(You may not be surprised to learn that there was also plenty of Thomas merchandise for sale.) But there was a lot to recommend about it - in addition to the train ride (which lasted close to a half hour), there were also games, puppet shows, live music, and other things you might associate with a fair.
My wife and I took our son to an event earlier this month. In addition to the innumerable Thomas toys out there, one of the company's biggest marketing ventures is the "Day Out With Thomas." At these events, held at heritage railroads in the United States, Britain and other countries, kids get to literally ride a train car pulled by an engine rigged up to look like Thomas himself. The neat thing, though, is how the skills translate: after playing jigsaw puzzles and memory games on the app, he's gotten pretty good at doing them with real puzzle pieces and cards.Īnd the real world, not just the digital one, is part of the Thomas brand, too. He can play Thomas on the iPad all day, given the opportunity. They're a bit simple for me, but my toddler gives them the thumbs up. They're pretty versatile - combining a book (with a voice read along), virtual jigsaw puzzles, matching games, concentration-like games, and more. The company sent me some of the iPad apps to check out, too. "To keep the brand relevant with today’s kids, we need to deliver the story on the technology that kids are using, whether that's tablets, laptops, or TV," HIT Group Director of Marketing E.J. In October, Thomas and Friends will be syndicated by PBS - not only on TV, but also in the PBS Digital kids app. The series also now has several different apps aimed at kids. The Thomas and Friends YouTube channel has seen over 140 million views. In the 2000s, it's digital engagement."ĭigital engagement is a big part of the Thomas story now. "The reason why Thomas has lasted so long is that it keeps adjusting to changing modes of communication," HIT Entertainment's VP of the Americas Sid Mathur elaborated.
Thomas & Friends has been owned by HIT Entertainment since 2000. The first episodes aired in 1984, and it's been on the air in one form or another ever since. It was then purchased by Britt Allcraft to develop for television in 1979. Wilbert Awdry started writing the series in 1946.
One of the reasons for the longevity of the Thomas stories is adaptation to new media. But almost as baffling is this idea: how stories about steam engines and railroads are still going strong in 2013, in a world where steam engines and rail lines are no longer a part of everyday life.
As the father of a toddler, I spend a lot of time watching Thomas the Tank Engine, a fact that led me to write an article earlier this year in which I tried to figure out how the economics of the Island of Sodor work.
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