Thomas and the U.K. Trip

Thomas and the U.K. Trip (Japanese: きかんしゃトーマスとイギリスのたび) is a Japanese Thomas/"Ponkickies" crossover special. It aired in December 1991 exclusively in Japan.

Plot

Two children's television characters from Japan, Gachapin and Mukku, travel to the United Kingdom. During their visit, they stop on Sodor to meet Thomas, Sir Topham Hatt, and the other engines. During the second half of the programme, they visit real railways and learn how steam locomotives work.

Characters

• Thomas
• Gordon
• Percy
• Sir Topham Hatt
• Gachapin
• Mukku
• Henry (does not speak)
• James (does not speak)
• Oliver (does not speak)
• Mavis (does not speak)
• Bulgy (does not speak)
• Edward (Introduction only)
• Toby (Introduction only)
• Duck (Introduction only)
• Donald and Douglas (Introduction only)
• Bill and Ben (Introduction only)
• Diesel (cameo)
• BoCo (cameo)
• Troublesome Trucks (cameos)
• Annie and Clarabel (cameo)
• Henrietta (cameo)
• Toad (cameo)
• Bertie (cameo)
• Trevor (cameo)
• Harold (cameo)
• Wilbert (basis only)

Locations

• Tidmouth Sheds
• Shepperton Studios
• Buckinghamshire Railway Centre
• Kent & East Sussex Railway
• Great Western Railway (mentioned)

Episodes

First day

1. Thomas' Train
2. Thomas Goes Fishing
3. Thomas and Bertie
4. Off the Rails
5. Ghost Train

Second day

1. Thomas and the Guard
2. Trouble in the Shed
3. Tenders and Turntables
4. Edward's Exploit

Songs

• I'm Thomas the Tank Engine
• Thomas' Anthem

Cast

• Keiko Toda as Thomas
• Kenji Utsumi as Gordon
• Chisato Nakajima as Percy
• Kōhei Miyauchi as Sir Topham Hatt
• Kuniko Amamiya as Gachapin
• Juuji Matsuda as Mukku
• Yoshimi Shūei as Facilitate

Trivia

• According to producer Yōichi Fujita, Britt Allcroft was surprised when Fuji Television submitted the plan of this special to the Britt Allcroft Company,^[1] due to Atsuo Sugano completing a storyboard overnight^[1]. The scenes with Thomas and his friends interacting with Gachapin and Mukku were specifically filmed for this special during the production of the third series.^[2]
• This was the first mark of several things:
  • Oliver, Mavis and Bulgy's nameboards first appeared.
  • I'm Thomas the Tank Engine was first debuted.
• There are four instances of songs by The Beatles being played (of which Ringo Starr was the drummer) and one instance of a song that was covered by Marmalade (of which Junior Campbell was part):
  • "Magical Mystery Tour" can be heard during the intro.
  • An instrumental version of "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" is used when different locations on the Island of Sodor are being introduced.
  • An instrumental version of "The Fool on the Hill" is used when Tidmouth Sheds first appears.
  • "When I'm Sixty-Four" plays during the end credits.
• Thomas' Anthem is played in English.
• Fuji Television did not acquire the right to produce a music video, and produced "I'm Thomas the Tank Engine", but later officially acquired the right.

Goofs

• When Thomas is talking to Gachapin and Mukku, a wire is hanging from underneath Thomas' running board.
• Henry's firebox is crooked.
• When James and Henry puff out of the shed, they are going slowly, but the sound of them puffing is fast.
• Bulgy was introduced as "バルギー(Barugī)" instead of "バルジー(Barujī)".

References

See also

• Hello Thomas and James
• A Wonderful American Journey with Thomas and Connie