During a visit to Toys R Us last week I was surprised and excited to find a New Thomas & Friends product…MINIS Launcher! What’s cooler than catapulting a train across the floor! This toy is super easy and fun to play with. Just load the MINIS engine into the Launcher, make sure you push it all the way in until you hear a click, than place the launcher on a flat surface and press the little red button on the side. Watch as the train launches down ramp! By shutting the ramp door you can store your MINI in it and clip the hock to your belt loop for easy portability.
There are three styles to choose from: Thomas, Percy and Diesel 10.

We have been collecting Thomas MINIS for a while now. This is a great toy for traveling or bringing on outings. My children will sit and play with MINIS at restaurants or church. They are quiet, easy to pack and inexpensive (so losing one isn’t the end of the world.) MINIS are really fun to collect because new sets are released every year. Some of my favorite collections are robot, super hero and warrior MINIS. They are great presents to fit in stockings, stuff in eggs or offer as positive reinforcement for good behavior. The MINIS come in blind bags (1.50 at Walmart) or in sets which you can see what you are getting. The blind bags are coded so you can google the codes so you don’t get doubles. Another MINI product that I like is the carrying case. It comes with a Golden Thomas and carries up to sixteen MINIS. Flip the case over for a track to race the trains around on. My kids love hocking all sixteen trains up to make a giant circle connecting them. This case is great for taking on road trips. Your little one can place the case on their lap and play with the trains on the track with ease.