Old Toy Trains facts for kids

"Old Toy Trains" is a popular Christmas song. It is sometimes called "Little Toy Trains". The famous singer and songwriter Roger Miller wrote and first recorded this song.

It came out in late 1967 as a single record. The song was released by Smash Records. Later, in 1968, a French version was made. It was called "Petit garçon" and was adapted by Graeme Allwright.

The Story Behind the Song

Roger Miller wrote "Old Toy Trains" in 1967. He wrote it especially for his son, Dean Miller.

The song was released by Smash Records at the end of that year. This was a special moment for the record company. Before this, Smash Records had not released any Christmas songs for eight years!

Other Artists Who Sang It

Many other artists have recorded their own versions of "Old Toy Trains." Here are some of them:

• Glen Campbell recorded it for his 1968 album, That Christmas Feeling.
• Raffi included it on his 1983 album, Raffi's Christmas Album.
• The Statler Brothers sang it for their 1985 album, Christmas Present.
• Toby Keith covered the song in 2000. His version was part of an album called A Country Christmas 2000.
• In 2002, a special version came out. It mixed Roger Miller's original voice with his son Dean Miller's voice.
• Scott Miller recorded it for his 2010 EP, Christmas Gift.
• The famous violinist André Rieu performed the song live in 2012. He sang it with Mirusia Louwerse, Carla Mafioletti, and Kimmy Skota. This performance is on his DVD Home for the Holidays.
• Nick Lowe put his version on his 2013 Christmas album, Quality Street: A Seasonal Selection for All the Family.
• Canadian Inuk singer Susan Aglukark recorded a version in 2013. It is on her album Dreaming of Home. Her version includes some lyrics in the Inuktitut language.

Songs in Other Languages

"Petit Garçon"

"Petit garçon"
Single by Garou and Ryan
Released	2014
Length	2:53
Songwriter(s)	Roger Miller (music) Graeme Allwright (French lyrics)
Producer(s)	Dominique Blanc Francard
Garou singles chronology
""" ()" "Petit garçon"
Ryan singles chronology
"Petit garçon" (2014)

"Old Toy Trains" became very popular in other languages too. The most famous is the French version. It is called "Petit Garçon," which means "little boy."

The New Zealand-French singer Graeme Allwright translated and recorded it in 1968. This was just one year after Roger Miller's English version came out.

In 1972, the Greek singer Nana Mouskouri also covered "Petit Garçon." It was on her album Pour les enfants (meaning "for children").

In 2014, "Petit Garçon" became the official song for a big French charity event. This event is called Téléthon 2014. Garou, a Canadian French singer, was a main sponsor that year. He recorded "Petit Garçon" with a young French singer named Ryan. This version was officially released. The song was also on Garou's new album, It's Magic. During the Téléthon event, Garou sang it live with Hélène Ségara and tennis player and singer Yannick Noah.

How the Songs Performed on Music Charts

Music charts show how popular songs are. Here's how some versions of "Old Toy Trains" performed:

Toby Keith version

Garou & Ryan version as "Petit garçon"