latest incarnation of the hugely successful franchise. Since its launch in 1994 Power Rangers has become the number one kid’s action toy selling over 24 million action figures world-wide.
Darrell Jones from Bandai comments: “Aaron is a fantastic addition to the Power Rangers team and an obvious choice to uphold the new Samurai values. We look forward to working with Aaron and hope his Power Rangers training holds him in good stead for the London 2012 Olympics.”