No not him!Because it's been puppies and sunshine, 'awwws' and hugs, happiness, sweetness and light this week with the exception of TMAPITW . . . today's Friday Fuckwit/s are the new mean-spirited, Macdonaldsesque copyright owners of the Thomas the Tank Engine enterprise!
The popular tourist railway "Friends of Thomas the Tank Engine" has been ordered by the multinational owners of the Thomas the Tank Engine copyright to stop using the name and 'dressing' up their locomotives with Thomas like faces. "Boooo - Hisssss"
Victorian Goldfields Railway has even been bullied by the British-based guardians of Thomas into dropping the yellow waistcoat, top hat and tails worn by their own version of the Fat Controller.
"They won't even let us be Friends of Thomas - but the children all knew they weren't the real Thomas the Tank Engines, so they're disappointed," VGR official Garry Aitchison said.
The non-profit VGR has been running school holiday Friends of Thomas trips between Maldon and Castlemaine for five years. It did so with full approval of the Thomas franchise, even naming the trains Jacob and Jeremy for the J-class locos and Kevin for the K-class.
Until yesterday's holiday trip, they had also put faces on the front of the locos, and another face on the a diesel rail motor - a DRM they naturally called Daphne. Mr Aitchison said he felt sad for the children when he removed Jacob's face this week. (now all go "awwwww . . .") Imagine the little children watching Jacob having his face removed like some twisted version of "Face Off"! Horrific, mentally scarring, deeply disturbing!
"The new copyright owners have changed the rules worldwide, and the trains now have to be exact replicas of Thomas," he said. "We've even had disappointed grandmas who can't see we were doing anyone any harm by being Friends of Thomas." Disappointed Grandmas! Ye Gads! Gadzooks! That's horrible! Who'd disappoint a Grandma in their right mind . . there will be bastions of brolly wielding blue rinses, hurling boiled fruit cakes on the gold fields tomorrow!
But Mr Aitchison said the Goldfields Railway would maintain its head of steam.
Now never mind walking the streets of Sydney in your rainbow sashes, handing out condoms to the papist hoards (who have been spotted in their thousands - you can pick them because they're all clean shaven and dragging wheely suitcases down George Street!) , here's a real issue worth fighting for! As a protest, I breach copyright and bring you . . . ta-daaaaaa . . .Thomas and Friends . . . .I always thought he was a bit scary frankly!
26 comments:
AWWWWWWWWWWW! That's a shock horror awww without mushy tears!
WHAAAA! I can't watch that film now - nightmares! I'll be back again to scare the willies in my morning. Have a good night Baino!
BOO!
Haha yer a nit! It's not scary! I just liked the song and started dancing in the loungeroom until Lily had a spazz attack! You know how you and Bimbimbie have *Tsup* well we just have to say *sktch sktch sktch* and she goes bananas! Cushion anhiliation!
Sounds like that nefarious Diesel has got the ear of the new owners and is trying to undermine the steamies.
Haha! That video's hilarious!
Next they will pass laws not allowing us to laugh or smile!
(Off to look at the photos!):D
I so had a witty comment. Typed it in then because if I put two heaters and my washing machine on at the same time the bloody circuit breaker does it's thing . . now I've lost my thread . . .bugga! I had a tyrade about choo choo trains and stuff . . . nup . . .lost it. Thrifty I will respond with clarity tomorrow!
Clare come home and we can do the thriller dance *arms in air with floppy wrists* Durn durn durn de durn . .
GM Fie and fiddle de dee! Smile at will!
Pop over I've posted three 'alternatives' to your arbor shot . ..don't eat the strawberries.
How to spoil kids fun! My nephews adored tomtankenj, as they used to call it. Bon Weekend. Debs x
Given the horde of a different nature that will be marching up North tomorrow it seems only fair that the Catholics get to march once in a while ...
Hey Debs . . aren't people silly? I mean it's a train with a face! How banal is that?
Anonymous:The Catholics aren't 'marching' they're invited to attend Mass!. .World Youth Day!. .What march up north?
Baino, tomorrow is 12th July (orange lodge day) William of Orange, the battle of the Boyne, protestants versus catholics and all that tut! I only know as I am Irish/Liverpudlian. I think that's what anonymous is going on about. A subject best avoided. Debs x
so okay, copyright is copyright...
but what's to prevent the train folk from coming up with their own, and better, bunch of trains/cars, with friendlier faces/songs, and more?
c'mon, put some oz know-how and authenticity to work, i KNOW y'all can! :D
I await with baited breath :-)
Hey, my avatar works now!
I used to watch it like 10-12 years ago. I didn't really like it
Hi just dropping in (from Paddyinba) hope you don't mind!
This is sad. The Corporations strike again. So glad my nephew wasn't there to see them taking the faces off the trains, it definitely would have disturbed him greatly.
... The Fat Controller...
... sounds like the hold Big Moma Spherical robo has over poor tiny Baby Itchy robo...
Thanks Debs . . a young Irish friend put me in the clear last night. I didn't know (I mean I knew about the Orange men, just not that the march was on 12 July)
LW: It's just not the same. 20 years of branding and brainwashing . . .it's THOMAS . . .Bruce the Steam Engine doesn't sound right! Although we do have one in Victoria called 'Puffing Billy' (no face)
Thrifty breath out, I've lost the plot . .I think I was distracted by those naughty trucks. Nice avatar!
Ropi . . I was never too keen on it but then I was about 30 years old!
HiMegan . . drop by any time. I remember a similar thing here with an Indian restaruant that had gold and red decor. They also used a similar 'arch' to the one made so popular by you know who and were told to redecorate. As if a little indian restaurant was in any way a commercial threat to McDonalds?
Gleds, indeed. She sounds like me . . large and bossy but somehow rather cute!
Anon has NITS! Anon is a nit!!!! BWARK!!!
start today, in 20 years you'll have your own tradition... to hell with the poms :O lol
all i care about is bambi and the three little pigs. does this mean i'm heartless?
:)
Sktch*!* Chuffing Bullies *!*
... how was the office meeting?
You'd think they would be happy to take the free advertising, wouldn't you?
Baino
Did you know LOL has been the abbreviation for Loyal Orange Lodge for decades!
I think the owners of the Thomas copyright bought it for next to nothing. The writer of the books was a gentle old clergyman writing for his son. The artwork changed in the later books and became much more sinister.
KJ nah . . not a fan of Thomas myself, even less of Ringo Starr's narration! Everyone loves Bambi!
Bimbimbie the meeting has been deferred to Wednesday as TMAPITW has taken a couple of days leave . . .time for everyone to cool down a little! I'll keep you posted!
Ernest - well yes you would the wowsers!
Haha Ian, welcome back from the colonies, hope you had an amazing time! And I thought LOL was Laugh Out Loud . . ROFLOCOPTER that I am! Yep, I'm aware of Awdrey's work . . .still don't like it much.
Hey Baino ... loving the blog, and you are quite right, we are not all saddo's ... not yet anyways ...
Oh that just stinks!! :( What a bummer for the kids! Sheesh, sometimes adults should not get involved in such things.
Post a Comment