For decades, Joe 90 was the odd duck of the Anderson canon. It lacked the cosmic scale of Thunderbirds or the cool of Captain Scarlet . It was strange, uncomfortable even—a child soldier in a puppet world. By the 1990s, it was nearly lost. The original film stock had deteriorated. Master tapes were wiped or junked. Only grainy bootlegs and fragmented memories kept Joe alive.
Premiering in 1968, the series follows a nine-year-old schoolboy, Joe McClaine, whose scientist father invents the "BIG RAT" (Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record And Transfer). This device allows Joe to become the "World Intelligence Agent" by downloading the expertise of the world’s leading minds—from fighter pilots to brain surgeons—directly into his own brain. joe 90 internet archive
In the pantheon of 1960s "Supermarionation" classics from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, Thunderbirds is the undisputed king, followed by cult favourites like Stingray and Captain Scarlet . Nestled between these giants, however, is a peculiar, often-overlooked gem: . For decades, Joe 90 was the odd duck of the Anderson canon