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There was also an episode of the popular kids TV show Blue Peter, where they showed you how to make Tracy Island. I believe that helped boost it's popularity.


I think that was downstream to deal with the fact the real toy was expensive and hard to get due to demand.

IIRC it was Blue Peter's most requested instructions ever.

Quite a signficant public service by whoever designed that when you think about it.


The original instructions are online!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/bluepeter/makes/tracyisla...

Via https://www.bbc.com/videos/c511wey54g4o ("1993: Tracy Island - Blue Peter")

The next video in the archive is about "this new thing called the Internet", from 1994 https://www.bbc.com/videos/czv20818q2no


For all those who didn't have the privilege of growing up as a kid in the 90's, this went viral before going viral was a thing :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UzWkEHOdZA


This was huge. Everyone in my class was trying to build it! It occasionally gets talked about to this day


With Anthea Turner, no less... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM_iV7R8rTM


Back in the good old days, when kids had attention spans!




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