Hi Woodsy
Here are some pictures of the JR21 Lady Penelope tea set I bought:
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The last photo is of the letter that was included in the thick cardboard surrounding box. It's in Dutch, by supermarket Albert Heijn (one of the biggest of the country) and signed by AB Fienieg who was the head of the marketing department at the time.
Apparently, kids could enter a competition to guess the number of drawings that Brains made for the Thunderbirds. This winner received this set because she (along with other boys and girls) was pretty close but didn't have the correct answer.
Pretty neat piece of history!
Only thing I'm not sure about is the cardboard coasters that seem to be missing, but in another picture I've seen there is also a cutout in the inlay for those coasters and mine doesn't have that. It also says on the box 29-piece tea set and this set consists of exactly 29 pieces.
Not sure what year this was made though, so looking for some more information as well. Also wondering what the worth of this piece would be.
More on the competition that people could enter. It was held in August 1966. Winners were announced in September 1966. You had to be younger than 18 to compete. There were 2000 sets of thunderbirds and tea sets (not sure how many of each) handed out to kids that didn't win the main prize (a visit to the Thunderbird studio!)
It was the first computerized competition where a computer would determine the winners. 27 kids won and got to visit the studio.
The tea set I have bought was won by a girl as she was close to the number of drawings Brains made of the Thunderbirds.
Terry Verduijn
Holland
What an exciting post! Many things to celebrate here - the glorious tea set of course, the amazing box graphics, and for me, the realization that Thunderbirds was such an international hit that it prompted such promotional ties in supermarkets and such. It's great to recall what a huge impact Thunderbirds had on us all. A truly amazing moment in time. Thanks for sharing this! SFZ
ReplyDeleteYep, I agree SF. This was an amazing flea market find by Terry and he's done well to buy it. He's been very kind with his information about the toy and the Dutch newspaper competition is really fascinating. In nearly 35 years of collecting Ive never seen this toy tea set in the flesh.
DeleteThat is the most beautiful tea set I have ever seen, and in amazing condition. A great find.
ReplyDeleteI agree Paul, its a cracker. I wonder if Lincoln or Toltoys released any Lady Penelope toys?
DeleteTerrific! While it was a surprise to see a tea set tie-in to the Thunderbirds, I suppose it shouldn't have been. I imagine the potential for marketing Lady Penelope toys to girls would have been lucrative.
ReplyDeleteYep, there was loads of Lady P stuff for girls. Comics, annuals, jewelry sets, tea set and more! It was good time to be Lady Penelope Jr.!
DeleteLady Penelope having tea, and being served by Parker, was a regular scene in Thunderbirds, so a replica of the tea set used makes a lot of sense. There were toys and other items featuring Lady Penelope from Thunderbirds, and the Angels from Captain Scarlet, aimed directly at girls.
ReplyDelete