This was a bit of a birthday present for myself and what a present it was! Today we are going to be having a look at an ERTL Thomas money box signed by the then narrator of the TV series Ringo Starr.
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| Image Credit: Thomas Wikia (Why is his flag black though?) |
Ringo Starr is better known as the drummer of The Beatles, but to us Thomas fans he is known as the first narrator of the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends TV series. Despite only narrating two seasons he has had a lasting impact on Thomas the Tank Engine. For example in the UK the series has always had a Liverpudlian narrator since the debut of Ringo Starr. Beyond that many Thomas fans grew up with his voice as the first two season's episodes were featured on so many of the compilation video tapes we all had and probably still have! I know I do. He also provided the narration for the Ladybird audio cassettes. You can read more about Ringo Starr in an article from the Radio Times.
I have been collecting Thomas the Tank Engine and Railway Series merchandise for a long time now and I can't say I have ever come across any merchandise signed by Ringo Starr. I am sure it does exist, but it is certainly a rarity, especially now that he has stopped autographing merchandise for fans. So I was incredibly excited when I came across this fantastic piece of Thomas history. Ringo has signed the actual toy itself on the side and, perhaps because it was rather faint, he has also signed the top of the box.
The Model
No, this isn't a reference to a Kraftwerk song! I have never actually owned the ERTL Thomas money box before, I have seen it in old advertisements though. I don't think it comes up all that often. It was released in 1985 and as you can imagine it is a basic retooling of the Remote Control Thomas from the time or vice versa. The only differences being the lack of traction tyre, guide wheel and obviously wired control. It comes with a simple piece of brown track that you can 'personalise' by writing your name on the front.
On the back of the box it mentions two toys, the remote control Thomas and a "Radio Controlled" Thomas. Was the Radio controlled one ever released? I can't say I recall ever seeing one. I imagine it would be a noisy back and forth affair, much like the RC one, just without the cable to trip over!
On the back of the box it mentions two toys, the remote control Thomas and a "Radio Controlled" Thomas. Was the Radio controlled one ever released? I can't say I recall ever seeing one. I imagine it would be a noisy back and forth affair, much like the RC one, just without the cable to trip over!
The Comparison
In the video I have provided a brief comparison of the model/toy (no need to get triggered) to the other Thomas's in the ERTL range at that time. These are the Remote Control, Motorised and standing 'free-rolling- die-cast. To clarify there are three RC Thomas's included in the video, two un-boxed (one with remote control, one without) and one boxed. I deliberately selected the versions with the white running boards, despite those not necessarily being the best condition. I have also provided some picture of an old RC Thomas I found still in box. The boxed one was so shiny! You can literally see the signed one reflected on the side. It has a British address, but the packaging is more like Shining Time? Did the British range use the 'Shining Time' packaging at the time (1992)?
As always, if you spot any inaccuracies please feel free to comment or attack me on twitter (@TTCollectables).
