Refreshed series will see the famous train engine and his pals travel the world.

Mattel has greenlit another series and special for Thomas & Friends to premiere in 2019.

The new series will consist of 20 11-minute episodes and three 22-minutes specials, and continue the themes of exploration and discovery while adding new locations and friends from around the world. This brings the Thomas & Friends library of content to more than 550 episodes.

The greenlight for series 23 comes after revamped series 22 has been signed up by broadcaster’s Channel 5 Milkshake (UK), ABC TV (Australia), Televisa (Mexico), TV Cultura (Brazil), Super RTL (Germany) and Nick Jr. (USA).

The recent series has undergone a major refresh that sees Thomas traveling farther than ever before to learn about new countries and cultures. The show has a more contemporary feel, a brand-new theme tune and a refreshed Steam Team to include three girls and three boy engines, and Thomas, ensuring gender equality across the show and increasing global appeal for pre-school viewers. This all-new format series will feature faster-paced action, increased humour, new music, new international friends, animals and exciting fantasy elements.

Thomas the Tank Engine was created more than 70 years ago and that story quickly grew to become the award-winning No. 1 pre-school train brand franchise it is today, selling one engine every second, enjoyed by families in more than 160 territories and more than 55 languages across multiple touch-points and formats.