- “Well, we've both had some seaside surprises today. But driver says that I'm a Special Attraction anyway and so are you, every time we go on our own line."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, all we have to do is smile and blow whistles at everyone.” - ― Toby and Percy
Special Attraction is the twenty-fifth episode of the fourth series. It is based on the stories Toby's Seaside Holiday and Bulstrode from the Railway Series book Toby, Trucks and Trouble.
Plot
Toby is sent to a seaside village to be their "Special Attraction," as they have one every year. But when he gets there, his driver learns from the parade manager that there is no room for him in the parade. After Toby chuffs sadly back to the junction, Percy sees how upset Toby is. Before Toby can tell him why, the Fat Controller tells Percy to take care of some important work in the harbour. Percy's driver says that it will be trouble with Bulstrode, who according to Percy's driver is a disagreeable barge who never stops complaining.
At the harbour, Bulstrode and the trucks are arguing about who is in the wrong place. Once Percy arrives, the trucks ask to be shunted into a siding to load Bulstrode up with their stone so he can leave and they can be rid of him. While pushing the trucks, Percy cannot stop in time and he pushes them through a set of buffers and sends them toppling off the high wharf and right into Bulstrode's hull, which nearly sinks him much to the other trucks' amusement. It takes a very long time to clear the mess, after which Percy watches a disgraced Bulstrode towed to a beach. The workmen leave him there, telling him he can stay where he is for visiting children to play in and he will finally be useful.
When Percy returns, Toby is over his own disappointment and both he and Percy exchange their news. He tells Percy that his driver says that both of them are Special Attractions after all everywhere they go; all he and Percy have to do is smile and blow whistles at everyone, which Percy happily agrees.
Characters
- Percy
- Toby
- Troublesome Trucks
- Bulstrode
- Sir Topham Hatt
- Trevor (cameo)
- Jem Cole (cameo)
- The Vicar of Wellsworth (cameo)
- Farmer Trotter (cameo)
- Refreshment Lady (cameo)
- One Little Boy (cameo)
- The Dryaw Policeman (cameo)
- The Crovan's Gate Policeman (cameo)
- The Painter (cameo)
- Mrs. Last (cameo)
- The Boy's Father (cameo)
- Prince Philip (cameo)
- The Queen Mother (cameo)
- Big Mickey (faceless, cameo)
Locations
- Elsbridge
- Hackenbeck
- Tidmouth Beach
- Gordon's Hill
- The Second Seaside Station
- Knapford Harbour
- Road Beside Rail and Canal Runby (deleted scene)
Trivia
- The models for O.J., Izzy Gomez, Big Mickey, the Bigg City Port Fire Station and the three berth garage from TUGS are seen.
- This episode marks the first and only appearances of two things:
- Bulstrode's only appearance in the original television series, although his model and face were used in later episodes such as Fish and The Green Controller. According to Abi Grant, he was meant to appear in Series 10 and have a large scale model built for The Wharf, but it never happened due to budget costs, and excluding having appear without his face, though he appears in the reboot.
- Trevor's only appearance in the fourth series.
- The splashing sound effect that is heard after Percy drops the trucks onto Bulstrode would later be reused in the fifth series episode, Something in the Air, and the seventh series episodes, James and the Queen of Sodor and The Runaway Elephant.
- This episode marks the last of some things:
- The last episode to be featured on Shining Time Station, as the remainder of the fourth series would air on Mr. Conductor's Thomas Tales.
- The last appearance of Elsbridge, though it appears in a deleted scene in the next episode, had been planned to be seen in the eighth series episode, Thomas and the Circus, but was cut out for unknown reasons and would later be mentioned in the nineteenth series episode, Wild Water Rescue.
- The last appearance of Knapford Harbour until the Meet the Steam Team video, Meet Percy.
- The last episode to be adapted into one episode from two stories from The Railway Series; it was also the only episode to be adapted from two stories written by Christopher Awdry.
- The last episode where Kōhei Miyauchi voiced the Fat Controller in the Japanese dub before he died.
Goofs
- Studio equipment can be seen when Toby puffs through the seaside.
- Before Percy's driver takes him down to the docks, he has dark brown hair. But as Percy puffed away, his driver had different facial features and a light brown hair colour.
- When the troublesome trucks say "There's no engine and we can only go where we're put! You're in the wrong place, not us!", one has wonky eyes and another truck's face is loose.
- When Percy's trucks land in Bulstrode's hull, Percy's wheels derail, and he is crooked on his chassis.
- The buffers Percy destroys are placed quite a distance ahead of where the track actually ends. As a result, the first truck derails after running over the remains of the buffers.
- In a close-up of Toby at the seaside, his left window (viewer's right) appears to be burnt.
- In the US dub, after Bulstrode says "Come on! Come on!", George Carlin's dub is not cut properly so he hiccups.
- In the close-up of the trucks' wheels when they wail "Help! Help!", the track bounces slightly.
- When Percy reverses with the trucks, they are facing him, but when he is lining them up, they are facing away from him.
- When Percy whistles just before buffering up to the trucks, a fast puffing noise can be heard.
Quotes
- Driver: Well, if that doesn't take the biscuit! They've run out of room in the parade and don't need a special attraction after all. We've got to go home, Toby. I'm sorry, old boy.
- Toby: [sighs] So am I.
- Bulstrode: C'mon! C'mon! (hiccups in US version) Why aren't you trucks where you should be?
- Trucks: There's no engine and we can only go where we're put! You're in the wrong place! Not us!
Merchandise
- My Thomas Story Library - Bulstrode (discontinued)
In Other Languages
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Home Media Releases
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| #01 Granpuff | #10 Rock 'n' Roll | #19 Henry and the Elephant |
| #02 Sleeping Beauty | #11 Special Funnel | #20 Toad Stands By |
| #03 Bulldog | #12 Steam Roller | #21 Bulls Eyes |
| #04 You Can't Win | #13 Passengers and Polish | #22 Thomas and the Special Letter |
| #05 Four Little Engines | #14 Gallant Old Engine | #23 Paint Pots and Queens |
| #06 A Bad Day for Sir Handel | #15 Rusty to the Rescue | #24 Fish |
| #07 Peter Sam and the Refreshment Lady | #16 Thomas and Stepney | #25 Special Attraction |
| #08 Trucks | #17 Train Stops Play | #26 Mind that Bike |
| #09 Home at Last | #18 Bowled Out | |