Tickled Pink

"What are you doing James? You're a big pink steamie!"

- Diesel

Tickled Pink is the third episode of the thirteenth season.

Plot
The Fat Controller sends James to the Sodor Steamworks for a new coat of paint. Emily has broken down while picking up Bridget Hatt to take her to a birthday party, and no other engines are available so Sir Topham Hatt has to send James who is still painted in his pink undercoat. First, Emily laughs at James so to prevent the others from doing the same, James decides to hide.

He sees Toby coming down the line and hides beneath a willow tree but Gordon rushes past and blows the tree branches up and Toby sees him and laughs.

Then, he sees Diesel who is shunting trucks. James really doesn't want to be seen by Diesel so he hides behind the waiting trucks. Eventually, Diesel shunts them all and James and his pink paint are revealed. Diesel laughs at James.

Finally, James tries to hide from Gordon in a tunnel. Thomas and Percy arrive to see what's going on. Gordon insists the engine in the tunnel reveal himself because the express cannot get through. So, James is left with no choice but to reveal himself and after James is laughed at, he realises he is running late. So, he steams to Maithwaite passing Henry and Spencer who also laugh, but James doesn't mind; he just wants to be a really useful engine.

James thinks Bridget and her friends will laugh at him, but they don't. Pink is their favourite colour!

Characters

 * James
 * Diesel
 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Emily
 * Toby
 * Gordon
 * Percy
 * Spencer
 * Edward (cameo)
 * Henrietta (cameo)
 * Bridget Hatt
 * Sir Topham Hatt

Trivia

 * The plot is similar to Henry Sees Red from the Railway Series.
 * Bridget and the little girls are obviously voiced by Teresa Gallagher in the UK.
 * In some shots of Maithwaite you can see an adult by the children, talking to a stationmaster. Could this be Stephen and Bridget's mother?
 * This episode marks the return of Bridget Hatt.

Goofs

 * When Gordon puffs past Toby he has only one coach, but when he passes the willow he has two.
 * Diesel somehow changes directions when shunting his coal trucks.
 * James' undercoat is only applied on the surfaces of his red paintwork when it should've applied all over him including his smokebox, cab roof, number, and lining.
 * Diesel's bufferbeam is black in one scene.
 * The willow tree is placed very close to the line. This error about trees being very close to the railway was made previously in Henry's Forest.
 * In real life, it would take longer than a morning for James to have his old paint scraped off and his undercoat painted on.
 * James came to the Steamworks under his own steam, so it would've be dangerous to repaint him while his boiler was still hot.
 * Diesel could have easily seen James when he was hiding from the trucks.
 * James could have simply puffed quickly away when Diesel passed him the first time, instead of hiding behind more trucks.

Quotes

 * Emily: "Cinders and Ashes! You're light pink James!? Ha! Ha! Ha!"


 * Toby: "Fizzling Fireboxes James! You're a big pink engine! Ha! Ha! Ha!"


 * Percy: "James... you're all....pink! Ha, ha! What a funny colour!"


 * Spencer: "Oh, dear James. Bright pink really isn't your color!"