Tomy Re-Upped As Master Toy Licensee for HIT’s Thomas & Friends

LONDON, November 5: HIT Entertainment has renewed and
extended Tomy’s contract as the European master toy licensee for its classic
preschool property Thomas & Friends.

Tomy has licensed Thomas & Friends for nearly 12 years. In 2005, the company launched
the Steam Along Thomas Set and the Thomas Aquadraw, which later won the
Pre-School Toy of the Year Award from the Toy Retailers Association. Tomy now
has plans to transition the Motor Road and Rail track system to a new play
system, Trackmaster, set to
launch in fall or winter of 2008.

Robert Mann, Tomy’s CEO, commented: “At Tomy, we are extremely
proud of our successful partnership on Thomas, which stretches back over 12 incredible years. Now recognized as the
biggest license in the U.K. industry, we’re thrilled to be such a major part of
Thomas’s future. The introduction
of Trackmaster and continued innovation across our own Thomas preschool-developed line will continue the strong
momentum in building the Thomas
business across all territories in Europe’’.

Peter Byrne, the executive VP of worldwide consumer products
at HIT Entertainment, added: “We are delighted to be continuing our
relationship with Tomy, who will be bringing new innovation to the category
with the all important Trackmaster launch. The year ahead presents enormous
licensing opportunities for our partners on Thomas with new programming, new characters and
destinations and the opening of Europe’s first Thomas Land in the U.K. in early 2008.”

—By Kristin Brzoznowski