They seem to be aiming for a younger audience with the Paw Patrol/ Bubble Guppies style animation. I’m sure that’ll (NOT) go over well with the fandom!
I wouldn’t get too worked up about the demise of the Plarail license just yet. Mattel also has to completely retool their various lines and the two companies have cooperative licensing agreements well beyond just Thomas. It may turn out that this yet another attempt at a retool is yet another stepping on a rake. My kids are starting to age out of the target market for Thomas fandom but they’re somewhat ambivalent about the changes made in recent years. It hasn’t helped that Mattel decided to move from PBS to Nickelodeon here in the US at the time that many people like us have discontinued or scaled way back on cable TV subscriptions. I can’t really see either of them getting excited about a 2D, Nick Jr-style Nelvana reboot or buying toys that reflect a more cartoon-like appearance. Whether Plarail Thomas continues may be the least worrisome aspect of this for diehard fans.
I wouldn’t get too worked up about the demise of the Plarail license just yet. Mattel also has to completely retool their various lines and the two companies have cooperative licensing agreements well beyond just Thomas. It may turn out that this yet another attempt at a retool is yet another stepping on a rake. My kids are starting to age out of the target market for Thomas fandom but they’re somewhat ambivalent about the changes made in recent years. It hasn’t helped that Mattel decided to move from PBS to Nickelodeon here in the US at the time that many people like us have discontinued or scaled way back on cable TV subscriptions. I can’t really see either of them getting excited about a 2D, Nick Jr-style Nelvana reboot or buying toys that reflect a more cartoon-like appearance. Whether Plarail Thomas continues may be the least worrisome aspect of this for diehard fans.
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