Well it isn't puppets operated by strings- They have been with us since the ancient Chinese in umpteen BC. So it is a question that has puzzled me for years, until now.
In 1956, a production team headed by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson were in the throws of creating a new childrens Sci/Fi series using puppets.
These particular puppets were a little different to the usual lumbering efforts. The show was to be Supercar.
Made of wood and leather the puppets were intended to talk, or at least look as though they did and in sync with the voice. To achieve this goal the mouths and eyes were operated on a complex series of solenoids, which in turn were powered by thin tungsten wires.
The size of the solenoids forced them to make the heads about three times too large for the body.
The system was refined through Thunderbirds, the wood giving way to plastic and eyes manufactured by an occulist to make them look more real. The biggest advances were in the electronics, becoming small and powerful enough that they could be housed easily into the chest cavity. With the result that by the second series of Thunderbirds, the heads were almost in proportion.
Further advances for Captain Scarlet, led the puppets to be operated from underneath, making the action that much smoother that at a quick glance they could be mistaken for real characters.
Unfortunately animation this way was difficult, signifying the end of the road for Supermarionation.
In 1956, a production team headed by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson were in the throws of creating a new childrens Sci/Fi series using puppets.
These particular puppets were a little different to the usual lumbering efforts. The show was to be Supercar.
Made of wood and leather the puppets were intended to talk, or at least look as though they did and in sync with the voice. To achieve this goal the mouths and eyes were operated on a complex series of solenoids, which in turn were powered by thin tungsten wires.
The size of the solenoids forced them to make the heads about three times too large for the body.
The system was refined through Thunderbirds, the wood giving way to plastic and eyes manufactured by an occulist to make them look more real. The biggest advances were in the electronics, becoming small and powerful enough that they could be housed easily into the chest cavity. With the result that by the second series of Thunderbirds, the heads were almost in proportion.
Further advances for Captain Scarlet, led the puppets to be operated from underneath, making the action that much smoother that at a quick glance they could be mistaken for real characters.
Unfortunately animation this way was difficult, signifying the end of the road for Supermarionation.
