This year Thomas the Tank Engine and friends are celebrating their 60th year in books. They are the stars of Reverend Wilbert Awdry's series of railway stories, written for his son and first published in Britain in 1945. Random House Children's Books has held U.S. rights since Shining Time Station, the PBS show, began airing in 1989, and the company has sold 40 million Thomas books.
"Janet Schulman [former publisher of Random House's children's division] and I had seen these wonderful old Awdry train books for years at Frankfurt, and we loved them, but we didn't have the moxie to pick them up," said Kate Klimo, v-p and publisher, Random House/Golden Books for Young Readers. When the TV series came to the U.S. [a British Thomas program had premiered in 1984], Random was offered the rights and snatched them up.
"For the first six years, it built up to red-hot," Klimo said. After the property—which generated more than $1 billion in retail sales of licensed goods in the early years, according to published reports—cooled off, Random cut the number of titles from 20 to about a dozen per year. It now incorporates Thomas into its Beginner Books, Bright and Early, Golden Books, coloring and activity and Step into Reading lines, and produces occasional novelty and high-end titles.
But 8x8s are the centerpiece of Random's Thomas program. "For a great many licenses, 8x8s no longer work, especially for licenses that have been out a while," Klimo explained. "It's counter the current trend that 8x8s are the core of this program."
Thomas merchandise has experienced double-digit sales growth in each of the last eight years, according to Jamie Cygielman, senior v-p consumer products at licensor HIT Entertainment—even though the show was off the air for six of those. Last September, PBS began running new Thomas episodes.
Random House promotes the property every year, including cross-promotions with other licensees. Books appear in spots at the end of Thomas videos, in parenting publication ads alongside other licensees' products, and in toy brochures. Random also participates in a live tour called "Day Out with Thomas" that features a full-sized train; this year's tour stops in 40 cities.
Random House will publish 14 Thomas titles in 2005—bringing the active total to 100—ranging from coloring books to the Thomas the Tank Engine Complete Story Collection, which includes all 26 original Awdry stories. "We're trying to celebrate in all markets," Klimo said.
HIT is supporting the anniversary with its biggest marketing campaign ever for Thomas. Initiatives include limited-edition anniversary toy trains from licensees RC2/Learning Curve and Tomy; three direct-to-video productions, including the property's first full-length feature film; a promotional partnership with Amtrak; American Library Association posters and bookmarks; and Thomas's first-ever TV advertising.
