PEEP! PEEP! It’s all aboard for the world’s number one preschool toy and UK publishing boy’s property Thomas & Friends as owner HIT Entertainment lines up its biggest retail promotion ever.

Thomas & Friends has launched at Hamley’s as part of the famous toy store’s Cartoon Crazy promotion with themed in-store activity and a special Thomas & Friends-themed window. The promotion showcases new product lines from TOMY, Golden Bear and RC2 as well as in-store competitions to win tickets to Thomas Land as part of the UK theme park’s 1st Anniversary celebrations. The promotion runs until 11th May in Hamley’s Regent Street and Dumfries, Ireland stores.

New and classic home entertainment releases for Thomas & Friends will also be showcased in special Easter promotions in Play.com and across HMV, Borders, ASDA, Sainsbury’s UK stores throughout the month. Thomas & Friends: The Great Discovery was launched in autumn 2008 and is one of BVA’s (British Video Association) top 20 selling preschool titles for the year.

An all new Thomas & Friends promotion launches in ten Toys R Us stores across the UK over Easter. The Fat Controller Station Stops offers children a chance to meet the Fat Controller at Thomas-themed afternoons as well as in-store promotions throughout Easter.

Confectionary licensee Kinnerton has also released a new range of Thomas & Friends themed Easter egg products in Tesco, Morrison’s, Sainsbury, Asda, Coo, Aldi, and Waitrose at Easter this year. Kinnerton has been a Thomas & Friends licensee for the past 15 years and has grown the Thomas & Friends branded food products 20% year on year and is set for continued growth throughout 2009 with exciting, new concepts and retail partners.

Thomas & Friends, the world’s number one preschool toy and publishing property in the UK, is now broadcast in over 185 territories and in 35 languages and generates US$1.6 billion globally at retail each year. The Thomas & Friends website attracts more than 30 million visitors each month, 7 million in the UK alone.