 More than 3 @,@ 000 Thunderbirds @-@ themed products have been marketed since the series ' debut . To accommodate the high demand for tie @-@ ins , APF established three dedicated subsidiaries : AP Films Merchandising , AP Films Music and AP Films Toys . Some British commentators dubbed the 1966 end @-@ of @-@ year shopping season " Thunderbirds Christmas " due to the series ' popularity . In the early 1990s , Matchbox launched a new toy range to coincide with the BBC 2 repeats . Sales figures for Christmas 1992 exceeded those achieved by the Star Wars merchandising campaigns of the 1970s and 1980s . Demand for Matchbox 's Tracy Island Playset overwhelmed supply , resulting in shop fights and a substantial black market for the toy . 
 More than 3 @,@ 000 Thunderbirds @-@ themed products <a href='been_done' title='1'><mark>have</mark></a> been marketed since the series <a href='null_genetive' title='2'><mark>'</mark></a>debut . To accommodate the high demand for tie @-@ ins , APF established three dedicated subsidiaries : AP Films Merchandising , AP Films Music and AP Films Toys . Some British commentators dubbed the 1966 end @-@ of @-@ year shopping season " Thunderbirds Christmas " due to the series <a href='null_genetive' title='3'><mark>'</mark></a>popularity . In the early 1990s , Matchbox launched a new toy range to coincide with the BBC 2 repeats . Sales figures for Christmas 1992 exceeded those achieved by the Star Wars merchandising campaigns of the 1970s and 1980s . Demand for Matchbox <a href='null_genetive' title='4'><mark>'s</mark></a>Tracy Island Playset overwhelmed supply , resulting in shop fights and a substantial black market for the toy . 
More than 3 @,@ 000 Thunderbirds @-@ themed products done been marketed since the series  debut . To accommodate the high demand fa tie @-@ ins , APF established three dedicated subsidiaries : AP Films Merchandising , AP Films Music and AP Films Toys . sum British commentators dubbed da 1966 end @-@ of @-@ year shoppin season " Thunderbirds Christmas " due to tdaseries  popularity . In the early 1990s , Matchbox launched a new toy range to coincide with the BBC 2 repeats . Sales figures for Christmas 1992 exceeded those achieved by the Star Wars merchandising campaigns of thda970s and 1980s . Demand ffirMatchbox  Tracy Island Playset overwhelmed supply , resulting in shop fights and a substantial black market ffirthe toy .