Goodbye and Hello

Guess I better buy a couple of each pretty soon then! And no, I’m not especially happy about it because it seems to be a cynical marketing tactic that removes well known characters from a beloved 70+ year old children’s series. There’s probably some attempt to pass this off as “diverse and inclusive, reaching a wider audience” and that sort of thing but it’s mostly a ham-fisted attempt to sell toys. I suspect that this is all backed up by the usual market research and focus groups but these three characters are also woefully underserved in the series and in merchandise too. I can’t remember the last time I saw a Trackmaster 2 Edward or Henry in a big chain retail store and they are kind of lackluster designs anyway, especially Edward.

FWIW, I’m not even a fan, other than having watched countless hours of Thomas with my kids the last few years. But my daughter and one of my nieces are both big Thomas fans and neither of them seem bothered by any apparent lack of gender diversity. Heck, my daughter actually counts Henry as among her favorite engines! If they want more prominent female characters to appeal to young girls, why then overlook popular characters like Ashima in the Trackmaster line?