PBS Kids (previously known as PTV Park, or simply PTV) is a free American digital broadcast and online television network, as well as a programming block on PBS or the Public Broadcasting Service.
The channel has existed twice: The first iteration existed from 6 September 1999 to 26 September 2005 with PBS Kids Sprout as its replacement, and the second iteration has existed since 16 January 2017.
Shining Time Station had originally aired on PTV from 1989 until its cancellation. Following a deal with HiT Entertainment, Thomas & Friends would begin airing on the channels Saturdays and Sundays on 4 September 2004[1]. The show later moved to a daily schedule on 7 October 2013, with a dedicated page on the PBS Kids website around this time.[2] On 16 January 2017, the show was among the lineup of the aforementioned relaunch of the 24/7 PBS Kids Channel, getting daily airings at 11:00 AM and 11:30 AM.
In December 2017, Mattel announced they would end PBS' broadcasting rights to air Thomas & Friends, with most PBS stations and the PBS Kids 24/7 channel dropping the show after 31 December 2017, though a few stations still aired it until the entire loss of the rights on 10 January 2018. The Thomas & Friends page on the PBS Kids website was also removed, with Journey Beyond Sodor being the the final special to air on the channel. The show would begin on Nick Jr. on 12 March 2018.
In 2024, PBS Retro would be launched on Roku and Plex which was launched on 23 April 2024. It airs a variety of classic PBS Kids programming, including select seasons of Thomas & Friends. This marks both the first time half-hour airings from the model era have aired on TV in the US since 2013 and the first time the show has been aired on a PBS-owned channel since the end of 2017.
Productions[]
- Season 6 (2005; incompleted)
- Season 7 (2004-2005; incompleted)
- Season 8 (2004)
- Season 9 (2005)
- Season 10 (2006)
- Season 11 (2007-2008)
- The Great Discovery (2008)
- Season 12 (2008)
- Hero of the Rails (2009)
- Misty Island Rescue (2010)
- Season 13 (2010)
- Season 14 (2010-2011)
- Day of the Diesels (2011)
- Season 15 (2011)
- Season 16 (2012)
- Blue Mountain Mystery (2012)
- King of the Railway (2013)
- Season 17 (2013-2014)
- Tale of the Brave (2014)
- Season 18 (2014-2016)
- The Adventure Begins (2015)
- Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure (2015)
- Season 19 (2015-2016; incompleted)
- The Great Race (2016)
- Season 20 (2016-2017; incompleted)
- Journey Beyond Sodor (2017)
PBS Kids website[]
A website for Thomas & Friends was created in 2013 in celebration of the series' move to the weekday PBS Kids lineup[2] and was advertised after every CGI Thomas & Friends airing. On the site, a visitor could watch clips of full episodes of the show, print activities and play flash games. The site would be rarely updated, however, and stayed mostly the same from 2013-2016. In December 2017, the show's PBS Kids site was taken down in preparation for Thomas' departure from PBS.
Games[]
- Track Repair (2013-2017)
- Steam Team Snapshots (2013-2017)
- Track Builder (2013-2017)
- Tangled Rail Tales (2013-2017)
Funding Credits[]
PBS and PBS Kids channels are non commercial, meaning no commercials would air on these channels. Instead, PBS and its shows are funded by the American government or donating organizations, some private.
Season 8[]
- Amtrak (2004-2007)
- Lego Duplo (2007-2008)
Season 9[]
- Amtrak (2005-2007)
- Learning Curve (2005-2007)
- American Greetings (2007-present)
Season 12[]
- Lego Duplo (2008-2010)
- Orajel Arm & Hammer Kids Spinbrush (2010-2013)
Season 14[]
- Orajel Arm & Hammer Kids Spinbrush (2010-2013)
- Hard Rock Hotel (2012-2017)
Season 16[]
- Orajel Arm & Hammer Kids Spinbrush (2012-2013)
- Hard Rock Hotel (2012-2017)
Season 17, 18, 19[]
- Hard Rock Hotel (2013-present)
- American Greetings (2007-present)
Airings[]
Trivia[]
- When select episodes from Series 6 were aired on PBS Kids, they were re-edited to fit in with the later episodes of the show, including new music and narration from Michael Brandon. These versions were never released on on-demand services or DVD and were never given a rerelease of any kind up until 2024 when Thomas & Friends started airing on PBS Retro.
- Nitrogen Studios animated the Funding Screen segment that would play after the intro and before the Making Tracks to Great Destinations and Today on the Island of Sodor segments, albeit this was animated and produced some time before HiT Entertainment was bought out by Mattel in 2012 despite not being seen on American television until 2013 a year after the buyout and soon after Nitrogen's contract with HIT Entertainment ended after production of Blue Mountain Mystery.
- The KCET PBS stations usually aired Shining Time Station Monday through Thursday at 11:30 AM in the mid 90's.
- Most PBS stations aired Thomas & Friends on weekends only, from 2004 through 2013, but some stations did choose to air episodes Monday through Friday.
Gallery[]
Logos[]
To-do: add the production logos seen after Thomas & Friends.
Funding Screen[]
Advertisements and Promos[]
Website[]
Thomas & Friends Episode Titles[]
Series 8[]
Series 9[]
Series 12[]
Merchandise[]
External links[]
- PBS Kids at Wikipedia