I never watched Thomas as a kid. I didn't know about Thomas the Tank Engine until several years ago. My son got into Thomas when he was about a year old. One of his playmates had a lot of Thomas trains and he played with them a lot whenever they saw each other. I thought that since my son liked playing with the trains, he might like watching the series. I bought him The Best of James on DVD and he loved it! He is now 18 months old, and he dances to the music in between each story. I like the series because it teaches kids about working together as a team, and lending a helping had when someone really needs it (like the time James' brakes were jammed and Percy had to come and rescue him, or when James realized he was going too fast because he had no driver and Edward had to come and rescue him)and the value of friendship and being honest.