TERRY V'S JR21 LADY PENELOPE TEA SET

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

Madurdam Giant Dutch Model Village

Here is another British Pathe film, on the Dutch model village of Madurdam. It is built to a scale of 1/25th, and shows the progress of the town from 1000 AD to the present day (1955).

There are streets filled with houses, roads, railways, a port, and a modern airport. Many of the models work, with trains and vehicles running, ships moving through the water, etc.

The Lord Mayor of Madurdam was the then teenage Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands, who was Queen from 1980 to 2013. Relatively long for a Pathe film, at four and a half minutes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YOEKhQQ2dY

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Store Trekkin'

It's always fun checking out shops abroad. Here's a few snaps I've taken this week.

Proper shops, not my beloved Charidees!

First up, German Woolworths! It Still amazes me that Woolies exists on the continent but not in Britain anymore!

Have you got a Woolies?

Next up, TEDI, like a B&M, where they had BAZOOKA gum! It looks just like Bazooka Joe from the Sixties! Is that possible?

Kojak lollies!

Space spielset

Knock-off Bionicles

Hot Wheels everywhere

Zombie candy and gum

Zombie Dippers! Are those Airfix skeleton parts I see?

A gummi brain in blood sauce!

Oh, Halloween PEZ too.

Then we have the German Smyth's Toys and a few more Hot Wheels.

Fast and Furious

Special Twin mills, big and small redline versions.

Next up some food and drink in a great supermarket in Holland called Jumbo.

And to finish, some German Charidee shop stock - cool sofas, games and Kinder toys. 

and finally, a delicious schnitzel dinner for me and the Missus!

Lekker lekker!

What do you think?

MOONBASE LARDER RESTOCKED!

Along with our German collectables we also brought home a goodly supply of teutonic delectables and a smattering of Dutch treats to keep Moonbase personnel happy over the coming months.

The goods include potato dumplings [Knoedel], apple sauce, sauerkraut, semolina [Gries], noodles [Spaetzle], spiced ketchup and Veltins and Konig Pilsner beers to name but a few.

In Maasluis in Holland we sampled the local delicacy of Kroketten [deep fried breadcrumbed pasties stuffed with chicken supreme amongst other things] and purchased spiced breakfast cake, aniseed powder for toast [Muisjes] and based on a tip from Mr. Vreede, two bottles of the local soft drink, Hero brand Cassis, blackcurrant flavour.

A hearty "Yum yum yum" can be heard round Moonbase!