Mattel Inc. and Nickelodeon partnered for a new U.S. television and consumer products partnership for Thomas & Friends.
The partnership includes the launch of the brand-new seasons of Thomas & Friends on the Nick Jr. channel, as well as additional specials that will air on Nickelodeon throughout the year. Nickelodeon will also become Mattel’s exclusive U.S. consumer products agent for Thomas & Friends across multiple merchandise categories including apparel, accessories, home goods, consumer electronics, and more.
The new season (season 21, 11 half-hour episodes) of Thomas & Friends will debut weekdays in March on Nick Jr., and full-length episodes and short-form content will also be available on NickJr.com and the Nick Jr. app. In addition, movie specials will air on Nickelodeon throughout the year, including the world premiere of Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! The Movie (1 x 80′). The movie includes newly revamped content that will appear in season 22 of the franchise, premiering this fall.
Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures! (season 22, 13 half-hour episodes) had its first screening at the recent 2017 MIP Junior World Premiere TV Screening. Season 22, follows Thomas as he takes kids on a journey around the world to discover and experience new countries, learn about other cultures, and make new friends along the way.
In addition to Thomas’ expanded adventures, several aspects of the show were evolved to include an all-new format series, faster-paced plots, increase in humor, and more action and adventure-based storylines with several new fantasy and musical elements. For the first time ever, Thomas will also be breaking the forth wall and speaking directly to the viewer.
