Rating: 
Summary: This is a #@%? good video
Review: At first blush it was hard to imagine George "The Seven Words You Can't Say on TV"Â Carlin narrating a children's video, but he's a natural for the Thomas the Tank Engine stories. With his vast storehouse of character voices, Carlin gives distinct personalities to all the engines. As for the visuals, they're charming and without the obnoxious commercials seen on Fox. When I absolutely must take 10 minutes to get something done, I pop in a Thomas video and know my son is wholesomely and safely occupied.
Rating:
Summary: This is a #@%? good video
Review: At first blush it was hard to imagine George "The Seven Words You Can't Say on TV" Carlin narrating a children's video, but he's a natural for the Thomas the Tank Engine stories. With his vast storehouse of character voices, Carlin gives distinct personalities to all the engines. As for the visuals, they're charming and without the obnoxious commercials seen on Fox. When I absolutely must take 10 minutes to get something done, I pop in a Thomas video and know my son is wholesomely and safely occupied.
Rating: 
Summary: George Carlin tried to hard to be Ringo
Review: First off I would like to make a few points out to the other reviwers. How would you like a show where trains got along merry and they always were nice and they never had a accident. When I was little I always watched Thomas. My sister loves Thomas and I wouldn't want her to stop watching because the content is innapprobriate. And when this says Thomas and his friends get along didn't they always make up. Anyway I'm disappointed and the fact that Tenders & Turntables, Thomas Breaks The Rules and Better Late Than Never were discontinued. In my opinion these three were the best of the five oringinal ones. What even more saddened me was that they redid them as George Carlin narrations. I think that George Carlin is great but he tried to be Ringo Starr too much. In the beginning tapes Gordon had a different personality that he tried to imitate. I also think that in most of George Carlin's vidoes Ringo would do a terrible job. My personal favorite video is Tenders & Turntables and I liked the order of those episodes. Well I can't change what's done so my advice to you would be to find a used copy of these videos from somewhere else. My little sister really doesn't know the difference yet so it may not matter that much.
Rating: 
Summary: Did any of the other reviews actually *watch* this tape?
Review: I chose this particular Thomas video based on the rave reviews shown here. I find it hard to believe that anyone actually watched the tape! This is my first exposure to Thomas, so maybe the series is all like this, but I found the characters to be just horrible. Almost all of the stories involve the trains being mean, petty, or vindictive. Occasionally they make up at the end of the story, but only because they *must* due to circumstance. I don't see any lessons in here that I'd like my son to learn. At this point (20 months), he just likes the visuals, but once he begins to understand more of the concepts shown in the video, the tape will be retired.
To say something positive about the tape - I love George Carlin's narrative, and the visuals are nice. If the characters weren't so awful, I'd have really liked the tape.
Rating:
Summary: A Must-Buy, but the stories aren't the best
Review: I guess since this was one of the last collection videos, this one got all the left-over stories. The stories on here are good, but not superb(except for James In A Mess). Here they are:
1)Old Iron 4/5
2)James In A Mess 6/5
3)Duck Takes Charge 4/5
4)Down The Mine 4/5
5)The Runaway 4.5/5
6)Better Late Than Ever 4/5
7)Tenders & Turntables 5/5
8)Percy Proves A Point 3.5/5
9)Trust Thomas 5/5
10)Percy & The Signal 4/5
I'd buy this Thomas video if your a new fan of Thomas, but for a lifetime fan like me, it's not worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Thomas takes some getting used to
Review: I read a review of a first-time Thomas viewer with a 20 month old who said she was shocked by the behavior of the trains--I can identify with that: My wife and I bought about six of them at once because they were on sale, only to be dissappointed by how mean some of the characters are. We've since come to love the videos, tho, since our little boy got interested in them, and sibling rivalry has erupted between he and his slightly older sister. Thomas and his friends act like children. Sometimes children aren't very kind either, but the engines respond to the gentle-but-firm redirection of the "parent" (Sir Topham Hatt). I think my kids love these (and I do, too) because they can identify with the simple sorts of conflicts the engines have with each other and the other characters, they appreciate the boundaries and safety of the parental character, and it allows them to explore conflict and authority in a way that is meaningful to them--the fact that Sir Topham Hatt has to step in and resolve a conflict from time to time is a plus in my opinion. My 2 year old son is an absolute Thomas nut--he has most of the vids and the wooden trains and plays with them all the time. (My daughter loves Thomas, too, but she's not in the same league of Thom-ism that my son enjoys. Frankly, the shows are more weighted toward little boy issues, if you ask me.) I've always loved trains, too, so it's a natural for me. These vids win you over--the production quality and attention to detail is just astonishing. But what ultimately wins you over is the realization that despite the perception we parents frequently have that children are naturally "nice" until corrupted by some outside influence, the reality is that we must all learn to deal with conflict and authority, and that theme is presented nowhere in children's entertainment as well as it is in the Thomas series of videos and books. I highly recommend them to anyone, but especially if you have a little boy.
Rating: 
Summary: My son is mesmerized by the video.
Review: I'm glad to know that my wife and I are not the only one's who find the trains to be really mean. All of them seem to have an attitude problem and are constantly doing or saying nasty things to one another. It is almost comical the level of "attitude" that some of the trains give off. That said, our 16 month old finds the tape interesting and he's young enough not to understand the interplay, so I'm not concerned about the ramifications. However, as he gets older, and understands more, this wouldn't be my first choice.
Rating:
Summary: Great for all ages
Review: My 3 year old son also has this tape and wooden choo-choo railway sets. It keeps him and his 1 year old brother busy for hours. Daddy and Mommy even enjoy watching the tapes and putting together various track layouts. Very high quality merchandise!!
Rating:
Summary: This is a great video for kids around 5 years old.
Review: My 5 year old son loves this video. Its great for learning good moral values at a young age. He also loves to play with his Thomas wooden train set. They are a great combination. I would highly recommend the video and the trains to anyone looking for a QUALITY line of products for children around the age of 5 and up.
Rating:
Summary: Thomas and Friends Teach Valuable Lessons
Review: My son has been watching Thomas videos for about a year, and this one is one of the best. He particularly likes Thomas because of his cheerful manner. In this video, he was introduced to Harold the helicopter, who he also loves. These videos show how the engines deal with specific problems that they face. I feel that overall the problems are solved in an acceptable manner for children. Sir Topham Hatt serves as a kind of parental figure for the engines and he points out any problems the engines might be having, but he also is quick to praise them for a job well-done. George Carlin does an excellent job narrating the video, and there are six episodes on the tape. The length (36 minutes) is perfect for my son. He can usually watch the whole video in a single sitting, whereas he will lose interest in a longer movie. Although there is some disagreement and arguing amongst the engines, this is still an appropriaate tape for young children. I think people will enjoy this and all Thomas & Friends videos as my son and I do.
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