Tickled Pink

Tickled Pink is the third episode of the thirteenth series.

Plot

The Fat Controller sends James to the Sodor Steamworks for a new coat of paint. Emily has broken down while picking up Bridget Hatt to take her to a birthday party and as no other engine is available, the Fat Controller sends James, who is still painted in his pink undercoat. When Emily sees James, she laughs at him, so to prevent the others from doing the same, James decides to hide.

He sees Toby coming down the line and hides beneath a willow tree, but Gordon rushes past blowing the branches up, so Toby does see James and laughs.

Then he sees Diesel shunting trucks. James really does not want to be seen by Diesel, so he hides behind the waiting trucks. Eventually, Diesel shunts them all away and James and his pink paint are revealed. Now Diesel laughs at James.

Finally, James tries hiding from Gordon in Henry's Tunnel. Thomas and Percy arrive to see what is going on. Gordon insists for the engine in the tunnel to reveal itself so that the express can get through. So, James is left with no choice but to reveal himself and after James is laughed at, he realises he is running late. So he steams to Maithwaite, passing by Henry and Spencer who also laugh, but James does not care; he just wants to be a really useful engine.

James thinks Bridget and her friends will laugh at him too, but instead they smile, get excited and very happy. Bridget and her friends tell James that pink is their favourite colour, which makes James feel better.

Characters

• Thomas
• Henry
• Gordon
• James
• Percy
• Toby
• Emily
• Spencer
• Diesel
• Sir Topham Hatt
• Bridget Hatt
• Bridget Hatt's Friends
• Edward (cameo)
• Henrietta (cameo)
• Lady Hatt (cameo)
• The Teacher (cameo)
• The Welsh Bird Watcher (cameo)
• The Female Puppet Show Entertainer (cameo)
• The Maithwaite Stationmaster (cameo)

Locations

• Tidmouth Sheds
• Sodor Steamworks
• The Coal Hopper
• Henry's Tunnel
• Maithwaite
• Town Square

Cast

UK

• Ben Small as Thomas and Toby
• Keith Wickham as Henry, Gordon, James, Percy and the Fat Controller
• Teresa Gallagher as Emily, Bridget Hatt and Bridget Hatt's Friends
• Matt Wilkinson as Spencer
• Kerry Shale as Diesel

US

• Martin Sherman as Thomas and Percy
• William Hope as Toby
• Kerry Shale as Henry, Gordon, James and Sir Topham Hatt
• Jules de Jongh as Emily, Bridget Hatt and Bridget Hatt's Friends
• Glenn Wrage as Spencer
• Michael Brandon as Diesel

Trivia

• Kerry Shale officially joins the UK voice cast, as he was originally set to play Thomas and Spencer in the UK dub of Hero of the Rails, but he did not make the final draft.
• In real life, 'Works grey' also served the function of being a primary 'undercoat' of paint, allowing the locomotive to be used for test runs and checks to find any faults or required modifications before undergoing the expensive and often time-consuming process of being painted in a full livery.
• The plot is similar to Henry Sees Red from The Railway Series book, Henry and the Express.
• This episode marks the first of two things for Bridget Hatt:
  • Her first appearance since The Great Discovery.
  • Her first speaking role since the tenth series episode, Which Way Now?

Goofs

• Diesel's bufferbeam is black in one scene.
• When Gordon races past Toby, the brake coach is at the back of the express, but in the next shot, the brake coach is at the front.
• When James puffs away from Spencer, his coaches have switched places.
• Diesel somehow turns around when shunting the coal trucks.
• James's pink paint is only applied where his red would be when it should have been applied all over such as his smokebox, funnel, dome, number, black lining, and cab roof.

Merchandise

• Books - Pink James
• Magazine Stories - Tickled Pink/Tickled Pink/Tickled Pink!
• Capsule Plarail - Pink James

In Other Languages

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