Thomas & Friends begin talking

[Tom]

I'm 33 years old, don't have kids, and I watch Thomas the Tank Engine if it comes on, I'm flipping channels and nothing else is on TV.

I don't really care who think's I'm immature for it either!

Seriously, I was at California State Railroad Museum at the library with 4 other members of the Feather River Rail Society doing research in the second floor of the archives, and I didn't realize it was a "Day out with Thomas" event that day. We got up to take a break, and when we looked out the window, it wa a sea of little striped hats about 3 feet off the ground. You couldn't even see the ground for all the kids, there were THOUSANDS, ON A FRIDAY! We strolled through the grounds (and waded through the crowds of children) and one of our guys got a great photo of Western Pacific F7 #913 stopped for photos on it's run around move, posed next to Thomas. The tent with the toys and merchandise was EXPENSIVE, in fact, everything about Thomas was expensive, however, it was obvious that they had a brilliant marketing plan that worked, because they were raking in the dough, and according to one of the managers at CSRM, the Thomas events bring in some good income for the museums that host him. The star attraction was essentially a steam outline "dummy" engine with moving "googly eyes" and a smoke generator, and the "Driver" (really a brakeman on a radio protecting the shove) was dressed in a drivers costume from the show, and they even had a costumed "Sir Topham Hat" mascot walking around greeting kids. Pretty impressive set up if you ask me. By the way, I'd like to know what they use for smoke fluid, because it certainly wasn't Lionel Smoke Pills, it smelled like rotten eggs.

All in all, I don't think the hobby of model railroading has ever had a better ambassador. I think he's alright. (though I still can't get used to watching George Carlin do Shining Time Station!)