ITV Studios Global Entertainment is amping up the Classic Thunderbirds program in Japan with a themed restaurant and bi-weekly magazine.
ITVS GE partnered with theme-restaurant operator Newton to open the Thunderbirds Café in the Ochanomizu district of Tokyo in June. In addition to Thunderbirds-themed menu items, the café is designed to resemble the Tracy Island control room and features posters, film stills, portraits and a collection of rare items such as original models of the Thunderbird aircraft.
A partwork magazine collection from DeAgostini Japan that features classic shows from Gerry Anderson, creator of Thunderbirds, debuted in June 2011 and is also seeing success in the region. The bi-weekly magazines combine images and information from Anderson shows such as “UFO,” “Stingray” and “Joe 90” in addition to “Thunderbirds” and come with DVDs of the shows themselves. The partnership between ITVS GE and DeAgostini for the collectible magazines will extend through June 2013.
"These exciting collaborations with the Thunderbirds Café and DeAgostini are already making a big impact and proving particularly effective in bringing the magic of Thunderbirds to a brand new generation in Japan,” says Kentaro Yoshida, executive officer, Tohokushinsha Film Corporation, Japanese agent for Classic Thunderbirds. “Building on this success, we are looking forward to even greater expansion of the Classic Thunderbirds brand in the Japanese market in the run-up to its 50th anniversary in 2015."
