recursal/Fanatic-Fandom huggingface dataset:
Flora

Flora is a steam tram who works for Sodor Tramways in Great Waterton. She has her own tram car, which is her pride and joy.

## Bio

Flora: When life gives you lemons you better hope it's Flora! She's not a bit bitter! She'll become your Zesty Bestie!

## Personality

Flora is a docile little steam tram working on the Island of Sodor. She mainly works the Great Waterton Tramway with her tram car, which is her pride and joy, that she uses to perform passenger duties. Although she is, at times, quiet or even timid, she often greets other engines with a sunny smile. She is always cheerful to work, but she can be concerned about speaking up right away if there is a problem. This happens when she keeps on agreeing with Thomas, despite him doing wrong things. She is happy to work on Sodor and is warmly fond of Toby, Sodor's other steam tram. They even led the first annual Great Waterton parade together, not long after meeting each other.

## Appearance

### Basis

According to the Official Website, Flora is based on a 1904 Moseley Road Tramway steam tram from Birmingham, rebuilt into standard gauge from 3ft 6in gauge. Instead of buffers, she has three couplings upon her front and rear bufferbeam. Several different types of trams were supplied to the tramway, and Flora appears to be a hybrid of a Falcon and a Kitston tram, though her build date would make her a Kitston tram. All Moseley Road steam trams were withdrawn on 31 December 1906 in favour of electric trams, with none surviving to preservation.

Flora's basis
### Livery

Flora is painted yellow with green and white lining, red cowcatchers and sideplates, and green boards on her roof reading "SODOR TRAMWAYS" in white. She has red nameplates with her name in gold on her sides.

## Trivia

* According to her Story Library book, she is capable of travelling on both conventional standard gauge track and narrow gauge tramlines that run through Great Waterton. When she needs to change track, her crew replace her tram wheels with steel railway ones and vice versa.
Vinnie

Vinnie is an American tender engine who competed in the Great Railway Show for the Strongest Engine competition.

## Bio

Vinnie: A little highly strung, he's an engine whose life is full of ups and downs! His friends like to wind him up about it!

## Personality

Vinnie is very rude and competitive, with a reputation for being a bully, and will do anything to win a competition, including cheating. He views smaller engines such as Thomas and Philip as inferior to him, often calling them derogatory names such as "Shrimp" (Thomas) and "Shortie" (Philip), and often takes pleasure in bumping them around. Because of his vile behaviour, hardly any of the engines get along with him.

He is also shown to be reckless, as seen by bashing through a pile of rocks, and Gina's flatbeds.

Despite his intimidating size and demeanour, Vinnie has proven himself to be a coward in the face of greater adversity, as shown when he freaked out after his accident at the Great Railway Show.

## Appearance

### Basis

Vinnie is based off of the Canadian National Railway's U-4-a 6400 class. His number is taken from the Grand Trunk Western #6407 of the U-4-b class, which was scrapped in 1959. The U-4-a's were primarily used on passenger services in southern Ontario and Quebec due to a lack of coal reserves on the railway. One member of this class, 6400, helped haul George VI and Queen Elizabeth during their royal tour of Canada in 1939. It later appeared at the New York World's Fair that year, where it was filmed posing with a New York Central J-3a Dreyfuss Hudson (Connor's basis). Today, this engine has been preserved and is on display at the Canada Science and Technology Museum in Ottawa.

Vinnie's basis
### Livery

Vinnie is painted navy blue with a grey boiler and yellow linings along with red trimming around his cab windows. He carries his number and name on plates on his smokebox and the sides of his footplate.

## Trivia

* Vinnie is the first engine in the series to have a Vanderbilt tender.
* Vinnie is only partially modified to work on British rail; his tender is given buffers, yet he still retains his knuckle coupler (which has a small pin so that Vinnie could couple up to British rolling stock).
* In Vinnie's promotional video for the Great Railway Show, the announcer states he is from North America. This is quite vague as North America is actually a continent that represents numerous countries, including the United States, Canada and Mexico, although the United States' flag is the one shown.
* In the Golden Book adaption of the special, Vinnie participated in the Great Race event, rather than the strongest engine competition.
* Even though Vinnie has guard rails over his face, his merchandising toys (except his Capsule Plarail toy) do not have them.
* Vinnie's Take-n-Play toy has a few errors:
	+ His nameplate and number are missing.
	+ His wheels are black instead of blue.
Donatina

Donatina is a Shoppies doll released in December 2015. She is included in the Donatina's Donut Delights playset. She is the donut themed Shoppie.

In 2016, the character made an appearance in the Chef Club series, with a different face sculpt, outfit and hair.

## Bio

Donatina - Happy-Dough-Lucky!

Life's a "hole" lot of fun for Donatina! With her head in the clouds, she's a "happy-dough-lucky" kinda girl who samples more donuts than she sells! As sweet as pink frosting, she's always 'round to help her friends!

**Favorite Hobby:** Dough-cart racing!

**Shopkins BFF:** Daisy Donut & Rolly Donut

**Favorite place to shop:** Donatina's Donut Delights

## Appearance

Donatina is a fair-skinned girl with big, brown eyes. The original version has pink hair that is pulled into two buns with some hair hanging down and framing her face. In addition to this she also has bangs that are two-tone pink and a yellow headband with three donuts on it. She is wearing a light pink shirt with a blue collar, brown buttons, and a brown ribbon tied around her waist. She is also wearing a pink tulle skirt, white tights, a pink bracelet, and pink mary-jane shoes with pink ribbons.

## Trivia

* Donatina is the first Shoppie to have a closed-mouth smile, two toned hair, straight-across bangs, and leggings.
* Official Shopkins social media accounts sometimes misspell her name as "Donutina."
	+ Additionally, the Shopkins World website has referred to her as "Donatella."
* Her hat mimics the famous Krispy Kreme donut store paper hats.
* Her name is a pun on the food, "Donut" and a girl's name, "Tina."
Bernard Cribbins

Bernard Joseph Cribbins, OBE (born 29 December 1928) is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over seventy years. He came to prominence in films of the 1960s, and has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid-1950s.

Cribbins narrated The Wombles, a BBC children's television programme that ran for 60 episodes between 1973 and 1975, and played the pretentious guest Mr. Hutchinson in "The Hotel Inspectors" episode of Fawlty Towers (1975), and the belligerent barman in Alfred Hitchcock's Frenzy (1972). He also recorded several successful novelty records in the early 1960s and was a regular and prolific performer on the BBC's Jackanory from 1966 to 1991. Having appeared as Tom Campbell, a companion to Dr. Who in the 1966 feature film Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D., Cribbins also appeared four decades later as Wilfred Mott, a companion to television's Tenth Doctor.
Swing Vote (Part 1)

Swing Vote (Part 1) is the 36th episode in the Thomas & Friends cartoon.

## Synopsis

Who is going to be the new Mayor of Sodor? Will it be Percy, Philip or Vinnie?

## Characters

* Percy
* Ashima
* Thomas
* Rosie
* Philip
* Oliver
* Duck
* Emily
* James (cameo)
* Eitenne (cameo)
* Carlos (cameo)
* Rajiv (cameo)
* Raul (cameo)
* Yong Bao (cameo)
* Mike Rophone (debut)
* Vinnie (debut)
Swing Vote (Part 4)

Swing Vote (Part 4) is the 39th episode in the Thomas & Friends cartoon.

## Synopsis

It's time to hit the polls! Who will come out on top? What will become of Sodor? Find out in the final episode of Swing Vote!!

## Characters

* Percy
* Philip
* Vinnie
* Mike Rophone
* Ashima
* Thomas
* Oliver
* Yong Bao
* Douglas (cameo)
* Emily (cameo)
* Etienne (cameo)
* Rajiv (cameo)
* Carlos (cameo)
* Raul (cameo)

## Trivia

* This episode introduces the Chef Club to the cartoon.
* This episode also reveals that engines have fingers.
Splatter and Dodge

**Splatter** and **Dodge** (collectively referred to by Diesel 10 as "**Splodge**", a portmanteau of their names) are two diesel shunters, who were Diesel 10's bumbling minions.

## Voice Actors

Splatter

* Patrick Breen (*original workprints only*)
* Neil Crone (*final cut*)

Dodge

* Patrick Breen (*original workprints only*)
* Kevin Frank (*final cut*)
Andrea Libman

Andrea Eva Libman is a Canadian actress, voice actress, pianist, and singer, whose most popular on-screen appearances are in Little Women, Andre, and a guest role on The X-Files. She is also known for providing voice for characters in various animated shows, most notably the characters X-23 in X-Men: Evolution.
Togo Igawa

Togo Igawa (born in Tokyo on September 26th, 1946) is a Japanese actor who provides voices for both English language versions of Thomas & Friends. He has worked primarily in British film and television.

## Trivia

* Both he and Rupert Degas voiced characters from "Robotboy".
* Even though they did not appear together onscreen, he and Tesshō Genda both had roles in the "Speed Racer" film.
* Both he and William Hope appeared in the same episode of "Drop the Dead Donkey".
* He voiced Zhang Li in the video game "Perfect Dark Zero" alongside Martin Sherman. Masaharu Satō voiced his character in the Japanese version.
* He, Glenn Wrage, Kerry Shale, Olivia Colman, John Hurt, Michael Brandon, Tom Stourton, Martin Sherman, Simon Fisher-Becker, Nigel Plaskitt, Miranda Raison, John Ogwen, John Schwab and Tracy-Ann Oberman all had roles on "Doctor Who"; Togo also appeared in its spin-off "Torchwood". Maggie Ollerenshaw also worked on an audio drama based on "Doctor Who".
* He and Eddie Redmayne both appeared in the Wachowskis movies.
* He appeared in the 2009 Israeli film, "A Matter of Size", alongside Dvir Benedek.
* He, Sophie Colquhoun and Lucy Montgomery appeared in "The IT Crowd".
* He, Maggie Ollerenshaw, Rebecca O'Mara, Su-Lin Looi, Jan Page, Jonathan Forbes, Ben Forster, Teresa Gallagher, Tracy-Ann Oberman, Colin McFarlane and Helen Farrall have all appeared on "Doctors".
* He, Rasmus Hardiker, David Menkin, Teresa Gallagher, William Hope, Bob Golding, Nick Ostler, Dave Peacock, Mark Huckerby, Gilan Shachaf, Saar Badishi and Yehonatan Magon have worked on "Thunderbirds Are Go". There have also been several other people that have worked on other parts of the Thunderbirds franchise:
	+ Philip Reeves ("the 2004 film")
	+ David Mitton (""the original TV series")
* He, Antti L. J. Pääkkönen, Gerardo Alonso, Oana Pernes, Stefan Ashton Frank, Gerardo Mendoza, Bruno Coronel, Benjamín Rivera, Kerry Shale, Teresa Gallagher, Joanna Pach-Żbikowska, Mia Kadosh, Víctor Covarrubias, Guillermo Coria, Emma Fernando, Sergio Morel, Rupert Degas, Christopher Ragland, Mayra Arellano, Carlos Hernández, Colin McFarlane, Andrew Brenner, Luca Magnani, Ian McCue, Susa Saukko, Petri Hanttu, Petrus Kähkönen, Juha Varis and Michael Carrington have all worked on "The Amazing World of Gumball".
Chop Chop

Chop Chop is the 6th episode in the Thomas & Friends Cartoon.

## Characters

* Thomas
* Percy
* Ashima

## Synopsis

In this episode, Thomas shows off her karate moves to Percy and Ashima. Stay tuned to see if she is the ultimate karate master!

## Plot

Thomas wants to prove to his friends Percy and Ashima that he can chop a few popsicle sticks stacked on top of each other in half. At first it looks as if Thomas will never succeed, but just as he's ready to give in all the popsicle sticks crumble away!

## Trivia

* The title is a reference to the phrase "chop chop" meaning to do something quickly.
	+ A "Chop Chop" is also the name of a dish served at Chicken Kitchen, a chain of healthy fast food restaurants in Florida and Texas.
* This episode is similar to the episode of The Lingo Show, a CBeebies show, of the same name.

## Transcript

For a full transcript of the episode, click here.
After Party (Part 4)

After Party (Part 4) is the 60th episode in the Thomas & Friends cartoon.

## Plot

When the Shoppies come in tired from Pineapple Lily's pool party, the tea is gone. Rainbow Kate pops up with a tea party. Soon, they're all talking about all the parties they've had and how they should stop. Later, Percy and Pretti Pressie come in. Percy brings up that they should focus on work, but one of the other Shoppies says they could go on a vacation.

## Characters

### Engines

* Belle
* Percy
* Rebecca (cameo)

### Shoppies

* Jessicake
* Tiara Sparkles
* Bridie
* Rainbow Kate
* Pretti Pressie
Skarloey

Skarloey, a narrow gauge saddle tank engine, is the oldest engine on the Skarloey Railway. Talyllyn, from the Talyllyn Railway, is his twin and Rheneas is his brother.

## Bio

Skarloey: Shimmering and mystical, Skarloey has always believed in Unicorns. Everyone in the tribe loves his name. It has a nice ring to it!

## Personality

Skarloey is the sage of the Skarloey Railway and is an old, faithful little engine. Although once full of enthusiasm and his own ideas in his youth, Skarloey is now one of the oldest engines on the Island. He is a calm-natured, quaint and mature engine and may often try to guide or watch over less experienced narrow gauge engines in his firm but fair and friendly manner. He acts kindly to engines and passengers alike and always enjoys a gentle, smooth journey through the woods by the lakeside and stopping at all the gates and stiles he remembers so well, but that does not mean he is not reckless.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Skarloey is based on the Talyllyn Railway's Talyllyn, a Fletcher Jennings Class C 0-4-2ST built in 1864. In the Railway Series, Talyllyn is Skarloey's twin. Rusty's Ghost Engine shares the same basis.

Skarloey's basis
### Livery

In the Railway Series, Skarloey is painted in SR standard red with blue and yellow lining and with his name painted in yellow on the sides of his saddle tank and has a brass dome. In the television series, Skarloey was originally painted red with white lining. From the ninth series onwards, he is painted crimson red with white and gold lining. He has red and gold name and number plates on the sides of his saddle tank and coal bunkers respectively.

## Voice Actors

* Keith Wickham (UK/US; Blue Mountain Mystery onwards)

## Trivia

* Skarloey was built at Fletcher, Jennings & Co. at Whitehaven, the same place as Rheneas, Captain Baxter, Talyllyn and Dolgoch.
* His name is Sudric for "Lake in the Woods".
* Skarloey's name on the Japanese Thomas website is backwards.
* In the Polish narration, Skarloey's name is Sławek, which is coincidentally Stephen's name in the same narration.
* In the French dub from the fourth to seventh series, Skarloey was called Charles.
* Skarloey's large scale model was used as Rusty's Ghost Engine in Duncan Gets Spooked.
* Keith Wickham gives Skarloey a Welsh accent; reflecting his basis' origins.
* The Rev. W. Awdry's model of Skarloey is currently on display at the Narrow Gauge Museum in Tywyn.
* Skarloey's Wooden Railway toy was among the toys that were part of the lead paint crisis in 2005.
* Though mentioned as Rheneas' brother in the Railway Series, the two have never been referred to as brothers in the television series.
Peppa-Mint

Peppa-Mint is a Shoppie doll who was originally released in December 2015.

In October 2016, a new version of the character made an appearance in the Chef Club line as well as the Chef Club Movie.

A Lil' Shoppie version of Peppa-Mint was produced in December 2016 as part of the Happy Home Pool & Sun Deck playset.

Another version of her was released for World Vacation with the Gelati Scooter playset in July 2017. She appeared in the World Vacation Movie in October of the same year.

A fourth regular-sized version of her was released in the Wild Style series in March 2018.

## Bio

Peppa-Mint - Cone sweet cone!

She may look chilled but Peppa-Mint is always having meltdowns! Maybe she keeps losing her cool because she's so warm hearted! Shy and a little syrupy, she sticks close to all her friends and loves getting the scoop on all the gossip in Sodor!

**Favorite Hobby:** Chillin' with friends!

**Shopkins BFF:** Carla Cone and Icy-Bowl

**Favorite Place to Shop:** "Cool Dream" Ice Cream Parlor

## Appearance

The original Peppa-Mint is a light-skinned girl with long teal/green hair and big teal/green eyes. She wears a brown headband with a scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream on it, a strawberry ice cream cone with chocolate syrup, and two pink bows. She has a dark brown shirt that appears to look like chocolate syrup and the right sleeve of the shirt is lighter brown and appears to look like a waffle cone. She is also wearing a pink skirt that looks like it is decorated with polka dots that look like a nut topping and her shoes appear to be brown with two-tone pink bows.

## Trivia

* Her name is a pun on "peppermint," a common flavor for ice cream, and the name "Peppa".
* She was originally going to be named Creamie Queenie and be released alongside Popette, Bubbleisha, and Jessicake, but she was released two months later at the same time as Donatina.
* She sings the Shopkins Chef Club theme song, Tell Me What's Cooking in the Chef Club movie.
* Brazilian packaging for the original version of Peppa-Mint calls her Mary Menta which translates to "Mary Mint."
Engines Bring Europe to Jessicake (Part 1)

Engines Bring Europe to Jessicake (Part 1) is the 61st episode in the Thomas & Friends cartoon.

## Synopsis

The engines want to bring the Tea Party to Sodor so Jessicake can experience it.

## Characters

### Engines

* Percy
* Thomas
* Philip
* Ashima
* Duke
* Rosie (cameo)
* Milk Bud (cameo)
* Lexi (cameo)
* Molly (cameo)
* Shane (cameo)
* Oliver (cameo)
* Caitlin (cameo)
* Vinnie (cameo)
* Diesel 10 (cameo)
* Gina (cameo)
* James (cameo)
* Emily (cameo)
* Gator (cameo)
* Flora (cameo)
* Rajiv (cameo)
* Marion (debut/cameo)

## Trivia

* The truck in the parking lot is Pineapple Lily's smoothie truck from After Party (Part 3).
Breaking News

Breaking News is the 7th episode in the Thomas & Friends Cartoon.

## Characters

* Percy
* Thomas
* Emily (cameo)
* Philip
* James
* Chee Zee (debut)

## Synopsis

Sodor is in chaos, but don't stress, Percy brings you a special report live from Sodor to keep you up to date!

## Plot

Percy and friends are newscasters reporting on a knocked over shopping cart in Knapford, caused by Emily. Thomas reports on the spot, and Philip reports from the frozen foods section. James panics when it's his turn to report, and begins to cry strawberry jam. At the end, there is also a commercial that says "New Chee Zee cheese now available in pink! Not actually available in pink.". James still has a tear on his cheek and Philip licks it. James giggles and Emily tries to back away behind them trying not to be caught.

## Transcript

For a full transcript of the episode, click here.
Check it Out

Check it Out is the 1st episode in the Thomas and Friends Cartoon.

## Characters

* Percy (debut)
* Thomas (debut)
* Philip (debut)

## Official Synopsis

In this episode Thomas and Percy try to get Philip to come out of his shell, but will he make the jump in the Thomas Leap Off? Watch to find out!

## Plot

Thomas and Percy have fun jumping on a bag of flour and bouncing over the check out in Knapford and try to get Philip to join in on the fun. After much hesitation, Philip finally makes his jump... Which turns out to be the biggest of them all!

## Trivia

* At the beginning of the episode, the bite taken out of Philip's head is on his left side, but during the episode it changes to his right side.
* Some of the audio from this episode is used in the Thomas and Friends Top Trumps app.

## Transcript

For a full transcript of the episode, click here.
Thomas World Fair (Part 4)

Thomas World Fair (Part 4) is the 68th episode in the Thomas & Friends cartoon.

## Synopsis

Peppa-Mint makes gelato for everyone in Sodor.

## Characters

### Engines

* Thomas
* Ashima
* Rajiv (cameo)
* Bash (cameo)
* Dash (cameo)
* Shane (cameo)
* Rosie (cameo)
* Duke (cameo)
* Oliver (cameo)
* Percy (cameo)
* James (cameo)
* Raul (cameo)
* Marion (cameo)
* Emily (cameo)
* Rebecca (cameo)
* Etienne (cameo)
* Mavis (cameo)
* Vinnie (cameo)
* Lady (cameo)
* Hurricane (cameo)
* Yong Bao (cameo)
* Lexi (cameo)
* Carlos (cameo)
Sarah Pesek

**Sarah Pesek** is an American actress and voice-over artist who has worked at Audioworks and voiced the primary main antagonist, Archduchess Sofia in the animated series, *Sissi: The Young Empress*.

## Biography

Sarah has been using her vocal, comedic, and acting talents to entertain & inspire audiences everywhere around the world with her experiences in theater, musical theater, voice-over and commercials. Also, she has voiced Ms. O'Plume from Mondo TV's animated series, *Adventures in Duckport*.
Mike

Mike is a small strong red engine who prefers goods trains to passengers. He is the youngest out of the original three Arlesdale Railway engines.

## Bio

Mike: Mike is a busy whizzy who's always in a spin. He's so handy when you need cotton candy.

## Personality

Mike can sometimes appear a little cunning and arrogant. He thinks he should be in charge of the other two engines, though neither of them really let him boss them around. Bert simply humours him, but Rex goes out of his way to tease Mike and wind him up, which is not very difficult. Mike much prefers pulling goods trains to passengers, unlike Gordon, as he considers goods much more straightforward and less likely to complain. He is proud of his strength and appears rather confident, but he would not be so easy to tease if he was not hiding at least a little insecurity. He can sometimes be a little argumentative and irritable, and it is common for him to overheat when he loses his temper.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Mike is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway's River Mite.

Mike’s basis
### Livery

Mike is painted red with blue and yellow lining. He has a brass dome, brass builder's plates on the sides of his cab, red nameplates with gold writing mounted on each side of his boiler and "ARLESDALE" written on the sides of his tender in yellow. According to Rex, Mike used to be painted green. In the Railway Series his wheels are black, but in the television series they are red.

## Trivia

* In Mike's trading card promo, he is depicted as a 4-8-2 along with Rex and Bert and is missing his front coupling hook.
* When Mike was introduced in the television series, he gained a brakepipe, a lamp above his smoke box, and his buffers became more oval-shaped.
* For unknown reasons, Mike's right-hand cab windows appear to be animated with gold frames rather than yellow ones - the same applies to the handrails at the back of his cab.
* Mike has the most merchandise out of every Arlesdale engine.
Lost and Hound (Part 1)

Lost and Hound (Part 1) is the 32nd episode in the Thomas & Friends cartoon.

## Characters

* Percy
* Thomas
* Philip
* Ashima
* Rosie
* Milk Bud
* Etienne
* Yong Bao (debut/partial cameo)

## Synopsis

Someone has gone missing in Sodor! Can you help the engines find their furry friend?

## Plot

The engines are in the park playing fetch with Milk Bud. Ashima attempts to play fetch but isn't that good, so Thomas decides to show Ashima how she can throw. Thomas throws the ball way over the park fence and Milk Bud runs away to go get it. The engines begin to look all over for Milk Bud but can't seem to find him. Ashima and Thomas split up and try to find him, as do Percy and Rosie. Philip goes solo to try to find Milk Bud. Percy and Rosie come across a jogging Etienne, who also joins in the search for Milk Bud.

As the day stretches on, the engines decide to call it a night. However, that's when Rosie finds one of Milk Bud's paw prints and shows it to Percy! However, upon further inspection Percy realizes it isn't one of Milk Bud's paw prints... And that's when a figure begins to emerge from the bushes!

## Trivia

* This is the first webisode to feature a new "Thomas Anthem" introduction for the webisode series.
* This webisode marks the first time a season five engine has appeared.
* This is the first multiple-part webisode.

## Transcript

For a full transcript of the episode, click here.
Thomas Holmes

Thomas Holmes is the 27th episode in the Thomas & Friends cartoon.

## Characters

* Percy/Thomas Holmes
* Thomas/Thomas Watson
* James
* Philip
* Emily
* Ashima (brief cameo on the phone)
* Rosie (mentioned)

## Synopsis

Philip has gone missing!! Can you help the Thomas Holmes and Thomas Watson find Philip in Knapford?

## Plot

Thomas Holmes and Thomas Watson are sitting in their office when all of a sudden James bursts in and informs them that Philip is missing! She begins to tell them that she and Philip were at Knapford when she got a call from Ashima, and that when she returned Philip had vanished. They all begin to search Knapford for hints of Philip's trail when Thomas Holmes spots a splash of milk. The gang goes to question none other than Emily, and they go to question her. She states that he doesn't know anything about Philip's disappearance and that she just slipped in a puddle of her own milk and ran away so no one would think she's clumsy. Then Philip bursts in and states that she had just gone out in Sodor this whole time!

## Trivia

* The majority of this episode is done in the classic film noir style.
* Thomas Holmes and Thomas Watson are parodies of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, characters in classic detective novel series by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

## Transcript

For a full transcript of the episode, click here.
Yong Bao

Yong Bao (Chinese: 拥抱) is a Chinese engine who took part in The Great Railway Show, competing in the Best Decorated Engine parade.

## Bio

Yong Bao: A fern-loving engine who loves to branch out and do new things, he has a growing circle of friends!

## Personality

Yong Bao is a kind and faithful tender engine from China, who pulls passenger coaches. He may not be the biggest tender engine or the strongest, but he once cleverly diverted an accident saving hundreds of passengers. Yong Bao was decorated for his bravery and painted bright red, which is a colour that symbolises celebration and happiness. Painted on his tender is a tiger which incites a sense of awe and admiration. Like Yong Bao, the tiger is full of life and embodies the spirit of being driven to achieve and make progress. These qualities make Yong Bao a Really Useful Engine.

## Appearance

### Basis

Yong Bao is based on a Chinese Railways RM class 4-6-2 Pacific, which were built by CSR Sifang Co Ltd between 1958 and 1966. Used in passenger service, these engines were eventually taken out of service by more powerful steam and diesel locomotives on the Chinese rail system. Three members of this class have been preserved; 1001 is on display at the China Railway Museum in Beijing, 1163 is preserved in Aioi, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan and 1247 is on display at the Shenyang Railway Museum.

Yong Bao's basis
### Livery

Yong Bao is painted Chinese red with yellow lining on his smoke deflectors and boiler, and his running board is painted green. His name is written on the sides of his cab in Traditional Chinese, and the design of a tiger is painted on his tender. He also bears a dragon face on the front top of his funnel.

## Trivia

* In Chinese, his name literally means "embrace" and his paintwork symbolizes happiness.
* Yong Bao has been partially modified to work on British rail, he has been given buffers.
* Yong Bao has Traditional Chinese characters on his cab, though in China, Simplified Chinese characters are used standardly. However, his Take-n-Play toy uses Simplified Chinese characters.
* In a behind the scenes photo, Yong Bao was originally going to have flags that open out instead of the tiger face.
* In real life, Yong Bao would be too large for the British loading gauge.
* Yong Bao's tender wheels are actually reused from Marion's wheels, and his bell is reused from Belle's bell.
* Like Hiro and Carlos, Yong Bao has a knuckle coupler on his front and a chain and hook coupler on the back of his tender.
* Yong Bao has the same whistle sound as Connor at a slightly higher pitch.
* He is the first Season Five engine to appear in a webisode.
* Despite being a Chinese engine, he is able to speak in clear English.
Ace

Ace "The Racer" is an Australian rally car who inspired Thomas to become the first engine to travel the world.

## Bio

Ace: With strawberry banjo skills to rival all others, I’m always ready to jam out!

## Personality

Ace is a rally car, who can be a bit full of himself. He thinks he is cool and clever too and expects the admiration and support of everyone around him. If it is not about him, he is not likely to be interested. Ace is a thrill seeker, who lives for speed and loves to drive dangerously. But he is not as brave as he would like you to think, being rather frightened of both wild animals and water. Ace is a dreamer who sees the world as his oyster. If he could only get over himself, he might become a nice guy.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Ace is based on a hard top America spec Triumph Spitfire 1500 with a roof rack for his spare tyre, as well as lights from a Triumph GT6 from 24 Hours of Le Man's.

Ace's basis
### Livery

Ace is painted yellow with white stripes and silver wheels. His number "43" is painted on his doors in black.

## Trivia

* Ace's horn plays the chorus of the Australian song "Waltzing Matilda".
* He was the only character from Australia who didn't appear in Series 22.
Frieda

Frieda is a big German engine who participated in the Great Railway Show. She was a contender in the strongest engine competition.

## Bio

Frieda: Sometimes she's an engine, sometimes she's a lampshade! She's so bright she's always wearing shades!

## Personality

Frieda is a sleek, blue streamlined engine from Germany. Beautiful and strong, Frieda will be entering the Strongest Engine race. She has come to show to prove that anything the boys can do, the girls could do better. Frieda was a grumpy female engine, who doesn't smile so much, and didn't take mistakes so kindly. But when she realises that people are not cheering at her, Ivan told her to smile every day so that Frieda would get attention from people.

## Appearance

### Basis

Frieda is based on the DB Class 10 built by Krupp in 1957. One of the two locomotives, 10 001 is preserved at the German Steam Locomotive Museum in Neuenmarkt-Wirsberg.

Frieda's basis
### Livery

Frieda is painted blue with yellow and red lining and red wheels. She has the number "409" painted on the sides of her tender in red, and the German flag painted on both the sides of her streamlined casing and tender.

## Trivia

* The German flag painted on Frieda's tender and streamlined casing is inaccurate to the real German flag; the red band is on the top and the black is in the middle. This problem is fixed on her Wooden Railway toy, some current promos, and Great Race Friends Near and Far videos.
* Frieda's Wooden Railway prototype incorrectly had coal in the tender; both members of her class were built or rebuilt as oil-burning locomotives. This was fixed on the final toy.
* Frieda's face is based on German-American actress, Diane Kruger.
* In the webseries, she is referred to as as "Frieda Diva."
* Also in the webseries, Frieda has a Russian accent.
* The webseries is the only time she is seen without her sunglasses, where it is revealed she has blue eyes.
Doug Erholtz

Douglas J. "Doug" Erholtz (born February 21, 1971) is an American voice actor who voices Chee Zee and Mike Rophone in the UK and US dubs of the Thomas and Friends Webseries.

He is best known for his performances as Gin Ichimaru from Bleach, TK Takaishi from Digimon Adventure 02, Squall Leonhart from the Final Fantasy series and Kingdom Hearts II, Asuma Sarutobi from Naruto and Hamrio Musica from Rave Master.

## Voices

### UK/US

* Chee Zee (World Vacation movie only)
* Mike Rophone
Kwaku

Kwaku is a large African Garratt engine who works in Tanzania. He is close friends with Nia.

## Bio

Kwaku: Ok! I admit it! My friends think I'm a little bit corny! But you would have to 'Husk' them that!!!

## Personality

Kwaku is a kind and friendly engine with a good sense of humour. He is good friends with Nia and was aware that she had lost her engine shed and had nowhere else to go. Like Nia, he is always making sure that his friends' boiler, wheels and any other engine parts are in good working order and that they are being treated well.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Kwaku is based on the East African Railways (EAR) 59 class, a class of 4-8-2+2-8-4 oil-fired Garratt locomotives built by Beyer, Peacock & Co. which entered service in 1955-56. These were the largest, heaviest and most powerful steam locomotives to operate on any metre gauge railway in the world and were the mainstay of freight services from Mombasa to Nairobi until the 1970s. Two surviving locomotives, No. 5918 Mount Gelai and No. 5930 Mount Shengena, are preserved by the Nairobi Railway Museum in Nairobi, Kenya.

Kwaku has been partially modified from his original basis. Whereas his class is metre gauge, Kwaku has been scaled up to standard gauge. Additionally, he has been fitted with buffers and screw-link couplings, allowing him to work with British rolling stock.

Kwaku's basis
### Livery

Kwaku is painted red with light yellow lining. His cylinders are painted black with red lining.

## Trivia

* Kwaku's name is an Akan name for "born on a Wednesday".
* Kwaku is the first Garratt locomotive to be introduced in the television series. If Really Useful Around the World counted, he would be the second, as the first would have been the Australian Engine.
Thomas World Fair (Part 5)

Thomas World Fair (Part 5) is the 69th episode in the Thomas & Friends cartoon.

## Synopsis

Peppa-Mint and Bubbleisha compete to have the most engines in their crowd and end up working together.

## Characters

### Engines

* Thomas
* Philip
* Ashima
* Bash
* Raul (cameo)
* Oliver (cameo)
* James (cameo)
* Percy (cameo)
* Gator (cameo)
* Dash (cameo)
* Ivan (cameo)
* Frankie (cameo)
* Etienne (cameo)
* Duke (cameo)
* Rosie (cameo)
* Milk Bud (cameo)
* Hurricane (cameo)
* Lexi (cameo)
* Marion (cameo)
* Gina (cameo)
* Rajiv (cameo)
* Luke (cameo)

### Shoppies

* Jessicake
* Donatina
* Bubbleisha
* Peppa-Mint
Fashion Fever

Fashion Fever is the 17th episode in the Thomas & Friends cartoon.

## Characters

* Oliver
* Ashima
* Duck (cameo)
* Percy (cameo)
* Thomas (cameo)
* Rosie (cameo)
* Emily (cameo)
* Philip (cameo)
* Etienne (cameo)
* Rajiv (cameo)
* James (cameo)
* Frieda (debut)

## Synopsis

Someone in Sodor has fashion fever! Watch now to see who it is!

## Plot

Oliver approaches a long line of engines waiting outside the Fashion Boutique. She asks Ashima what's going on, she replies that the fashion designer Frieda is going to unveil her new line. When Freda steps out, Ashima explodes and says that she's Frieda's biggest fan and that she hopes she will pick her for her next muse. Ashima runs inside the Fashion Boutique, and Frieda begins talking to Oliver. In the middle of their conversation, Ashima bursts out of the Fashion Boutique wearing an ugly outfit. Oliver yells, "My eyes!" and a piece of toast pops out of her head and hits Frieda in the face. Ashima is shocked, and Oliver apologizes. Frieda then exclaims that she wants Oliver to be her next muse, but Oliver declines and says that she's awesome just the way she is. She then suggests that Frieda should consider Ashima to be her next muse, but Frieda replies, "Maybe not..." Ashima begins to cry, and then Frieda leaves and tells Oliver that if she ever changes her mind to call her back. After Frieda leaves, Oliver tells Ashima that she can tell everybody that it was Ashima who turned Frieda down.

## Trivia

* In this episode, Ashima refers to Frieda as "Frieda Diva."
* When Frieda says, "Hello darlings!" her lips do not move.
* At the very end of the episode, it is hinted that somebody new is coming to Sodor. This was revealed to be the Shoppies.

## Transcript

For a full transcript of the episode, click here.
Lexi

Lexi is a boisterous cab-forward engine who works at the Steelworks on the Mainland.

## Bio

Lexi: Never flat out and always the life of the party. So happy she could burst!

## Personality

Lexi is an eager and excitable engine. She is proud of being experimental and 'cab-forward'- even though she is convinced this makes her an un-useful engine.

Lexi is upbeat, cheery and outgoing, and likes to experiment with how she presents herself, often trying out different voices and how she phrases her expressions just to see which one she thinks works best. Lexi is not always confident she gets things right, but she loves the excitement of anything new, is very sociable, and keen to explore new things.

## Appearance

### Basis

Lexi is based on the North Pacific Coast Railroad Cab-Forward 4-4-0 No. 21 "Thomas-Stetson", a rebuild of NPCRR #5 which was dismantled by 1897. An innovative engine built by Bill Thomas, it is considered the first cab-forward locomotive and was one of the first oil burners, as well as the first locomotive to use a marine boiler. The engine had insufficient adhesion weight and its oil burners were prone to damage due their proximity to its water tubes, and was unpopular with crews, its unusual appearance earning it the nickname "The Freak". #21 was scrapped in 1905.

Lexi's basis
### Livery

Lexi is painted light turquoise with a gold cowcatcher. Her front windows have gold lining, and her side windows have copper lining. Her main body is covered in rust. She has brass nameplates fixated on each side of her cab and the initials "N.P.C.R.R" painted on her rear oil tank.

## Trivia

* Lexi has received several modifications compared to her basis:
	+ Lexi has been modified to accommodate a face, as a lamp would actually be where her face is. Her lamp has also been moved to her added footplate.
	+ She has been modified for working on British railways with the addition of buffers and a screw-link coupling on her tender, as well as brake-pipes on her front and back.
	+ She has been regauged from 3ft gauge to standard gauge.
* Lexi seems to speaks with a Scottish accent and imitates many other dialects, despite being based on an American engine.
* Lexi's tender wheels are actually reused from Marion's wheels, and her bell is reused from Belle's bell.
* Lexi shares the same whistle sound as the Rainbow Sun and Carlos.
Acting Up

Acting Up is the 2nd episode in the Thomas and Friends Cartoon.

## Characters

* Percy
* James (debut)
* Ashima (debut)

## Synopsis

In this episode, Percy and Ashima try to teach James the fine art of acting but will he succeed or fall flat on his face? Watch to find out!

## Plot

The episode begins with Percy creeping down a track of Knapford and screaming at the sight of cheese. James runs over to see what's the matter, at the same time Ashima comes over to congratulate Percy on how great his acting was. Ashima and Percy prod James into trying to act as if he's afraid of non-existent cheese monsters. Ashima believes James is a bad actress until he leans up against a cheese display and causes a roll of cheese to fall on top of his head, startling him. Ashima then praises James on her reaction to the cheese falling on top of his head, which she thought was James acting.

## Trivia

* In the beginning of the episode, the top part of Ashima is turned left. But later on it turns right and never turns back again.

## Transcript

For a full transcript of the episode, click here.
Engines Bring Europe to Jessicake (Part 4)

Engines Bring Europe to Jessicake (Part 4) is the 64th episode in the Thomas & Friends cartoon.

## Synopsis

Jessicake has tea with Ivan and battles him in a tea competition.

## Characters

### Engines

* Ivan (debut)
* Philip
* Percy
* Etienne (cameo)
* Rajiv (cameo)

### Shoppies

* Jessicake
* Bubbleisha
* Donatina

## Trivia

* The voice that says "I guess Ivan Wins!" sounds somehow like Hurricane, but it's unknown who actually said it.
Shane

Shane is an Australian tender engine who participated in The Great Railway Show. He competed in the Strongest Engine competition.

## Bio

Shane: An engine who gets his kicks running around and staying fit! He always has a goal that he wants to achieve!

## Personality

Shane is a big, strong engine who has been working tirelessly to ensure he's in the best shape. Known as the "Whispering Giant", Shane's carefree ways make him many friends. Shane can usually be found as a tour guide in the Outback with Aubrey and Aiden, cracking jokes to the tourists.

## Appearance

### Basis

Shane is based on the South Australian Railways 520 class. The real engine carrying his number, Sir Malcolm Barclay-Harvey, is currently preserved by the SteamRanger Preservation Society at their workshops in Mount Barker, South Australia and is undergoing restoration to operational condition. Another locomotive, numbered 523, is preserved at the National Railway Museum in Port Adelaide, South Australia. Shane is modified to run on British railways, having a screwlink coupling and buffers on the back of his tender and being scaled down from broad gauge to standard gauge.

Shane's basis
### Livery

Shane is painted teal green with yellow lining, Australia's sporting colours. The number "520" is painted in white above his face and on his cab sides in yellow, and the letters "S.A.R" are painted on his tender sides in yellow.

## Trivia

* Shane's nickname, the "Whispering Giant", was a real nickname the SAR 520 class had. Due to their long boilers, the real engines required blower assistance while in yards to prevent smoke from blowing into the cab, thus making them seem to quietly whisper.
Christmas Sing-Along

Christmas Sing-Along is the 9th episode in the Thomas & Friends cartoon.

## Characters

* Percy
* James
* Thomas
* Philip
* Emily
* Ashima
* Duck (debut)

## Synopsis

Get into the Christmas spirit and sing along with the Thomas team! Can you match Ashima's high notes? And look out for the newest member of the Thomas team!

## Lyrics

“Deck the aisles, it’s Thomas Christmas

Fa la la la la la la la laa

Ashima carols to all who listen

Fa la la la la la la la laa

Emily tries to run away

Fa la la la la la la la laa

The slippery snow gets in her way

Fa la la la la la la la

Ooops

James wraps all his presents

Fa la la la la la la la laa

Thomas tries to steal a glimpse

Fa la la la la la la la laa

Now it’s time to dress the tree

Fa la la la la la la la laa

Just don’t give the star to Philip

Fa la la la la la la la

Oooops

Engines all come and gather

Fa la la la la la la la laa

Gifts and laughter for each other

Fa la la la la la la la laaa

Fa la la la la la la la

Laaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

## Trivia

* Duck is the first Season Two character to appear in a webisode.
Merlin

Merlin is an experimental tender engine who believes he has the power to turn invisible and has three funnels.

## Bio

Merlin: A total tourist who can be found in almost any gift shop!

## Personality

Merlin sees himself as a hero. He is proud and confident of his abilities and in particular his special skill - the ability to make himself invisible. All he has to do is say "Invisibility on!" and shut his eyes and he is convinced that nobody can see him. He knows he was specially designed in order to be hard to see and his three funnels, which were intended to disperse his smoke and steam, are there to prove it. What Merlin does not know is that his experiment did not work. Merlin wants to be able to prove himself and show everyone all the things he can do. He honestly believes you can do anything you set your mind to or at the very least, you can try! Merlin is fun and funny and wants to be a good friend, but his lack of judgment and sense of his own limitations can create its own challenges.

## Appearance

### Basis

Merlin is based on the LSWR N15 Class, referred to as the "King Arthur" class by the Southern Railway, specifically No. 783 Sir Gillemere. In 1943, Sir Gillemere was fitted with three stovepipe chimneys by Oliver Bulleid as a wartime experiment. The way the smoke was spread out was meant to make the trains less visible to bombers overhead. The experiment was not a success, and the engine was quickly converted back to normal. No. 783 became No. 30783 under British Railways after nationalisation in 1948 and was withdrawn in March 1961.

Merlin's name is likely taken from another King Arthur locomotive, No. 740 Merlin. A single King Arthur is preserved as part of the National Collection, No. 777 Sir Lamiel, and is based at the Great Central Railway, currently awaiting overhaul.

Merlin’s basis
### Livery

Merlin is painted silver with a red running board and wheels, and black smoke deflectors. He has red and gold nameplates on either sides. His number is also painted white on his front bufferbeam, the sides of his cab and tender.

## Trivia

* Merlin's whistle is an LNER A4 3-chime.
* Merlin's tender is actually a modified version of Bert's.
* Merlin is the second character to have his basis named in the show, with BoCo being the first.
* According to Behind the Scenes: Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor, Merlin's facial features were based off of his voice actor, Hugh Bonneville.
Hong-Mei

Hong-Mei is an upcoming character set to debut in the twenty-second season of Thomas & Friends. She is a tank engine Thomas meets during his visit to China.

## Bio

Hong-Mei: An engine who always has bright ideas! Thank goodness she's wearing shades!

## Personality

Hong-Mei is a good-natured but cheeky tank engine from China who loves to race. She’s also blue like Thomas, and out to prove she’s the No. 1 blue engine!

## Appearance

### Basis

Hong-Mei is based on the China Railways GJ 0-6-0T class.

Hong-Mei’s basis
### Livery

Hong-Mei is painted blue with white lining and a red stripe along each of her side tanks.

## Trivia

* Hong-Mei's name means "red plum" in Chinese.
* Hong-Mei is painted with the number Yī, the Chinese equivalent to the number 1, on both of her water tanks.
* Her CGI model appears to have reused parts of Rosie's CGI model. These include:
	+ Her chassis and front buffer beam including the buffers.
	+ Her smokebox and steam pipes, modified with a different funnel design.
	+ Her wheels and pistons, with a modified rear valve gear.
		- Because of this, Hong-Mei's connecting rods are attached to her middle driving wheels whereas her prototype has its connecting rods attached to the rear driving wheels.
Silly Season (Part 4)

Silly Season (Part 4) is the 51st episode in the Thomas & Friends cartoon.

## Synopsis

The engines show Vinnie the bracelet they made for him and he returns the New Year's clock to celebrate Jessicake's birthday.

## Characters

### Engines

* Vinnie
* Diesel 10
* Percy
* Thomas
* Ashima
* Rosie
* Oliver
* Bill and Ben
* Milk Bud (cameo)

## Trivia

* This episode marks the first appearance of a Shoppie in the webseries.
* As the engines get out of Knapford if you look closely into Ashima's phone you can see that she was playing the Chef Club App.