What is it about the Thomas the Tank Engine collection that we find so appealing? Young or old, Thomas is one of those rare toys that can hold a child's (or adult's) attention for hours. When my boys were young (3-5 years old), Thomas was the toy of choice -- on or off the tracks. I would design new track models for the boys and they would run their trains around the tracks tooting their train whistles and imitating Gordon or Henry's voices. It would keep them occupied in a fairly quiet way for hours, and I could get dinner made uninterrupted.

A bit of history: Thomas and his friends, accessories and rail sets were the savvy result of one company noticing the popularity of a set of children's stories written by Reverend Awdry. The Reverend Awdry wrote the first three stories to entertain his three year old son who was recovering from the measles. (If I had a nickel for every author who wrote a bestseller just to entertain an ill child....!) His wife convinced him to send them off to a publisher, and after several rejections, one publisher asked him to write a fourth story to get Henry out of the bricked up tunnel. The stories were published, and the rest, as they say, is history. If you're interested in learning more about Thomas The Tank Engine and Friends, there are several fan sites to go through, the most popular of which seems to be Sodor Island -- A Fan Site.

The popularity of the Thomas stories led to radio and TV shows, which my kids watched faithfully for years. The show got my attention when I recognized the narrator's voice one time -- it was the unmistakable Liverpuddlian lilt that gave it away. "Is that Ringo Starr's voice?" I asked to my 3 and 4 year olds. "No, it's Sir Topham Hatt -- don't you know anything mom?" my oldest replied. Well, I think I know a Beatle's voice when I hear it, thank you very much. But then, at the time the boys were only exposure to music were Raffi and Sharon, Lois and Bram, so who could blame them?

The TV series has been narrated by many famous actors over the years. In addition to Ringo Starr's voice, I recognized George Carlin and Alec Baldwin's voices. The latest actor of note to narrate is none other than Pierce Brosnan (sigh). Yes, oo7 has a softer side to him. I might have to get the kids to start watching Thomas again....for nostalgia's sake...no, really.

Not only did my boys watch the TV episodes, we also have the "Thomas the Tank Engine: The Complete Collection" -- which contains all the stories written by Rev. Awdry from the first four published in 1945 right up to his last collection of stories published in 1972. There are 26 books in all, containing 105 stories.

The books and TV shows are a great tie-in for the actual train sets. Each train engine, car, and other moving vehicles, has its own distinct personality. Henry is quite vain, James and Gordon are a bit full of themselves, Thomas is a do-gooder, Edward has an easy-going disposition and the Troublesome Trucks are, you guessed it, troublesome. Their distinct character traits provide lots of possibilities for your kids to become their own budding storytellers.

Add strong characters to being able to construct different train track configurations, throw in some great buildings (including a water tower with a water level that lowers when you put the pipe down), and you've got endless hours of entertainment. And, fortunately, Thomas is durable. Made from solid hardwood, these toys last. They can be thrown on a tile floor by your cranky three year old whose nap is overdue and will not have a scratch on them (hopefully your floor will survive).

To find out more about how to start a Thomas collection, watch our video on Youtube.



(note: all facts in this post were taken from http://sodor-island.net)

There is a sale on Thomas The Tank Engine and Accessories, 20% off, Wednesday October 21-28, 2009.

-- Cathy the Toy Mom