The 60th Anniversary Party was a UK exclusive event that occurred on Saturday 4 June 2005 at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire.
Overview[]
When the 60th anniversary celebrations of The Railway Series began in 2005, HiT Entertainment produced a DVD called "Peep! Peep! Hurray! Three Cheers for Thomas for the audiences in the UK. One of the bonus features on the DVD was an invitation to a party at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire.
This event featured many attractions including magicians, jugglers, and face painters. There was also storytelling, games, play areas, and meetings with "Thomas the Tank Engine himself". For additional entertainment, a live show with The Fat Controller was conducted.
Unfortunately, the event was a disappointment for all attendees, including parents and children as the Thomas shown was very primitive and the other engines were merely cardboard cut-outs. Thomas was only seen during the stage show and fans were unable to "meet" him as advertised.[1][2]
After the poor reception and news reports from the BBC about the attendees being left disappointed by the event, HiT Entertainment realised the event was a calamity. The company later set up a special email and a telephone line for comments and complaints from disappointed and angry customers to express their dissatisfaction and as well as going into giving the maddened customers refunds, making sure a travesty like this would not happen again.[1]
Trivia[]
- Christopher Awdry was invited to the event, but had to decline due to a prior commitment.[2]
Gallery[]
