My boys love Thomas and all his friends (and I like that Mavis is a lady engine but is really tough). Mavis gets played with often and in general she is, as most all of the Thomas line, durable. However, her black paint seems to chip off more easily along her edges than with the other engines - could be it just shows up more because of the color. I say it shows that she is loved when my sons ask why her paint is chipping, but you might warn your kids to be extra careful with Mavis. Otherwise, she's a lot of fun.