The Little Engine That Could

In the tale, a long train must be pulled over a high mountain after its locomotive breaks down. Larger locomotives, treated anthropomorphically, are asked to pull the train; for various reasons, they refuse because they think they are too important. The request is sent to a small engine, who agrees to try. Despite the steep climb and heavy load, the engine slowly succeeds in pulling the train over the mountain while repeating the motto: "I think I can". ==Background==

The story's signature phrases such as "I think I can" first occurred in print in a 1902 article in a Swedish journal. An early published version of the story, "Story of the Engine That Thought It Could", appeared in the New-York Tribune on April 8, 1906, as part of a sermon by the Rev. Charles S. Wing. The title page stated: "Retold by Watty Piper from The Pony Engine by Mabel C. Bragg's copyrighted by George H. Doran and Co." received a lot of attention at the time of its release, in part because it prompted a discussion of gender stereotypes. ==Versions==

Later versions would revamp the story to have a more specific appeal for children – the stranded train is recast as a tank engine pulling good food and anthropomorphic toys for the children across the mountain, thus in saving the train the little engine seems to be working for the benefit of the child reader, making the successful deed all the more triumphant. In these versions, another character appeared and remained a key part of the story hereafter – the clown ringleader of the toys who attempts to find help with several locomotives but is rebuffed. The number of engines in the story also eventually became standard across the telling: the happy locomotive on the toy train who breaks down and cannot go on, the pompous passenger engine who considers himself too grand for the task and the powerful freight engine who views himself as too important. At least one version includes an old-time engine that says he is 'too tired' to help. The little blue engine always appears last and, although perhaps reluctant (some editions have the engine clarify her role as a switcher not suited for excursions), always rises to the occasion and saves the day for the children over the mountain. Each engine is defined by its appearance or function and is not given a name or personality beyond its role on the railroad. It is only in the 1991 film adaption that the engines' personalities are expanded on, including the granting of names: Farnsworth (the express engine), Pete (the freight engine), Jebediah (the old-time engine), Georgia (the friendly engine of the toy train), and Tillie, the titular "little engine that could". The clown was also named "Rollo" and a sixth engine character, Doc, appeared briefly to recover the broken-down Georgia and thus tie up the hanging story-thread of what happened to the failed engine of the toy train, which all other versions leave unaddressed. The 2011 adaptation expanded the storyline, this time with the little engine now working in Dreamland with Rusty (an old steam engine) alongside other Dream Haulers, trains that carried dreams to the real world while the original personalities of the previous locomotives are absent from this version. ==Films==

The 1963 film, The Little Engine That Could, by Coronet Films was the first adaption of the story. The story was adapted for a second time in January 1991 as a 30-minute animated film produced in the United Kingdom and co-financed in the United Kingdom and the United States. The film named the engine Tillie and expanded the narrative into a larger story of self-discovery. In March 2011, the story was adapted for a third time as a CGI film named The Little Engine That Could, produced by Universal Studios and featuring the voices of Whoopi Goldberg, Jamie Lee Curtis, Alyson Stoner, and Corbin Bleu. ==Song==

Burl Ives recorded the story told as a song written by Gerald Marks and Milton Pascal with an orchestra directed by Percy Faith. It was released on the album ''Burl Ives Sings Little White Duck and Other Children's Favorites'' in 1964. == "Little Engine" toys and rail tours ==

From 2005 to 2008, a full-size replica of the Little Engine That Could made an annual circuit around the United States. Arranged through Rail Events, Inc., a number of tourist and museum railroad operations hosted the "I Think I Can" Rail Tour. The replica was constructed in 2005 by the Strasburg Rail Road in southeast Pennsylvania who also constructed the Thomas the Tank Engine replicas that tour the United States. The last tour was in 2008. In 2009, the replica only appeared at the Texas State Railroad. In 2011, the website for the tour said that there would be dates announced for that year, but dates were never posted and the message was still present in 2012 until it went offline. The last time the train ever operated was on September 16, 2012. As of 2015, the replica is owned by the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, and has since been repainted to remove all references to the Little Engine That Could. It is currently displayed at the depot. ==List of other Little Engine That Could books==

• The Little Engine That Could and the Big Chase • I Knew You Could! • Three Little Engines ==Legacy==

A 1949 recording of the story by Paul Wing was inducted to the National Recording Registry in 2009. Based on a 2007 online poll, the National Education Association listed the book as one of its "Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children". The Little Engine That Could is the first book sent to children enrolled in Dolly Parton's Imagination Library book program. The 90th anniversary edition of the book, published by Penguin Random House, includes an introduction by Dolly Parton and illustrations by Caldecott Award-Winner Dan Santat. ==See also==