Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons

This is an original Captain Blue puppet head screen used in the classic 1967 series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons made by the Century 21 productions company of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, John Read and Reg Hill.

These supermarionation puppets housed an internal solenoid which enabled mouth movements that could be synchronised with dialogue. Construction of these puppets was a complex and time consuming process, first a master sculpt would be made from clay and then a plaster mold constructed, from which the heads were cast by layering up fiberglass cloth soaked in polyester resin. The puppets were then dressed with mohair and plastic hemispheres for eyes containing a colour photograph of a human pupil. The lower lips are hinged and held shut by a spring allowing movement in order for the puppet to talk. The rear of the heads are detachable to gain access to the internal mechanisms and are held in place by strong magnets, the joints being covered by the hair. The finely crafted internal mechanisms could be used to control the eye movement of the puppet. It was common for several versions of head to be constructed in addition to the normal heads including smilers, frowners and blinkers.

This original Captain Blue smiler puppet head used on screen in the episode 'Crater 101' was sculpted by Terry Curtis and voiced by Ed Bishop who later went on to appear in Anderson's UFO. Although it is common for the back of the head, the internal mechanism and even the eyes to be missing this puppet is in remarkably complete condition. The original back of head is still intact and is marked S indicating that this puppet is a smiler version. The eyes have faded to a pinkish colour which is very common and the internal mechanism is intact which is a rarity as many were removed after filming for use on subsequent productions.

A truly excellent example which is a testament to the quality of Gerry Anderson productions and a rare insight into the Supermarionation process which is sadly an almost forgotten art form.