Thomas & Friends autism-friendly clothing to launch on Character.com

The Thomas & Friends brand team in the UK are working with the National Autistic Society and Character.com to develop an autism-friendly range of clothing featuring Thomas & Friends.

Some autistic children are highly sensitive to the feel and colour of certain materials, to the extent that some clothing is unpleasant or even painful to wear. This range has been developed in collaboration with the National Autistic Society, who conducted research with families of autistic children and ran focus groups at the charity’s Helen Allison School in Kent.

Parents involved in the focus groups said that their children preferred softer fabric. Over half of parents who responded to the National Autistic Society’s survey said that there are fabrics their children will not wear, as well as specific colour preferences and ease of dressing requirements and needs.

In April 2021, the National Autistic Society conducted a survey* of over 1,500 parents whose autistic children are under the age of 16. According to the results of the survey, the biggest considerations in choosing clothing are:

  1. Pull-on clothing
  2. Easy dressing clothing
  3. No labels
  4. No buttons
  5. Velcro fastenings

The new clothing range, designed with these insights in mind, includes loose-fitting t-shirts, jumpers and tracksuits, all in soft fabrics and designed for ease of dressing. The National Autistic Society then ran two focus groups at their Helen Allison School in October 2021, where autistic pupils tried the clothes over the weekend and shared their feedback. Following reports that many autistic children ‘retain the love for the [Thomas & Friends] brand beyond the core age’, the range has been designed for fans aged from 3 to 16 years.

The range launches on Character.com during World Autism Acceptance Week on 2 April 2022.

Peter Watt, Director of National Programmes at the National Autistic Society, says: “We are delighted to be partnering with Thomas & Friends and Character.com to create such an important range of clothing for autistic children and teens.

“Parents and autistic young people often tell us how sensory sensitivities can mean that children on the autism spectrum struggle with certain clothes. For some, a label on a t-shirt, a prominent seam, or certain fabrics could be incredibly itchy, distracting or even physically painful. Finding the right clothing can make shopping difficult, time consuming and stressful. So, it’s really great to have the chance to develop this autism-friendly collection.”

“Thomas & Friends is an inclusive brand which invites all of our fans to celebrate friendship,” says Claudia Caron, Thomas & Friends Marketing Manager. “We are very proud to be supporting our Thomas & Friends community of autistic fans through our partnership with our friends at the National Autistic Society to offer more choices and accessible clothing based on what mums and dads of autistic children have told us they want to see.”

Karen Hewitt, Co-Founder of Character.com, adds: “At Character.com, we value charitable relationships and responding to our customers’ needs. As a result, we are thrilled to introduce this Thomas & Friends range, which Mattel developed in collaboration with the National Autistic Society. The Character.com team are delighted to be selling a range that is unique to the industry and provides our consumers with exactly what they need. We are thrilled to be able to contribute to such a worthy cause, and we hope that this is the start of many such initiatives from Character.com.”

To find out more about autism or the the National Autistic Society, visit org.uk

*Survey commissioned by Mattel and run by the National Autism Society, April 2021.

Keeping Christmas lunch on track with Munchy Play plates

If you’re looking for the ideal gift for a toddler this Christmas, a Munchy Play plate is right on track.

Featuring a built-in railtrack, the award-winning Munchy Play Thomas & Friends Train Track Plate Collection comes in three designs: Thomas (blue), James (red) and Percy (green). For car lovers, there’s also a separate Vroom-Vroom car plate.

Sophia Procter, Munchy Play founder and CEO, said: “This Christmas, bring the whole family together with the Thomas & Friends Train Track Plate collection. Universally loved by grandparents, parents and young children, the fun designs make the perfect festive gift, stocking filler and Secret Santa for everyone to enjoy.”

Designed for toddlers and pre-schoolers, the tableware features high-sides and a non-slip base for self-feeding, whilst the track takes children on a journey from Knapford Station, passing tunnels, trees and traffic lights along the way. There’s even a ‘train ticket’ gift tag on the packaging for writing a personalised message.

Made in Britain, the tableware is made from polypropylene, which is free of BPA, PVC and melamine. With zero-single-use plastic, both the product and packaging can be recycled. The collection is available from Munchyplay.com and Amazon, from £15.99.

Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go pulls into Channel5’s Milkshake this November

Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go – a new, vibrantly refreshed, 2D animated series following the iconic Thomas the Tank Engine – is pulling into Channel 5’s Milkshake on Monday, November 8th this year.

Produced by Mattel Television in partnership with Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana Studio, the new series is a major reimagining of the classic Thomas & Friends franchise and the fourth ever major revamp for the world famous kids’ animated show in its 75 year history.

The new series follows Thomas, more playful and relatable than ever before, as the hero of his own adventure. Thomas strives to be the Number One Tank Engine through trial and error, all while just enjoying being a kid.

According to Mattel, highlights of Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go include a greater range of character expressiveness, more physical comedy and music, and core characters that are now kids themselves and voiced by British child actors. The show has been ‘crafted to appeal to contemporary audiences’ sensibilities while maintaining Thomas’ core message about the value of friendship.’

 Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go incorporates 26 social-emotional, cognitive, and physical life lessons throughout the series, including friendship, taking turns, teamwork, self-help, and empathy.

Four additional engines make up the core cast of characters:

•Percy – Thomas’ best friend who loves telling silly jokes, Percy has a lot of hidden courage (that not even he’s aware of!) and will do anything to help his friends. 

•Nia – Nia is an engine who loves a good plan, offering both creative and practical solutions. Because Nia is so well travelled, she often has valuable insight into things the other engines haven’t seen before.

•Diesel – Diesel is always trying to one-up Thomas and inadvertently causes trouble for everyone in his quest to be “the real Number One Tank Engine.”

•Kana – An all-new electric high-speed rail train, she is fast talking, loves to race and creates gusts of wind that blow windmills and bend trees in her wake.

 Fred Soulie, senior vice president and general manager, Mattel Television, said: “This new creative direction for the classic Thomas & Friends franchise is crafted to appeal to contemporary audiences, yet still maintain the beloved characters’ core ethos: the value of friendship. Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go features stories that are both timeless and timely, with themes that will resonate with children, parents and caregivers alike.” 

Christopher Keenan, senior vice president, global content and executive producer, Mattel Television, added: “We can’t wait for the next generation of fans to meet Thomas and his friends. In Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go, we aim for audiences to have fun as we expand the world of Sodor in new and exciting ways. For the better part of the last decade, I’ve had the privilege of working on the Thomas & Friends television series and I’ve seen first-hand how Thomas and his core message about the value of friendship inspire a broad audience – children, parents and caregivers alike. These stories are both timeless and timely, with themes that continue to resonate with kids today.”

 Kelly Philp, director of marketing, Mattel UK, said: “Thomas & Friends has 92 per cent brand awareness in the UK, so we are looking forward to exciting our Thomas fans new and old with all the fun and adventure of the show’s new approach.

“The singable songs and endless laughs have already tested well with our pre-school audience and Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go will be a great tool for parents and caregivers too, due to the integrated life lessons and values that are incorporated within the content.”

 Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go will premiere on Channel 5 Milkshake on November 8th. In the UK, the series will be preceded by a new 60-minute animated motion picture, Thomas & Friends: Race for the Sodor Cup™, showing at Vue and Odeon cinemas throughout the UK from Friday, September 17th, which will be the first time that children and parents can see the new-look and feel Thomas & Friends before it hits television screens later in the year.

Oxford is ‘twinned’ with Island of Sodor from Thomas & Friends as it’s named UK’s Friendliest City

Oxford is to be ‘twinned’ with the Island of Sodor – the home of Thomas the Tank Engine – having been recognised as the UK’s friendliest city when it topped the newly created Thomas & Friends Friendship Index earlier this month.

Launched to mark International Friendship Day today (July 30th), the Thomas & Friends Friendship Index is the culmination of an in-depth study of 3,000 adults across the nations, to rank towns and cities according to the friendliness of their residents.

The study asked questions around kindness, encouragement, and looking after others. Wrexham was narrowly pipped to the top spot by the Oxfordshire city, while Aberdeen and Gloucester also scored highly to take the third and fourth positions.

Having taken the first place on the Index, Oxford will now house a new sign post, twinning the city with the Island of Sodor – a pivotal setting for the stories about Thomas the Tank Engine, all of which are rooted in friendship and teamwork over the past 75 years.

The twinning sign was unveiled during a special ceremony held at Oxford train station attended by Sir Topham Hatt from the show, and Councillor Mark Lygo, Lord Mayor of Oxford.

To help it land the top spot, Oxford scored consistently high across all categories including most likely place for a friend to put in a good word to get you a job and giving others advice. Findings also show that Aberystwyth and Wrexham are home to those who will go out of their way for others, with locals scoring highest for such behaviour.

North Wales was also the place to be if you’re looking for a compliment, with 55 per cent frequently handing out praise.

Residents of Belfast were most committed to travelling the furthest to helping a friend in need, willing to travel over 61 miles to help with a flat tyre – eight miles further than the average. While the Friendship Index also revealed those from Aberdeen are the most likely to step in to help their friends avoid an embarrassing situation.

Claudia Caron, UK marketing manager for Thomas & Friends, said: “The gift of friendship is truly wonderful and something we have proudly celebrated in Thomas & Friends for over 75 years, so we would like to offer a huge congratulations to Oxford for being the friendliest city in our very first Thomas & Friends Friendship Index.

“We are delighted to officially twin the city with the Island of Sodor, home of Thomas the Tank engine, in recognition of its incredible friendly status.” 

The Friendship Index research has been carried out globally and has today also named friendliest cities of Australia (Sydney), New Zealand (Auckland), Italy (Naples), Greece (Irakleion), Turkey (Izmir) and Poland (Kielce). Oxford joins these six other friendliest places to have topped the Thomas & Friends Friendship Index from around the world, to be given the honour of being twinned with the Island of Sodor. 

 Councillor Mark Lygo, Lord Mayor of Oxford, said: “It’s great news that Oxford has been voted the friendliest city in the UK and I want to thank Thomas & Friends for confirming something that I think our residents have known for a long time.

“Oxford is made up from many diverse communities all of which have benefitted from and added to the city’s long traditions of friendliness and inclusivity, which have proved so important, especially over the last 18 months. Indeed, Oxford has friends all over the world and we are proud of our international links, including twinning with Bonn, Grenoble, Leiden, Padua, Wroclaw, Perm, León, and Ramallah.

“Now, as we come out of lockdown, I want to encourage visitors to come and visit our vibrant, friendly city and experience all that it has to offer. A warm welcome awaits you.”

 THE UK’S MOST FRIENDLY CITIES ACCORDING TO THE FRIENDSHIP INDEX

1. Oxford – 21.8

2. Wrexham – 21.5

3. Gloucester – 20.8

4. Aberdeen – 20.7

5. Worcester – 20.5

6. Aberystwyth – 20.4

7. Portsmouth – 19.7

8. London – 18.8

9. Coventry – 18.5

10. Swansea – 18.3

11. Brighton and Hove – 17.9

12. Edinburgh – 17.2

13. Belfast – 16.7

14. Manchester – 16.6

15. Wolverhampton – 16.5

16. Cardiff – 16.3

17. Southampton – 15.9

18. Sheffield – 15.9

19. Plymouth – 15.8

20. Bristol – 15.5

Mattel partners with Munchy Play to bring Thomas & Friends to the dining table

Mattel has landed a new partnership with Munchy Play – the founders of the first children’s plate and track – to launch a new tableware collection based on the iconic Thomas & Friends franchise. The range will launch across the UK and Ireland.

Featuring a built-in track, the plates aim to bring fun to dining and children to the table. Available in three playful themes, the range features a blue Thomas plate, red James plate, and green Percy plate, each bearing illustrations of the engines and taking kids on a journey from Knapford Station, passing tunnels, trees, and traffic lights along the way.

Designed for preschoolers, there are high-sides and a non-slip base to support self-feeding. Plus, the track can accommodate children’s favourite TrackMaster and MINIS engines.

The Thomas and Friends Train Track Plate collection is now available from £15.99, at Munchyplay.com and Amazon.com, as well as Drayton Manor Park, home of Thomas Land.

Helen Genia, head of licensing for Mattel UK, said: “We are delighted to partner with Munchy Play to bring the magic of Thomas & Friends to mealtimes. Creative storytelling is a great way to keep teatimes on track in a way that families will appreciate, and little ones will love.

“Children take great comfort in their favourite train characters, and this brings it together in the most clever and irresistible way.”

Launched last year, Munchy Play manufacturers its products in the UK, and has been named one of the ‘most promising’ start-ups of 2021. 

Sophia Procter, founder and CEO of Munchy Play, said: “Four years’ ago, inspired by my son’s love of Thomas, I came up with the idea for a kids’ plate with a track around the outside. Successfully bringing my fussy eater toddler to the table, I saw its potential to help other families and set out to create a tableware range that would excite children about dining. It’s a dream come true to introduce our new Thomas & Friends collection for families to enjoy.”

Record quarter for Mattel as CEO Ynon Kreiz cites “exceptional results reflective of firm’s turnaround”

Mattel has seen first quarter net sales up by 47 per cent year on year in what the toy maker’s chairman and CEO, Ynon Kreiz has called ‘another record quarter for the company’ with “exceptional results” reflective of the firm’s turnaround.

This marks Mattel’s third consecutive quarter of growing market share with results that have caused for renewed optimism in the success of the company to both ‘improve profitability and accelerate topline growth in 2021 and beyond.’

Kreiz has noted that while growth this quarter was “partially driven by year over year Covid-related comparisons” and lower sales in the same quarter the year prior owing to the onset of the pandemic, the toy maker believes its results overall are “attributable to the strength of brands, quality and breadth of product, and world class supply chain, as well as effective demand creation in partnership with its retail partners.”

Mattel saw net sales in North America increase 67 per cent as reported versus the prior year’s first quarter. This was driven by growth across its Dolls – including Barbie and Spirit – sector, as well as its Infant, Toddler, and Pre-school (including Fisher-Price and Thomas & Friends), Vehicles (including Hot Wheels), and Action Figures, Building Sets, Games, and Other (including Masters of the Universe, Jurassic World, Plush, WWE, and Mega).

Net sales in the international segment increased 30 per cent as reported driven by similar growth across the categories.

Decreases in net sales occurred across Mattel’s American Girl segment by 22 per cent.

Mattel has stated that its top priority continues to be the health and safety of its people, and at the same time, mitigating the disruption of the Covid-19 pandemic to the business.

Anthony DiSilvestro, CFO of Mattel, said: “Mattel delivered another outstanding quarter, and we are very pleased with our start to the year. Free Cash Flow improved significantly along with our Free Cash Flow Conversion rate, leverage ratio continues to come down, and the debt refinancing provides additional flexibility as we continued to make further progress towards our strategy to improve profitability and accelerate topline growth.

“We believe we are well-positioned to gain momentum for the full year. We are revising 2021 guidance to reflect our stronger-than-anticipated first quarter performance and updated outlook for cost inflation.”

Egmont Magazines rounds-off Thomas and Friends 75th anniversary year with special collector’s edition

Egmont Magazines is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Thomas & Friends brand with the release of a limited edition gift pack of its popular, officially licensed magazine.

In issue number 791 of Thomas & Friends, the titular hero takes a special trip to the capital, while the issue itself will come accompanied by a seven-piece play-set that includes Thomas, Percy and a carriage. Readers can explore London alongside Thomas with the London Eye, bus, phone box and Fat Controller figurines also included in the play-set.

Meanwhile. there are over 40 stickers, a reward chart, posters, puzzles and more, all designed to help develop early years skills.

Egmont has released three special editions of Thomas & Friends magazine this year. Thomas fans delighted in receiving an official mini train and story book in issue #781, and this year’s summer special was a treat for young Thomas fans and collectors alike, with a special anniversary train set accompanying the magazine.

An impressive 32 years after launch, Thomas & Friends magazine remains a top 20 title in the children’s market and is the oldest single character magazine in the UK.

Kiran Vara, publisher of Thomas & Friends magazine, said: “We’ve loved celebrating with Thomas and Mattel through all three anniversary issues of this evergreen magazine but Thomas’ trip to London is really something special.

“We know that Thomas fans will love exploring the city with Thomas and enjoy all the exciting activities inside the magazine.”

AR kids’ books app Bookful welcomes Mattel’s Barbie and Thomas & Friends to the library

The augmented reality children’s book app, Bookful, has partnered with the global toy company, Mattel to bring new books from the Barbie and Thomas & Friends to its platform. Seven new titles will be added to the Bookful library under the partnership, bringing each to life with its AR and 3D animation to provide what it bills as ‘productive screen time.’

The Barbie brand will aim to continue its mission to inspire the potential in every girl with new titles including Barbie: You Can Be A Dcotor and You Can Be a Gynmast, while Bookful will look to ’empower young readers to bring to life Barbie’s You Can Be Anything campaign.’

Meanwhile, the AR book specialists bring Thomas & Friends to the platform some 75 years after the brand’s creation by Reverend Wilbert Awdry. Today, Thomas spans hundreds of TV episodes, books, toys, and a theme park. The Bookful app will reinvigorate its publishing success with titles such as Busy Busy Thomas, Search and Rescue, Big Surprise, and A Visit to London.

The Barbie and Thomas & Friends titles are joining Bookful’s library of top publishers and brands. Bookful’s current collection of titles also includes those from Penguin Random House, Charlesbridge, Horace, and Co., and DK. 

In addition to offering exclusive access to premium titles from the world’s leading publishers, Bookful houses complementary immersive learning opportunities for a magically interactive user experience. Bookful engages its users with spelling, comprehension, painting, and dancing games to reinforce learning through a series of uniquely crafted edutainment content.

Inception’s CEO Benny Arbel, said: “We are extremely excited to have two of Mattel’s iconic properties added to our library. We are sure these books will add an exciting new dimension to the library with stories that will inspire young readers.”

Thomas & Friends goes 2D animated as new seasons given the green light by Mattel

Mattel has given the green light to a series of 104 new 11 minute episodes and two hour-long specials for the Thomas & Friends television series over two new seasons. The latest update for the popular children’s series follows news released last week that a Thomas & Friends feature length film was now in development.

To produce the two new seasons of the hit pre-school series, Mattel has partnered with Corus Entertainment’s Nelvana Studios, an international producer and distributor of children’s animated and live-action content. The new seasons, starting with Season 25, will premiere next autumn.

The firm has hinted at ‘a creative new approach to the show,’ which promises to ‘contemporise the series for today’s families.’

The series will be animated in 2D, for a start, and will build upon creative elements that have resonated with Thomas & Friends fans over the year by featuring comedic, playful stories and lessons told from Thomas’ point of view. Nelvana will help to bring the new 2D look to life, expanding on Mattel’s existing relationship with Corus Entertainment.

“Thomas & Friends’ enduring legacy and focus on the importance on friendship continue to resonate with global audiences, and we look forward to unveiling our new content to consumers next year,” said Fred Soulie, senior vice president and general manager, Mattel Television.

“Nelvana is the ideal production partner for the series, understanding the importance of staying true to Thomas’ ethos and heritage while bringing the franchise to life creatively in new ways for today’s kids.”

Pam Westman, president, Nelvana, added: “As the exclusive broadcast partner and licensing agent of the treasured Thomas brand in Canada, we are delighted to deepen our relationship with Mattel by becoming their production partner on the re-imagined 2D series, which will introduce Thomas to a new generation of young audiences.

“With stunning animation and fresh new stories, the 2D series allows us to play up the humor in the show while honoring the legacy of the world’s most-adored blue tank engine.”

Executive producers for Season 25 of Thomas & Friends include Fred Soulie, Adam Bonnett and Christopher Keenan at Mattel, as well as Colin Bohm and Pam Westman at Nelvana.

Thomas was first created in 1945 by Rev. W. Awdry in stories for his son, Christopher. Today, the character is just as beloved by children as he was when he first chugged down the tracks. Thomas’ stories are currently told through the television series, toys, books, apps, live events and more.

Thomas & Friends celebrates International Friendship Day with interactive mosaic image

Thomas & Friends unveiled a new digital artwork by renowned artist Nathan Wyburn to celebrate this year’s International Friendship Day on July 30th. The interactive mosaic image is made up of 400 pictures made by children from around the UK of themselves with their friends which they drew on their return to nursery and pre-school earlier this month.

The interactive mosaic image features a zoom function that allows viewers to look up close at each individual picture that collectively make up a gigantic image of Thomas, The Fat Controller and Royal engine Duchess based on a poster image of ‘Thomas & Friends: The Royal Engine’, the episode which aired earlier this year as part of the brand’s 75th Anniversary celebrations.

The successful 22-mins special featured an introduction from Harry, the Duke of Sussex and starred actress Rosamund Pike as the voice of royal engine Duchess and now has its own toy line available to buy in shops and online.

Children from around the country have shared their drawings of themselves with their best friends. Plus, some exciting friends of the brand including Peter Andre, whose son, Theo and daughter, Millie have also joined in the fun.

The picture also includes some well-known celebrity friendships, including Ant and Dec, Ed Sheeran and Stormzy, Geri Horner and Emma Bunton and Idris Elba and Dwayne Johnson. These images were drawn by Thomas & Friends book illustrator, Daniel Crisp and included in the digital artwork for people to hunt for at www.thomasfriendshipday.com

Claudia Caron, marketing manager at Mattel, said: “In this special 75th anniversary year for Thomas & Friends, we are celebrating friendship in as many ways as possible. This includes taking a look at what it means to be a good friend and how we can nurture these important relationships, so they bring us a lifetime of joy and happiness.

“We know how difficult it has been for children not being able to see their friends recently, so we wanted to commission this very special artwork made up of all their pictures to immortalise these special friendships, and to raise a smile amongst everyone who sees it during these challenging times.”

The partnership is also being supported with further marketing support, including digital and social activations.