Thomas (released as Thomas the Tank Engine until 2000) is a small blue tank engine.
Description
Character Card
The most famous of all the vehicles on the Island of Sodor, Thomas the Tank Engine is considered by all to be a "really useful engine". He is a cheeky, fussy little engine who is always eager to help.
2018 box description
Meet the story-starter. Every child's imagination has stories to tell – and this cheeky steam engine is the perfect helper. Children create the stories, Thomas just delivers inspiration.
Changes
- 1992
- skinny flat topped funnel, smokebox not connected to front bufferbeam, no black lining around the cab doors, staples, flat magnets, undated wheels
- shorter flat topped funnel
- smokebox connected to front bufferbeam
- beveled funnel
- speckled coal instead of solid
- 1994
- made in China, no staples
- beveled magnets, undated wheels
- wheels dated 1994
- rounded magnets
- 1996 (smaller round magnets, new face, curved funnel and dome
- 1997 (larger round magnets, thicker wheels
- 1999
- moulded plastic funnel with wooden smokebox
- plastic smokebox, smaller font on wheel dates
- 2000 (name added to chassis)
- 2001 (larger font on wheels)
- 2002 (redesigned face, larger smokebox and boiler, removed back ledge, no stripes on boiler, wheels dated 2003)
- Late 2004 (striped boiler, wheels dated 2003)
- 2011 (CG style face, wheels dated 2003)
- 2012 (new face, curved edges, longer magnet guards, other minor details, wheels dated 2012)
- 2016 (redesigned smaller face)
- 2018 (printed details on exposed wood, no dome)
Variants
- "Hard at Work" Thomas from Thomas and Bertie's Great Race and Thomas 5-Car Value Pack
- 10 Years of Thomas in America Set
- Battery-Operated Thomas
- Thomas Comes to Breakfast
- Winter Wonderland Thomas
- Paint-Splattered Thomas
- 60th Anniversary Thomas from 60th Anniversary Set
- "Celebrating 60 Years" Thomas
- Collectible Golden Thomas
- Adventures of Thomas
- Gold Dust Thomas
- Happy Birthday Thomas and Box Car
- "Sodor Day" Thomas and Stanley
- "Mud Covered" Thomas
- "Goodbye, Hiro" Celebration Thomas
- "Slippy Sodor" Thomas
- Early Engineers Thomas
- Stinky Cheese Thomas
- "Trick or Treat" Thomas
- Day Out with Thomas 2010
- Sparkling Clean Thomas
- Thomas with Musical Candy Cane Car
- Easter Thomas
- Holiday Lights Thomas
- "Oil-Covered" Thomas
- Thomas' Country Show Delivery
- Roll and Whistle Thomas
- Thomas Engine Gift Pack
- Light-Up Reveal Thomas
- Decorated Thomas from Celebration on Sodor Set and Sam and the Great Bell Accessory Pack
- Thomas' Cranberry Spill
- Decorated Tidmouth Toys Thomas from Thomas the Really Useful Engine Book
- Snowy Thomas from Santa's Workshop Express
- Paint Thomas from 5-in-1 Builder Set
- Birthday Thomas
- Decorated Thomas from Animal Park Set
- Icing-covered Thomas from Holiday Cookie Delivery
Trivia
- Thomas has the most variations of any character in the Thomas Wooden Railway, with more prototypes, changes, and variants than any other character in the range.
- Thomas is included in more sets and multi-car packs than any other character in the Thomas Wooden Railway.
- The very first prototype of Thomas seen featured red wheels held in by nails, no coal bunker details, and a different face.
- Roy Wilson's original third handmade Thomas had a much thinner funnel and dome than later models.