JPTV Jr.: Don't Screw With Thomas the Tank Engine

Ah, but James, you're such a useful engine in the giant media-industrial enterprise that is Time Warner! (And no, I'm not implying that Dick Parsons is fat.)

I always thought "Thomas" was like a brainwashing type thing:
Thomas is a train, all boys should love trains, therefore boys should love Thomas, act and want to PLEASE Thomas.

I agree, weird attraction the Thomas industry brings. I even get freaked out looking at a couple of the train characters eyes - spooky.

Yeah, not a lot of girls in the Thomasverse, are there? There's Emily, there are a couple of passenger cars IIRC... what else?

Female passenger cars, that's saying something. Makes me wonder about the hidden message behind Fraggle Rock and GI Joes.

Ok James,I do see you point about the show. But you mention, "there's something unnerving about small children being taught to be good, productive, compliant employees for their corpulent industrialist master". Isn't that what Americans are taught? Ok, not so blatent, but this country allows corporations to dictate everything, so isn't it the same difference?

My boys liked Thomas because it was funny (in a preschool kind of way) - and little Thomas often won over the bigger, stronger engines. Yes, the lack of female engines bothered me (and back when they were little the only females were passenger cars), but that is more reflective of the time when these were written. Nothing wrong with learning to be a cooperative member of society. The engines were more accepting of the "bad boys" and oddballs than most school kids are and certainly a better message than much of the garbage spewed on Nick or Cartoon Network.

I found the article very interesting in so far as the idea of being good and co-operative seems to be directly opposed to the idea of individuality... what an amazing conclusion to come to

Hello, I am with Viles and Beckman, LLC. We are actively investigating the current Thomas the Tank Engine/RC2 lead toys debacle. If any parents or toy owners would like their toys to have their lead levels check (in an independent lab in Massachusetts) please contact our firm. We will happily accept your toys, return them (if you so wish), and inform you of the results of the testing.

Thank You,
Chris P.

For more information please email (any of the addresses below):
metasaiyan45@hotmail.com marcus@vilesandbeckman.com
michael@vilesandbeckman.com

One reason why the engines are male is because in Britain at the time most engines were spoken of in the female form so it broke with tradition, also the books were originaly just storys spoken by the rev w awdry to his son whilst he was ill and due to constant inacuracy pointed out by the child he wrote them down. Brain washing children, well most US tv shows do that it's just thomas is more inocent because it's based in the past. On the subject of brain washing most Americans are taught to pledge allegiance to a flag and follow a man who sabre rattles at all the countries America doesn't agree with or understand, thats brain washing