Toot Toot Thomas!

I never thought I would become obsessed with very useful engines.

In fact I would go as far as to say that for years I used to avoid buying friends babies anything character themed as I found the overload of ‘wiggley, Poohy, Dora-ee, Thomasy, barbie’ etc annoying, over commercialised and tacky – and don’t even get me started on those Banana’s in Pajama’s! ‘Are you thinking what i’m thinking B1?’ Not freaking likely B2...

But when I held those lofty ideals of the type of ‘Cool’ parent I would be, who didn’t buy into the ‘Hype’, I didn’t actually have a child yet.

It all started with the music I think... and perhaps my well publicised love of karaoke... Cause as the songs begins and the words appear on the screen with a little puff of steam to keep you in time you just can’t help but join in...

“They’re 2, they’re 4, they’re 6 they’re 8”... and the foot starts to tap...

“Shunting trucks and hauling freight” And your son starts to dance in his walker... 

“Red & Green and brown and blue” And your hubby joins in...

‘They’re the really useful crew’..

Next came the Thomas flash cards – mum got him some for Christmas as a stocking filler, just on a whim from woollies while doing the grocery shopping. I remember we were really quite disappointed when we saw how many engine cards were in the pack – and said things like “ how ridiculous that M stands for Mavis and not Monkey or Moon or something – he will never understand it as he thinks they are all T for trains – and he calls ‘Thomas’ – “Nomas” so these will be useless!”

Wrong! By the time Oscar was 18.5 months he could name every engine imaginable – even from badly drawn black and white pictures in colouring books from the $2 shop – and we would be googling to see if he was correct – which my little rain man was! “Spencer, Murdoch, Annie, Clarabelle... Harold the helicopter, Bertie the Bus” Trust me, the list goes on...and on and on.

Then came our first engine – just a small diecast “Nomas”. Just one to go with his toy cars. Hmm, but poor “nomas” didn’t have a carriage – perhaps we should get him james – he may be vain but he’s lots of fun – And he comes with a carriage...

Then suddenly i couldn’t walk past the toy asile with out “just having a look” to see what engines they had... and by walk past I mean travel from k-mart to target to big w and back looking for an elusive single packaged Toby. And my extended family has joined in... mum ‘just happened to be walking past the toy aisle’ (*cough) the other day and found Henry... My hubby just happen to drive to 3 toy shops to find a Mavis – and just had to buy Murdoch while he was there in case we couldn’t find him again....

I know – pathetic right? Could we buy more into the merchandising frenzy??? Um – short answer is you betcha... We are now the proud owners of a Thomas pop up tent, Thomas ride on train, books, slippers, Frisbee, bucket and spade, egg cup, the list shamefully goes on!

And as I write this I ask myself “How did I let this Happen”, how did I become one of “Those” mums who is marketing department’s dream..

And the simple answer is – Oscar loves ‘Nomas’.  

He loves the song, he loves the opening monologue, he loves the fat controller and his patronising orders, he loves the colours and sounds and pretending to toot, he loves the scenery and sheep and boats, he loves knowing the engines names and lining them up and taking inventory of the all, he loves Ringo Star and he LOVES very Useful engines. 

Oscar Loves Nomas – and I love Oscar.

So while I may appear to have dived headfirst into the commercialised trap laid for us by the clever folk who market Thomas and his Sodor Friends – I prefer to think I have jumped headfirst into my sons imagination – and that Thomas's ‘friends’ include Oscar and myself.

Oscar turns 2 in 3 months time... you will never guess what theme we are having for his party...Toot Toot!!