Thomas' Christmas Party

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

- Mrs. Kyndley

Thomas' Christmas Party is the twenty-sixth and final episode of the first season.

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 would not be the same without her.

At the sheds, all the engines have been polished but Thomas does not 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 snowplough 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 snowplough 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 is the best Christmas party ever.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Henry
 * Gordon
 * James
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Annie and Clarabel
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * Mrs. Kyndley
 * Terence (does not speak)
 * Bertie (cameo)
 * Henrietta (cameo)
 * Farmer Finney (cameo)

Locations

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

Trivia

 * Stock footage from Thomas' Train and Thomas, Terence and the Snow is used.
 * This episode is based on the story of the same name, which was written specifically for the television crew to adapt for an episode. A flashback of The Railway Series story, Mrs. Kyndley's Christmas, is also featured in the episode.
 * In George Carlin's narration, Bournemouth is not referred to by name.
 * This is the first Christmas-themed episode.
 * The platform the Fat Controller is standing on is made out of LEGO bricks.
 * The text in the end credits is red in the original version to suit the Christmas Theme.
 * George Carlin's narration was never aired on an episode of Shining Time Station. It was first released on home video on Thomas' Christmas Party and Other Favorite Stories in 1994. It aired on television on the final airing of Storytime with Thomas in 2000.
 * In the Japanese version, Gordon speaks Percy's lines during Thomas' flashback and Terence gains lines in the place of the narrator saying "Terence said good-bye to Mrs. Kyndley, and promised to take care of her cottage as he watched them all set off".
 * This is the final episode to be narrated by Ringo Starr for Shining Time Station (excluding Thomas and the Missing Christmas Tree, which was just an edited version of the UK narration).
 * This is the final episode to be dubbed in Slovakian, as well as the last episode to be narrated by Dário de Castro until the eighth season.

Goofs

 * Clarabel is facing the wrong way in the opening shot.
 * When Thomas has his snowplough fitted, blu-tak is on one of the workmen'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 The Fat Controller 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.
 * In the George Carlin narration and all foreign narrations (excluding the Spanish dub), Ringo Starr can still be heard when the engines are singing.
 * Gordon is missing his tender the whole entire scene at Tidmouth Sheds.

Magazine stories

 * 1987 - Thomas's Christmas Party

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/Engines to the Rescue/The Chocolate Crunch Triple Pack

US

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

DVD Boxsets

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

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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