FIVE... FOUR... THREE... TWO... ONE...
An exhibition featuring toys themed on Thunderbirds and other Gerry Anderson classics is GO! At least it will be when it launches on Saturday 13 September, at the Museum of Brands in Notting Hill.
It was 60 years ago this year that Thunderbirds — a high-octane sci-fi puppet show following the exploits of International Rescue — first aired, and 50 years since the first broadcast of Space: 1999.
Both shows were the work of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, two highly skilled puppeteers and producers, who also created such hit shows as Supercar, Stingray and Captain Scarlet.
Spin-off toys, games and books from the various Anderson franchises were inevitable, and now over 400 items — many on public display for the first time — will go on show at the Museum of Brands, some from the personal collection of the Museum's founder Robert Opie, and others from Jamie Anderson, son of Gerry and Sylvia.
Among highlights of the stellar exhibition are die-cast Dinky Toys vehicles with their packaging (including the streamlined Spectrum Patrol Car from Captain Scarlet), vibrantly illustrated board games (video games were still a thing of the future back then), and various annuals (who even KNEW Lady Penelope had her own annual?!).
"These weren't just toys," explains exhibition co-curator Alice Kain, "For children of the 60s and 70s, these objects were the connectors to the Andersons' futuristic worlds. Each figure, board game and annual represents hours of imaginative play where ordinary bedrooms could be transformed into International Rescue headquarters or Moonbase Alpha."
Speaking of International headquarters, the exhibition also features an obligatory Tracy Island, liable to jog the memory of fans who grew up with Thunderbirds' second coming in the 1990s, at a time when the country was split into two camps: those who bought the official Matchbox Tracy Island, and those who built one using papier-mâché and toilet roll, under the instruction of kids' TV show Blue Peter.
Adds Jamie Anderson: "Although these series have been shown repeatedly since their original broadcast, it’s quite often the toys, games and collectables associated with the shows that bring people the most joy."
Thunderbirds and Space: 1999 - A Celebration of Toys and Collectables, Museum of Brands, 13 September 2025-28 February 2026. Exhibition included in museum entry fee.
