Every great cult television show – and naturally, tie-in toy line – needs a dastardly foe who will try his utmost to ruin the plans of the good guys and prevent the heroes of the show from stealing the limelight through their daring deeds. Last time we looked at Captain Troy Tempest, the handsome hero from Stingray, so I thought it might be fun to follow that up with a villain from another absolute classic Gerry and Sylvia Anderson marionette TV show - The Hood from … [Read more...]
Stand by for action! It’s Captain Troy Tempest from Stingray!
As promised in my last post, here's another vintage action figure found at a flea market on my recent trip back to the UK, and like the Doctor Who collectible featured last time, this is a piece of UK television memorabilia from another cult show – Captain Troy Tempest, James Garner lookalike and the dashing hero of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's marionette masterpiece Stingray. The voice actors may have all been American – a ploy to ease overseas sales of the show – but the rest of the production … [Read more...]
I know you are, but what am I?!… Pee-wee Herman!
Love him or hate him, if you were alive in the 1980s you can't have missed American comedian Paul Reubens in the guise of his alter-ego Pee-wee Herman. Star of Pee-wee's Playhouse, an enormously successful and groundbreaking Saturday morning television show for kids in the US, worldwide audiences were first introduced to him via Tim Burton's debut film Pee-wee's Big Adventure, which turned the road movie on its head and Pee-wee Herman into a cult favourite.The last couple of decades have … [Read more...]