Percy and Harold

"Said Harold Helicopter to our Percy, 'You are slow! Your railway is out of date, and not much use you know!' But Percy and his stone trucks did the trip in record time, And we beat the helicopter on our old branch line!"

- Percy's Fireman singing the victory song

Percy and Harold, retitled Percy Proves a Point in American releases, is the ninth episode of the second season. In the US, it aired on the Shining Time Station episodes Just Wild about Harry's Workshop in 1989 Field Day in 1991 and aired on the last airing of Storytime with Thomas on Fox Family.

Plot
Percy has been enjoying working at the new harbour on Thomas' Branch Line. He likes the branch line work rather than shunting for the mainline engines at the big station. Along the branch line is an airfield and Percy would hear the planes flying overhead. The loudest though is a helicopter. Percy complains about the noise it would make.

One day Percy stops with his train at the airfield. The helicopter is there and they begin by introducing each other. The helicopter's name is Harold and it is not long before the two start trading insults. When they finish, Harold flies away and Percy sets off for the quarry. Percy finds Toby and vented off his feelings about Harold. Afterwards, he collects his trucks and heads back to the harbour.

On Percy's trip back to the harbour, they hear Harold's unmistakable buzzing. Percy's crew encourage the two to race each other. Percy has never been allowed to go that fast before. The trucks wailed and beg Percy to stop, but it is no use. They have to slow down when they reach the wharf and Percy is sure that they had lost the race. But when the fireman climbs onto the roof of the cab, he can see Harold still looking for a place to land.

In celebration of Percy's victory, the fireman sing a little song about the race, which Percy loves, especially the last line.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Percy
 * Harold
 * Toby (does not speak)
 * Henry (stock footage cameo)
 * Sir Topham Hatt (mentioned)

Locations

 * Anopha Quarry
 * Knapford Harbour
 * The Watermill
 * The Branch Line Bridge
 * Suddery Castle
 * Dryaw

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name from The Railway Series book, Percy the Small Engine.
 * Stock footage from Coal is used - it's easy to tell from the shot of Percy's driver leaning out of the cab during the race that it is Henry's cab.
 * CITV host, Tommy Boyd, recalls this as his first Thomas episode.
 * In the Japanese version, the music is omitted during Percy's Victory Song.
 * Events of this episode were mentioned and recreated for CGI in the twentieth season episode Letters to Santa.

Goofs

 * In the first shot, Percy pushes a box close to the rails, his eyes are wonky, and trucks throughout his train bounce slightly.
 * After Thomas says "Well done, Percy! The Fat Controller is very pleased with us!" the camera then cuts to Percy. This is the same shot as the one of the fireman singing; look up at Percy's cab and you can see the fireman's legs.
 * When the narrator says, "An airfield was close by," Thomas' face moves slightly. The same thing happens with Percy's face, when he says "Stupid thing! Why can't it go and buzz somewhere else?"
 * The wind sock beside Harold should have been blown by his rotors when he took off.
 * In the close-up of Percy complaining to Toby about Harold, Percy's eyes look wonky.
 * When Percy's driver says "Well I'll be a ding dong dang," the stock footage shows the driver yelling out of Henry's cab from Whistles and Sneezes.
 * When Percy says "Yes! Let's," you can see through his left eye.
 * When Percy gains speed, his back wheel derails.
 * Percy's trucks gained faces when they say "We don't want to, we don't want to."
 * In the aerial shot of Harold flying alongside Percy, a truck vanishes from Percy's train.
 * When Harold flies over the valley, he clips a tree.
 * When Percy says "Oh, dear! I'm sure we've lost!" his eyes are wonky.
 * After Percy's fireman's song, his right eye (viewer's left) pops out of the face mask slightly.
 * Throughout the episode, Percy's left (viewer's right) cylinder is loose.
 * Percy only has half of his screw-link coupling.
 * Since stock footage is used, Percy's fireman changes appearance at the Wharf.
 * A rare picture of Percy at the quarry shows a gear visible between his left driving wheels.

Merchandise

 * Buzz Books - Percy and Harold
 * My Thomas Story Library - Harold
 * Magazine stories - Percy and Harold
 * Ladybird Books - Percy and Harold/Percy Takes the Plunge

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Percy and Harold and Other Stories
 * The Best of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends
 * Thomas Comes to Breakfast and Other Stories
 * Percy Takes the Plunge (UK DVD)
 * Thomas' Christmas Party and 17 other stories
 * Chases, Races and Runaways
 * The Best of Percy
 * The Complete Second Series

DVD Boxsets

 * Classic Collection
 * The Best of Friends

US

 * Thomas Breaks the Rules and Other Stories
 * Thomas and His Friends Get Along
 * Best of Percy
 * Thomas' Fan Favorite Adventures
 * Season 2 (Digital Download)

DVD Boxsets

 * Totally Thomas Volume 2
 * Best Tales on the Tracks

AUS

 * Percy and Harold and Other Stories
 * The Complete Second Series
 * My First Thomas with Percy

DVD Boxsets

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * My First Thomas

NZ

 * Percy and Harold and Other Stories
 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 3
 * Thomas Train Set Compilation Video Volume 5

FRA

 * Saved from Scrap

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Volume 8
 * Best of Percy
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.8
 * The Complete DVD Box 1
 * Anytime With Percy!
 * The Best Collection
 * Thomas and Harold

DNK

 * The Runaway Train and Other Stories

NL

 * Percy and Harold
 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas, Percy and Gordon

GER

 * Old Iron and 4 Other Adventures
 * Show What You Can!
 * Thomas and His Friends Vol. 4

HRV

 * Duck Takes Over

NOR

 * Thomas Celebrates Christmas
 * Thomas the Tank Engine 4

FIN/ISL

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 4

MYS

 * Percy and Harold and Other Thomas Adventures

UKR

 * A Train Thomas and Friends

IN

 * Down the Mine and Other Stories

ITA

 * The Locomotive and the Helicopter

PHL

 * Old Iron (DVD)

ROM

 * Thomas and the Great Runaway (DVD)

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 1

SER

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 3

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4 (DVD)

TWN

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 4 (Taiwanese DVD)

THA

 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 5 (Thai DVD)
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