The end of Thomas and friends from Plarail?

Chrisjo makes some good points about the appearance of the toys vs the characters in the series. I’ll add that it took Takara Tomy several years to rework all the locomotives to look closer to their CGI versions and it didn’t seem to affect the license.

Let’s also keep in mind the Mattel has spent the last several years floundering around with Thomas. They keep trying to reinvent the series and the toy lines with well, mixed results. I don’t see this reboot having much appeal to the existing fandom, as it seems designed for the preschoolers who watch Bubble Guppies and Paw Patrol. It might turn out to be the “home run” hit Mattel so desperately needs but I suspect that within a couple years, we’ll be seeing yet another reboot when they realize they’ve lost the 5-8 year old toy buyers (not to mention the adult fans and collectors). Given the lead time licensees need to retool, it might be over before companies like Takara Tomy and Bachmann can even react!