Question of the Day: Trains

What is it about trains that toddlers find so appealing?  And what is it, specifically, about the Thomas the Tank Engines (the ones with faces) that young girls and boys love so much?

Pearl loves her trains.  She plays with them every day and talks about them when they're out of sight.  She makes up stories about them or acts out the stories in the books or on the videos. I think Pearl sees them as dolls with wheels.  She tucks them in for their naps and takes them to play at the park. 

But there must be more to it than that. I would really love to hear your theories about these anthropomorphic little choo choos from the days of yore.   

Comments

[eliaday]

Tae loves her little train set too!

When I was young, my sister and I spent hours and hours playing with our Hot Wheels cars. But, they truly were like dolls on wheels - there were boy cars and girl cars, the cars got married and had babies (Micro Machines), there was even a town mayor and first lady who lived up on a hill.

I wonder about how boys and girls play with things like trains and cars. Do boys anthropomorhpize too? Do they tuck in their trains?

[Spyderkl]

I think there is something to that dolls-with-wheels thing. Alena still loves her trains. She doesn't take them to bed with her, but bed's pretty much the only place we don't have trains.

She's gotten to be a big fan of the larger variety, too; every time we pass a train, we all have to look.

[Dana]

My son is a big Thomas fan, too. He anthropomorphizes them to some extent. They "help" each other and have conversations, but not usually about "family" topics like marriage and babies. It's all very much related to train themes--bringing passengers and freight, fixing tracks, etc.

As far as the appeal, I think part of it is the storytelling pace of the videos. They're not as frenetic as, say, Bob the Builder. With the limited animation and background narration, the Thomas tales are much more like having someone read to you in person. A good lesson for childrens'-tv producers.

It's not just trains, though. I'm thinking of the many great kids' books and shows that use anthropomorphized animals. (E.g., he old Richard Scarry books, or the newer, Emmy-winning Jakers show from PBS Kids.) Maybe there's something "safe" about practicing dialogue and emotions with things that are partly human, but not entirely.

[Suze Oz]

My son was not at all interested in trains or Thomas stories. I knew a few boys who were totally obsessed with Thomas for years. I haven't a clue what made the difference. I only knew one girl who liked trains but she seemed to lose interest when she was over three.

[salcam]

Callan really likes his Thomas table set but it's not an obsession any more. He's moved his focus lately to his Legos and a little playset featuring a robin-hood type figure. I think it's a different vein of imaginative play...I don't know what he's working out in his brain. Oh, and Superman has crept into his playacting, too - so that must be a whole super-powers avenue we are about to explore!