Who else thinks that Thomas the Tank Engine stuff is expensive?

Question

I even went on ebay and the used stuff is like expensive! My son is 2 and he loves Thomas the tank engine toys. I want to buy him some of the clothes and the other types of engines, but I think they are way too much. Who else thinks this?

Answer 1

The craft store Michaels carries Thomas stuff. Most of the time you can find a 40% off coupon in the Sunday paper. Keep in mind the coupon is only good on regularly priced items. Thomas is usually on sale 25% off around Christmas.

Answer 2

Tell me about it! I was at Toys R Us during this past Christmas shopping. I was looking at Thomas the Tank stuff and couldn't believe how much those things were! One of the small train engines that goes with the play set was $18.00! That's ridiculous..keep checking on ebay, maybe you'll get a good bargain. And even a bargain would probably still be expensive....

Answer 3

YES it is very expensive! My son loved it too. Saw a table, & the track-tons of it at garage sale. They wanted a $100, i thought no way. About a month later, I kicked & kicked myself over & over. Thats when I found out how expensive all of it is. My suggestion to you is look at garage sales. Place an ad in local paper-WANTED: Thomas the Tank... It is kind of an investment too. If you plan on more children, atleast you'll get some use out of it. & the kids play for years w/ it. It holds up. BUT YES to your Q. it is ridiculously expensive.

Answer 4

I determined that it was cheaper to find the "bonus wooden train" DVDs with an engine I wanted (even if I already had the dvd) than buy that engine alone. Weird but true.

The "take along" size engines are significant;y cheaper, but there are no generic versions of the tracks for them. So I get the cheaper compatible wooden tracks and trains and integrate the occasional thomas toy as needed.

Answer 5

Thats what Grandparents are for. Also, check garage sales in the summer, we buy the stuff whenever we see it and hide it for birthdays and christmas.

It is expensive to buy, but one thing to consider if you think you may have more kids is that the stuff is almost indestructable, at least the wood stuff. I would not recommend the plastic stuff. We have Thomas stuff that has lasted through two destructive boys and still works like new.

Answer 6

At 2 years old...he doesn't require officially licensed merchandise. At that age, they don't identify with brands...he just knows it is a train named Thomas and it is fun. Remember, children have a great imagination and I'd argue very strongly that letting children assign their own character to things is actually much better for them than giving them something that is pre-defined. If you don't believe this...take away all the fixed form toys and just put out some wooden blocks, pieces of cloth, etc with any group of children...guaranteed they'll play with them...only they'll be using their imagination. If you want to see his eyes light up...tell him that you and he are going to make a Thomas train togehter. You can buy wooden dowels at any home improvement store...cut them up for wheels, engine, and smoke stack...use a block for the cab. Get some child safe paint and some glue and make some Thomas trains. Let him help as much as possible. You can probably go to any one of a hundred websites and print out a picture of a Thomas face...then draw it on the front. The fact you made it with him will make it even more fun. I'll even venture a bet that it will end up being his favorite.

As for clothing...take a T-shirt and draw Thomas on there with him. Again...at 2 years old, he'll love the fact you made it with him just as much as the object itself.

Answer 7

It is very expensive, but some of the toys are really nice and can be passed on to future generations--or sold.
I like the wooden railway a lot. It's compatible with Whittle, Brio, and Maxim wooden railways, and Maxim tends to be comparitively inexpensive.
My mom also found some little stocking-stuffer windup Thomas toys before Christmas, and those are very fancy despite the fact that they were pretty inexpensive.

Answer 8

Yes, we have probably spent thousands of dollars on Thomas stuff. My son's whole room is done in Thomas and everything. Every trip to a store ends in us buying some kind of Thomas train.......

Answer 9

I agree that the Thomas toys are expensive, but the high quality wooden ones last a lifetime (that's why they are so expensive on ebay). Toys made from wood are usually more expensive than plastic toys, but they are way better for your child and the environment. I have a written a post on my blog about it.
http://ecochildsplay.blogspot.com/2007/01/when-planting-trees-is-not-enough.html

Answer 10

I know I was going to buy my son some Thomas stuff for christmas until I saw the prices, no way was I spending $14.99 on a little train.