Royal Mail kicks off the New Year with another issue playing on nostalgia of 60-somethings - the Genius of Gerry Anderson.
In 1961 the ITV network broadcast a revolutionary new puppet show called Supercar. Frustrated by the primitive technology of previous puppet shows producer Gerry Anderson had devised a new kind of animation called Supermarionation. This featured much more technically sophisticated puppets that were able to lip-synch dialogue while the problem of locomotion was solved by the simple expedient of putting the characters into vehicles for much of the show.
Combined with a fast moving sci-fi plot and plenty of special effects the show become an instant success and launched Anderson's career. Anderson was to produce five more iconic Supermarionation shows during the decade that followed before moving into live action TV with UFO, The Protectors and Space 1999.
The stamps feature all of Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation TV shows from the 1960s: Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Joe 90.
The miniature sheet focuses on Anderson's most successful show Thunderbirds. The four stamps feature Thunderbirds 1, 2, 3 and 4 and are Royal Mail's first stamps to use lenticular technology.
The sheet can be tilted to show the launch sequences that were such an iconic part of the show's opening titles that counted down to 'Thunderbirds are Go!'.
The stamps, micro-lenticular mini-sheet and all collectible products are available for pre-order from Royal Mail now and will officially launch on January 11 2011.
