About
Thomas the Tank Engine
(also known as:
Thomas and Friends
) is a British children's television series, which had its first broadcast on the ITV network on September 4th, 1984. The series deals with the adventures of a group of
anthropomorphized
locomotives and road vehicles who live on the fictional Island of Sodor. Many moments from the series have become staples of
internet
culture, including its main theme.
History
The first episode of the first season of
Thomas and Friends,
"Thomas and Gordon," was aired on October 9th, 1984 in the UK.
The first season consisted of 26 episodes, airing weekly until January 8, 1985.
A year later, the second season aired in the UK with once again 26 episodes. It would be until 1991 when the third season was released, followed by seasons 4, 5, 6, and 7, all 4 years apart. Starting with season 8, every season has been released a year apart from each other and containing 26 episodes. Starting with season 12, each season had 20 episodes.
Switch to CGI
In 2008, season 12 was released with CGI, animated by Nitrogen Studios.
This was a transitional period between models and fully CGI, with CGI engine faces, people, and
animals
. In 2009, the show switched to entirely CGI and has been to present day.
Specials
Thomas and the Magic Railroad
In 1999, the feature film
Thomas and the Magic Railroad
starring Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda and Mara Wilson in her final movie role released, but it was financial box office flop and critical failure. The film was covered by
Nostalgia Critic
in 2012.
Originally, the film's main antagonist was P.T. Boomer, played by Doug Lennox. However, the character was deemed too menacing for young audiences and was replaced with Diesel 10. When the film developed a cult following, a
Change.org
petition created by Jake Vogler requested a director's cut of the film.
Series 25 and Switch to 2D Animation
On January 27th, 2021, the trailer for the series 25 of
Thomas & Friends
, known as
Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go!
was leaked online.
The series, a 'soft reboot,' introduced a 2D style different from the CGI graphics used in the previous seasons.
The change in style was followed by a viral debate on social media, with some users criticizing it of being generic and unfitting for the series. The change Thomas' voice to be more child-like also became a subject of discussions.
On January 27th, the moderators of Thomas the Tank Engine Wiki
announced that a separate Wiki
would be created for the new series.
Thomas O Face
The
Thomas O-Face
is one of Thomas' faces from early on in the television show, mainly used in Seasons 1 and 2. It is a popular gag in
Thomas and Friends
YouTube Poops
, often accompanied with a specific synthesized tune from the show.
Thomas the Tank Engine Remixes
Thomas the Tank Engine Remixes
are a series of
YouTube
videos that mix the original theme song with mostly popular
rap
songs.
Thomas the Tank Engine Mods
In the game modding community, 3D models of Thomas the Tank Engine became one of the most popular choices for replacing default monster models and other objects, with the show's theme song and other cartoon sounds also added. The trend first gained recognition when on December 10th and 11th, 2013, two videos highlighting a
Skyrim
mod that replaced dragon Alduin with Thomas the Tank Engine were posted to YouTube, with respective game sounds also replaced (videos shown below). The videos gained a combined total of 2.3 million views in five years.
On March 12th, 2015, YouTuber
videogamedunkey
showcased the mod in his video, which gained over 18.7 million views in four years.
In the following years, mods replacing various in-game models with Thomas the Tank Engine were made for a number of popular games, including
Fallout 4
and
Resident Evil 2
(shown below).
N.R.A. Controversy
On September 7th 2018, the NRATV program
Relentless
criticized the show for "adding girl trains" and bringing "ethnic diversity to a show that literally has no ethnicities, because they’re trains!"
The show then showed a
photoshopped
image of some of the engines in
Klu Klux Klan
hoods (shown below) with the host jokingly reacting to said image "Oh. Was it because? I see it. It was the white hoods and the burning train tracks. Ok fine, fair point, I get it. Thomas the Tank Engine has been a blight on race relations for far too long. Clearly, this is overdue, right?"
Search Interest
External References