I know many readers have a child, or grandchild, who are big fans of Thomas & Friends. I thought those readers might be interested in knowing about new episodes that start tomorrow (October 7, 2013).
HIT Entertainment, one of the world’s leading preschool entertainment companies and a subsidiary of Mattel, Inc. and THIRTEEN, in association with WNET, one of the most prolific producers of programming for PBS and the most watched public television station in America, are pleased to announce that new episodes of Thomas & Friends® will launch on PBS KIDS on October 7th. The fall season debut also marks the series’ move to a new daily schedule and the very first episodes released from the series’ new animation studio, Toronto-based, Arc Productions. Thomas & Friends will air Monday through Friday at 12:30PM ET and on Saturdays at 10AM ET. The Thomas & Friends series is sponsored by the Hard Rock All-Inclusive Experience in Cancun, Riviera Maya and Punta Cana.
In addition, PBS KIDS will air a national broadcast of the new 60-minute Thomas & Friends special King of the Railway. The action-packed special airs on Saturday, November 16th at 10AM following its September 17th release on DVD from HIT and Lionsgate Home entertainment.
Timeless tales of friendship and adventure on the Island of Sodor are brought to life in the CG animated Thomas & Friends series. New characters and locations are introduced this year including Caitlin, a streamlined engine designed for speed (#1005-Calm Down, Caitlin), Conner (#1008 – Bill or Ben?) Stephen (#1001-The Loss Puff) and Millie (#1006-TheSwitch) and classic characters including Duck (#1004-Henry’s Hero) are brought back this season. The addition of Ulfstead Castle and Vicarstown Rolling Bridge provide new locations for the engines to explore on the Island of Sodor.
This past August, Thomas & Friends joined the PBS KIDS’ online and mobile platforms. Full episodes of Thomas & Friends are now available on pbskids.org/video and on the PBS KIDS Video App so that it is easier than ever to view the show anytime and anywhere, on computer and mobile platforms. In addition, pbskids.org now includes a new Thomas & Friends site that contains online activities and downloadable content at pbskids.org/thomasandfriends.
Here are brief synopsis of two of the new episodes that will be airing.
The Lost Puff
Paxton the diesel engine has been told not to be silly, but when he wobbles over a bumpy track he can’t help but think that it is fun. He persuades Thomas to have a go, but Thomas accidentally backs into Toby at the water tower and gets his firebox wet. Poor Thomas must wait for his firebox to dry out. When Paxton overhears Toby saying that Thomas has lost his puff, Paxton misunderstands and heads off across the Island of Sodor to look for it.
Steamie Stafford
Stafford doesn’t run on coal and water like the steam engines, he runs on a battery which is very quiet. When Stafford overhears some children saying he’s too quiet and doesn’t sound like a proper engine, he is very upset. Stafford asks Thomas and Percy to teach him how to make the same chuffing sounds they do. But when he is sent to collect some lambs for Farmer McColl, his new noisy sounds make the lambs run away. Stafford soon realizes that being a quiet engine is actually Really Useful.
Please check with your local TV guide for channel and air time.
Kimberly
*I was not compensated for this post. I posted it for the enjoyment of my site readers.
Deborah D says
My nephew will love the new episodes! Cant wait to tell him!
Maria Iemma says
Thomas & Friends is a favorite for my grandson – I am very glad that it is going to be a regular on PBS
Tammy S says
My son loved Thomas when he was younger. I think we had every train in the line. It is a great story and the shows always have a good lesson to them. I love that my nephew is now into Thomas.