Thunderbirds

One of my earliest inspirations, combining a love of puppetry and fashion dolls (in the form of the delectable Lady Penelope) was Thunderbirds. This became a must-see series in our household and we followed the astonishing adventures of the Tracys in wonderment – marveling at the technical innovations of the TV company in creating this futuristic world in miniature. There were explosions galore, high speed chases, and some quite remarkable intercutting of real human feet and hands within the shots for added realism – the puppets really seemed able to walk on the ground and to pick up objects at will.

The Thunderbirds series was first made in Britain in the mid-1960s, it was a science fiction television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed “Supermarionation”. The series followed the adventures of International Rescue, an organization created to help those in grave danger using technically advanced equipment and machinery. The series focused on the head of the organization, ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy, and his five sons who piloted the Thunderbird machines. Perennially popular, the series is still shown today and has inspired a number of subsequent television programmes and films.

A behind-the-scenes look at a project to produce three new episodes of the classic TV series

Naturally there were many toys produced as a spin-off to this show. The Lady Penelope produced in the UK by Fairylite Toys was never a particularly good likeness – but if that was all we could get we grabbed it! This doll and her range of outfits was cheaply-produced and not of a very high quality. For the modern collector, this means that although both Lady Penelope and her companion doll Tin-Tin have a vintage charm, they are unlikely to be in great condition. Pristine versions are vary hard to find as a result of the low-quality manufacture, the relatively small numbers made, and the fact that these dolls were often subjected to heavy play-wear. They were often considered almost akin to action figures in their day, as opposed to fashion dolls. But the rarity of both dolls and clothing does mean that deficiencies an otherwise picky collector might see are often overlooked just to get these dolls into a collection!

If you are interested in building your own full-size Thunderbird puppet, or virtually any other character from the Gerry Anderson stable, take a look at Duncan Willis’ website. even if you don’t want to build a puppet, it’s a great resource.