Animoca Brands and Mattel launch "Thomas & Friends: Race On!" game". Animoca Brands. 18 December 2015 . Retrieved 14 May 2022. The series is known in China as 托马斯和朋友 and in Taiwan as 湯瑪士小火車, and is dubbed in Mandarin Chinese with Simplified and Traditional Chinese subtitles. The series is narrated by Jiang Guangtao in China and Guan Zhihong in Taiwan. Bluebell Railway – FAQ". Bluebell Railway. Archived from the original on 13 February 2014 . Retrieved 19 February 2014. A new theme song and new incidental music was composed by Ed Welch 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, Edward, Henry, Gordon, James, Percy, Toby and Emily.

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. University of Alberta professor Shauna Wilton wrote "A Very Useful Engine: The Politics of Thomas and Friends". Wilton (who justified her study by arguing that socialisation 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 politicisation of the series, although some people gave her thanks. [71] 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." [72] Awards and accolades In August 2016, Arc Productions closed down after filing for bankruptcy. After entering an agreement, Jam Filled Entertainment looked to acquire Arc Productions under a new management. On 22 August 2016, it was confirmed that Jam Filled had successfully acquired the entirety of Arc Productions and some former Arc staff regaining their jobs, resumed working on animation for Thomas & Friends under the new management and organisation name. Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell composed the show's original main title theme, songs and incidental music from 1984 to 2003. In 2004 Robert Hartshorne took their place as composer, while Ed Welch wrote the new theme tune and the songs.saw Andrew Brenner take over as head writer and Arc Productions take over the CG animations, animating the seventeenth series as well as all following series and specials until the end of the show. The seventeenth series also regained the initial twenty-six episode format and implemented a new writing style that promised to focus on the original charm and appeal of Thomas & Friends. This format was used with great success and a lot of fan approval. Ten episodes of the seventeenth series aired in the UK in June 2013 followed by five episodes in September/October 2013. Another episode aired in November and four more in December. Also released in Autumn 2013 was the seventh direct-to-DVD special, King of the Railway. The seventeenth series began airing on 7 October 2013 in the US. The remaining six episodes of the seventeenth series, featured on the Spills and Thrills DVD aired between July and November 2014 in the UK. In Autumn 2014, the eighteenth series aired and the following feature-length special, Tale of the Brave was released. The remaining six episodes of the eighteenth series featured on the Dinos and Discoveries DVD premiered in the UK in July 2015. In 2005, the series ranked 26th in Channel 4's 100 Greatest Kids' TV Shows vote. In 2013, the series ranked 34th in Channel 5's 50 Greatest Kids TV Shows vote. In February 2012, it was announced that Arc Productions would take over animation duties starting with the seventeenth series in 2013. In August 2016, Arc Productions closed down after filing for bankruptcy. Jam Filled Entertainment, however, entered into an agreement, looking at acquiring the entirety of Arc. On 22nd August 2016, it was confirmed that Jam Filled Entertainment had successfully acquired Arc Productions and thus taken over the animation for Thomas & Friends. Former Brookside actor to be Thomas the Tank Engine narrator". The Guardian. 17 May 2013. Archived from the original on 17 June 2022 . Retrieved 26 May 2015. The series in Romania is known as Thomas şi Prietenii Săi, or Locomotiva Thomas şi Prietenii Săi, and is dubbed in Romanian.

The series in Brazil is known as Thomas e Seus Amigos, and is dubbed in Brazilian Portuguese. [ citation needed] It even has an official YouTube channel known as Thomas e Seus Amigos. [56] Thomas and Friends". Kabillion. Archived from the original on 26 December 2021 . Retrieved 15 January 2021. Thomas's on-screen appearances in the TV series were developed by Britt Allcroft. The first series of 26 stories premiered in October 1984 on the ITV Network in the UK, with former Beatles drummer/vocalist Ringo Starr as storyteller. The stories were featured as segments as part of Shining Time Station in the US beginning in 1989 with Starr as the show's Mr. Conductor character. From 1991 to 1993, George Carlin replaced Starr as both the storyteller and as Mr. Conductor for Shining Time Station. Carlin also told the Thomas stories for Shining Time Station in 1995. Haring, Bruce (31 May 2020). "Michael Angelis Dies: Voice Of 'Thomas The Tank Engine' Was 76". Deadline . Retrieved 5 June 2020. Skit From MadTV: Thomas The Unstoppable Tank Engine. Ryan21hw. 2 October 2011. Archived from the original (YouTube) on 28 January 2019 . Retrieved 21 June 2018.Awdry, Christopher (2005). Sodor: Reading Between the Lines. Spalding, UK: Sodor Enterprises. ISBN 0-9549665-1-1. OCLC 931417954. 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 (the nominal main character). Awdry complained that the new stories would be unrealistic (see Henry the Green Engine for more details). [15] Robert D. Cardona left as producer, while Britt Allcroft joined David Mitton as co-producer. Angus Wright took over as executive producer. Thur Starr (19 July 2007). " 'Thomas' has new friend in Brosnan". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 13 June 2022. Thomas the Tank Engine stamps launched on East Lancs Railway". Lancashire Telegraph . Retrieved 21 September 2022.

Thomas has been referenced, featured and parodied in popular culture. In 1988, he was parodied on ITV's Spitting Image where he was portrayed as a drunk who went "completely off the rails." [18] In 2009, he appeared in " The Official BBC Children in Need Medley" where he was voiced by Ringo Starr, who narrated the first two series of Thomas and Friends. [19] In the British comedy show Bobby Davro's TV Weekly, a spoof was created titled "Thomas the Tanked Up Engine" involving Jeremy, the pink engine. Bobby Davro provided the narration by impersonating Ringo Starr. By October 2020, Mattel announced their collaboration with Corus Entertainment's Nelvana Studio to produce a full on 2D animated reboot titled 'Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go' which was broadcast during the autumn of 2021, and taking a completely different direction from the original show, while a live action and animated hybrid theatrical film is set to be directed by Marc Forster. In The Adventure Begins which is a retelling of Thomas's early days on Sodor, he is a bluish-green colour when he first arrives on Sodor, his tanks are lettered "LBSC" (for the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway) with the number 70 on his bunker. The 70 is a reference to 2015 being the 70th anniversary for The Railway Series, while the LB&SCR E2 class were actually numbered from 100–109. The real life LBSC no. 70 is an A1 class.saw the broadcasting of the ninth series as well as the release of the first direct-to-DVD special, Calling All Engines! The tenth series aired in 2006 and was the only production to contain twenty-eight episodes unlike the usual twenty-six. The first broadcasting of the eleventh series took place in 2007 and this marked the final series to contain twenty-six episodes, until the seventeenth series. The second direct-to-DVD special, The Great Discovery was released in 2008 and this marked the final full live-action production. Clarke, Stewart (14 October 2017). "Mattel Sets Thomas The Tank Engine Makeover With Eye on Global Appeal". Variety. Archived from the original on 13 July 2018 . Retrieved 20 July 2019. Thomas & Friends (Television production). 60 Minutes. 1995. Event occurs at 2:50. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014 . Retrieved 19 February 2014. This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( April 2017) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) All of the vehicles in The Railway Series were based on prototypical engines; Thomas's basis is the LB&SCR E2 class. [3] Thomas first appeared in 1946 in the second book in the series, Thomas the Tank Engine, and was the focus of the four short stories contained within. In The Railway Series and early episodes of Thomas & Friends, Thomas's best friends are Percy and Toby, though he is also close friends with Edward. Later episodes of Thomas & Friends have Thomas in a trio with James and Percy, and Percy is known as his best friend.

The live action models used in 1984 could not lip sync. HIT's subsidiary HOT Animation introduced the use of CGI in the show about 20 years later, [48] first to add smoke and other effects. In 2009, HIT introduced a fully CGI series. [49] 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. Several models from the series have been on display at the Discover Thomas and Friends exhibition at Drayton Manor Resort in the UK, Explore the Rails in the US, Nitrogen Studios in Canada, and the Thomas Town and Hara Model Railway Museum in Japan. Some models have also been sold to various buyers worldwide including Top Props, ThomasMerchandise, SmurfyDan and TomJedski. In the 2010s and then on, Thomas & Friends became the subject of several internet memes such as "Thomas' O-face", "It was time for Thomas to leave. He had seen everything", "Thomas the Dank Engine", and " The Fat Controller Laughed" [73] and was even the centrepiece of an article for The New Yorker, [74] which explored supposedly authoritarian subtexts present in the show. The Repressive Authoritarian Soul of Thomas the Tank Engine". The New Yorker . Retrieved 24 October 2017. a b c d Clark, Rhodri (19 May 2005). "Still Building Steam at 60". The Journal. Newcastle-upon-Tyne . Retrieved 17 February 2014.Awdry's requested models, to which Lines Bros. subsidiary, Meccano Ltd, responded with Percy and wagons in 1967. [14] Hornby Hobbies launched their 'The World of Thomas the Tank Engine' in the 1985. This was a 00 gauge range of model railway train sets and models which they made for the next 30 years. For Thomas they used their 1979 model of a LB&SCR model of a Class E2 tank engine which they suitably altered with a face and extended tanks to look like Thomas. Many of the characters in the 'Railway Series' books were thus modelled (with faces) by Hornby, including characters added for the television series. They also supplied suitable coaches, wagons and lineside buildings within the series.