News: Retail Week - Business information for the retail industry

http://www.retail-week.com/nav?page=retailweek.news.techology.detail&resource=4394193

I didn't make the link live because you need to be a paying subscriber to read it.

The article above talks about Amazon opening a new doll shop. The interesteing part of it from TtTE standpoint is the reference to "one of Amazon’s leading branded toy shops, Thomas the Tank Engine". I didn't realize there was such a thing as a branded store (though it isn't surprising). What did surprise me was that Thomas would be a leader for a company as large as Amazon. I figured Thomas was more of a niche given the pitiful selection of Thomas Trains found At Wal-Mart, even around Christmas.

News: Some British dude is called "the fat controller"

Geoffrey Evison, A RAILWAY preservation society chairman, is nicknamed the fat controller, what British children call Sir Topham Hatt. I find that hilarious.
Scotsman.com News - Scotland - Fat Controller's threat to bank boss

News: Moms sue maker of Thomas trains

I'm no legal expert but it doesn't seem like the company stands much of a chance in this suit.

Moms sue maker of Tal homas trains: "Friends"

"Lifetime warranty cut to 90 days

"These things are a fortune," said plaintiff Lucy Brady of Clarendon Hills, who has spent more than $5,000 on the toys for her four-year-old son Christopher. "The reason you pay that much for a train is you think they are going to last a lifetime."

According to the lawsuit, the toys carried a lifetime guarantee when they were made by Learning Curve International. In 2003, RC2 Corp. purchased Learning Curve and cut the warranty to 90 days.

Though Brandy and plaintiff Tanya Powers claim they bought the toys before then, RC2 rebuffed them when the toys broke and they asked for replacements."

News: Thomas Game coming soon

It says here: JAKKS News Release that JAKKS is planning on releasing a Thomas game later this year. I've played their Atari throwback game (It's essentially a nostalgic joystick that plugs into the RCA cables in the front of your TV. All the logic for the games are small enough to fit in the controller... Very clever) and it's fantastic. I hope the Thomas game is thoughtful and not just some kind of, "we've got exclusive licensing... Lets get something -- anything -- out the door". It drives me nuts when companies do that with breakfast cereals. (Sorry... Andy Rooney just hijacked my keyboard). Anyhow... It has the potential to be fun, if the price point is low ( < $30 ) and it's intuitive to the under 5 year old male Thomas loving crowd. To find out more about the Atari thing check out tvgames.com

Comment: The Real Thomas on Google Earth

How cool is this? someone sent me the real Thomas the Tank engine that they found in google earth.

Google Local

News: Thomas The Tank Engine Goes Missing

Thanks to Mark for that. There's a fun article about "A toddler.. left in tears after he forgets where he put his Thomas the Tank Engine replica toy."

DinnerTimes.com - Thomas The Tank Engine Goes Missing

Comment: No news is bad news

Not much on the Thomas the Tank Engine News front. I'd love it if someone out there finds an online link to that BBC documentary. I looked but didn't see it.

Also, I decided that I was going to make this BLOG exclusively About Thomas and Friends... no more Harry Potter. There too much information to really keep track of him. So, anyhow, post a comment or send me an email if there is Thomas the Tank engine news that I should be aware of, and I'll be sure to tell you about it when I hear. Thanks for reading.

Comment: which sequel will be better? 'Narnia II' vs. 'Harry Potter V'

I wanted to raise the questions after reading the article earlier. It way seem that I'm biased as I keep a Harry potter blog, but I've read both series and I LOVED LWW, both the book and the movie. That said the answer to this dilemma is that HP will be better. I can state this unequivocally because the book was so much better and the audience (us) are so much more wrapped up in what's going to happen to Harry, Ron, Snape and the like. The rest of the Narnia books were OK but none are really classics IMHO without LWW to introduce them. I will say though, the last quarter of book 7 in Narnia was fantastic, showing those pigs and how they couldn't appreciate heaven and the building anticipation of the kids climbing ever higher. But anyhow, the next HP will be better.

Dueling sequels: 'Narnia II' vs. 'Harry Potter V' Popwatch Blog: Entertainment Weekly

I'm trying to come up with a comprehensive list of all the Thomas the Tank Engine Characters. Here's what I have:

Daisy
Ben
Bertie
Bill
Boco
Caroline
Diesel
Donald
Douglas
Duck
Duke
Duncan
Edward
George
Gordon
Harold
Henry
James
Mavis
Percy
Peter Sam
Rheneas
Rusty
Sir Handel
Skarloey
Stepney
Terence
Thomas
Toby
Trevor

Does anyone know any more?