Since its first broadcast in 1965, Thunderbirds has generated more than 3,000 tie-in products.[1] These include episode novelisations, children's toys and video games. By 1966, Century 21 had granted merchandise licenses to over 120 companies and turnover from these licensees was roughly £6million (or £141million in 2023).[2] In 1995, sales in Japan totalled approximately £60million a year (or £146million in 2023).[3]
For a discussion of screen and audio adaptations of Thunderbirds, as well as imitations and references in various media, see Works based on Thunderbirds.
Between 1966 and 1967, eight original Thunderbirds novels were written by John William Jennison (four under the pseudonym "John Theydon") and Kevin McGarry.[6] Three of the novels focus on the character of Lady Penelope. In 1992, Corgi Books published four children's novelisations by Dave Morris.
In 2008, Minnesota-based FTL Publications, in association with Diamond Comic Distributors, launched a new series of original novels by Joan Marie Verba.[7] Verba had attempted to obtain the licence as early as 2004, while Carlton Television was in the process of merging with ITV Granada.[7] After waiting several months, she contacted Granada, and after three years of discussions FTL Publications was finally granted the licence in 2007.[7] It was the first licence for Thunderbirds titles to be given to an American publisher, and the books constitute the first new, official series of Thunderbirds novels to be written since the 1960s.[8]Countdown to Action, published in June 2008, reveals the founding of International Rescue, exploring the establishment of the organisation and the construction of its machines.[7] The other books highlight the individual Tracy brothers, as well as Brains.[7]
A rescue mission to the Moon is hi-jacked by the Hood; he returns to Earth in Thunderbird 3, holding Lady Penelope, Brains and Tin-Tin hostage and plotting to attack major cities from orbit with nuclear devices.[9][10]
1966
Thunderbirds: Lost World
John W. Jennison
World Distributors
Unknown
On New Guinea, Scott, Virgil, Gordon and Tin-Tin are abducted by descendants of a lost but scientifically advanced tribe allied with the Hood, who intends to wreak havoc with the natives' anti-gravity technology.[10][11]
1966
Lady Penelope: Cool for Danger
Kevin McGarry
World Distributors
Unknown
Lady Penelope and Parker are embroiled in the initial stages of a coup in the European state of Revonia, in part triggered by Penelope's arch-enemy Mr Steelman's desire for world domination.[11][12]
1966
Lady Penelope: A Gallery of Thieves
Kevin McGarry
World Distributors
Unknown
Mr Steelman's latest scheme is to hold the galleries of the world to ransom by stealing unique works of art and replacing them with counterfeits.[12]
1966
Thunderbirds: Ring of Fire
"John Theydon"
Armada Books
Unknown
Following a rescue at a disintegrating nuclear power station, Thunderbird 1 is caught in a volcanic eruption; the nuclear explosion has furthermore opened a fissure in the Earth's crust, threatening widespread destruction.[13]
Lady Penelope's mission to pursue a reporter who has photographed the Thunderbirds machines is complicated by the involvement of a criminal organisation intent on selling the images to a rogue Balkan state.[15]
A comic strip featuring the characters of Lady Penelope and Parker, set prior to their joining International Rescue, debuted in the first weekly issues of AP Films Publishing's children's title TV Century 21 in early 1965, several months prior to the first broadcast of "Trapped in the Sky".[16] A full-length "Thunderbirds" strip debuted in the comic's 51st issue, published in January 1966.[17] Originally written by editor and Thunderbirds TV scriptwriter Alan Fennell, this mostly replaced the "Lady Penelope" strip, which moved to a sister comic of the same name.[16][18] The "Thunderbirds" strip, illustrated by Frank Bellamy, was the centrepiece of TV Century 21 (re-branded TV 21 in January 1968) for 186 issues and 30 serials, until October 1969.[16][17] At their peak, combined weekly sales of TV Century 21 and Lady Penelope in the 1960s numbered 1.3million.[17] In 1966, Thunderbirds featured as a strip in the Daily Mail.[19]
A Thunderbirds Annual was published by Century 21 Publishing from 1966 to 1968, and a Lady Penelope version until 1969.[20]Thunderbirds also appeared in the parent TV Century 21/TV 21 annual until 1969; the same year, a joint Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds annual was released.[20] Starting in October 1991, the Bellamy-illustrated strips, as well as some that had first appeared in Lady Penelope, were reprinted in Fleetway Publications' fortnightly Thunderbirds: The Comic.[18][21] Again edited by Fennell, this new title had a 30-month publication run and achieved peak sales of 100,000 copies.[21] Reprints had previously appeared in Polystyle Publications' Countdown and Thunderbirds Holiday Special series in the 1970s and 1980s.[16] In 1992, Ravette Books reprinted 13 strips in a graphic album series.[16]
In 2015, a co-operative Thunderbirds board game, designed by Matt Leacock, was released to coincide with the series' 50th anniversary. The game was published by Modiphius Entertainment and three expansion sets were released in 2016.[31][32]
Home video
The 1980s and 1990s saw a number of Thunderbirds VHS releases by PolyGram and its subsidiary, Channel 5 Video Distribution. These proved to be a significant commercial success for Channel 5.[33] Due to rights concerns, not all episodes were released unedited; some were issued in the "Super Space Theater" format, for which pairs of thematically similar episodes had been combined to create double-length compilation films for US broadcast syndication. The compilations were: Thunderbirds to the Rescue (combining "Trapped in the Sky" and "Operation Crash-Dive"), Thunderbirds in Outer Space ("Sun Probe" and "Ricochet") and Countdown to Disaster ("Terror in New York City" and "Atlantic Inferno"). The videos opened with a brief introduction by Parker, informing the viewer of other Gerry Anderson video releases. Volume 12 contained a selection of Lyons Maid advertisements featuring characters from the Anderson productions, and Volume 14 a "Making of Thunderbirds" featurette.
Upon its acquisition of the brand in 1999, Carlton International Media commenced work on remastering Thunderbirds for the first Region 2 DVD releases.[1]Dolby 5.1 surround sound was added, and the existing picture and mono sound cleaned up with the aid of digital restoration and noise reduction technology.[1] In addition, the original soundtrack was enhanced with the insertion of new sound effects and background foley (mainly explosions, aircraft and other mechanical noise, and vocal echo).[1]
Region 1 DVDs were released by North American distributor A&E Home Video in 2001, with a "Complete Series" box set following in 2002; it was re-released in slimmer packaging in 2008. The same year, Thunderbirds was released, both in instalments and as a box set, on Blu-ray Disc in the UK.[34] The region-free version distributed in Region B presents episodes in a vertically panned and scanned, 16:9 aspect ratio; a Japanese set, released by Geneon Universal in 2013, restores the original 4:3 picture. In 2015, Timeless Media Group and Shout! Factory (through their deal with ITV) released the complete series on DVD and Blu-ray in the US with the episodes in their original full-screen ratio).[35]
The first Thunderbirds-exclusive music record was the mini-album Great Themes from Thunderbirds, published by Century 21 Records in 1967.[39][5] Two soundtrack albums were released by Silva Screen Records, to favourable reviews by AllMusic and Uncut magazine, in 2003 and 2004.[40][41][42][43][44] A 40th-anniversary release–the double albumThe Best of Thunderbirds–was released in 2005.[45][46][47][48] In 2015, Fanderson released a four-disc limited-edition set exclusively for its members in celebration of the 50th anniversary; it contains music either written for, or used in, all but one episode ("Cry Wolf", which contains no original or exclusive music).[49]
Beyond the TV series, composer Barry Gray's contributions to Thunderbirds included four original songs recorded exclusively for audio release: "Lady Penelope", "Parker", "Parker Well Done" and "The Abominable Snowman", all sung in character by Sylvia Anderson and David Graham.[50]
When Thunderbirds was first broadcast, AP Films Merchandising awarded licences to companies including Matchbox and Dinky to manufacture plastic and die-cast toy vehicles.[56] It issued approximately 120 such licences, even buying a company (J. Rosenthal) to keep up with demand.[56][57][58] Among Dinky's first releases were a six-inch-long (15cm)FAB 1 (of which more than two million were made) and Thunderbird 2 (some of which were blue instead of green);[59][60][61] these two toys continued to be produced until 1976 and 1979, respectively.[2] By 1966, commentators had dubbed the end-of-year shopping season "Thunderbirds Christmas" in the light of the series' popularity.[62]
Japanese model kits of the vehicles continued to be marketed into the 1980s.[63] In the early 1990s, Matchbox launched a new range of toys to coincide with the series' revival on the BBC.[64] Sales in the run-up to Christmas 1991 suffered when demand overwhelmed supply. However, by Christmas 1992, the series had provided manufacturers and retailers with the most successful UK merchandising campaign since Star Wars.[18][64][65] Matchbox's Tracy Island playset quickly became the UK's most sought-after toy, resulting in stock shortages, fights in shops,[66] and a black market for the item;[64] the story was reported in the national press.[63][67] The 1991 Matchbox range included:
Tracy Island Electronic Playset–with sounds and moveable palm trees. The stock shortage caused by this item's popularity was reported on BBC News.[68]
Electronic Thunderbird 1–with mechanised wings, firing light and sound
In 1993, the BBC children's programme Blue Peter broadcast a making-of showing viewers how to build their own Tracy Island out of "old newspaper, pipe cleaners, yoghurt pots, cereal packets and bits of sponge".[63][69] Demand for a free instruction sheet detailing the process was so high that the BBC stopped sending the sheets out and released presenter Anthea Turner's demonstration, titled "Blue Peter Makes a Thunderbirds Tracy Island", on home video.[69]
When the BBC repeated Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons in the early 2000s, the Thunderbirds toy licence was re-issued to Vivid Imaginations, who produced a new range for the series' second BBC revival in 2000.[70] The 2000 Vivid Imaginations range included:
Tracy Island Soundtech Electronic Playset–with 12 sounds
Tracy Island Powertech Transforming Playset–with vehicle hangars and sounds
Thunderbirds 1 to 4 Soundtech Electronic Playsets–with miniature figures and sounds
Action Adventure Set–to scale with the Thunderbird 2 playset, featuring the Mole, Firefly, the Hood's submarine and six figures
Thunderbirds 1 to 5, FAB 1 and the Mole
Action figures and dolls
The release of the live-action film, Thunderbirds, in 2004 prompted renewed interest in Thunderbirds toys.[71] The film tie-ins were produced by Bandai. For the series' 40th anniversary in 2005, some items from the Vivid range were re-released in different packaging. The following decade, Vivid produced a new line of toys for the remake series Thunderbirds Are Go.[70][72][73] As of 2019, Thunderbirds Are Go toys are distributed by Bandai in the UK, Modern Brands in Australia and Planet Fun in New Zealand.[74][75][76]
Art
As part of the activities surrounding the 50th anniversary of the TV show, ITV invited the pop art brand Art & Hue to create a new print collection based on Thunderbirds.[77]
The first annual "International Thunderbirds Day" was celebrated on 30 September 2017, the 52nd anniversary of the series' debut. To mark the event, the InterContinental London - The O2 hotel offered a "Lady Penelope Afternoon Tea" from 15 September until 30 October at which the pop art prints were exhibited. [78]
Related Research Articles
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, often shortened to Captain Scarlet, is a British science fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions for distributor ITC Entertainment. It is one of several Anderson series that were filmed using a form of electronic marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation" combined with scale model special effects sequences. Running to thirty-two 25-minute episodes, it was first broadcast on ITV regional franchises between 1967 and 1968 and has since been transmitted in more than 40 other countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.
Thunderbirds Are Go is a 1966 British science-fiction puppet film based on Thunderbirds, a Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by their company Century 21 Productions. Written by the Andersons and directed by David Lane, Thunderbirds Are Go concerns spacecraft Zero-X and its human mission to Mars. When Zero-X suffers a malfunction during re-entry, it is up to life-saving organisation International Rescue, supported by its technologically-advanced Thunderbird machines, to activate the trapped crew's escape pod before the spacecraft hits the ground.
Thunderbird 6 is a 1968 British science fiction puppet film based on Thunderbirds, a Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 Productions. Written by the Andersons and directed by David Lane, it is the sequel to Thunderbirds Are Go (1966).
FAB 1 is a pink, six-wheeled car seen in the 1960s British science-fiction television series Thunderbirds, its three film adaptations and its reboot, Thunderbirds Are Go.
"Trapped in the Sky" is the first episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. Written by the Andersons, it was first broadcast on ATV Midlands on 30 September 1965.
The Century 21 Organisation was a group of companies founded by Gerry Anderson in the early 1960s to expand on his television production company, AP Films (APF; later Century 21 Productions). In addition to APF, the group included:
"The Perils of Penelope" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Directed by Alan Pattillo and Desmond Saunders from a script by Pattillo, it was first broadcast on 14 October 1965 on ATV Midlands as the third episode of Series One. It is the 12th episode in the official running order.
"The Cham-Cham" is the 25th episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF). The penultimate episode of Thunderbirds Series One, it was written and directed by Alan Pattillo and first broadcast on 24 March 1966 on ATV Midlands.
"The Man from MI.5" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. Written by Alan Fennell and directed by David Lane, it was first broadcast on 20 January 1966 on ATV Midlands as the 17th episode of Series One. It is the 20th episode in the official running order.
"Vault of Death" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Dennis Spooner and directed by David Elliott, it was first broadcast on 23 December 1965 on ATV Midlands as the 13th episode of Series One. It is the seventh episode in the official running order.
"The Impostors" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Dennis Spooner and directed by Desmond Saunders, it was first broadcast on 13 January 1966 on ATV Midlands as the 16th episode of Series One. In the official running order, it is the 19th episode.
"Brink of Disaster" is an episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Alan Fennell and directed by David Lane, it was first broadcast on 24 February 1966 on ATV Midlands as the 22nd episode of Series One. It is the 11th episode in the official running order.
"Alias Mr. Hackenbacker" is the 29th episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Alan Pattillo and directed by Desmond Saunders, it was first broadcast on 16 October 1966 on ATV London and Anglia Television as the third episode of Series Two.
"Lord Parker's 'Oliday" is the 30th episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films for ITC Entertainment. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Brian Burgess, it was first broadcast on 23 October 1966 on ATV London and Anglia Television as the fourth episode of Series 2. The episode had its first UK-wide network broadcast on 8 May 1992 on BBC2.
Aloysius "Nosey" Parker is a fictional character introduced in the British 1960s Supermarionation television series Thunderbirds, who also appears in the film sequels Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) and Thunderbird 6 (1968) and the 2004 live-action adaptation Thunderbirds. He is the butler and chauffeur to Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and, like her, a field agent of the secret organisation International Rescue.
"Path of Destruction" is the 28th episode of Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) for ITC Entertainment. Written by Donald Robertson and directed by David Elliott, it was first broadcast on 9 October 1966 on ATV London and Anglia Television as the second episode of Series Two. It had its first UK-wide network broadcast on 24 April 1992 on BBC2.
Tin-Tin Kyrano is a fictional character introduced in the 1960s British Supermarionation puppet television series Thunderbirds. In the original TV series and its film sequels, the voice of Tin-Tin was provided by actress Christine Finn. In the live-action film adaptation, the character was played by Vanessa Hudgens, while in the remake series, she was voiced by Angel Coulby.
Thunderbirds is a British science fiction television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, filmed by their production company AP Films (APF) and distributed by ITC Entertainment. It was made between 1964 and 1966 using a form of electronic marionette puppetry combined with scale model special effects sequences. Two series, totalling thirty-two 50-minute episodes, were filmed; production ended with the completion of the sixth episode of the second series after Lew Grade, the Andersons' financial backer, failed in his bid to sell the programme to American network television.
This article primarily discusses screen and audio works of fiction based on Thunderbirds, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. It also covers imitations and references in other media.
↑ La Rivière, Stephen (2009). Filmed in Supermarionation: A History of the Future. Neshannock, Pennsylvania: Hermes Press. p.141. ISBN978-1-932563-23-8.
↑ Cull, Nicholas J. (2009). "Gerry Anderson (1929–)". Fifty Key Figures in Science Fiction. Routledge Key Guides. Bould, Mark; Butler, Andrew M.; Roberts, Adam; Vint, Sherryl. Oxford, UK; New York City, New York: Routledge. p.5. ISBN978-0-203-87470-7.
↑ Cull, Nicholas J. (2006). "The Man Who Made Thunderbirds: An Interview with Gerry Anderson (19 July 2003, XXth International Association for Media and History Conference)". In Cook, John R.; Wright, Peter (eds.). British Science Fiction Television: A Hitchhiker's Guide. London, UK: I.B. Tauris. p.119. ISBN978-1-84511-048-2.
Archer, Simon; Hearn, Marcus (2002). What Made Thunderbirds Go! The Authorised Biography of Gerry Anderson. London, UK: BBC Books. ISBN978-0-563-53481-5.
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