Elephants are the largest living land animals. Some of them live in the wild, while others are a part of either circuses or animal parks.
The Escaped Circus Elephant[]
A circus elephant once escaped from Topham Circus. He soon found his way into Henry's Tunnel, blocking one of the portals. Henry was sent with some workmen to investigate, however his train was pushed out by the cross elephant. The workmen treated the elephant to cakes and water, the latter of which he sprayed over Henry in fright. The elephant was soon reunited with his keeper and escorted away, leaving Henry indignant.
Appearances[]
Books[]
- 2005 - Engines & Animals
- 1990 - Henry and the Elephant
- 2007 - Henry and the Elephant
Magazine Stories[]
- 2005 - A Jumbo-Sized Surprise
Trivia[]
- In The Railway Series, the circus elephant is an Asian elephant, while in Thomas & Friends, the circus elephant is an African elephant instead.
- The circus elephant was unnamed both in The Railway Series and Thomas & Friends, but was named Jumbo in the Henry and the Elephant storybook.
- Given that this name originated from a loose book adaptation, it is unlikely that the name Jumbo applies to the actual continuity of the television series.
- The circus elephant's name in this book may be a reference to the titular character from Disney movie Dumbo.
- The elephant sound effect is sourced from Chewbacca of the Star Wars franchise.
Merchandise[]
- Wooden Railway (discontinued)
- Take Along (discontinued)
- Bandai Tecs (discontinued)
- Nakayoshi (discontinued)
The Sodor Animal Park Elephants[]
The Sodor Animal Park owns two Asian elephants.
Biography[]
One of the elephants once escaped through a broken wall at the Sodor Animal Park and started wandering on the tracks. The elephant was eventually found by Charlie, but after all of his joking, no one would believe him. Charlie then reported the elephant to Harold, who took him seriously and set off to find the elephant. When they found the elephant, she was loaded into Charlie's wagon and transported back to the Sodor Animal Park.
Appearances[]
Thomas & Friends[]
- Series 17 - Not Now, Charlie! (only one)
- Series 18 - Emily Saves the World (only one)
- Series 19 - The Little Engine Who Raced Ahead (only one)
- Series 22 - Thomas' Animal Ark
- Series 24 - Nia and the Unfriendly Elephant
Specials[]
- 2014 - Tale of the Brave (mentioned)
Books[]
- 1991 - Thomas and the Tiger
- 2019 - Ten Little Engines
Really Useful Stories[]
- 2018 - The Great Rescue
Trivia[]
- In the magazine stories, the Sodor Animal Park owns an Asian and African elephant named Samson and Eddie respectively.
Trusty Trunky[]
Trusty Trunky is an Asian elephant who lives in India.
Biography[]
Trusty Trunky once helped to push Thomas back onto the rails after he had an accident. According to Ashima, she had help from her in the past as well.
Appearances[]
The Baby Elephant[]
The Baby Elephant is an Asian elephant calf who appeared in Thomas' Magical Birthday Wishes and Learning with Thomas.
Circus Elephants[]
Several elephants are owned by some circuses.
Biography[]
James once had to transport an elephant which was part of a travelling circus. While James was skeptical in thinking he could carry such a heavy load, his driver told him that they could not let the children down. After the elephant was loaded into James' wagon, he slowly but surely puffed away. When they arrived at the circus tent, the elephant was given a drink of water, however, the elephant sprayed the water all over James, which cleaned him. The elephant then sprayed the children and James declared the elephant to be the most unusual passenger he ever had.[1]
Appearances[]
Samson[]
| For other uses, see Samson (disambiguation). |
Samson is an Asian elephant who is owned by the Sodor Animal Park.
Biography[]
James was once tasked with collecting Samson from the harbour and taking him to the Sodor Animal Park. At the harbour, Samson did not want to climb aboard James' truck and the elephant began making noises at the engines. Samson's trainer stated that the elephant just wanted to say hello, however, James was impatient and wanted to go. While on the way, James was trapped behind some fallen logs at the Timber Mill and the trainer said that Samson will help clear the line. Samson then lifted the logs with his trunk and stacked them on the side, which impressed James.
Appearances[]
Eddie[]
- "Very clever, Eddie! That was the best water trick of all!"
- ― Thomas
Eddie is an African elephant who is owned by the Sodor Animal Park.
Biography[]
Thomas was the engine who first brought Eddie to the park and they have remained close friends ever since. Eddie likes to perform and his signature trick is sucking water from a bucket into his trunk and then squirting it over his back. This came in very handy when Thomas sprung a leak close to the park as Eddie was able to refill him in a very short space of time.
Appearances[]
Other Elephants[]
Several other elephants have been seen around the Island of Sodor and abroad.
Biography[]
When Thomas and Nia were travelling through the African desert, they encountered a wild elephant on the tracks. Just as the elephant was about to charge at Thomas, the vans and tankers started singing, which calmed the elephant and sent him away from the tracks.
When Thomas visited India, he passed a lake where several elephants were swimming.