Supermarionation

Geo

HungryJoe might be the only one who can remember this stuff, but are there any people out there who remember or know what Supermarionation (Marionette animation shows) is? I'm talkin' about shows like Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , Fireball XL5, Stingray, and of course THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!!!!

If you don't and you like shows that have cheap special effects that irradiate charm like that, look it up on Youtube and tell me what you think.

MrRoboto

We only had the Thunderbirds down here, but alas, as it is with all old shows it did not age that well.

Apreche

None of these were that good. That's not to say that puppet-based television shows can't be good. The puppets Mr. Rogers had were great. Obviously, Muppets were also totally awesome. I never liked the supermarionation shows like Thunderbirds. Regardless of the quality of the shows themselves, the puppets were not nearly dynamic enough, especially in terms of facial expressions. They also had very poor movement. Also, I think the shows were mad corny and stupid.

HungryJoe

Also, I think the shows were mad corny and stupid.

The fun thing to do with those shows was to turn the sound down and make up dialogue for yourself. That worked better the more people were there watching with you.

Notice I didn't say tape it. If you thought of something funny a character should say, you had to say it fast, because the rewind button hadn't yet been invented.

Actually, that was a strategy I used for a lot of shows (not just the supermarionation or other kid's shows) back then.

...

I owned the island with the vehicles from Thunderbirds in my youth. Never watched much of the show, never heard of the others.

BrutishSaucer

Growing up I don't remember seeing much of the classic puppet shows like Thunderbirds. However, I have been a big fan of Taiwanese martial arts puppet shows since I was a kid. It's interesting to see modern cinematic techniques and CGI being used in conjunction with such a traditional art form, and the results can be pretty cool looking. They've really nailed down the style of wire-work choreography you'd see in a great many of the 1980s-1990s sword epics from Hong Kong.

Li_Akahi

The best supermarionation ever is Team America: World Police. That is all.

Apreche

Wow, those martial arts puppets are freakin' awesome. Even though they have a slightly janky motion for small parts, they make up for it with great anime-style cinematography.