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The Internet is, more often than not, a big clusterfuck of “oh…” and “why…?” Sometimes, though, you hit the jackpot. You find something wonderful(ly absurd) that requires no explanation. Reddit is particularly good at fulfilling this.
Enter r/thomasthedankengine.
The subreddit is exactly what it suggests. It takes something that many of you are probably very familiar with—The Thomas the Tank Engine theme song—and mashes it up with, well, other songs you’re also familiar with.
It’s been going strong for over two years now with almost 800 mash-ups from Reddit users. The weirdest part, though? Many of the mash-ups actually sound pretty damn good. So, we reached out to Reddit user Legitimidget, the subreddit’s moderator, and asked how the subreddit started up.
Why you started mashing up songs with the Thomas the Tank theme song?
It all started in 2012, when I found a video on Youtube of a mashup of the Thomas the Tank Engine theme song and DMX’s “Get It On The Floor.” I found it hilarious, showed it to my friend, and from there we decided to make a subreddit of it. At that point there was a handful of mashups around, and we collected as many as we could. I’ve only actually made one Thomas mashup myself, the rest is content created by or submitted by the community.
Why do you think Thomas the Tank is such an effective song for mash-ups?
I think it’s because it’s such a simple song. It’s the same with Space Jam, which is another mashup “meme,” but definitely a lot more popular. Since Space Jam is mostly bass and percussion, it can go with almost any song. The Thomas theme is similar, meaning it goes well with a lot of songs. I don’t really know anything about musical theory, but that’s the gist of it. Plus, there’s the juxtaposition of the memorable theme music of a beloved childhood TV show with the crassness of most rap lyrics, which has a comedic effect.
Which is your favorite mash-up?
My favourite mashup is probably “Tankarank,” by reddit user Rossco1337. The vast majority of mashups are rap or hip-hop songs, so I find a dubstep remix like this refreshing. I also really like the classic “Biggie the Tank Engine,” which I consider to be the gold standard of Thomas mashups.
What’s the process behind choosing a song for making a mash-up?
Most rap and hip-hop songs are around 100 beats per minute, so you have to keep that in mind when choosing a song. The Thomas theme is exactly 100 beats per minute, meaning you don’t have to change the tempo too much. Keeping it as close as possible is optimal, since changing the tempo too much can make it sound distorted. Aside from that, it’s anything goes.
Listen to more Thomas the Dank Engine mash-ups below, and submit your own mash-up here.
And this one—this one will ruin your entire childhood.
