I was shopping the post-Christmas toy deals on Ebay when I came across Clarabel brand new but without a box for the bargain price of $6.00. I'd already found Annie through another dealer at a decent price, but did not want to buy one and not the other. I knew my son would be thrilled with her, as every time we see Thomas with his beloved coaches in a book or on our Best of Thomas DVD, he shouts "AnnieandClarabel!" in his sweet 2-year-old voice.

As it happened, Clarabel arrived in the mail several days prior to Annie. I didn't plan to give her to my son until after Annie showed up. In my grown up way, I was convinced that he'd spend too much time wondering where Annie was. My husband - more in touch with his "inner child" was too excited to hold off, so he got Clarabel right away.

How it Went
Boy was he excited. So excited, in fact, that he wouldn't even put her on the track or attach her to Thomas for the first hour or so. It didn't matter that I couldn't wait to see her in her rightful place. He just wanted to hold onto her. So, he played with his other trains, and held onto Clarabel tightly, occasionally stopping to examine every minute detail. He also called her "AnnieandClarabel" for quite awhile. I explained to him that her name was "Clarabel," and that he would have Annie "some day." She slept with him that night, and by the next day he was calling her simply "Clarabel."

Clarabel
Like all of Learning Curve's Thomas & Friends characters Clarabel is beatufully painted and solidly put together. Her body is made of wood, her wheels are plastic, and her magnets are strong. Unlike most of the characters, her magnets are oriented - correctly based on the show - so that she rides facing backwards. She also has 2 smaller magnets on top so that she can be lifted by the breakdown train or any other magnetic crane toy in this system. Her face is painted on, instead of being a piece of molded plastic like most of the other characters.

So far, we're very happy with our little Clarabel, and I expect my son will spend many hours playing with her, and making up stories involving her, Thomas, and Annie.

FIND RELATED REVIEWS BELOW

Wooden Railway System
Annie - Thomas' Beloved Coach
Barrel Car
Bertie the Bus
Edward the Blue Engine
Gordon the Big Express Engine
Harold the Helicoptor
Henry the Green Engine
James the Red Engine
Lady
Percy the Small Engine
Rusty with Construction Cars
Thomas the Tank Engine
Tidmouth Milk Tanker
Toby the Tram Engine
Arched Stone Bridge
Single Stone Tunnel
6.5 inch Curved Switch Track
6.5 inch Curved Track
Circle Set

Books
Diesel's Devious Deed
Thomas: The Really Useful Engine

Buying Thomas
All Aboard Toys

Train Table
Nilo Train Table


Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 6.00
Type of Toy: Trains
Age Range of Child: 3 to 5 Years