Thomas tune-up: US owner gives much-loved tank engine a makeover
Nick Clark
Nick Clark is the arts correspondent of The Independent. He joined the newspaper in June 2007, initially reporting on the stock markets. He has covered beats including the City, and technology, media and telecoms and made the switch to arts in December 2011. He has also contributed articles to the sports section.
Monday 31 December 2012
The world’s most famous tank engine will steam into 2013 with a multi-million-dollar makeover as the “King of the Railway”. The American licence owner of Thomas the Tank Engine, a character beloved by millions, believes the time is right to relaunch the character for a new generation, and that he could be a cash cow in markets from China to Argentina.
Young Thomas fans – and their parents – should expect a deluge of new merchandise, initially including a bigger line of wooden trains. Three more seasons of the Thomas & Friends television show have been commissioned, as well as an hour-long animated film titled King of the Railway.
A character rooted in the steam age, Thomas will have a strong presence in the digital era, with his own online portal and four more apps to add to the existing 15.
Mattel, the toy giant that bought Thomas’s parent company in 2011, believes the gentle steam train stories can be made more relevant to modern children, and “some of it needs livening up a little bit”.
Thomas hauls in about $1bn (£600m) a year worldwide, although the executive vice-president of Mattel’s Fisher-Price brands said it was “a brand that has been pretty bereft of investment”. David Allmark told The New York Times: “We really believe that we can grow this on a worldwide basis, particularly in Latin America and Asia.”
The marketing team has even saddled the engine with a new tagline, “Anytime is Thomas Time”.
Another Mattel executive said he feared Thomas may have become “part of the woodwork”, and that young people might need reminding why they love the character.
Thomas, Percy, Gordon and friends retain their appeal despite being more than 65 years old.
The characters were dreamed up by the Reverend Wilbert Awdry to amuse his son Christopher, who had been struck down with a bout of measles in 1943.
After his wife Margaret urged him to publish his stories about the engines Edward, Gordon and Henry, Awdry wrote to the publisher Edmund Ward, and The Three Railway Engines was published in 1946.
Thomas, the name of a toy train he had given Christopher, first appeared a year later in his own standalone story.
Awdry went on to write 26 stories about Thomas and his friends. Christopher followed his father in 1983 and wrote “Really Useful Engine” stories for his own son. He went on to write 14 books.
Thomas’s small screen debut came in 1984, with narration by the former Beatle Ringo Starr, and quickly gained 8.5 million viewers on ITV.
Hit Entertainment, which owned other children’s favourites such as Bob the Builder, bought the rights to Thomas in 2004.
It had already updated Thomas, replacing the old-style animation of the original television show with computer graphics. The trains also spoke to each other for the first time.
Mattel bought Hit, whose characters also included Fireman Sam and Barney, in October 2011 for $680m.
Arts & Ents blogs
Owen Howells: From the UK to Australia and back again (and again!)
Owen Howells is a DJ/producer who grew up in Australia but was born in the UK. He came back to the U...
Brighton Fringe 2013 – Is everyone sitting uncomfortably?
Fancy seeing a play about serial killers? How about inviting a funeral director into your home for a...
The Fall ‘Darkness Visible’ – Series 1, episode 2
There are a good many moments in the second episode of this psychological thriller that deserve refl...
Travel Shop
-
Coronation Street triumphs over EastEnders at British Soap Awards 2013
-
The Freemasons' Code: Dan Brown reveals the message that told him the door to the lodge is open
-
Archaeologists uncover nearly 5,000 cave paintings in Burgos, Mexico
-
Lord of the Sings: Sir Christopher Lee, 91, to release heavy metal album
-
Film review: The Hangover Part III - it tries hard to be funny but doesn't raise a solitary guffaw
- 1 Pope Francis: Being an atheist is alright as long as you do good
- 2 'He was always smiling': Lee Rigby named as Woolwich victim
- 3 'Sickening, deluded and unforgivable': Horrific attack brings terror to London’s streets
- 4 'Something passed underneath us, quite close': Airbus A320 has close encounter with UFO
- 5 Lord of the Sings: Sir Christopher Lee, 91, to release heavy metal album
Get your summer started with British Military Fitness
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
Visit York
Find out what The Independent's resident travel expert has to say about one of the most beautiful small cities in the world
Making reading fun for kids
Nook is donating eReaders to volunteers at high-need schools and participating in exclusive events throughout the campaign.
Introducing the 'Get Reading' campaign
Get the latest on The Evening Standard's campaign to get London's children reading.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
The man who's eaten everywhere
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?
Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets
Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed
Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them





Comments