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"This is the best birthday picnic ever!"
"Thomas, this is your best idea yet!"
― Dowager Hatt and Sir Topham hatt

Thomas and the Birthday Picnic is the seventh episode of the ninth series.

Plot

It is Dowager Hatt's birthday, and the Fat Controller decides to take her out on a birthday picnic. Thomas, who is to take the Hatts out for the day, decides to go to Shen Valley. Thomas arrives at Knapford station with Annie and Clarabel and the staff load up the picnic hamper and the birthday cake aboard Clarabel. Dowager Hatt looks very serious, making Thomas feel nervous. However, Thomas is no longer nervous once Percy cheers him up.

Thomas sets off for Shen Valley, hopeful that Dowager Hatt will love it. However, at Shen Valley, the Hatts are not impressed; the fields have just been ploughed, so they have to go elsewhere. Thomas decides to go to the Scottish Castle, but they cannot picnic there as it is closed for maintenance. Thomas sets off again, this time going too fast, making the journey uncomfortable for the Hatts. The Fat Controller tells Thomas to stop and once he does, the Fat Controller demands to know where they are going. But Thomas does not know as he has run out of ideas. The Fat Controller decides to cancel the birthday picnic as lunchtime has passed and Dowager Hatt wants to go home. Thomas heads back to Knapford, hopeful to have a good idea before they get home, but to no avail. Once the Hatts leave the train, Thomas sadly heads back to Tidmouth Sheds.

All the other engines hear what happened, but Percy hopes that Dowager Hatt will enjoy her birthday cake. Thomas quickly realises that in all his sadness, he forgot to let the staff unload the cake from Clarabel. Now Dowager Hatt cannot even have her birthday tea. Thomas hopes that an idea will come to him. As does Percy, who tries to blow his whistle, but only to make a faint whistle due to stone dust clogging it. Gordon tells Percy to blow his whistle hard and gives a long low note. Emily prefers high toots and blows two high toots of her whistle. Henry is proud of his whistle being slow and strong. All of the whistling finally gives Thomas a brilliant idea.

Later, the Fat Controller receives a phone call from the Knapford stationmaster, informing him that Thomas and the engines have a special surprise. At Knapford Station, the Hatts are delighted to see the decorations and the food all set up, including the birthday cake. Thomas blows his whistle and one by one, all of the Steam Team whistle happy birthday to her. Dowager Hatt is very happy with her birthday picnic surprise and the Fat Controller congratulates Thomas for such a splendid idea.

Characters

Locations

Trivia

  • Extended stock footage from Thomas to the Rescue, a deleted scene from Henry and the Wishing Tree, stock footage from the learning segment Toby is Surprised to see... and unedited stock footage from Thomas and the Rainbow is used. Additionally, the former stock footage was sped up.
  • This is the first episode with a few things:
    • The first episode written by Sharon Miller.
    • The first appearance of Henry's toothed-happy face in the episode since the sixth series episode, Percy's Chocolate Crunch.
    • Dowager Hatt's first speaking role since her debut, as well as the first time she is referred to by name, albeit only in the UK dub. It is also her first appearance since the sixth series episode, Thomas the Jet Engine.
  • The low toot of Thomas' whistle as he left Knapford Station is Douglas' fourth series whistle sound (which is Thomas's regular whistle sound ten steps lower pitcher) tow steps higher pitcher.
  • In the magazine story and Every Day's a Special Day on Sodor music video, a deleted scene shows that Thomas planned to take the Fat Controller and his family to Bluffs Cove for the birthday picnic, but was cancelled due to the rain.
  • Two British Railways posters are visible at Knapford's office. One for the "Coronation Scot" and one for "Battle of Britain." These can also be found in Mighty Mac.
  • A portrait of a man resembling Uncle Sam can be seen at Topham Hall, but only in the widescreen version of the episode.
  • This episode marks the last episode appearance of the Sodor Suspension Bridge in completely original footage until the sixteenth series episode, Whiff's Wish, not counting its stock footage in Emily Knows Best and Seeing the Sights nor in a ninth series learning segment, Getting to Bluffs Cove.

Goof

  • When Percy says, "Don't worry!" he tilts to the right briefly.

Merchandise

In Other Languages

View content
Language Title
Brazilian Portuguese Thomas e o Piquenique de Aniversário
Chinese Mandarin 托马斯和生日野餐
Croatian Tomica i Rođendanski Piknik
Czech Piknik k Narozeninám
Danish Thomas og Fødselsdagsudflugten
Dutch Thomas en de Verjaardagspicknick
Finnish Tuomas ja Syntymäpäiväretki
French Un drôle d'Anniversaire
German Der dicke Kontrolleur und das Geburtstagspicknick
Greek Ο Τόμας και το πικνικ γενεθλίων
Hungarian Thomas és a Születésnapi Piknik
Italian Thomas e il Picnic di Compleanno
Japanese バースデーピクニック
Korean 토마스와 소풍
Norwegian Thomas og Landturen
Polish Tomek i Urodzinowy Piknik
Portuguese Thomas e o Piquenique de Aniversário
Romanian Thomas și Picnicul
Russian Праздничный пикник
Scottish Gaelic Cuirm Chnuic na Cailliach
Serbian Tomasov Rodjendanski Izlet
Spanish Thomas y el Picnic de Cumpleaños
Swedish Thomas och Födelsedagspicknicken
Turkish Thomas ve Doğum Günü Pikniği

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DVD Boxsets

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FIN

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GER

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MYS

HUN

SPN

DVD Boxsets

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