train: SpongeBob SquarePants Minis, Thomas & Friends

Touted as a leading preschool franchise, Thomas and Friends had humble beginnings. In 1942, the Reverend Wilbert Awdry gave his son a handmade model train built from a sawn-off broomstick, metal tubes, and carpet pins. From this start, Awdry went on to thrill readers with the adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine on the fictitious island of Sodor. Awdry����_��s Railway Series conveyed tales of loyalty, responsibility, and resilience. For more than 70 years, children have replicated the traditional tales of the ����_�cheeky, little engine����_�_ using toys based on the characters in the stories. In 1984, The Railway Series reached new fans via a Thomas the Tank Engine television series narrated by Ringo Starr. By 2016, consumers demanded more diversity in the series and Ashima, Carlos, and Yong Boa were introduced.