Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
   HOME

TheInfoList



Click Here for Items Related To - Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
OR:
Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends on:   [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Amazon]

''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British
children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television show, television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during ...
that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''
The Railway Series ''The Railway Series'' is a series of British books about a railway known as the North Western Railway, located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first published in May 1945 by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry. Tw ...
'' books by Rev. W. Awdry and his son Christopher, the series was developed for television by
Britt Allcroft Britt Allcroft (born Hilary Mary Allcroft, 14 December 1943) is a British writer, producer, director and voice actress. She is the creator of the children's television series ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' (later re-titled ''Thomas & Friend ...
. The series follows the adventures of
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
, an
anthropomorphised Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. Personification is the related attribution of human form and characteristics t ...
blue steam locomotive on the fictional North Western Railway on the
Island of Sodor The Island of Sodor is a fictional island featured as the setting for ''The Railway Series'' books by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry (and his son Christopher), begun in 1945, and for the popular ''Thomas & Friends'' television series since 1984, alth ...
, and several other anthropomorphised locomotives on the North Western Railway, including Edward, Henry, Gordon,
James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...
, Percy, and
Toby Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה ''Toviah'', which translates to ''Good i ...
. They work for the
Fat Controller The Fat Controller, whose real name is Sir Topham Hatt, is a fictional character in ''The Railway Series'' books written by the Reverend W. Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry. In the first two books in the series (''The Three Railway Engin ...
, who always wants his engines to be "really useful". In the United States, it was first broadcast along with the spin-off series ''
Shining Time Station ''Shining Time Station'' is an American children's television series jointly created by British television producer Britt Allcroft and American television producer Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by Quality Family Entertainment (the Ame ...
'' on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
' PTV Park block in 1989. The rights to the series are currently owned by
HIT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (commonly written as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sop ...
(a subsidiary of
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
), which acquired
Gullane Entertainment Gullane Entertainment PLC was a British independent production company which produced children's programming, including ''Thomas & Friends'' (1984–2021), '' Shining Time Station'' (1989–1993), and '' The Magic Adventures of Mumfie'' (1994–1 ...
in July 2002. A new 2D-animated series, '' Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go'', premiered on September 13, 2021 on Cartoon Network.


History


Predecessors

The first attempt to adapt Awdry's stories for television came in 1953, when the editor of the ''Railway Series'' books, Eric Marriott, was approached by the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, who wished to use live-action model trains to re-create two stories from Awdry's first book, ''
The Three Railway Engines This article is a list of books in ''The Railway Series'', a British Book series, series of children's books written by both the Rev. W. Awdry and his son Christopher Awdry. The Rev. W. Awdry Era: 1945–1972 The first 26 books in the series ...
''. 00 gauge
Hornby Dublo Hornby Railways is a British model railways manufacturing company. Its roots date back to 1901 in Liverpool, when founder Frank Hornby received a patent for his Meccano construction toy. The first clockwork train was produced in 1920. In 1938, ...
models appeared on sets that reflected the style of the original illustrations. The first episode (based on "The Sad Story of Henry") was broadcast live on the evening of Sunday 14 June 1953 from Lime Grove Studios. The live broadcast did not fare well: a failure to switch the points caused the model of
Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
to derail and it had to be replaced on the rails by one of the operators. The models moved jerkily, and all effects and music had to be superimposed. News of the broadcast hit the front pages of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...
'' and the '' Daily Mail''. Awdry branded the episode "unprofessional", and the point-switching debacle an "elementary mistake". As a result, the second episode scheduled for 28 June 1953 was put on hold, and then later cancelled. The BBC offered Awdry and the ''Railway Series'' publishers greater creative control over the production, but the publishers declined, preferring to focus on publishing new books for the series. Nearly twenty years later, the BBC featured Awdry's stories in the television story-telling show '' Jackanory''. Fourteen years before ''Thomas and Friends'' was aired, Ted Ray (sitting in a stationmaster's office) read five ''Railway Series'' books in episodes that aired between 20 September to 2 October 1970. In 1973, Andrew Lloyd Webber (who had read ''The Railway Series'' as a child) approached publisher Kaye & Ward with a proposal for a musical television series, with songs from himself and lyricist Peter Reeves. However, the publishers and the author refused to give Lloyd Webber's company "control of almost everything", which Lloyd Webber's lawyers argued was necessary in order to "secure the investment money from America which would be needed to pay for the animation and the film-making." The status of the project seemed uncertain, and while Stanley Pickard (Kaye & Ward's managing director at the time) told Awdry that he was "maintaining personal contact with Andrew and still had a slight hope that there might be a way out", Awdry remained apprehensive, saying that "Once the Americans get hold of it the whole series would be vulgarized and ruined." Eventually, an agreement was reached and Awdry received an advanced payment of £500. A pilot episode was commissioned from Granada, which would feature 2D cutouts of the engines moving along a background in a style reminiscent of ''
Ivor the Engine ''Ivor the Engine'' is a British cutout animation television series created by Oliver Postgate and Peter Firmin's Smallfilms company. It follows the adventures of a small green steam locomotive who lives in the "top left-hand corner of Wales" ...
'', with involvement from animator
Brian Cosgrove Brian Joseph Cosgrove OBE (born 6 April 1934) is an English animator, designer, director, producer and sculptor, best known as the creator of the animated children shows '' Danger Mouse'' and '' Count Duckula''. In 2012 he won the BAFTA Spec ...
. The cutouts and backgrounds were based on illustrations from ''The Railway Series''. The pilot episode was completed by early 1976, but Granada ultimately decided not to produce a full series, as they feared that at the time Awdry's stories were not popular enough outside the UK to justify the time and money needed to make the series. Andrew Lloyd Webber later established the
Really Useful Group The Really Useful Group Ltd. (RUG) is an international company set up in 1977 by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It is involved in theatre, film, television, video and concert productions, merchandising, magazine publishing, records and music publishing. ...
in 1977, a name derived from the phrase "Really Useful Engine". He would go on to work on a musical loosely inspired by ''The Railway Series'', called ''
Starlight Express ''Starlight Express'' is a 1984 British musical, with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber and lyrics by Richard Stilgoe. It tells the story of a young but obsolete steam engine, Rusty, who races in a championship against modern engines in the hope o ...
'', which premiered in 1984, and became one of his most well-known works.


Early years and the series' success

In 1979, British television producer
Britt Allcroft Britt Allcroft (born Hilary Mary Allcroft, 14 December 1943) is a British writer, producer, director and voice actress. She is the creator of the children's television series ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' (later re-titled ''Thomas & Friend ...
was producing a documentary on the
Bluebell Railway The Bluebell Railway is an heritage line almost entirely in West Sussex in England, except for Sheffield Park which is in East Sussex. It is managed by the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society. It uses steam trains which operate between an ...
, a heritage railway in Sussex which featured in the ''Railway Series'' book '' Stepney the ''Bluebell'' Engine''. As part of her research before filming, Allcroft read some books in ''The Railway Series'' and was highly entertained and impressed with the stories which Awdry had written, later remarking that "there was something in the stories that I felt I could develop that would connect with children. I saw a strong emotional content that would carry with little children's experiences with life." Allcroft worked to convince Awdry that she could, with funding, convert the stories into a successful television show. Her efforts were successful, and she purchased the television rights from the publishers of ''The Railway Series'' at a cost of what was then £50,000 ($74,000 in U.S. dollars at the time). Allcroft still had to work to raise the money to finance production and (despite showing a keen interest) wanted a level of creative control which she did not want to forego. In the end, after several years of searching and having to place a second mortgage on her home, Allcroft raised sufficient funding from her local bank manager. By 1981, Allcroft had secured the finances to produce the show. She started to assemble the crew, including producer and director
David Mitton David Nelson Godfrey Mitton (27 February 1939 – 16 May 2008) was a British director, producer, writer, model maker and special effects technician. He was best known for producing and directing the children's television programmes ''Thomas ...
, the founder of Clearwater Features Ltd.; crew member Steve Asquith; American-born producer
Robert D. Cardona Robert Daniel Cardona (born March 7, 1930) is an American television writer, producer, director and animator. He co-founded Clearwater Features, along with David Mitton, in 1980. Career Cardona has been based in the United Kingdom for much of ...
; and composers and songwriters Mike O'Donnell and
Junior Campbell Junior Campbell (born William Campbell Jnr, 31 May 1947) is a Scottish composer, songwriter and musician. He was a founding member, lead guitarist, piano player, and singer with the Scottish band Marmalade and co-wrote and produced some of t ...
.


As a 5-minute TV segment (1984–2000)

The series started production in 1984, produced by Clearwater Features Ltd. (Mitton and Cardona's company) and ITV's
Central Independent Television ITV Central, previously known as Central Independent Television, Carlton Central, ITV1 for Central England and commonly referred to as simply Central, is the Independent Television franchisee for the Midlands. It was created following the rest ...
region. The series was originally shot and produced with live action models at the Clearwater in-house studio in Battersea, a suburb of London, for Series 1. Production was later relocated to
Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused ...
, Surrey, southwest of London, for subsequent series. The use of moving models was seen at the time of the series' conception as an effective method of animating the stories. Locomotives and other vehicles were operated by radio controls, while humans and animals were static figures. Stop-motion was occasionally employed for instances in which a human or animal character would move. Hand-drawn animation was used in
Series 3 Series 3 may refer to: * 3 Skypephone Series, the mobile phone series * Apple Watch Series 3, smart watch * Aston Martin Lagonda Series 3, the automobile model * Aston Martin V8 Series 3, the automobile model * BMW 3 Series, the automobile model li ...
to create bees (as seen in the episode "Buzz Buzz"). The first series (1984) used stories from the first eight books, along with one specially written by the Rev. W. Awdry, ''Thomas's Christmas Party''. The second series (1986) used stories from Book No.9 ( ''Edward the Blue Engine'') to Book No.30 ( ''More About Thomas the Tank Engine''). The latter book was unusual, as it was written specifically by Christopher Awdry to be adapted by the show. At that time, it was a contractual obligation that the series could only adapt stories that appeared in print. The series also used a story from a Thomas Annual, "Thomas and Trevor", and a specially written stand-alone story, ''Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree''. One episode (" The Missing Coach") was in the process of being filmed, but was cancelled mid-way through filming as Allcroft decided it was too confusing for young viewers. The production team went on to use "Better Late Than Never" instead. The story "Gordon Goes Foreign" from the ''Railway Series'' book ''The Eight Famous Engines'' was also planned to be adapted but was scrapped due to budgetary limitations. In between production of the second and third series, the production team were focused on producing two other television series: '' Tugs'', which ran for one series in 1989 for
Television South Television South (TVS) was the ITV franchise holder in the South and South East of England between 1 January 1982 at 9.25 am and 31 December 1992 at 11.59 pm. The company operated under various names, initially as 'Television South plc' and ...
(TVS); and the American television series ''
Shining Time Station ''Shining Time Station'' is an American children's television series jointly created by British television producer Britt Allcroft and American television producer Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by Quality Family Entertainment (the Ame ...
'', which repackaged ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' for the American television market from 1989 to 1996. Clearwater closed on 31 December 1990, just before production of Series three, with The Britt Allcroft Company becoming the sole producer. Series three had its first 16 episodes released on VHS in November 1991 before its broadcast debut in 1992 on
CITV CITV (short for Children's ITV, also known as the CITV Channel) is a British free-to-air children's television channel owned by ITV plc. It broadcasts content from the CITV archive and acquisitions, every day from 6 am to 9 pm which ...
. It was made at a cost of £1.3 million (approximately $9.3.million in U.S. dollars at the time). The series was a combination of episodes derived from ''The Railway Series'', stories in the ''Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends'' magazine (written by Andrew Brenner, who would later become the show's head writer starting in Series 16), and original stories by Allcroft and Mitton. One of the primary reasons for diverging from the original books was that many of the stories not yet used featured large numbers of new characters, which would be expensive to produce. Another reason was that the producers wanted more stories about
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
(the nominal main character). Awdry complained that the new stories would be unrealistic (see
Henry the Green Engine This article is about the characters that have appeared in the books of ''The Railway Series'' by the Rev. Wilbert Awdry and Christopher Awdry. Unless otherwise stated on this page, the technical notes come from actual notes laid out by Wilbert ...
for more details).
Robert D. Cardona Robert Daniel Cardona (born March 7, 1930) is an American television writer, producer, director and animator. He co-founded Clearwater Features, along with David Mitton, in 1980. Career Cardona has been based in the United Kingdom for much of ...
left as producer, while
Britt Allcroft Britt Allcroft (born Hilary Mary Allcroft, 14 December 1943) is a British writer, producer, director and voice actress. She is the creator of the children's television series ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' (later re-titled ''Thomas & Friend ...
joined
David Mitton David Nelson Godfrey Mitton (27 February 1939 – 16 May 2008) was a British director, producer, writer, model maker and special effects technician. He was best known for producing and directing the children's television programmes ''Thomas ...
as co-producer. Angus Wright took over as executive producer. Series 4 was first released direct to video between 1994 and 1995, before its broadcast debut on Cartoon Network. The producers planned to introduce some new female characters, including motor car Caroline, Nancy, and The Refreshment Lady.Sibley, p. 320 Some commentators took this as a response to accusations of
sexism Sexism is prejudice or discrimination based on one's sex or gender. Sexism can affect anyone, but it primarily affects women and girls.There is a clear and broad consensus among academic scholars in multiple fields that sexism refers pri ...
levelled against the series two years earlier.Sibley, p. 309 In reality, these were not "new" characters, but rather creations of Awdry from the original ''Railway Series'' books. Series four was almost entirely based on ''The Railway Series''. The
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
engines were introduced, and were the focus of a number of episodes. Only one original story ("Rusty to the Rescue", written by Allcroft and Mitton) was used, but this took certain elements of its plot and dialogue from '' Stepney the "Bluebell" Engine''. The fifth series (1998) (also first released directly to video before its TV airings on Cartoon Network) was a radical shift, as all episodes were written by Allcroft and Mitton with no further stories being adapted from the ''Railway Series''. This series saw the introduction of new characters, such as Cranky,
The Horrid Lorries The following article is a list of characters from the British television series ''Thomas & Friends'' and the reboot series '' Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go''. Standard gauge engines The main cast The Eight Famous Engines *Thomas (voiced ...
and Old Slow Coach. It also focused on more dramatic and action-oriented plotlines, along with more severe accidents, than the earlier series. After series 5, Angus Wright stepped down as executive producer. It was the final series broadcast on Cartoon Network, as
Nickelodeon UK Nickelodeon (commonly shortened to Nick) is a British pay television network aimed at children aged under 13. On 1 September 1993, a localised version of the US channel launched in the United Kingdom and launched at a later date in Ireland. I ...
would eventually acquire the broadcast rights to the show for it to air on their newly created
Nick Jr. Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
channel in 1999. CN continued to air older series until their broadcast rights fully expired in 2001. ''
Thomas and the Magic Railroad ''Thomas and the Magic Railroad'' is a 2000 children's fantasy adventure film written and directed by Britt Allcroft and produced by Allcroft and Phil Fehrle. It is the only theatrical live-action/animated ''Thomas & Friends'' film in the fran ...
'' was released in July 2000 in the UK, US, and Canada. It featured new characters created by Allcroft, along with characters from the show that had introduced ''Thomas'' to the U.S., ''
Shining Time Station ''Shining Time Station'' is an American children's television series jointly created by British television producer Britt Allcroft and American television producer Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by Quality Family Entertainment (the Ame ...
''. Despite high production values and the popularity of the show, the film was criticised by British reviewers who were unfamiliar with ''Shining Time Station''. The movie was well received by young children on both sides of the Atlantic, but made only $19.7 million at the box office, against a cost of The film was broadcast on BBC1 on 1 January 2004 and again on 29 December 2008.


Later years

The Britt Allcroft Company (which changed its name to
Gullane Entertainment Gullane Entertainment PLC was a British independent production company which produced children's programming, including ''Thomas & Friends'' (1984–2021), '' Shining Time Station'' (1989–1993), and '' The Magic Adventures of Mumfie'' (1994–1 ...
in 2000) was purchased by
HiT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (commonly written as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sop ...
, a company specializing in children's entertainment, in September 2002. The sixth and seventh series (2002-2003) were first released directly to VHS and DVD as forty-six episodes in the US and fifty-two in the UK, and continued to introduce action-packed storylines, as well as new characters. These series saw the introduction of a writing staff. The sixth series (2002) saw an attempt to create a spin-off based on the successful ''
Bob the Builder ''Bob the Builder'' is a British animated children's television series created by Keith Chapman for HIT Entertainment and Hot Animation. The series follows the adventures of Bob, a building contractor, specialising in masonry, along with ...
'' series. Two episodes introduced a group of construction machine characters known as "The Pack". The spin-off did not materialise for some time. Eventually, in 2006, thirteen episodes were released straight to DVD in two collections: ''On Site with Thomas'' and ''Thomas' Trusty Friends''. It was the first series broadcast on ITV since series 3. The fact that older sets were used and that the episodes were shot on 35mm camera (as opposed to the digital camera used at the time of the episodes' release) suggest it was filmed some time before Series 8. In Series 7 (2003) the programme title was officially shortened to ''Thomas & Friends'', this name having been used on merchandise and video covers for three years previously. Phil Fehrle replaced Allcroft and Mitton as producer, although Mitton remained as the director. Executive producer Angus Wright was replaced by Peter Urie and Allcroft as executive producers for Series 6. In 2003, Allcroft stepped down as executive producer, making Urie the sole executive producer for
Gullane Entertainment Gullane Entertainment PLC was a British independent production company which produced children's programming, including ''Thomas & Friends'' (1984–2021), '' Shining Time Station'' (1989–1993), and '' The Magic Adventures of Mumfie'' (1994–1 ...
, and Jocelyn Stevenson the executive producer for
HiT Entertainment HIT Entertainment Limited (commonly written as HiT) was a British-American entertainment company founded in 1982 as Henson International Television, the international distribution arm of The Jim Henson Company, by Jim Henson, Peter Orton, and Sop ...
. The eighth series (2004) was first released directly to VHS and DVD as four episodes in the US and six in the UK, before airing on television on
Nick Jr. Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
in the UK and
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
in the US. It introduced a number of significant changes to the show. Many members of the original founding team involved in the original show since 1984 left production, including Britt Allcroft, director and writer David Mitton, and original composers Mike O'Donnell and
Junior Campbell Junior Campbell (born William Campbell Jnr, 31 May 1947) is a Scottish composer, songwriter and musician. He was a founding member, lead guitarist, piano player, and singer with the Scottish band Marmalade and co-wrote and produced some of t ...
. The latter two had been embroiled in a protracted legal dispute with HiT before their departure. Asquith, who was part of the original production team since 1984, took over as director, while Simon Spencer replaced Phil Fehrle as producer. A new theme song and new incidental music was composed by
Ed Welch Edward William Welch (born 22 October 1947) is an English songwriter, composer, conductor and arranger. Early life and education Ed Welch had a classical music upbringing. He attended Christ Church Cathedral School from 1957-1961, where he w ...
and Robert Hartshorne, respectively. The episode runtime was increased to seven minutes. The series was produced using digital video cameras, creating a somewhat different look for the show. Other changes included the additions of CGI educational sequences and transitions between stories. Executive producer Peter Urie also left, while Jocelyn Stevenson remained in her role as executive producer. Sam Barlow became the story executive, while Abi Grant and Paul Larson served as script editors. This series saw the adoption of a centralised cast, including
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
, Edward,
Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...
,
Gordon Gordon may refer to: People * Gordon (given name), a masculine given name, including list of persons and fictional characters * Gordon (surname), the surname * Gordon (slave), escaped to a Union Army camp during the U.S. Civil War * Clan Gordon, ...
,
James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...
,
Percy The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...
,
Toby Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה ''Toviah'', which translates to ''Good i ...
and Emily. HiT Entertainment was itself acquired by
Apax Partners Apax Partners LLP is a British private equity firm, headquartered in London, England. The company also operates out of six other offices in New York, Hong Kong, Mumbai, Tel Aviv, Munich and Shanghai. As of December 2017, the firm, including its ...
, a private equity company, in March 2005. A straight-to-video film, ''Calling All Engines!,'' was released in 2005, shortly before series 9. While featuring characters from ''Thomas and the Magic Railroad'', it was not a direct sequel. It proved successful; this resulted in more direct-to-video specials being produced. Series 9 (2005) and 10 (2006) saw the expansion of the supporting cast with new and old characters. From Series 9 onwards, the narrator would call out the episodes' names, and from Series 11 onwards the theme song was began with the sound of a
train whistle A train whistle or air whistle (originally referred to as a steam trumpet) is an audible signaling device on a steam locomotive, used to warn that the train is approaching, and to communicate with rail workers. Modern diesel and electric locomot ...
. Series 10 aired with twenty-eight episodes rather than the twenty-six of previous years. The eleventh series (2007) was filmed in high definition format. Twenty episodes aired in the original broadcast, while six were first released direct to DVD as ''Engines and Escapades'' and later aired on TV. Jocelyn Stevenson stepped down as executive producer after Series 10, with Christopher Skala taking her place as executive producer for Series 11. Sharon Miller became the script editor from Series 9 to 11. Series 12 (2008) saw the introduction of CGI effects (provided by HiT Entertainment's subsidiary Hot Animation), with the intent of producing the show entirely in CGI the following year. The traditional models and sets were still used, but with computer animated faces superimposed on the models to allow for changing facial expressions. Humans and animals were fully computer animated to allow for walking movement. Only twenty episodes were produced and broadcast (the U.S. broadcast featured six additional episodes from ''Engines and Escapades''). Sharon Miller became the head writer, starting with Series 12. HiT announced multiple changes to the show beginning in 2009. One new aspect was the introduction of live-action host segments to ''Thomas'' home video releases. The host took the form of a character who worked on The Fat Controller's (Sir Topham Hatt's) railway, who would instruct viewers in craft projects. For the final 2 DVDs released for Series 12 in 2009, the host was named Mr. Arkwright, played by Robert Slate. In 2010, beginning with the DVD "Splish Splash Splosh", the host, played by Ben Forster, was named Mr. Perkins. Upon Forster's death in 2017, he was replaced by Mark Moraghan, who played "Mr Evans" in the web series. Other major changes included a move to production in CGI (done for budgetary reasons), rather than the use of physical models, and the addition of a voice cast to support the established narrator. The DVD feature '' Hero of the Rails'' was the first ''Thomas & Friends'' production to showcase these changes, and Series 13 was the first television series in the new format. The CGI animation for the series was provided by Nitrogen Studios of
Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
. In September 2010, Apax was preparing to sell off HiT Entertainment and its franchises, including Thomas – regarded as the single most valuable asset – in order to help clear HiT's debts, and in February 2012, sold the company, along with the Thomas properties, to "US toy giant",
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
. During production of Series 16 (2012), Sharon Miller stepped down as head writer, and Andrew Brenner (who had written some ''Thomas'' stories in the third series) assumed the role, after serving as script editor for "Blue Mountain Mystery". Additionally, Sam Barlow stepped down as story executive after the sixteenth series, and the production of the CGI animation was moved from Nitrogen Studios (of Vancouver) to
Arc Productions Jam Filled Entertainment is a Canadian animation studio based in Ottawa, Ontario with additional facilities in Toronto and Halifax and is a division of Boat Rocker Media. It is best known for animating '' Thomas & Friends'' between 2013 and 20 ...
(of
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...
). '' King of the Railway'' and Series 17, both released during 2013, served as the first special and series, respectively, developed by the new animation and production teams, respectively. 2014 saw '' Tale of the Brave'' and Series 18, the second special and series animated by Arc, respectively. 2015 saw ''
The Adventure Begins ''Greyhawk: The Adventure Begins'' is a 1998 sourcebook for the ''World of Greyhawk'' campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' roleplaying game. The 128 page book was written by Roger E. Moore and published by Wizards of the Coast under ...
'', a special coinciding with the 70th anniversary of the franchise, and ''
Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure ''Thomas & Friends: Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure'' is a 2015 British computer-animated fantasy adventure comedy film and the ninth feature-length special of the British television series, ''Thomas & Friends''. The film is produced by HIT E ...
''; Series 19 began airing that same year. 2016 saw some changes; longtime composers Robert and Peter Hartshorne (father and son team) left the series and Chris Renshaw and Oliver Davis took over. 2016 also saw '' Thomas & Friends: The Great Race;'' Series 20 began airing the same year. Series 20 was the last series of the show to air on PBS Kids; when Series 21 began airing in 2017, the American broadcast of the show was moved to
Nick Jr. Nick Jr. (known on-air as the Nick Jr. Channel) is an American pay television channel spun off from Nickelodeon's long-running programming block of the same name. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Gr ...
, ending a period of almost 28 years of ''Thomas & Friends'' on American public television. 2017 also saw the release of ''Journey Beyond Sodor''. The show was pulled away from Nick Jr. at the end of 2019. A twenty-second series of ''Thomas and Friends'' consisting of 26 episodes was announced. This series saw many changes, such as Edward, Henry and Toby being removed from the Steam Team to make room for two new female steam engines named Nia (Africa) and Rebecca (UK), and the narrator being replaced with Thomas talking to the audience (however, Mark Moraghan, the previous narrator said that he would still work on the series). Series 22 is set after ''Big World! Big Adventures!'', which came out on 20 July 2018. It introduces gender-balanced and multicultural characters which was and still is a hot topic amongst fans, and features a new theme tune. The series is split into two halves; the first half sees Thomas travelling around the world and visiting India, Australia, and China, while the second half takes place back on the Island of Sodor. The series was released on Netflix, Amazon and Hulu in late 2018. ''Thomas & Friends'' was renewed for a 23rd series which debuted in 2019. The 24th series was released in September 2020. The series was also the final series animated by
Jam Filled Toronto Jam Filled Entertainment is a Canadian animation studio based in Ottawa, Ontario with additional facilities in Toronto and Halifax and is a division of Boat Rocker Media. It is best known for animating ''Thomas & Friends'' between 2013 and 2020, ...
, as well as the last series of the entire original series. A second live-action/animated ''Thomas & Friends'' film is in development at
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
with
Marc Forster Marc Forster (born 30 November 1969) is a Swiss filmmaker. He is best known for directing the feature films '' Monster's Ball'', '' Finding Neverland'', '' Stranger than Fiction'', ''The Kite Runner'', '' Quantum of Solace'', ''World War Z'', and ...
serving as director.


Reboot

On 12 October 2020, it was announced by
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company founded in January 1945 and headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company has presence in 35 countries and territories and sells products in more ...
that the series would be rebooted with '' Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go'' and that Nelvana would co-produce and animate the series. The deal stipulated that 104 11-minute episodes and 2 60-minute specials would be produced, and that the animation would transition from 3D full CGI animation (used since its transition to full CGI in 2009) to 2D animation, with new refreshed redesigns for Thomas and his Friends. On 5 February 2021, it was announced that Cartoon Network and Netflix had jointly picked up the broadcast and streaming rights to the series in the United States, respectively.


Voice cast

Originally,
narrating A narrative, story, or tale is any account of a series of related events or experiences, whether nonfictional (memoir, biography, news report, documentary, travelogue, etc.) or fictional (fairy tale, fable, legend, thriller, novel, etc.). Narra ...
was used as the only voice in the series until 2008. Britt Allcroft thought it essential to convey the episode as a story that would be read from a book at home. Individual voice-over actors were given to both the UK and US dubs of the series, following the switch to full CGI animation in 2009. The narrators include Ringo Starr,
Michael Angelis Nicolas Michael Angelis (29 April 1944 – 30 May 2020) was an English actor. He was best known for his television roles as Chrissie Todd in ''Boys from the Blackstuff'', Martin Niarchos in '' G.B.H.'' and as a UK narrator of the British child ...
,
George Carlin George Denis Patrick Carlin (May 12, 1937 – June 22, 2008) was an American comedian, actor, author, and social critic. Regarded as one of the most important and influential stand-up comedians of all time, he was dubbed "the dean of countercu ...
, Alec Baldwin,
Michael Brandon Michael Brandon (born Michael Feldman; April 20, 1945) is an American actor. He is known for his role as James Dempsey in the British drama series '' Dempsey and Makepeace'' (1985–1986). His theatre credits include the original Broadway produ ...
, Pierce Brosnan,
Mark Moraghan Mark Stephen Moraghan (born 27 January 1963) is an English actor and singer. He has appeared in many British drama series including ''Peak Practice'', '' London's Burning'' and '' Heartbeat''. He is most famous for being the narrator for the ...
, John Hasler, and
Joseph May Joseph May is a British-born Canadian actor, who has appeared in television and film. He is best known for his role as Andy Button in the television series ''Episodes'', Paul who was the boyfriend of Sam Colloby, in '' Casualty'', Luke in ''I Liv ...
.


Characters


List of productions


Television series


Films, specials, and miniseries


Home video history

Over the history of the programme, the TV episodes and specials have been released for home viewing in a variety of compilations, formats, and languages, by a variety of publishing houses.


Production


Storytelling

Up until series 12, narration and dialogue were performed by a single storyteller. Starting from series 22 up until series 24, Thomas the Tank Engine himself takes over as the narrator and breaks the fourth wall.


Models

The original live action models were filmed on giant 16 x 20
model railway Railway modelling (UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which rail transport systems are modelled at a reduced scale. The scale models include locomotives, rolling stock, streetcars, t ...
layout sets that were built and dismantled one by one for each episode's scenes. The models were built to the 1:32 scale, known in model railway circles in "
Gauge 1 1 gauge, gauge 1 or gauge one is a model railway and toy train standard that was popular in the early 20th century, particularly with European manufacturers. Its track measures , making it larger than 0 gauge but slightly smaller than wide gauge, ...
". From Series 1 to 3, the locomotives used chassis made by
Märklin Gebr. Märklin & Cie. GmbH or Märklin (MÄRKLIN or MAERKLIN in capital letters) is a German toy company. The company was founded in 1859 and is based at Göppingen in Baden-Württemberg. Although it originally specialised in doll house accesso ...
, along with scratch built plastic bodies. Along with the moving-eye and eyelid mechanisms and resin faces, these bodies included smoke generators. For the first five series, the rolling stocks were made using Tenmille kits and most of them were later replaced with duplicates made from resin. Later models were constructed entirely from scratch. Some of the models from the sister television series '' Tugs'' were reused in later episodes of the series. From Series 5 to 12, some larger-scale models were used for the
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
characters, to more easily fit the complex mechanisms into them while retaining a sufficient level of detail. In Series 6, the characters known as "the Pack" (construction machines) were also constructed on a large scale, and larger models of
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
and
Percy The English surname Percy is of Norman origin, coming from Normandy to England, United Kingdom. It was from the House of Percy, Norman lords of Northumberland, derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy. From there, it came into use ...
were made to interact with them. In the ninth series, another large-scale Thomas model was built to be at the same scale as the narrow gauge engines and to provide greater possibilities for interaction. It was joined by a large version of
James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...
in the tenth series. Among the CGI switch in 2009, some of these models were put on display in a special exhibit at
Drayton Manor Theme Park Drayton Manor Resort is a family theme park, zoo and accommodation in the grounds of the former Drayton Manor, in Drayton Bassett, Staffordshire, England, UK. It covers , of which about are in use, and hosts about 1.5 million people each yea ...
's Thomas Land. Nitrogen Studios (who provided the animation for the series from series 12 to 16) also had some of the original models on display.


Animation techniques

The live action models used in 1984 could not
lip sync Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...
. HIT's subsidiary HOT Animation introduced the use of CGI in the show about 20 years later, first to add smoke and other effects. In 2009, HIT introduced a fully CGI series. In Series 12, CGI by Nitrogen Studios was used to animate the characters' faces and to make the people and animals move. The 13th Series was the first to be fully animated in CGI.


Music

Mike O'Donnell and
Junior Campbell Junior Campbell (born William Campbell Jnr, 31 May 1947) is a Scottish composer, songwriter and musician. He was a founding member, lead guitarist, piano player, and singer with the Scottish band Marmalade and co-wrote and produced some of t ...
composed the show's original main title theme, incidental music and 36 songs; these were used for series 1–7, comprising 182 episodes and music videos between 1984 and 2003. The instruments for series 1–2 were synthesized with the
Roland Jupiter-6 The Roland Jupiter-6 (JP-6) is a discontinued synthesizer, manufactured and introduced by the Roland Corporation in January 1983. Background Although introduced as a less expensive ($2,500-$3,000 market price) alternative to the Roland Jupiter- ...
and instruments for series 3–7 were synthesized with the
E-mu Proteus The E-mu Proteus was a range of digital sound modules and keyboards manufactured by E-mu Systems in the late twentieth century. History E-mu Systems came to prominence in the early 1980s with their relatively affordable Emulator sampler, and s ...
sound module. In 2004, Robert Hartshorne took O'Donnell and Campbell's place as composer, while
Ed Welch Edward William Welch (born 22 October 1947) is an English songwriter, composer, conductor and arranger. Early life and education Ed Welch had a classical music upbringing. He attended Christ Church Cathedral School from 1957-1961, where he w ...
became the show's songwriter from Series 8 to '' The Great Discovery.'' Welch left after ''The Great Discovery''. Hartshorne took his place as songwriter from Series 12 and onwards. From '' Day of the Diesels''/2011-2016, Robert's son Peter Hartshorne helped him with the music. In 2016, the Hartshornes left the series, and Chris Renshaw and Oliver Davis took their places. A new theme song was introduced in 2018.


Head writer

Since series 12, there has been a head writer for the series. Prior to the introduction of a head writer, the script editor performed similar duties. Sharon Miller served as head writer from series 12–16, when she was replaced by Andrew Brenner. Brenner had written many "Thomas" stories for various magazines, as well as his own original stories (several of which were later adapted for television episodes in
Series 3 Series 3 may refer to: * 3 Skypephone Series, the mobile phone series * Apple Watch Series 3, smart watch * Aston Martin Lagonda Series 3, the automobile model * Aston Martin V8 Series 3, the automobile model * BMW 3 Series, the automobile model li ...
and Series 5, and for which he had remained uncredited). Brenner had been a writer of several other children's animated series, such as ''
Angelina Ballerina ''Angelina Ballerina'' is a children's book series by author Katharine Holabird and illustrator Helen Craig about a fictional mouse (full name Angelina Jeanette Mouseling) who is training to become a ballerina. The first book in the series was ...
'', ''
Tractor Tom ''Tractor Tom'' is a British computer-animated children's TV programme, produced by the Contender Entertainment Group and Hibbert Ralph Entertainment. Two series were produced, consisting of 26 eleven-minute episodes each, which was aired betwe ...
'', ''
Fireman Sam ''Fireman Sam'' ( Welsh: ') is a Welsh animated children's television series about a fireman named Sam, his fellow firefighters, and other residents in the fictional Welsh rural village of Pontypandy (a portmanteau of two real towns, Pontypridd ...
'', ''
Spot Spot or SPOT may refer to: Places * Spot, North Carolina, a community in the United States * The Spot, New South Wales, a locality in Sydney, Australia * South Pole Traverse, sometimes called the South Pole Overland Traverse People * Spot (prod ...
'', ''
Poppy Cat Poppy Cat is a series of books created by British illustrator and writer Lara Jones. The books are published by Campbell Books (a division of Macmillan Publishers), and include ''Poppy Cat's Play House'', ''Poppy Cat's Christmas'', ''Poppy Cat L ...
'', and ''
Binka ''Binka'' was a British animated children's television series about the adventures of a large tomcat named Binka, who frequently travels to three houses for three meals a day. The show aired from 2001 to 2005 (four years, including repeats), ...
'', as well as being the creator of ''
Caribou Kitchen ''The Caribou Kitchen'' is a 1995 CITV animated television series, aimed particularly at pre-school children, which is about an anthropomorphic caribou named Claudia who runs a restaurant in the fictional town of Barkabout which serves a number ...
'' and ''
Humf ''Humf'' is a British animated children's television program featuring a furry creature named Humf. The show is centered on the title character and his exploration of the world. The show is produced by King Rollo Films and Rubber Duck. It is n ...
,'' and writer for several magazines featuring children's characters such as ''
The Real Ghostbusters ''The Real Ghostbusters'' is an American animated television series, a spin-off/sequel of the 1984 comedy film ''Ghostbusters''. The series ran from September 13, 1986, to October 5, 1991, and was produced by Columbia Pictures Television and DI ...
'', ''Fireman Sam'', and Thomas's sister series '' Tugs. He'' took over as head writer for Thomas for '' King of the Railway, serving in this capacity until'' leaving during the twenty-third series. David Stoten succeeded him as head writer for the twenty-fourth series. Sharon Miller has also been the voice director since the second CGI animated film '' Misty Island Rescue'', and continues to work on the series in this capacity. ;Script editors * Abi Grant (series 6) * Jan Page (series 7) * Abi Grant and Paul Larson (series 8) * Sharon Miller (series 9-11) * Becky Evans (series 16, last few episodes) ;Head writer * Sharon Miller (series 12–16) * Andrew Brenner (series 17–23) * David Stoten (series 24)


Broadcast

In the United Kingdom, ''Thomas & Friends'' was originally broadcast on ITV until 2006. Since then it has been broadcast on Channel 5's
Milkshake! ''Milkshake!'' (stylised as milkshake!) is a British children's television programming block on Channel 5 and is currently aimed at children aged 3–7. History The block debuted on Channel 5's first full day on air, at 7.30am on 31 March 1 ...
strand. In the United States, the series had first appeared in the form of sequences on ''
Shining Time Station ''Shining Time Station'' is an American children's television series jointly created by British television producer Britt Allcroft and American television producer Rick Siggelkow. The series was produced by Quality Family Entertainment (the Ame ...
,'' during the program's 1989 to 1995 run on
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
. The sequences of the series later aired in 1996 on ''Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales''. The series aired as ''Storytime with Thomas'' on Fox Family (now Freeform) from 1999 to 2000. ''Thomas & Friends'' returned in the form of several direct-to-video releases during season 6 (2002 to 2003) and as a stand-alone half-hour program on PBS Kids. it was distributed from 2004 to 2007 by Connecticut Public Television, and then by
WNET WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as "Thirteen" (stylized as "THIRTEEN"), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the ...
from 2008 to 2017. It also aired on Sprout from 2005 to 2015. The rights to broadcast the series through
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
expired in December 2017, thus ending a period of almost 30 years of programming related to ''Thomas & Friends'' on American public television. In 2018 and 2019,
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. It ...
held exclusive rights to the series in the United States. In 2020, the streaming rights were sold to
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...
, with traditional television rights (if any) left unresolved. It also airs on
Kabillion Kabillion is a children's video-on-demand service owned by Splash Entertainment. Launched on January 7, 2007, Kabillion is available both as a free VOD channel currently available on Comcast, Spectrum, Charter Communications, Altice USA, Cox Co ...
. The program airs in Australia on ABC Kids and
CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older childr ...
and on Four in New Zealand. In France, Southeast Asia, Spain and Italy, it plays on
Disney Junior Disney Junior is an American pay television network owned by the Walt Disney Television (part of Disney General Entertainment Content) unit of The Walt Disney Company through Disney Branded Television. Aimed mainly at children two to seven y ...
. In Canada, it formerly aired on
TVOKids TVOkids (short for TVOntariokids and stylized as tvokids) is the brand for most of the children's programming aired by TVOntario (TVO) in Canada. It was launched on April 1, 1994 and runs from 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. daily. The brand also operat ...
,
Family Jr. Family Jr. is a multiplex channel of the Canadian specialty channel Family Channel. It broadcasts children's programming aimed at viewers aged 2 to 7. The channel launched on November 30, 2007 as a Canadian version of Playhouse Disney, under ...
and the
Knowledge Network Knowledge Network, also branded as British Columbia's Knowledge Network, is a Canadian publicly funded educational cable television network serving the province of British Columbia. It is owned by the Knowledge Network Corporation, a Crown co ...
as a part of its Knowledge Kids block, and currently airs on
Treehouse TV Treehouse TV is a Canadian English-language specialty channel for preschoolers aged 2 to 5 that was launched in 1997. Its name comes from YTV's former preschool block, " The Treehouse". The channel is owned by YTV Canada, Inc., a subsidiary of ...
. In the Middle East, the show airs on
MBC 3 MBC 3 is a free-to-air children's channel launched on 8 December 2004, and appeals to children under the age of 15. All foreign television animated programs have been dubbed into Arabic. The channel also produces its own original programmes. It ...
and
Spacetoon ( ar, سبيستون or ) is a pan-Arab free-to-air television channel that specializes in animation and children programs. It began broadcasting on 15 March 2000 and it is headquartered in Dubai, UAE with offices in Riyadh. The channel targe ...
, and in the United Arab Emirates on e-Junior.


Other dubs


Apps

Mattel partnered with several companies, including Budge Studios and
Animoca Brands Animoca Brands (Animoca Brands Corporation Ltd) is a Hong Kong-based game software company and venture capital company founded in 2014 by Yat Siu. It was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange from 23 January 2015 to 9 March 2020. Nota ...
, to create apps based on Thomas & Friends. In 2010, Callaway Digital Arts created apps based on the brand. By mid-2011, thirteen Thomas apps were available. HiT Entertainment and Mattel both released apps under their own names. During the 75th anniversary press release in 2020, Mattel mentioned an intent for more apps.


Reception


Critical response

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.
rated the show a four out of five stars, writing, "Parents can be assured that this series has educational aspects as well as behavioural modelling. The Thomas the Tank Engine stories were conceived by a young British boy early in the 20th century, who would listen to the trains as they chuffed through the countryside. The stories he told his son – who has consequently passed them on to his own son – have been documented in books and toy train models. Since the series was introduced to television viewers in the 1980s, Thomas & Friends has seen a healthy fan base sprout worldwide." Jessica Roake wrote in '' Slate'' that the series reflects "true ' white man's burden' style
British imperialism The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts esta ...
", and in regards to Hatt, "One suspects that Sir Topham Hatt spent some time in colonial India." Roake acknowledged that the show since 2003 had more diverse characters. Jia Tolentino in ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' acknowledged that as a girl she did not "take in anything that was actually happening", but after reviewing the show and internet posts about it as an adult, criticised what she saw as the "show's repressive, authoritarian soul."
University of Alberta The University of Alberta, also known as U of A or UAlberta, is a Public university, public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford,"A Gentleman of Strathcona – Alexande ...
professor Shauna Wilton wrote "A Very Useful Engine: The Politics of Thomas and Friends". Wilton (who justified her study by arguing that socialization of children is an important aspect) wrote that she received "a combination of outrage, disbelief, and condescending dismissal" when she announced she was going to study the politicization of the series, although some people gave her thanks. She stated that despite the inclusion of female characters by the 2000s, in the era after major social revolutions in real life the series was "largely unchanged" from when it was "created in a context of rigid social hierarchies, male dominance in the public sphere, and a strong social culture of good behavior, respecting authority, and following the rules."


Awards and accolades


Internet popularity

In the 2010s and then on, ''Thomas & Friends'' became the subject of several internet memes such as "Thomas'
O-face Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling") or sexual climax is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic, involuntary muscular contractions in the pelvic region charac ...
", "It was time for Thomas to leave. He had seen everything", "Thomas the Dank Engine", and "
The Fat Controller The Fat Controller, whose real name is Sir Topham Hatt, is a fictional character in ''The Railway Series'' books written by the Reverend W. Awdry and his son, Christopher Awdry. In the first two books in the series ('' The Three Railway Engin ...
Laughed" and was even the centrepiece of an article for ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', which explored supposedly authoritarian
subtext Subtext is any content of a creative work, which is not announced explicitly (by characters or author), but is implicit, or becomes something understood by the audience. Subtext has been used historically to imply controversial subjects without ...
s present in the show.


Notes


References

* *


Notes


External links


Official websites

*
Awdry Family Site


Other sites

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas And Friends The Railway Series 1984 British television series debuts 2021 British television series endings 1980s British animated television series 1980s British children's television series 1980s preschool education television series 1990s British animated television series 1990s British children's television series 1990s preschool education television series 2000s British animated television series 2000s British children's television series 2000s preschool education television series 2010s British animated television series 2010s British children's television series 2010s preschool education television series 2020s British animated television series 2020s British children's television series 2020s preschool education television series British children's animated adventure television series British children's animated comedy television series British children's animated fantasy television series British computer-animated television series English-language television shows Channel 5 (British TV channel) original programming George Carlin ITV children's television shows Direct-to-video television series Nickelodeon original programming Nick Jr. original programming Film and television memes Internet memes introduced in the 2010s British preschool education television series Television series about rail transport British television shows based on children's books Television series by Mattel Creations Television series by WNET Television series created by Britt Allcroft Television series set on fictional islands British television series revived after cancellation Trains in fiction Gullane Entertainment