URGENT! Thomas the Tank Engine Coming to Miami

This is a quick post letting all parents of crazed, young Thomas the Tank Engine fans know that THE Thomas the Tank Engine is rolling into Miami this weekend and next. You can find all the detailed information about the event, Day Out With Thomas, here.

I bought tickets for a friend and her son online last night as an early birthday present for him, and I'm telling you, these tickets are HOT. The Day Out With Thomas event includes a 25-minute ride on a train pulled by the "real" Thomas the Tank Engine, and several of the rides were already sold out. Wow.

And if you think I'm being harsh by calling young Thomas fans "crazed", well, all I can say is, maybe you've never met one. These kids LOVE their trains...at Cool de Sac, the overwhelming majority of the fights that I see at the facility are at one of the two train tables.

I've learned from talking to my friend that it's a brilliantly marketed toy...they basically market it like any kid's doll or character, with accompanying "friends" for Thomas (other trains and vehicles), "houses" for the characters (various roundhouses and stations), carrying cases, mats that the trains can drive on, train tracks, and the ultimate accessory--The Train Table. They offer both plastic and wooden trains, which hit different price points. The wooden trains are more expensive. When I asked about getting her son Thomas gear for Christmas, she informed me "he only collects the plastic trains; no wooden trains," and cited price as the reason.

OK, enough about Thomas. Even if your kid isn't crazy for Thomas, he or she would probably enjoy the Miami Day Out With Thomas event--it sounds really cool. And they'd surely recognize Thomas from the pervasive books, toys, and television programs. Then again, the host venue, the Gold Coast Railroad Museum, offers free train rides on Wednesdays that might be just as much fun for your kiddo minus the $18 ticket price.