The Simple Appeal of Thomas 

QUICK! SOMEONE SHOWS THIS TO MATTEL! THEY NEED TO GET THEIR SHIT TOGETHER!

I'm 18 years old and in the military now and I still watch Thomas the Tank Engine. Seasons 2 and 3 will always be my favorite. My very first memories I can recall are of me watching Thomas on VCR tapes with my parents. Hopefully when I have children theyll appreciate this show

Even though the Series is Disrespected by Mattel We can always look back on the Classic Series and watch Fan Made Content

Children's media is deserving of just as much criticism and critical thought as anything made for adults. Children deserve quality stories that respect their intelligence and have something meaningful to say without preaching.

Mattel: Thomas is just a Brand just so we can sell toys Thomas1Edward2Henry3: Right, I'll Show You what Thomas Really Means

No matter what happens in the future reboot, the fandom will live on for many years to come.

2:49 As someone in his 20s with Aspergers I agree with this point. Watching Classic Thomas and playing with the ERTL model toys kept me calm and happy throughout my childhood. And even now re-watching Classic Thomas and fan-made content like yours still brings me joy.

I'm proud to admit that I am in my late teenage years and I am a huge fan of Thomas and always will be.

What sucks is that Brenner tried so hard to restore Thomas. To make a product that pleases the adults and children alike. But Mattel just couldn’t help themselves and blamed the wrong things. What a shame.

Rev. Awdry: God Thomas: Adam Mattel: Satan

RIP new Oliver the Great Western Engine stories

You know what I hate? When the people in charge nowadays want to make changes to the show so it becomes similar to other preschool shows. That is the one thing you should be avoiding. The reason so many were drawn to Thomas is that it was so unique compared to other shows, especially in the 90s. But then there’s bloody Ian McCue going on about how they want to make Thomas like other preschool shows. NO-ONE WANTS THIS. KIDS DON'T. PARENTS DON'T. THE FANS DON'T.

This is a perfect representation of why I like Thomas so much

In a perfect world, Mattel would have put you in charge of Thomas a long time ago!

The original Thomas series will always be a part of my childhood. The new Thomas series can’t be like that.

Me when I saw the reboot: Oh the indignity.

I love the model era of Thomas and Friends, the first 5 seasons are masterpiece, something of what Scorsese did to cinema. That was the golden age of Television, now we are gonna have a Teen Titans go version of Thomas and it is a downgrade of what the show was at the peak of children’s television. 1984 to 2000 was the best

People outside the fandom: Thomas is for baby’s The fandom: *Watches Escape* HOLY CR*P!!!

Apparantly the show is a show within the books. So in universe, Mattel insulted an entire Island of hardworking engines their crews their controllers and their beloved Historian

You have to appreciate the art that Britt Allcroft and David Mitton created. Something about live action model animation makes the classic series so realistic. The stories are simple, but what steals the show is the visuals, and music. Thomas inspired me to become a railroad enthusiast, and when rewatched the classic series as a train buff, it starts to make sense when I got older; and it inspired me to write stories about railroad knowledge.

Thomas The Emoji Engine! *Wheezes out of laughter*

I feel with channels like this, as well as others, the true meaning and lessons of the Thomas Fandom will live on despite Mattel doing all they can to destroy it.

The Fat Controller is kinda like King Triton. They're both stern, yet reasonable authority figures. Granted, sometimes they take things too far, but they do it only out of love for both Ariel and Thomas. They're not ruthless dictators as everyone says. That's just preposterous.

I'm proud enough to admit that I'm a grown adult, and Thomas still has a warm place in my heart. Just recently I went back and rewatched a lot of those classic stories after not thinking about it for two to three years, and was pleased to find they're still enjoyable. Thomas has staying power that you just don't find with other shows made for the same audience, just look at what the fanbase has created. There are some incredible things people have done, and that shows you how much this tank engine means to people. I'm very disappointed to see what the BWBA era has done to the series, and the fact that it is visibly getting worse instead of better, but I'm confident in saying that we the fans will keep the fond memories of Thomas and the dignity it used to have alive. (But seriously, the new Thomas looks like some foreign bootleg and not the official new face of the franchise.)

British people: wow! This is awesome! Americans; oh no~! Too scawy~!

I grew up with the Best of Thomas, Best of Percy and Best of James CDs. So when I heard about the reboot, I wanted to kill a man because my childhood was ruined.

2:14 the same can apply to the appeal of anime: the stiffness can enhance their strength whether it is an intentionally strong character or not. While constant motion technically has more effort from an animation stand point, it takes away some of that weight you feel as if the characters have because they can move too easily.

My family let me watch Thomas and Friends due to my autism. I learnt more things from Thomas compared to other shows i've watched.

I been Watching Thomas for 17 years straight since I was a infant child because it keeps me growing strong

Thomas is down to earth most of the time than what 2021 Thomas would have in mind. I will stick with Seasons 1-11 (the majority of the live-action era), Seasons 17-24, some of S12-16 (because there are a few gems here and there, but not enough looking back), and a few other things. Oh, and that includes The Railway Series because I recently got the 1996 Thomas the Tank Engine Collection book off Amazon, containing all 26 books for an insanely cheap price (about $4).

This is such a great analysis on the classic series, I loved your idea on the ‘simple, yet realistic and mature’ feel of the show, which made it stand out along with making it more respectable as children’s show, and what made it appeal to a larger audience in retrospect.

Thomas's realism is what got me hitched, I will always love the model era, it shall alway be close to my hart.

What you said (and what some of the comments said) gives me more confidence that today's little kids can enjoy the old versions, including the model series.

One thing TTTE has excelled in is teaching proper railway values. That legacy could not be more apparent with the impact it's had in real life especially when characters were based on real prototypes. Thomas actually saved Hornby when there was less interest in model trains as the TV series emergence renewed interest. Hornby doesn't focus on Thomas nowadays and it wasn't their prime focus in the first place but Thomas certainly left a legacy. Thanks to TTTE many children grew up to have an interest in model railways and real trains. I would say Thomas is why I care so much about trains in the first place.

Soon came the alarm "Mattel is making the not same Thomas again!", said the signalman. "Send for the milittary Machines to Mattel' home!!

The music, character development, and realism in both the trains and the stories are the main reason why Thomas and Friends will always be my favorite kids show, and I won't ever outgrow it. Thanks T1E2H3, the disappointing future for this show had me down, but you came out with the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth! 🚂

Mattel know full well that they've screwed up. but they've buried their heads in the sand so deep that ostriches would be jealous

This man just explained the magic of a show about steam engines/locomotives/machines in 17 minutes.. "THIS IS A MAN OF TRUST, RIGHTFULLNESS AND SHEER F*CKING WILL!!"

Outside of the MLP Fandom and Star Wars Fandom, The Thomas Fandom is the most passionate fandom I have seen when it comes to its fan made content and love for the product/show. We have such good, passionate content creators like you, Victor, Kane, Skarloey, and so many more. Absolutely loved this video man!

This is a great summary of what makes the show appealing: I like that you mentioned the particular appeal to children on the autistic spectrum. I find I appreciate how effective the music is more as an adult - each character's theme music really gets their personality across perfectly.

One of the big reasons I liked the classic era of the show when I was little and still do is how a lot of the stories would be entertaining without the vehicles having faces. It would still be entertaining to watch a faceless Pannier tank engine being pushed fast along the line by a freight train into a barber shop in a siding with the same music included. Rusty And The Boulder would still be fun to watch with a runaway boulder chasing faceless narrow gauge locomotives. This is also one of the aspects of the show that makes it appealing to all ages, the fact that any age can enjoy watching a virtually real railway in action without even caring sometimes if the vehicles have faces or not because the events the vehicles are involved in could very much happen for real and look real too and vehicles don't have faces in real life.

0:50 I've been aware of the Nostalgia Critic for quite some time and enjoyed a lot of the content I have seen from him, but his review of TATMR really showed his ignorance and evident lack of research in to the history of Thomas & Friends.

Dude, Season 5 was lit! It will always be my favorite season of them all.

0:07 What do you mean?! Your Drawing is INFINITLY better than current Thomas and Friends

8:53 I cannot thank you enough for making this during a time where PhantomStrider, BlameitonJorge & Caddiccarus are making this show a lot more messed up that it actually is.

As an adult I was always wondering why Thomas the classic series is always so enjoyable

I basically agree with everything in this analysis. I'm 18 and I still love coming back to watch the classic series, even if it is just for the aesthetic. But this video opened my eyes as to why I truly appreciate T&F. You could also argue that with the older Disney films, like Dumbo per se. It was simple yet mature and incredibly affecting; it went to quite dark places but had a colorful atmosphere which made for such a more poignant and emotional story. It's honestly in my top 5 movies of all time. And I'll admit loud and proud, I cry every time. This is also the reason I watch seldom to none of the CGI series: it doesn't have that same authenticity, care, and maturity put into it. And it's like what C.S. Lewis said, "A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest." Fantastic video!

There is definitely more to Thomas than just a kid's show. FUN FACT: I used to get bullied for liking Thomas as well as other shows like SpongeBob, Pokemon, Sonic, ect and even got called a big baby.

I can thanks Thomas The Tank Engine for getting me into my love for British engines

Well this made me feel better in lots of ways. I guess no matter how bad the show gets we always have the classics to look back on and the eras of the show that we all love and plus this was the best video to end out the year on your Channel

I'll say this video is great its exactly how I feel about the classic series and why I loved it Simple, yet mature and realistic its always a joy to watch my old Thomas dvds and even the 5 VHS tapes I own even have joy in watching Thomas and the Magic Railroad. Now when it went full CGI I really only bought the movies and specials because it felt off in CGI if it wasn't a movie and the music makes me smile while watching it feels so real even now even in the season 8-12 it was still good enough to watch for the simple reason of watching the engines do work so in conclusion we need more shows like Classic Thomas and Friends.

I’m Autistic (High Functioning/Aspergers Level) and Nearly 21. Watching Classic Thomas as a Kid made me understand what the trains felt. It’s such a disgrace that Mattel is Ruining this once great British show that is the Most Popular only ahead of Wallace and Gromit IMHO. I even went as far to make “A Modest Proposal” on my Channel

Image is Mattel handed over the rights to Thomas And Friends to the fans of the show. That would be great.

On almost everyday of the year, I find myself revisiting mostly the Classic and Brenner episodes, and you explained why. Cool video, man.

What an excellent summary of Thomas. You're right about it being mature, and that's why the classic series of Thomas in particular still appeals to adults today as well as it did to children. It's a masterpiece

3:14 Is anyone gonna ask about this?! XD But in seriousness, this video is very informative.

I'm kind of surprised you didn't bring this up, but a particularly apt point of comparison for classic Thomas the Tank Engine would be Gerry Anderson's shows from the '60s like Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet- especially since a lot of David Mitton's pre-Thomas work was on those shows,

What People Who’ve Never Watched Thomas The Tank Engine: world for toddlers What We All Se Thomas The Tank Engine: Entertainment For You’re Family

Its channels like yours who continued the thomas series in the old style in their own way that would make the reverend himself happy

I had an idea about starting a petition to Mattel to bring Thomas back to it's old routes, and hire many figures in the community as story writer. The main reason I want it to be made, is just to have a bit of fun, and see how many will sign it.

_"thomas the emoji engine"_ Sub earned

The fans of Thomas will keep is alive now we can watch classic thomas it's fun

I was born after HiT bought the show but I still got to watch the classic era as a child, the quality of that era shows too, as I can remember like 5 episodes from the HiT era but probably over 100 from the classic era. The sets are literally the most beautiful things you will ever see, especially in Series 4, to me, they seem to have a typically British style to them, which emphasises the feeling that it’s a real place you can visit. When I was young my parents often took me to the Severn Valley Railway, and I have no doubt that part of the reason why I loved trains then and still do now, is Thomas. David Mitton did such a good job making the trains look as realistic as possible, especially in episodes like The Flying Kipper and Fish, one thing that I love about Flying Kipper is those shots of the aftermath of the crash, the way the camera is angled makes Henry look massive which emphasises the destruction of the crash. The music has also stood the test of time, I can remember themes from my childhood mostly the opening theme, the Skarloey Railway theme and the viaduct theme, but others are all amazing compositions. Every theme reflects where the character is. Harold’s theme is one that doesn’t get talked about much, but is nevertheless amazing, the fact that it’s literally the dam busters March perfectly complements Harold’s RAF pilot style voice, given to him by the talented narrators, Ringo Starr and Michael Angelis, as well as the mannerisms in which he speaks, that takeoff scene from Percy and Harold is amazing, it perfectly captures the awe of watching a Helicopter take off into the sky. Another thing with Thomas is its relatability. Two of my all time favourite episodes from childhood, and still are to this day, are Coal and The Flying Kipper. As someone with a genetic disease and have to take lots of medication, I could really relate to Henry and his illness. Coal is probably the best episode to showcase the Fat Controller, it shows he can be strict, at the start of the episode when he tells Henry that if he can’t get better he will have to be replaced, but he’s also kind and benevolent, letting Henry have a fair chance and allowing Henry to have Welsh coal, rather than deciding to send Henry away, after all, when Henry steams well he’s one of his hardest workers. And, well, you already know why The Flying Kipper is so good, everything. The sets, the music, the shots, it feels like a mini movie. There’s a reason there is basically no one who doesn’t like The Flying Kipper. I could probably go on for ages about what made Thomas so good, but my final point will be the sophisticated dialogue. Until we started reading Jekyll and Hyde, I was probably the only person in my English class who had heard the word ‘indignation’ and I heard from Thomas. Wilbert Awdry had a rule when righting his stories, not to write for the kids, but for the adults who have to read the stories over and over, and Britt followed on with that rule, praise to Britt too, for making the show so good despite the opposition she must have faced, being a woman and all. If the show was really sexist, then why does it say created by Britt Allcroft at the start of every episode? And that, is where I’ll end it, I have other things to do than type about how good a kiddies show about talking choo choo trains is.

15:40 I’m so glad someone mentioned David Maidment, he was extremely helpful during season 5 production. I wish he was around for more seasons Also 14:35 they totally redid this episode and plot point with The Thomas way in season 17, and it was so much better

i wish people would realize thomas and friends isn’t a baby show

0:46. Tell us when to fire sir.

I grew up watching Thomas and I absolutely loved it as a kid. Still do as an adult. My favourite is the season 1 narrated by Ringo Starr. The episodes gave off such a cozy vibe, though Henry's sad theme makes me bawl my eyes out. :'( I like the Michael Angelis episodes and they have great plots too. Not as cozy or nostalgic as the Ringo Starr episodes but I enjoyed them. I was saddened to hear the passing of Michael Angelis. The CGI episodes were ok but there were a lot of things that did not work, like Gordon and James being portrayed as too antagonistic. Yes, sure they can be vain but they have morals, and how Gordon was treated like a villain with Phillip's appearances. I found it upsetting when the Fat Controller had been a complete dick to Thomas several times in Legend of the Lost Treasure, especially when Thomas saved the island from the lit bombs. I found it wrong to replace Henry and Edward. I like the idea of new characters and female inclusion, but not as replacements for characters, especially when they appeared in the very first book. The cartoony season 25 concept is making me cringe as well. I strongly dislike the idea of Thomas being portrayed as a toddler and Gordon being his father giving moral lessons to him, and the fat controller being only used for comic relief. Thank god that Viral video where Thomas says "coming through" in a child's voice is confirmed false. I hope that doesn't become reality, I have a feeling it will be though. If these things I mentioned become real, then it will officialy be the "CN Real" of Thomas. It will lack viewers and rants will be everywhere. I really enjoyed your review on the Thomas universe and I completely agree with your reviews. I think it will be a great idea to recreate the model area and narrated by Ringo Starr, so it can be like Cuphead again. That will be super special.

You have no idea how grateful I am for you making this extremely useful video

I grew up with the classic series too so I know exactly what your talking about. Classis series for life.

Thomas one Edward to Henry three there’s a reason why I watch your videos is because you explained exactly what the show is you take the words right out my mouth

I wish Mattel would listen to this

Imagine railway series Thomas meeting All Engines Go Thomas. Railway series Thomas would be like “Why are you a narrow gauge engine, and where are Annie and Clarabel. Also, keep up the good work fellow fan mate

Thomas Show was good until they transformed it in Chugginngton. I feel sorry now for Driver and Fireman because their locomotives shake around.

I recently started to watch Thomas and Friends again, even if I dont understand anything about the train aspect, this show really is a beauty. the environment, the models, the simplistic story, its just feel wonderful and nostalgic. I stopped after season 8 though because I feel like starting from season 7 it started to be more childlike, no more realism that makes Thomas appeal to pretty much every age because its just grounded to reality so closely. its a shame, I wish we can have Thomas like it was back in season 1 - 6.

Haven’t even started watching and Ik it’s about to be a great vid. You know how to analyze the themes of the classic series like the back of your hand. More vids like this!

Thank you, this video brought up some fond memories of going to the library with my mom or dad and getting some rws books and just getting lost in the awsome art work, so thank you

Mattel will never capture the same appeal that Britt Allcroft did

Just so any commenters know, that 1 star review was from Spills and Chills on Amazon

Thank you so much for this. I’m almost 31 and still love Thomas so much I watch it all the time. I never watch anything past season 5 because there’s no point to when seasons one through 5 were so brilliant with their mature storytelling.

Great video essay! Thomas will always have a special place in my heart even though the show has completely declined!

Incredible video, my friend. People like The Unlucky Tug and Superbaddy4 need to check this out, since they would agree with you 100%!

I Agree on you I have autism and this was the show I really connect it to as a kid because of those simplistic choices with facial expressions

You really spoke for a lot of us in the TTTE community. Yes, the Thomas memes are hilarious (sometimes) and we all can agree on how realistic the series looked. I think it's how realistic the sets were and the episode "Henry's Forest" is what got me so interested in being a nature and outdoor person in the first place. (Take that, all you environmentalists who hate anything that runs on fossil fuel!!!!)

This got recommended to me randomly and I got to say this is very well put together I thought it would be a bad video but I watched till the end and enjoyed it.

0:40 “I can summarize it in 3 words” (sums it up in 8)

Those who say STH is a ruthless dictator probably don’t have kids because punishing bad and rewarding good is just parenting simplified. And as an adult I see STH as the father figure to all the engines.

i come back to this video every few months because i love it so much

Amazing. Everything you just said was right. I loved Thomas ever since I caught the show on Shining Time Station as a kid and instantly fell in love with how colorful and vibrant the characters were. I fell deeper in love because of how I liked the crashes, and the fact that past episodes were recalled, thereby creating a further and rewarding sense of realism that introduced my young mind to nostalgia, like when Percy brings up his “ghostly trick” to “Thomas in “Thomas, Percy, and the Dragon”. There are so many other reasons why this has been one of my favorite childhood shows of all time, and even continues to show how much it influenced my love for the games, movies, and shows I’m into, like the fact that it introduced me to character arcs as well as character theme music. I connected characters to their themes without even being told. Whenever I hear Percy’s theme, I think of Percy, and so on. I like the fact that Thomas EVOLVED into a children’s role model from a trickster rather than have his change be forced by executives. When Percy was introduced, he started off with Thomas’s cheeky traits while Thomas matured throughout his own experiences which had been kicked off since “Trouble for Thomas” and passed them on to Percy like a big brother. Again, there are so many things I love and enjoy about this series that I can’t possibly write in a single RU-vid comment, but it always has a place in my heart.

Dope ass trains indeed it can never be replaced or taken away

3:31 bruh that airplane character is in that meme with a bomb going off in the background

You're an inspiration to Thomas fans everywhere

I think James and the truck's was the best episode of the classic 1984 to 2008 series of Thomas the tank engine & Friends.

Sadly we can't go back to when life and entertainment was like a garden full of primroses.

I literally thought that the models were real life steam engines that lived on an actual island

I remember as a little child(kindergartener) my dad bought me a Thomas VCD staring a few Season 1 episodes. At first I didn't show much interest in it since I believed trains were something for boys. But the moment I decided to play the VCD I instantly fell in love with the little engines and their universe! I always feel that there's something so fascinating & charming about railways, and after I received my diagnosis of Autism(Asperger's) lots of things start to make sense to me! The way Awdry and the Classic series put the stories, settings & characters forward? The way they’ve done it, is an ART form! Real art is timeless, is not here only to make money, is not here to pander to a certain audience and is full of love, and that's exactly what Awdry and the Classic series has done! Edit : I'm getting into Fireman Sam and Postman Pat and God do I LOVE them! And I believe Fireman Sam is going to become a new special interest of mine! But this is only limited to their classic series(FS : Series 1~4, PP : Series 1~2) because their CGI reboots also suffer from the same problem as new Thomas.

Love it, we need more RU-vidrs like you.

Favorite station on Sodor Thomas1Edward2Henry3? Also what’s your thoughts on articles claiming classic series is fascist and Mattel is doing good things with the show?

At least we have the Thomas fan community. That will never end...I hope

Nice video! 😁 Your explanation is perfect and priceless as usual! 😂 At 15:20, "Middle Engine" is my most despised episode from the Classic Era too, because like you said in your "Worst Classic Episodes" video, Arry and Bert never got punished, and it has an awful message saying it's okay for bullies to pick on innocent people. I still enjoyed the Classic Era the most out of all the other eras of this show like Seasons 8-12 and the CGI era for example.

I grew up on the show itself and then later amazing fan series like urs! Shoutout to: Britt Alcroft David Mitton Christopher Awdry Junior Campbell Mike O' Donnell All the narrators DieselD199 Thomas1Edward2Henry3 Victor Tanzig SideKickJason Enterprising Engine 93 Mavis M Thomas HD Classics WildNorWester NWR58 Unlucky Tug TerenceTheTractor525 Percyengine619 dcg12b Ramafool And all other Thomas & Friends fan creators past or present But of course,thank you Wilbur Awdry for making these happy memories to begin with