Thunderbirds Are....Aaarrrggghhh!

There are many things on this planet that I fear – I’ve already mentioned a couple of them on here – but none perhaps as freaky as my completely irrational aversion to…Thunderbird puppets! 

I don’t think I suffer from pupaphobia (the fear of puppets) per se as I did love 'The Muppets', 'Sesame Street' and 'Fraggle Rock' as a child… so what is about these seemingly innocuous puppets that gives me the heebie jeebies? Perhaps it’s their stilted style of walking, the way they seem to have permanent whiplash coupled with constipation….or the fact that they never smile. Could be those eyebrows too...

For the benefit of anyone lucky enough not to be familiar with these disturbing marionettes, 'Thunderbirds' was a 1960s British TV show that was set in the 21st century and depicted the adventures of the millionaire former astronaut Jeff Tracy and his five sons – each named after a Mercury astronaut – Scott Carpenter, Virgil Grissom, Alan Shepard, Gordon Cooper and John Glenn, respectively. 

Together with Jeff’s elderly mother called Grandma, the scientific genius and engineer “Brains”, the family’s manservant Kyrano and his daughter Tin-Tin, the Tracy family lived on a remote Pacific island. They were, in secret, the members of International Rescue…a private and highly-advanced emergency response organisation, which covered the globe and even space, rescuing people with their futuristic vehicles, the Thunderbirds. Bit of trivia....the name 'Thunderbirds' came from an American Airforce base called Thunderbird Field during WWII.

The Tracys' Nemesis - The Evil Hood

Thunderbirds was an example of “supermarionation” — a technique pioneered by producer Gerry Anderson, which meant shooting puppets in front of miniatures. Some of the special effects were later used in the James Bond movies, Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

Thunderbirds achieved cult status, providing the inspiration for a number of subsequent TV programmes and films, and is still shown today. The series seemed to be constantly showing in TV re-runs when I was a child, but I wouldn’t stick around in front of the box for long to watch... 

Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward - London Agent for International Rescue 

And it seems even in 2011, I can't escape the long arm of the freaky puppeteer. Today I learnt that Royal Mail is honouring Gerry Anderson’s work with a new set of specially printed 'motion stamps'. When they are tilted back and forth, th stamps show the opening sequence of Thunderbirds, with each craft, 1-4, counting down to launch. It is the first time the Royal Mail has issued such hi-tech stamps - created by a process called micro lenticular printing.

I just hope I don't get any of them on the letters dropping on my doormat any time soon....