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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 16 october 2017
New characters give ‘Thomas & Friends’ a jolt of girl power

By JOSEPH PISANI ducer Micaela Winter.
AP Retail Writer Viewership of “Thomas &
NEW YORK (AP) — Girls are Friends” is evenly split be-
finally getting a bigger role tween girls and boys, Mat-
in Thomas the Tank Engine’s tel said, and girls are more
boy-dominated world. likely than boys to watch
Mattel, the toy maker that every week. But the brand
owns the Thomas brand, hasn’t catered to them.
will add two female main Girls will be in more Thomas
characters to the “Thomas toy commercials and on
& Friends” TV series next the box. Nia toys will be on
year. Nia and Rebecca will sale next fall after the mov-
appear in each episode ie release, and Rebecca
and help fix the gender im- toys will follow in 2019. More
balance at the shed where T-shirts, pajamas and bed
Thomas and the other main sheets will be aimed at girls.
characters live: Three of the “I think it’s actually giving
seven engines at Tidmouth them what they want,”
Sheds will be female, up said Schlomann.
from just one. Mattel has made changes
The gender shakeup is just This photo provided by Mattel, Inc. shows the new Steam Team appearing in the 2018 series of to its other toy brands in an
one of the many changes “Thomas and Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!” Formerly six boys and one girl, the new team attempt to be more inclu-
coming to the 30-year-old will have three girls and four boys. sive and appeal to today’s
show. Thomas visits real Associated Press parents. Barbie and Ken
countries for the first time; got its start as a book series Nia, an engine from Kenya, be spot on,” said Schlo- dolls now come in different
the animation will move more than 70 years ago. To will make her debut next mann. Rebecca’s origins skin colors, body shapes
at a faster pace; there’s avoid any missteps, Mat- summer in the movie “Big are less exotic. She’ll come and hair types. And the first
a new theme song; the tel consulted with parents, World! Big Adventures!” from the Mainland near boy doll was added to the
characters will crack more young fans and even the and then join the TV series Thomas’ fictional island of American Girl lineup earlier
jokes; and the narrator will United Nations. In all, the in the fall. Experts at the Sodor. She’ll first appear on this year. Mattel took con-
be gone, replaced by the company spent two years U.N. advised producers screens in the TV series next trol of “Thomas & Friends”
voice of Thomas. working on the makeover. with Nia’s name (it means fall. Henry and Edward will five years ago, after it
It’s all an effort to shake “It’s such a huge shift,” said “purpose” in Swahili) and get the boot from Tidmouth bought production com-
Thomas’ stodgy image, Kate Schlomann, a vice helped select the African Sheds to make room for the pany Hit Entertainment for
compete with flashier pre- president of branding at pattern that runs across two new girls, but the boy $680 million. Since then, it
school shows and fight a Mattel. “We want to make Nia’s body. “When you’re engines will still appear on has tried to put its stamp
drop in toy sales. It’s a big sure we’re here another 70 designing an engine from the show from time to time. on the brand. Engines from
risk for the franchise, which years.” any country, you want to (Mattel refers to the char- India and China, for ex-
acters as girls and boys, ample, rode into Sodor last
even though they are en- year to add some diversity
gines.) Producers wanted and appeal to viewers who
Nia and Rebecca to have live in the 110 countries that
starring roles, and they’ll watch “Thomas & Friends.”
join Emily, who has been But Thomas has big compe-
the only girl engine among tition from shows on Disney
the crew of main charac- Junior and Nick Jr., whose
ters for about 13 years. Oth- characters are also in toy
er girls in Thomas’ universe stores with Thomas. Mattel
have had smaller roles. said in July that second-
“We have added new fe- quarter sales at its Fisher-
male characters before, Price unit, which Thomas is
but I think, with a show like a part of, slipped 3 percent
Thomas, they tend to fall compared to the same pe-
into the background after riod the year before. “Our
initial introduction,” said Thomas business remains
Ian McCue, a “Thomas & challenged,” said Mattel
Friends” producer. “What Inc. Chief Operating Of-
we wanted to do here ficer Richard Dickson in a
was really bring these two July conference call with
female characters to the investors. But he said there
forefront.” Thomas will were a couple of new op-
meet other female char- portunities for the fran-
acters, such as an airplane chise, including girls. As for
in Australia. And in India, Thomas, Mattel said it was
there’s a female train con- fans who wanted the blue
troller in charge of the rail- engine to get out of Sodor
way, another first for the more often. “One was a
show, Mattel said. little boy saying, ‘Trains can
“Gender equality is some- go anywhere, but Thomas
thing that’s really important never goes anywhere,’”
to us in this new series and said McCue. “That really
going forward,” said pro- got us thinking.”q