Prior to going into detail about Sir Topham Hatt's Car, a little of our own "Thomas" history... As first time grandparents, my husband and I wanted to start some type of collection for our grandson that he could possibly pass along to his own kids one day. Our grandson was 2 1/2 at the time, and had been talking a lot about a certain train named Thomas (a little fella whom - now seems hard to believe! - we'd never heard of. After doing some research, it seemed the Take-n-Play line might be the perfect investment to engage and encourage his active imagination, as well as provide a fun way for us to interact with him. What a rewarding decision... we've had SO much fun together with this quality line of trains, vehicles and playsets! As he approaches 4, a large portion of our basement has become a wonderful Sodor land of make believe that we all enjoy visiting - and continues to hold his interest, which is quite a feat given the tendency at that age to move in and out of toy phases so quickly!
Sir Topham Hatt is in charge of all of the engines on Sodor - firm, but fair. This blue car - with a little Sir Topham Hatt sitting inside - is one of the 17 non-rail characters Take-n-Play offers as of December 2011. Sir Topham Hatt first appeared in TV Season 1, Episode 3 ("Come out, Henry!"), and on Take-n-Play's original (Spring 2010) Collector Checklist. With Fisher-Price's March 2012 MSRP of $6.00, it's worth it (I paid a penny less for my grandson's.) He enjoys having "the guy in charge" as part of his collection! (By the way, Sir Topham Hatt is also referred to as "The Fat Controller" - as opposed to Mr. Percival's "The Thin Controller" reference... I detest both terms, and they aren't ones I use with my grandson!) It'll be interesting to see if another non-rail character (Winston - a maroon automobile) becomes available in the Take-n-Play line with the September 2012 release of the Blue Mountain Mystery movie!