Tin-Tin Kyrano facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tin-Tin Kyrano
Thunderbirds character
The original puppet character
First appearance	"Trapped in the Sky" (30 September 1965)
Created by	Gerry and Sylvia Anderson
Designed by	Christine Glanville (puppet sculptor)
Voiced by	Christine Finn
Information
Occupation	Scientist and engineer
Affiliation	International Rescue
Family	Kyrano (father) The Hood (half-uncle)
Nationality	Malaysian
Home	Tracy Island

Tin-Tin Kyrano is a fictional character introduced in the 1960s British Supermarionation 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.

Due to copyright problems with Hergé's The Adventures of Tintin, for the remake, the character's name was changed to Tanusha "Kayo" Kyrano.

Thunderbirds (1965–66)

Background

Sylvia Anderson, 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. The character's name was derived from the Malaysian term for "sweet". The Supermarionation puppet was sculpted by Christine Glanville. 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 appearances.

Character biography

Born on 20 June 2004 or 2043, Tin-Tin is the daughter of Kyrano – an old friend of, and manservant to, International Rescue founder Jeff Tracy. 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"), to a laboratory assistant to the scientist and engineer Brains ("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").

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 and mind control powers similar to those of her half-uncle, the Hood (and, similarly, weakens momentarily as a side-effect of their use).

Thunderbirds Are Go (2015–20)

For the 2010s remake, Thunderbirds Are Go, Tin-Tin was re-named Tanusha "Kayo" Kyrano due to potential copyright issues in respect of the Hergé comic book character Tintin. Kayo is Tracy Island's head of security and often serves as Alan's co-pilot on board Thunderbird 3. 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".