posted 12-26-2012 12:59 PM               

Gerry Anderson, puppetry pioneer and British creator of the sci-fi hit “Thunderbirds” TV show, has died. He was 83.

Anderson’s son Jamie said his father died peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday at a nursing home near Oxfordshire, England, after being diagnosed with mixed dementia two years ago.

His condition had worsened dramatically over the past six months, his son said.

Anderson’s television career launched in the 1950s. Once “Thunderbirds” aired in the 1960s, “Thunderbirds are go!” became a catchphrase for generations. It also introduced the use of “supermarionation” — a puppetry technique using thin wires to control marionettes — and made sci-fi mainstream, according to Jamie Anderson.

posted 12-26-2012 01:16 PM               

While he has undoubtedly influenced a whole generation of Brits, such was the popularity of his production company's products that it also inspired many around the world (including several people who work in the space program today). In my own case, Space 1999 was the first show of his that I saw as a child and it struck a major chord with me in wanting to explore space (I saw the other shows when my family got cable in the early 1980s). The creations from Anderson's model guys (such as Meddings and Johnston) also influenced my push into doing science fiction and real space models.

posted 12-26-2012 05:34 PM            

Like other space enthusiasts, I grew up with amazing TV shows like "Fireball XL5" and "Thunderbirds" while real astronauts and cosmonauts were beginning the exploration of space. They were exciting times.

Almost 48 years after "Thunderbirds" first burst onto our TV screens, it remains a much-loved TV icon. Now, the creation has outlived the creator.

posted 12-27-2012 01:27 AM               

R.I.P.

posted 12-27-2012 11:30 PM               

Supercar!

Supercar! Supercar!
With beauty and grace,
as swift as can be,
watch it flying through the air.
It travels in space
or under the sea,
and it can journey anywhere.

Supercar! Supercar!
It travels on land
or roams the skies
through a heavens stormy rage.
It's Mercury-manned
and everyone cries,
"It's the marvel of the age!"

posted 03-18-2016 02:08 PM               

Sylvia Anderson, the co-creator of Thunderbirds who was best known for voicing Lady Penelope in the classic TV show, has died aged 88.

A producer and writer, Anderson created the supermarionation puppet series with her husband, Gerry. She died at her home in Bray, Buckinghamshire, after a short illness.

"Sylvia was a mother and a legend. Her intelligence was phenomenal but her creativity and tenacity unchallenged," her daughter, Dee Anderson, said. "She was a force in every way, and will be sadly missed."