Thomas' Christmas Party

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

Plot

It is Christmas time on the Island of Sodor 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)
• Henrietta (cameo)
• Bertie (cameo)
• Farmer Finney (cameo)
• The Stone-dropping Boys (cameo)

Locations

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

Trivia

• This is the first episode written entirely by Britt Allcroft and David Mitton, and not based on a Railway Series story.
• This episode was adapted by the Rev. W Awdry into a book of the same name nearly two months before airing.
• Despite this being the last episode of the series, it aired in the UK before Off the Rails and Down the Mine.
• A flashback of The Railway Series story, Mrs. Kyndley's Christmas, is featured in the episode despite never being adapted as an episode.
• Stock footage from Thomas' Train and Thomas, Terence and the Snow is used.
• The backing vocals of We Wish You a Merry Christmas are probably from Mike O'Donnell and Junior Campbell.
• 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.
• Unlike George Carlin's other narrations, his narration for this episode was never aired on an episode of Shining Time Station. Instead, it was first released on home video on Thomas' Christmas Party and Other Favorite Stories in August 24, 1994. It aired on television on the final airing of Storytime with Thomas with the episode Snow in May 2000.
• In the Japanese version, Gordon speaks Percy's lines during Thomas' flashback and Terence gains lines in the place of the narrator saying "Goodbye, Mrs. Kyndley. If something happens to you in the future, I will go help you".
• Going by order of release, this is the final episode 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 dubbed in Slovakian, as well as the last episode narrated by Dário de Castro until the eighth series.
• In some international dubs, We Wish You a Merry Christmas was sung in English.
• Christmas lights are used for the decoration lights in Tidmouth Sheds.
• This is the last episode where Thomas has a realistic-looking brake pipe.
• This is the last time Thomas' whistle supports are blue until Thomas and the Magic Railroad.
• On its original broadcast, this episode was paired with Dirty Objects. However, early VHS releases have it paired with Down the Mine, as do Norwegian and Swedish broadcasts.

Goofs

• Clarabel is facing the wrong way in the opening shot.
• When Thomas has his snowplough fitted, blu tack is on one of the workmen's legs.
• In-between the stock footage from Thomas, Terence and the Snow and Thomas and Toby stopping at the cutting near the Cottage, Toby loses his brake van.
• In Ringo Starr's narrations, Thomas, Edward and Henry's whistles are heard with the last part of James' whistle heard intact before the others. In the George Carlin version, when the engines whistle, only Thomas, Edward and Henry's whistles can be heard.
• 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 and Brazilian Portuguese dubs), Ringo Starr can still be heard when the engines are singing.

In Other Languages

Merchandise

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Books Name Published Publisher Highlights Photo Thomas's Christmas Party 1984 Heinemann Written specifically for the show Thomas's Christmas Party 1984 Ladybird Books Ladybird book Illustrated using photographs from the show Thomas' Christmas Party 1990 Buzz Books Buzz book Illustrated using photographs from the show Magazine stories 1987 - Thomas's Christmas Party

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