Thomas' Tall Friend

"Will he blow over?" "Why's he so spotty?" "Does he sit down?"

- Gordon, Edward, and Percy upon seeing the giraffe

Thomas' Tall Friend is the first episode of the fourteenth season.

Plot
Thomas is called upon to deliver a giraffe to the Animal Park, but he cannot wait to show the giraffe to the children and leaves without waiting for the giraffe's keeper and soon runs into trouble. The giraffe will not follow Thomas' orders and will not lay down to go under a bridge.

Thomas asks Edward and Percy to let the giraffe eat some apples and play with leaves so that it will lay down.

When Thomas arrives at the Animal Park, the giraffe will not wake up. This annoys the mayor and the Fat Controller, as they wanted to see the tallest animal on Sodor in all of its finery. Thomas knows what must be done and goes back to the docks to collect the keeper. The giraffe immediately follows its keeper's orders and Thomas gets his photograph taken with his new tall friend.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Gordon
 * Percy
 * Cranky
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Farmer McColl (does not speak)
 * The Mayor of Sodor (does not speak)
 * Henry (cameo)
 * James (cameo)
 * Emily (cameo)
 * Stanley (cameo)
 * Hiro (cameo)
 * Diesel (cameo)
 * The Photographer (cameo)
 * The Tree Specialists (cameos)
 * The Teacher (cameo)

Locations

 * Brendam
 * Animal Park
 * McColl Farm
 * Farmer McColl's Field

Trivia

 * The photo album at the end of the episode contains photos from the episodes, Thomas and the Runaway Kite and Creaky Cranky and one from the special, Hero of the Rails.
 * In Japan this episode is called "Giraffe". In Germany it is named "Thomas' Big Friend". The French title is "Thomas and the Giraffe".

Goofs

 * The way in which the giraffe was transported was extremely dangerous.
 * The giraffe does not appear to be afraid of steam engines or being lowered onto a flatbed.
 * Surely the leaves in Percy's truck would have blown away during travel; they should have been covered.
 * Thomas somehow turns around when he exits the docks.
 * There was a tree very close to the siding in which Thomas and the giraffe were on, so why did Thomas not move slightly so that the giraffe could eat those leaves?
 * Percy and Edward should have made the giraffe stop eating their cargo.
 * Giraffes do not lie down to sleep; they do so standing up.
 * After Thomas goes back to the docks, the giraffe's flatbed somehow switches tracks at the Animal Park.
 * When Sir Topham, the Mayor, and the giraffe's keeper are posing for a photograph with the giraffe, the photographer is standing way too close to fit them all in.
 * Thomas collects apples from Farmer McColl's. In Thomas and the Pigs however, he picked up apples from the orchard.
 * Brakevans should have been added to Thomas, James, Emily, Diesel, Edward, and Percy's trains.

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway - Thomas' Tall Friends 3-pack
 * Books - The Tall Friend and Holiday Gift Set
 * Take-n-Play