I think most people like to own a toy train, especially an electrical one, but most people at my generation do not have the luxury to own one.
My son was very lucky to receive his first train as his 2-year-old birthday present, which was Thomas The Tank Engine. At that time, I was posted to US, and it was sold for a reasonable price at Walmart.
Initially, I had to "build" the track for him. But slowly he learned to do that all by himself. Later I learned that playing Thomas actually helped my son develop his motor skills. As his interest in Thomas developed, I brought him to see a "real" one and let him take a real "train". My wife did a great job hunting DVDs in the library for him.
I noticed also that he murmured to himself while pushing the train, repeating what he heard in the TV programs. He would show everyone his lovely Thomas and for the next Birthday, he insisted a Thomas birthday cake.
We came back to Asia a year later. Over here "Thomas and Friends" were not as cheap as in the US. I really missed Walmart, Toys'R'Us, and Amazon which allowed me to purchase Thomas at a competitive price. For example, a Thomas electrical train costs USD5-USD10 in the US, but USD20 in Asia. I added a lot more Thomas' friends for my son, such as James, Percy, Toby, Diesel, Lady and Duncan whenever I had business trips. The grandparents also bought him more Thomas' goodies during his birthday. The track had been added substantially too to the extend that my wife gave me a "STOP" order.
Usually kids get bored with the same toys after a while. Luckily, my investment on Thomas for my son paid off. He continued to take good care of the toys. As he grew older, his designs of the track became more complicated and sophisticated. Definitely from the language he used while murmering words, I knew he was doing some imagination while pushing the trains on the track. Although the train was an electric one, my son usually did not turn on the motor but pushed it manually. It's quieter that way. Also, I taught him to use less batteries to save money.
His sister, being influenced by him, also adores Thomas the tank engine. Look at the following picture, with both of them in Thomas T-Shirts.
My good friend told me about a wonderful place called Thomasland in Japan. Thanks to "Uncle Y" who provided free transport and free lodging for us, my son visited Thomasland twice and my daughter once. Looked at their lovely pictures here. The first one was taken in 2006 and the rest in 2009.
I am glad that my children enjoy Thomas and Friends. Some of my friends asked me why I invested on this. Asian parents usually are more willing to invest in educative materials. The answer is pretty simple. I understand that children learn most effectively through play. I read about multiple intelligence by Dr. Gadner, and by playing Thomas, I can see the development of his linguistic skill and spatial skill. Most importantly, I want both my children to have sweet childhood memories.....
You may like to have one set of Thomas like the following one: :-)
