In the original series, the heavily camouflaged island is located in the South Pacific Ocean and is home to the Tracy family, scientists Brains and Tin-Tin, and housekeeper Kyrano.

The name "Tracy Island" originates in Thunderbirds comic strips and other tie-ins; within the series, the characters simply refer to it as International Rescue's "base".

Various features of the original series' villa – such as the outside staircase descending to water, the large windows, and the prominent stone chimney – indicate that its design was inspired by Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater house.

If the island has visitors from the outside world, a security protocol called "Operation Cover-Up" is initiated, whereby the wall portraits slide away to be replaced by photographs of the brothers in off-duty attire.

Although the security of the island is stated to be assured by jamming equipment, in the Thunderbirds comic strips published in TV Century 21 it proves to be somewhat vulnerable due to the machinations of The Hood.

The 7,400-square-metre (80,000 sq ft) stand was designed as a replica of Tracy Island, complete with a beach, a lake, an aircraft hangar and an overhead model of Thunderbird 2.

Titled "Thunderbirds Powered By Ford", it was one of the largest exhibits ever built by construction company Imagination and proved to be a success, attracting 250,000 to 300,000 visitors and winning a certificate of "High Commendation" at the 2004 Marketing Brand Design Awards.

[8] Rob McLaughlin of the entertainment website Den of Geek named it the seventh-best secret base in film and TV but challenged one particular design aspect: "There's the small matter of the ever-present risk of a great big rocket ship appearing out the bottom of [the swimming pool] and squashing you.

"[16] In the UK, repeats of Thunderbirds on BBC2 in the early 1990s led to renewed public interest in the series and a fresh wave of tie-in toys, including a Tracy Island playset by Matchbox.

[24][25][26] In January 1993, the BBC children's TV programme Blue Peter responded to the stock shortage by showing viewers how to build a home-made version out of household waste.

[20][27][28] Eventually the broadcaster stopped sending out the sheets and released a recording of presenter Anthea Turner's demonstration, Blue Peter Makes a Thunderbirds Tracy Island, on VHS.

[32] In 2005, Thunderbirds' 40th anniversary, The Daily Telegraph journalist Jim White commented that "four generations of kids have fallen under the spell of Parker, Brains and The Hood, constructing their own Blue Peter Tracy Islands out of detergent bottles and sticky-backed plastic.