I know they made several Thomas and Shining Time Station collectibles, a few of which played renditions of themes which were seldom known at the time they were released. That, however, is the reason why I started this thread. Is it possible that the company members who made these collectibles were the world's first group of adult fans of TTTE, long before SiF, the YouTube fans and the TTTE Wikia were around? I mean, how else could they have even thought about that obscure tune from "Thomas and Bertie" and rendered it on a music box, let alone with such limited technology?
And, keep in mind: These were actual, licensed items. The fandom that exists today either wasn't as strong back then, or didn't even exist at all. Therefore, even though these days it seems very fanmade once one hears what tune it plays (and sees the effort and attention to detail put into it), it was officially licensed and sold in stores.
For comparison's sake, here's the original tune from the episode:
And, keep in mind: These were actual, licensed items. The fandom that exists today either wasn't as strong back then, or didn't even exist at all. Therefore, even though these days it seems very fanmade once one hears what tune it plays (and sees the effort and attention to detail put into it), it was officially licensed and sold in stores.
For comparison's sake, here's the original tune from the episode: