Sylvia Anderson first episode of a series then sharing the work according to their strengths. Gerry tended to specialise in special effects and hardware, and Sylvia in character, voices, costume, dialogue, and plotlines. In this way, Anderson contributed plot development and voice work for a series of half-hour shows including "Supercar", "Stingray" and "Fireball XL5". However, she felt the half-hour format was insufficient to fully develop characters and stories, and she persuaded the team's TV producer Lew Grade to extend their shows to a full hour. In the early 1960s, the Andersons co-created the series "Thunderbirds", and Sylvia created the characters. She
Gerry Anderson they licensed a huge range of toys, books, magazines and related items. The worldwide popularity of their TV shows, coupled with astute marketing, made APF one of the most successful merchandising ventures of the decade. The die-cast metal toys from series such as "Thunderbirds" were very popular at the time, and they now number among the most collectible toys of their kind. Models from almost all their series have been reproduced ever since by companies throughout the world, notably in Japan, where the TV series produced by Anderson has a dedicated following. The next series by APF was the futuristic