Tin-Tin Kyrano is a fictional character introduced in the 1960s British
Supermarionation
Supermarionation (a portmanteau of the words "super", " marionette" and "animation")La Rivière 2009, p. 67. is a style of television and film production employed by British company AP Films (later Century 21 Productions) in its puppet ...
puppet television series ''
Thunderbirds''. In the original TV series and its film sequels, the voice of Tin-Tin was provided by actress
Christine Finn. In the
live-action film adaptation, the character was played by
Vanessa Hudgens, while in the
remake series, she was voiced by
Angel Coulby
Angel Leonie Coulby (born 30 August 1980) is an English actress in film, television, and theatre. She gained recognition for portraying the character Gwen (Guinevere) in the BBC fantasy series ''Merlin''.
Early life
Coulby was born and grew u ...
.
''Thunderbirds'' (1965–66)
Background
Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Beatrice Anderson (; 25 March 1927 – 15 March 2016) was an English television and film producer, writer, voice actress and costume designer, best known for her collaborations with Gerry Anderson, her husband between 1960 and 1981. In a ...
, ''Thunderbirds'' co-producer and character co-creator, writes that Tin-Tin was conceived mainly to "redress the balance" of the "male-dominated" primary puppet cast.
Anderson regrets that the
backstories that she had devised for Tin-Tin and
her father mostly progressed no further than the script,
and that the pair's on-screen visibility was limited, in her view, to a series of
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
s.
The
Supermarionation
Supermarionation (a portmanteau of the words "super", " marionette" and "animation")La Rivière 2009, p. 67. is a style of television and film production employed by British company AP Films (later Century 21 Productions) in its puppet ...
puppet was sculpted by
Christine Glanville.
Character biography
Born on 20 June 2004 or 2043,
[Bentley 2005, p. 60.] Tin-Tin is the daughter of
Kyrano – an old friend of, and manservant to, International Rescue founder
Jeff Tracy
Jeff Tracy is a fictional character from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Supermarionation television show '' Thunderbirds'' and the subsequent films '' Thunderbirds Are GO'' and '' Thunderbird 6''. The voice for the character in these shows was sup ...
. She joins the organisation shortly after it starts operations, having inadvertently become involved in IR's first mission when the maiden flight of ''
Fireflash'', in which she is travelling from London to Tokyo, is sabotaged by her villainous half-uncle
The Hood ("
Trapped in the Sky"). Her further education, specialising in mathematics and engineering, was fully paid for by Jeff in gratitude for her father's service to him ("Trapped in the Sky").
Tin-Tin performs a variety of roles on
Tracy Island, IR's base of operations. They range from a secretary to Jeff ("
Terror in New York City
"Terror in New York City" is an episode of '' Thunderbirds'', a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company AP Films (APF, later Century 21 Productions) for ITC Enterta ...
"), to a laboratory assistant to the scientist and engineer
Brains
The brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head ( cephalization), usually near organs for special ...
("City of Fire", "Danger at Ocean Deep")
to active participation in missions, most notably the rescue of the ''Sun Probe'' spaceship ("Sun Probe"). She is also known to accompany
Lady Penelope on espionage missions ("
The Cham-Cham") and is a qualified pilot.
Tin-Tin is romantically involved with
Alan Tracy,
although their relationship is briefly strained when Tin-Tin's ex-boyfriend, Eddie Houseman, visits the island ("
End of the Road").
Name
Tin-Tin's name was derived from the
Malaysian
Malaysian may refer to:
* Something from or related to Malaysia, a country in Southeast Asia
* Malaysian Malay, a dialect of Malay language spoken mainly in Malaysia
* Malaysian people, people who are identified with the country of Malaysia regar ...
term for "sweet".
For the 2010s remake, ''
Thunderbirds Are Go'', Tin-Tin was renamed Tanusha "Kayo" Kyrano due to potential copyright issues in respect of the
Hergé
Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé (; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian cartoonist. He is best known for creating '' The Adventures of Tintin'', ...
comic book character
Tintin.
There is no character for "ti" in Japanese, and "chi" is usually substituted; however, ''chin-chin'' is a Japanese colloquialism for phallus. In Japan, broadcasts of TV series typically include subtitles introducing the names of characters when they first appear on-screen, and ''Thunderbirds'' episodes introduced Tin-Tin as "Min-Min".
Reception
Sylvia Anderson remembered the character as "mostly house-bound" and less of an adventurer than Lady Penelope, although she "had her followers" and served as a "decorative
sidekick
A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany.
Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, ...
to
her macho boss".
Commentators are divided on the subject of Tin-Tin's significance to the narrative. Jack Hagerty and Jon C. Rogers argue that prior to her sizeable role in ''
Thunderbird 6'', and despite her status as a series regular, the character was "usually nothing more than
window-dressing, with her actual contributions being a bit vague". David Ryan of website
DVD Verdict
DVD Verdict was a judicial-themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. The editor-in-chief was Michael Stailey, who owned the website between 2004 and 2016, and the site employed a large editorial staff of critics, whose revi ...
characterised Tin-Tin as "part hanger-around-the-house, part local-squeeze-for-
Alan
Alan may refer to:
People
*Alan (surname), an English and Turkish surname
* Alan (given name), an English given name
** List of people with given name Alan
''Following are people commonly referred to solely by "Alan" or by a homonymous name.''
* ...
's-pleasure, and 99 percent useless".
Stephen La Rivière
Stephen La Rivière (born November 1984) is a British film producer, writer and actor based in London. His directorial work includes the feature-length documentary '' Filmed in Supermarionation'' (2014), based on his book of the same name (2009).
...
is less critical, asserting that over the course of the series the character moved away "from being the submissive
hired help to a more assertive, independent role". However, he concedes that her development was overshadowed by Lady Penelope's.
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
offers a similar assessment, criticising the character's appearance in the first episode, "
Trapped in the Sky" ("a
helpless-female-to-be-rescued role"), but praising her contributions in "
Sun Probe" and "
The Cham-Cham" (stating that in the latter she "really comes into her own", emerging as Penelope's "sidekick").
[Peel 1993, p. 243.] He argues that compared to other Anderson series, ''Thunderbirds'' gave its minority of female characters more opportunities to prove their worth.
Daniel O'Brien describes Tin-Tin, as well as Penelope and
Grandma Tracy, as "intelligent" and "independent-minded", praising ''Thunderbirds'' for its progressive attitude to characterisation.
The ''
Star Observer'' describes Tin-Tin as a "kooky icon of 60s
Orientalism
In art history, literature and cultural studies, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of aspects in the Eastern world. These depictions are usually done by writers, designers, and artists from the Western world. In particular, Orientalist ...
".
Nicholas J. Cull cites the character's Malaysian nationality and status as a "positive non-white character" as examples of the series' rejection of ethno-national stereotyping. This contrasts with her relative, the Hood, whose Eastern appearance and manner were intrinsic to his villainy.
Glenn Erickson of
DVD Talk
DVD Talk is a home video news and review website launched in 1999 by Geoffrey Kleinman.
History
Kleinman founded the site in January 1999 in Beaverton, Oregon. Besides news and reviews, it features information on hidden DVD features known as ...
presents an opposing view, arguing that while ''Thunderbirds'' often resorted to stereotypes, it employed them "with some sensitivity – all except for Tin-Tin", whom he characterises negatively as a "literal
China doll". Kate Hunt of the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
, who studied the series' presentation of tobacco smoking, observes that in marked contrast with prolific smokers like Penelope, Tin-Tin was seen "incongruously" and "inconsistently" with a cigarette in just one episode ("
End of the Road"). She also wrote that the character filled a socially ambiguous position in the Tracy Island household, appearing variously as an "adopted daughter, secretary, and occasional member of the International Rescue team".
''Thunderbirds'' (2004)
In the 2004 live-action film, ''
Thunderbirds'', in which Tin-Tin plays a significant role, the character is portrayed by
Vanessa Hudgens. In addition to being younger than in the TV series, Tin-Tin is no longer Malaysian but depicted as being of Indian descent. Her mother, Onaha, also lives on Tracy Island. She possesses
telekinesis
Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...
and mind control powers similar to those of her half-uncle, the Hood (and, similarly, weakens momentarily as a side-effect of their use).
Reception
Vanessa Hudgens' live-action portrayal of the character has also polarised opinion. DVD Verdict's Dennis Prince comments that the re-imagined, younger Tin-Tin is "full of spunk and plenty of
girl-power
Girl power is a slogan that encourages and celebrates women's empowerment, independence, confidence and strength. The slogan's invention is credited to the US punk band Bikini Kill, who published a zine called ''Bikini Kill #2: Girl Power'' in 1 ...
attitude (which never becomes truly obnoxious, mind you)", and a "rather thinly stretched adaptation" of the original.
James Gray of the website The Digital Fix considers the character "not too bad, although she does spend the entire time smiling her head off, even in scenes where it really isn't that appropriate". Alex Hewison, commenting for the same website, is dismissive, judging the character a victim of gender
tokenism and "superfluity" as regards her "hyper-chaste love subplot" with Alan (
Brady Corbet). Erickson writes positively of the decision to have Tin-Tin inherit the Hood's "inscrutable Oriental wizardry", use of which is indicated on-screen by her eyes becoming "cat-like, vertical slits – a nice touch". Critics have written of perceived similarities between the live-action Tin-Tin and the fictional characters
Carmen Cortez (of the ''
Spy Kids'' film series) and
Hermione Granger
Hermione Jean Granger ( ) is a fictional character in J. K. Rowling's ''Harry Potter'' series. She first appears in the novel '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'' (1997), as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. After Harry and ...
(of the ''
Harry Potter
''Harry Potter'' is a series of seven fantasy novels written by British author J. K. Rowling. The novels chronicle the lives of a young wizard, Harry Potter, and his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, all of whom are students a ...
'' novel and
film series A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series.
This article explains what film series are ...
).
''Thunderbirds Are Go'' (2015–20)
For the 2010s remake, ''
Thunderbirds Are Go'', Tin-Tin was renamed Tanusha "Kayo" Kyrano. Kayo is Tracy Island's head of security and often serves as Alan's co-pilot on board ''
Thunderbird 3
The Thunderbird machines are a series of vehicles imagined for the mid-1960s film and television '' Thunderbirds'' series developed by Gerry Anderson. The released work began with the Supermarionation television series '' Thunderbirds'' and w ...
''. At the conclusion of the pilot episode, she is confirmed to be the Hood's niece, but it would appear that only Jeff and Grandma Tracy are aware of her ties to the villain, with the Hood taunting her about her keeping that information secret from the Tracy brothers. The Hood reveals this relationship to the brothers during the final episode of the first season, and Kayo later tells them that Jeff had decided to keep it a secret from them. At the end of the pilot, she is given her own ''Thunderbird'' vehicle: ''
Thunderbird Shadow''.
Commenting that the remake brings Tin-Tin "up to date", Carolyn Percy of ''
Wales Arts Review'' praises how Kayo's character development is no longer devoted entirely to "potential love interests". She also applauds the storylines for probing the character's relationship with The Hood in greater detail than the "vague references" of the original series, stating that this produces a "suspenseful subplot".
References
Works cited
*
*
External links
''Thunderbirds'' characters
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kyrano, Tin-Tin
British female characters in television
Female characters in animated series
Female characters in film
Female characters in television
Fictional astronauts
Fictional female engineers
Fictional female scientists
Fictional hypnotists and indoctrinators
Fictional Malaysian people
Fictional mathematicians
Fictional secretaries
Fictional security guards
Fictional telekinetics
Film characters introduced in 1966
Film sidekicks
Indian film characters
Teenage characters in film
Television characters introduced in 1965
Television sidekicks
Thunderbirds (TV series) characters