I very strongly agree with what Daria, Tikatu, Willow, Amanda, TracyFan, Math Girl & Tawnyangel have said. Thunderbirds as well as the other Gerry & Sylvia Anderson Supermarionation, is VERY MUCH alive & well.

For instance, let us not forget Mike Mercury and the adventures of ‘Supercar’ (1961-62) which began the era of Supermarionation. Or, ‘Fireball XL5′ (1962-63) which introduced us to Steve Zodiac and the World Space Patrol.

And then there’s the ultimate prelude to Thunderbirds, Stingray (1964-65) which featured the valiant Troy Tempest and the crew of the World Aquanaut Security Patrol, who kept the world safe from evil forces beneath the sea.

Last but not least, the indestructible Captain Scarlet (1967-68) who with Spectrum, defended mankind from the menace of the Martian Mysterons.

So don’t count us out any time soon, we’re a force to be reckoned with!!

Small hiden cameras, comunicators in watches, imprent pens, a fabric that can fit into the smallest of spaces…all of it and more are real now. That really feeds the imagination. Makes me wonder if a imaginary rescue team can turn real. Although the team wouldn’t be the Tracy family like my imagination wants to lead me to believe…but I’m hoping that the guys are cute too.

Will

Small hiden cameras, comunicators in watches, imprent pens, a fabric that can fit into the smallest of spaces…all of it and more are real now. That really feeds the imagination. Makes me wonder if a imaginary rescue team can turn real. Although the team wouldn’t be the Tracy family like my imagination wants to lead me to believe…but I’m hoping that the guys are cute too.

Will

C.

As for the fandom, despite the fact that licensing seems to all but have dried up since Granada/ITV bought Carlton, there are still millions-worth of BPS, dollars and Yen being put into and spent on Thunderbirds memorabilia each year, with recent collections such as the excellent Robert Harrop porcelain figurines, signed portraits of the Tracy brothers straight from the lounge at Tracy Villa, yet another full-series DVD set for both the Region 1 and Region 2 markets and the Konami Ultimate Thunderbirds sets hitting the market to enthusiastic receptions. Some smart marketing folks definitely know that we’re out here: fans around the globe with both a mania for Thunderbirds and deep-pocket disposable income. Additionally, I’m willing to bet that there hasn’t been one year since 1966 wherein there were no Thunderbirds-related toys issued, particularly in Australia and Japan; the franchise has been THAT important to retailers over the years. 2010 will mark the series’ 45th anniversary and you can be sure there will be more merchandising, more media exposure and, yes, more fans joining the fold. Welcome!

I’m thinking of all those kids out there who take PC’s, Blackberries, and laptops for granted. You wouldn’t have all those neat little gadgets if it wasn’t for the earliest computers. Univac comes to mind. The New Math! The only math I understood….lol. The reason I bring that up is that the shows you’re watching now, will be treated with the same respect in years to come. The kids in the next 20 years are going to be laughing at the gadgets, gizmos and shows you hold dearly now.

You’re welcome to join us any time.

And Alan Coil just for the record Barbara Bain was in ‘Space 1999′ and she was far from wooden.

If you care to look carefully you’ll see there is a great interest in classic thunderbirds, from DVD’s of the episodes, to books, comics, commemorative plates and models of the Thunderbird crafts and characters. There are also Thunderbirds Conventions held over here in the UK each year. So Thunderbird are not a dying series.

And Alan Coil just for the record Barbara Bain was in ‘Space 1999′ and she was far from wooden.

If you care to look carefully you’ll see there is a great interest in classic thunderbirds, from DVD’s of the episodes, to books, comics, commemorative plates and models of the Thunderbird crafts and characters. There are also Thunderbirds Conventions held over here in the UK each year. So Thunderbird are not a dying series.

What Im getting at is the fact that the second generation tends to set there sights on trends. Once one thing is gotten tired of they cast it asside like an old broken toy, or a video game that had just been finished.

The older generations know what they like and tend to stay with the series more solidly. More loyally.

In part I think thats whats happened to most of the Thunderbirds fandom. Its not totally gone. Its still here, it might take a longer time to find some of us, but we’re still around.

Will

The 2004 movie brought in a lot of young fangirls - and is still bringing them in; just check out the new authors that pop up almost daily at fanfiction.net. Most of them have had to learn the ins and outs of the TV show as there’s little or no information on or characterization for the majority of the Tracy clan in the movie. Some of them have even been converted to becoming fans of both - even as a few of us “Classic Thunderbirds” fans have found things to love in the movie.

It’s true that a lot of sites have been abandoned, but as Daria said, you’re not looking in the right places for the active ones - and they’re the ones who have the pictures. And do you know what’s really interesting? All three of us who have answered your question so far are Americans. In England, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, Thunderbirds has reached the status of cultural icon. There are far, far more fans over in these countries than here in the States, but still, there’s a healthy group over here and more are added all the time. Hopefully a few of our fellow fans from across the ponds come and comment on your article as well.

We’re out here, and, as you can see, we’re paying attention to what’s said about our fandom.

While it is true that the 2004 movie had a tremendous impact on the fandom, opening it up to a whole different legion of fans, the old warhorses of the fandom have not slunk away by any means.

Most of my friends are into the fan fiction end of it, but the techno geeks are still out there, making models and discussing the relative merits of the designs of the original and movie versions of the ‘birds.

Don’t write the obit yet. We are still here, and we aren’t going anywhere.

Oh, and for the record? Gordon rocks!

While it is true that the 2004 movie had a tremendous impact on the fandom, opening it up to a whole different legion of fans, the old warhorses of the fandom have not slunk away by any means.

Most of my friends are into the fan fiction end of it, but the techno geeks are still out there, making models and discussing the relative merits of the designs of the original and movie versions of the ‘birds.

Don’t write the obit yet. We are still here, and we aren’t going anywhere.

Oh, and for the record? Gordon rocks!

Even Team America bombed. I don’t think most of Parker and Stone’s audience knew what exactly they were parodying, other than “R-rated puppets.”

Adult Swim is just getting around to Sid and Marty Krofft style televsion (Saul of the Mole Men).

I think there’s just some aspects of geek culture that are too old to revel in nostalgia, and there fan base just doesn’t care or know about new technology (namely the internet and DVD restoration).

There are television programs from the 50s, hell the 70s, that just sit in a vault, never to be re-released because no one thinks they have the potential to find a new audience, or that the original audience might actually be dying off.