Thomas' Christmas Party

"Thomas and Toby are old friends, and now, Percy, you are my friend too!"

- Mrs. Kyndley

Thomas' Christmas Party (originally Thomas's Christmas Party) is the twenty-sixth episode of the first season. In the US, this episode first aired on Shining Time Station's Christmas special 'Tis A Gift in 1990, and aired on the last airing of Storytime with Thomas on FOX Family.

Plot
It is Christmas time and Thomas and Toby are very busy carrying people and parcels along the branch line. Despite Annie and Clarabel complaining that they are overloaded, Thomas retains his festive spirit.

Near his branch line is a little cottage. This is the home of an older woman named Mrs. Kyndley. Thomas always whistles "Happy Christmas!" to her and agrees that Christmas wouldn't be the same without her.

At the sheds, all the engines have been polished but Thomas doesn't mind and tells them he wants to throw Mrs. Kyndley a party to thank her for saving him from a landslide the year before. When she was ill in bed, she waved her red dressing gown out the window to warn Thomas and The Fat Controller sent her to Bournemouth to get better as a reward.

All the engines agree that a party is a great idea and hope that The Fat Controller agrees as well. He does, but on the day of the party, there is a heavy snowfall, trapping Mrs. Kyndley in her house. Thomas bravely puts on his snow plough and sets off with Toby to rescue her, and soon, they arrive at the cottage which is covered in snow. Thomas whistles to Mrs. Kyndley to tell her they have arrived when suddenly, Terence arrives with his snowplow to help clear a path from the cottage to the railway. Once everything is cleared away, Percy takes the workmen home and Terence stays behind to look after Mrs. Kyndley's cottage.

Thomas and Toby take her to the shed, where the party is supposed to be, but as they arrive home, they find the sheds in darkness. Suddenly, a switch is thrown and the sheds are covered in lights. The Fat Controller congratulates the two engines, everybody sings carols, and Mrs. Kyndley says it's the best Christmas party ever.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Mrs. Kyndley
 * Terence (speaks only in Japanese dub)
 * Bertie (cameo)
 * Henrietta (cameo)
 * Farmer Finney (cameo)

Locations

 * Tidmouth Sheds
 * Tidmouth Goods Station
 * Mrs. Kyndley's Cottage
 * Hackenbeck Tunnel
 * The Viaduct (deleted scene)
 * Knapford (deleted scene)
 * Bournemouth (mentioned)

Trivia

 * This episode is based on the story of the same name, released alongside the series in 1984. It also features a flashback from the story Mrs Kyndley's Christmas from The Railway Series book, Toby the Tram Engine, although that story was never adapted as an episode.
 * Stock footage from Thomas' Train and Thomas, Terence and the Snow is used.
 * The platform Sir Topham Hatt stands on is made out of LEGO bricks.
 * The Christmas lights are real Christmas tree lights.
 * The text in the end credits is red in the original version.
 * When George Carlin provides the narration, Ringo Starr can be heard in the background when the engines sing at the end. Every foreign version, except the Spanish Version, has this as well, meaning Ringo's singing is built into the soundtrack for some reason. The Spanish version lacks it as the instrumental was likely taken from Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree, where it is also heard.
 * George Carlin's narration of this episode was never featured on an episode of Shining Time Station. It first appeared on Thomas' Christmas Party and Other Favorite Stories. It aired on TV on the final airing of Storytime with Thomas in 2000.
 * In the Japanese dub, Gordon says Percy's lines during Thomas' flashback.
 * This is the last episode filmed at the Clapham Junction. All future episodes would be filmed at Shepperton Studios up until 2008.
 * This is the last episode to have Thomas with his BR style brake pipe.
 * This is the first Christmas themed episode.
 * This is the last episode dubbed in Slovakian, as well as the last episode narrated by Dário de Castro until the eighth season.
 * On its original broadcast, this episode was paired with Dirty Objects. However, early VHS releases have it paired with Down the Mine, as do Norwegian and Swedish broadcasts.
 * In the US it was the last story told by Ringo Starr on Shining Time Station not counting Thomas & the Missing Christmas Tree which was just a butchered edit of the orignal UK dub

Goofs

 * Clarabel is facing the wrong way in the opening shot.
 * When the workmen fit Thomas' snowplough, blu-tack is on one of the men's legs.
 * Throughout the episode, Toby keeps losing his brake van.
 * In the George Carlin narration, when the engines whistle, only Thomas, Edward, and Henry's whistles can be heard. In the Ringo Starr narration, Thomas, Edward and Henry's whistles are heard with the last part of James' whistle heard intact before the others.
 * At the Christmas party, Henry is in his old shape.
 * In the Sprout Channel broadcast, around the time the engines save Mrs. Kyndley and the time Thomas gets back to the sheds, the narration is dramatically out of sync.
 * In a deleted scene, Thomas' eyes are wonky.
 * When Sir Topham Hatt stands on the platform, some blu-tack can be seen under his feet.
 * At the beginning when Thomas whistles "Happy Christmas" to Mrs. Kyndley, Clarabel is the front coach and facing forwards.
 * When the engines sing Merry Christmas in the George Carlin version and foreign versions, Ringo Starr can be heard in the background.

Merchandise

 * Books - Thomas's Christmas Party
 * Buzz Books - Thomas's Christmas Party
 * Ladybird Books - Thomas's Christmas Party
 * Magazine Stories - Thomas's Christmas Party

Home Media Releases
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UK

 * Further Adventures of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends
 * Coal and other stories
 * Troublesome Trucks, Coal and other stories
 * Bumper Special
 * Down the Mine and Other Stories (1992)
 * Thomas' Christmas Party and 17 other stories
 * The Biggest Ever Christmas Collection
 * The Complete Series 1
 * Peep Peep Party
 * Seasonal Scrapes
 * Christmas Collection
 * Children's Christmas Favourites

DVD Packs

 * Classic Collection
 * Peep Peep Party and Brave Little Engines Double Pack
 * Peep Peep Party and Pulling Together! Double Pack
 * Peep Peep Party/Engines to the Rescue/The Chocolate Crunch Triple Pack

US

 * Shining Time Station: 'Tis a Gift (Ringo Starr's narration)
 * Thomas' Christmas Party and Other Favorite Stories
 * Thomas' Christmas Wonderland and other Thomas Adventures
 * Thomas' Snowy Surprise and Other Adventures
 * The Early Years (Ringo Starr's UK narration)
 * Ultimate Christmas
 * Thomas & Friends Classic Volume 1

DVD Boxsets

 * Celebrate with Thomas
 * Sodor Friends Holiday Collection
 * Holiday Favorites

AUS

 * Coal and other stories
 * The Biggest Ever Christmas Collection
 * The Complete Series 1

DVD Boxsets

 * Complete Series 1-10
 * Classic Collection
 * Series One and Series Two Double Pack

NZ

 * Coal and other stories
 * Percy Runs Away and Other Stories
 * Bumper Video Collection Volume 2
 * The Biggest Ever Christmas Collection

JPN

 * Thomas the Tank Engine Vol.6
 * The Complete Works of Thomas the Tank Engine 1 Vol.6
 * Thomas's Christmas
 * The Complete DVD Box 1 (Japanese DVD)

FRA

 * The Talkative Trains

KOR

 * For the Story of Determination

PHL

 * Down the Mine

NOR

 * Thomas Celebrates Christmas
 * Thomas the Tank Engine 3

FIN/ISL

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 3

GER

 * The 9 Best Christmas Stories
 * Thomas and His Friends Vol. 3
 * Lots of Little Helpers

DVD Boxsets

 * Thomas and His Friends Box Set 2

NL

 * Merry Christmas!
 * The Greatest Stories: The Adventures of Thomas

BRA

 * Christmas in the Beautiful Land of Thomas

IN

 * Down the Mine and Other Stories (DVD)

ITA

 * The Grumpy Locomotive

MYS

 * Thomas' Christmas Party and Other Thomas Adventures

ROM

 * Thomas and Percy (Romanian DVD)

DVD Packs

 * Triple Pack 1

SER

 * Thomas the Tank Engine 2 (Serbian DVD)

SVN

 * Thomas and the Christmas Tree (Slovenian DVD)

HRV

 * Thomas in Trouble (Croatian DVD)

WAL

 * Letting Off Steam and 8 Other Stories

CHN

 * Thomas and Friends Season 1-4 (DVD)

THA

 * Thomas and Friends Volume 3 (Thai DVD)
 * Thomas and Friends - Volume 4 (Thai DVD)

DNK

 * Thomas in Trouble and Other Stories (Danish DVD)
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