Almost four decades after taking off on the TV screen, "Thunderbirds are go" once more.
When the British Broadcasting Corp. relaunched the hit '60s series just over a year ago, some 5 million viewers tuned in. Within a matter of weeks, a new generation of "Thunderbirds" merchandise, including everything from computer games to underwear, had landed on store shelves throughout Britain: A month before Christmas, main-street stores had already sold out of a model of the show's Tracy Island, the headquarters of the Tracy family and other members of Thunderbirds International Rescue, a top-secret team that helps people in peril around the globe.
The 32-part series, masterminded by filmmaker and producer Gerry Anderson, has also been digitally remastered for DVD release in North America and Europe, where its healthy number of followers are known collectively as Fandersons. Though technical advances may mean superior sound and picture quality, purists will be glad to hear that the program has lost none of its cheesy charm and wooden acting. (And, yes, the strings are still very visible).