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Still, I can understand why they were reluctant to have you see them walking around; the one scene where you really get a good look at their leg movement (during a dream sequence which features an appearance of puppet versions of Cliff Richard and his band, the Shadows) shows that they were rather awkward in this regard.


I remember reading somewhere that this limitation inadvertently contributed much of the show's signature look. The creators knew that walking was something their puppets looked very awkward doing,* so they contrived it so that you rarely saw them do that. Notice that the characters drive and fly everywhere - and when the Tracy brothers have to get in their vehicles, do they simply run to the hatch? No, they have their chair move over to the wall, a panel slides open, the chair tilts backward and they then slide down a ramp (looks cool, but it's absurdly over-complicated). The pilots in the live-action UFO finally got to run to their hatches before they lept in!

*I've also read that walking is the hardest activity for would-be designers of robots to mimic. If you want to spot the android, just have him walk across the room!