Thomas the Tank Engine gets new look as he returns to 3D following 2D series

Thomas the Tank Engine has been given a new look as he returns to 3D following the 2D series Thomas and Friends: All Engines Go.

The blue locomotive, which has entertained children for more than 80 years, will star in a new series of Thomas & Friends airing in autumn.

Mattel, which controls the franchise, say the new look Thomas “blends classic train culture with a warm, modern look, reinforcing the emotional connection families have had with Thomas for decades”.

Ted Wu, senior vice president and global head of vehicles and building sets at Mattel, said: “Thomas has been a trusted companion for families for more than 80 years, and the new look reflects both where the brand comes from and where it’s headed on its next adventure.

“We returned to the elements that parents and kids love most while updating the design to feel relevant for today’s pre-school audience. Authentic train details, timelessness and emotional storytelling form the foundation for the years ahead for Thomas and Friends.”

The company behind Thomas also says his new look is inspired by the franchise’s roots, which “emphasises warmth, authenticity and dependability”.

Mattel says the new look came after a design process which saw it undertake research and testing with pre-school children and their parents.

The Thomas the Tank Engine relaunch will also see a refreshed Thomas and Friends logo and updated designs for other characters, which it says will be “rooted in their iconic heritage”, with further announcements expected to come later this year.

Thomas the Tank Engine first appeared in The Railway Series, a collection of British books about anthropomorphic locomotives such as Thomas and his friends Gordon, Henry and James, by the children’s author Reverend Wilbert Awdry, first published in 1945.

The cheerful tank engine, who lives on the Isle of Sodor where he runs on the Fat Controller’s North Western Railway, was later adapted for TV by British writer and producer Britt Allcroft as Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends, narrated by Beatles drummer Sir Ringo Starr.

Characters appeared as models in their first TV iteration, before a live-action film – Thomas And The Magic Railroad – was released in 2000, starring Peter Fonda.

In 2009, the series, now known as Thomas and Friends, saw its characters depicted in CGI for the first time, having seen CGI effects used in 2008, while in 2021, Thomas and Friends: All Engines Go saw the characters as 2D animations.