Thunderbirds

Fandom
Name:	Thunderbirds
Abbreviation(s):
Creator:	Gerry and Sylvia Anderson
Date(s):	September 30, 1965 – December 25, 1966
Medium:	TV series, Books, Comics, Films
Country of Origin:	United Kingdom
External Links:	Thunderbirds at Wikipedia, Official Website on Wayback
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Thunderbirds was a 1960s British science-fiction television series using puppetry (Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation system) and model vehicles which had various spinoffs including two feature-length films (Thunderbirds 1966 and Thunderbird Six 1968), books, annuals, and comics. Three compilation films were released in the 1980s. The series was the source for an anime series, Thunderbirds 2086 (1982). A live-action film version, Thunderbirds (2004), was a commercial failure. A 2015 CGI-animated series, Thunderbirds Are Go, is ongoing.

Fanderson was a fan convention for Thunderbirds and other Gerry & Sylvia Anderson shows held in 1982.

Canon

The focus of the show was on daring rescues; the Tracy family - Jeff Tracy and his five sons plus associates - used their Thunderbird vehicles to reach and save the occupants of collapsed buildings and other danger areas. To prevent their technology falling into the wrong hands they concealed their identities and the location of their base. While bad engineering and other "natural" causes were the usual reason for adventures, they were also opposed by The Hood, a criminal genius who was after their secrets. In the original series the Tracys were armed during rescues; in the current CGI remake they are not.

Fandom

While most fandom for this series revolves around collecting models and other toys, books, posters, etc., there has been some fanfic, fan art etc.

Thunderbirds fandom had a notable presence on FanLib.

Thunderbirds_Are_Go was a Yahoo group started on November 26, 2000 that had moderated membership with 533 members at its close. The group was particularly active between 2003-2004 when it received up to 900 messages a month. The group began dying out in 2016 but continued receiving messages until the site wiped out its archives.

5-4-3-2-1: Thunderbirds Are GO! Here's a place to talk about one of the most popular shows of all time, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's "Thunderbirds!" If you love the adventures of those Tracy boys, post here early and often! Welcome! You are also welcome to visit my fansite, www.ThunderbirdsAreGo.net and to join our Yahoo Groups RPG, "Thunderbirds_RPG." And if you're browsing for a quick answer: F.A.B. is an affirmative, like "Roger" or "Copy that." The initials don't stand for anything, coming from the slang for "fabulous." (But join us anyway)!

Example Fanworks

Fics

• Missing Scenes Anthology by Tikatu. A group of "might-have-been" scenes from a variety of Thunderbirds episodes.
• Hiding in Plain Sight by Don Sample; Buffy goes to Tracy Island to collect some money. Buffy the Vampire Slayer crossover.

Zines

• WOGASA

Fannish Resources

• Works tagged Thunderbirds at Archive of Our Own (includes the original and CGI series)
• Thunderbirds at FanFiction.Net