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- "Engines? Dressed as animals?! Oh, the indignity!"
- ― Gordon
Thomas' Animal Friends is a magazine story illustrated using images from the television series. Original publication date is unknown, but it was reprinted in 2024 as part of the "Classic Thomas Story Collection" series with slight alterations to the images and text.
Plot[]
One day, Thomas and Percy are excitedly making their way to Brendam Docks where Thomas is to pick up some monkeys for the new monkey habitat at the Animal Park. At the docks, the monkeys are causing chaos and being very cheeky indeed. As the monkeys clamber all over Salty, Percy can't help laughing at the scene in front of him. It takes a considerable amount of time, but eventually the monkeys are all caught and Thomas takes them to the Animal Park.
Sir Topham Hatt is waiting when Thomas pulls up to the Animal Park. To celebrate the opening of the new habitat, Sir Topham Hatt wants Thomas to dress up like a monkey to collect his passengers. Thomas is happy to oblige and thinks being dressed as a monkey is lots of fun. As he is steaming along the tracks, he passes Gordon who cannot believe his eyes. Gordon thinks engines dressing up as animals is very undignified. When Thomas passes James and Percy, they laugh at him too. This makes Thomas feel bad about dressing up and regrets agreeing to do it.
Rebecca spots Thomas and soon makes him feel better. Rebecca tells Thomas if anyone else laughs at him, he should imagine them as an animal. Rebecca says she would be a leopard because she's fast and graceful. Thomas arrives at Vicarstown Station to collect all the passengers to take to the Animal Park. All the children on the platform love seeing Thomas in his monkey costume.
On the way to the Animal Park, whenever he passes an engine, Thomas does as Rebecca had said and imagines them as an animal. Gordon is an elephant, Percy is a panda, James is a lion and Rebecca is a fast and graceful leopard.
At the end of the day, Sir Topham Hatt is very pleased with Thomas' work and declares that it's really useful to have a cheeky monkey on hand for times like these.
Characters[]
- Thomas
- Gordon
- Percy
- Rebecca
- Sir Topham Hatt
- James (does not speak)
- Salty (does not speak)
- Skarloey (cameo)
- The Bird Watcher (cameo)
Locations[]
Trivia[]
- This story is based on the twenty-fourth series episode of the same name.
- Unlike the episode:
Gallery[]
