Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends - Biggest Party Video Ever!

Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends - Biggest Party Video Ever! is a UK VHS release by VCI on 23rd March 1998. It features twenty episodes of the "Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends" T.V. series - featuring four Season 1 episodes and four Season 2 episodes narrated by Ringo Starr, as well as eight Season 3 episodes and four Season 4 episodes narrated by Michael Angelis.

Description[]

Join in the fun with Thomas and his Friends.

Over 100 Minutes!

Come and Join the Party!

It's party time with Thomas the Tank Engine, who has gathered together his favourite stories featuring all his friends from the Island of Sodor. Join Percy, James, Henry and Gordon, and all the other characters in nearly 2 hours of fun in 20 action-packed episodes which make this the biggest and best Thomas collection ever. You can also pull out and keep your FREE Really Useful Party Poster which is packed with great ideas and activities to make your party go with a bang!

The Fat Controller's letter (UK)[]

My Dear Friends,

Welcome to "Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends' Biggest Party Video Ever!".

As a Distinguished Gentleman of Sodor Railways, it has been my privilege to prepare this Really Useful collection of stories featuring Thomas, Percy, James and other members of my engine family.

Celebrations are often the order of the day on this beautiful Island, and I always look forward to such rejoicings, particularly the mouth-watering party food prepared by Mrs. Kyndley and capers thought up by my Drivers.

'Pon my soul, perhaps you would like to hear about some of these first class recipes, party games and decoration ideas? Then look no further than the Really Useful Party Poster, attached to the video sleeve inside.

So don't be as miserable as a steam engine rusting in a scrap yard - come join the fun with Thomas and his Friends!

With best wheeeeeeshes from all at Sodor Railways.

Sir Topham Hatt,

The Fat Controller

Episodes[]

Percy, James and the Fruitful Day - James and Percy boast and bicker until Percy ends up in a very sticky predicament indeed.
Tender Engines - Gordon is envious of a two-tender engine, and Henry finds out that one tender each is best for all the big engines.
All at Sea - When the Island of Sodor Regatta is held, Duck wishes he could sail away to faraway lands like the boats on the water. It takes an important journey to make him really proud of his wheels again.
Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party - Edward and Trevor might be old, but they are both Really Useful. Their contribution to the Vicar's garden party makes everything a success.
Buzz, Buzz - James boasts about his bravery, but when a swarm of bees start buzzing around him he wishes they would get back to making honey and leave him alone to make steam!
No Joke for James - James plays a trick on Gordon, which gets him into trouble. He soon learns that an engine doesn't have to pull coaches to be useful.
Henry's Forest - Henry's favorite place on the Island of Sodor is the forest. He is very sad when a storm damages the trees, but Terence and Trevor soon come to the rescue.
The Trouble with Mud - When Gordon gets splashed with mud, he refuses to be cleaned and is ordered to pull some trucks. He soon learns that having a good wash-down is essential to every engine.
Dirty Work - Diesel is sulking and decides to make trouble between Duck and the other engines.
Duck Takes Charge - Percy is pleased when a new engine called Duck arrives. The big engines decide to have some fun and cause a disturbance.
Percy and the Signal - Percy is enjoying playing tricks on the big engines, but Gordon and James plan to get the little green engine in trouble.
Saved from Scrap - Trevor the Traction Engine has always worked hard, but he is feeling old fashioned and unwanted. Edward finds a way to make him useful again.
Coal - For all his size and his shiny green coat, Henry has always been a rather delicate engine. The Fat Controller decides to put things right.
Trouble in the Shed - The big engines go on strike the Fat Controller decides to leave them to sulk and a new engine arrives in the yard, Percy the Little Green Saddle Tank Engine.
Tenders and Turntables - Sometimes things get very busy in the yard and the Fat Controller has to ask the big engines to do the shunting. They don't like it and decide to take action.
Rusty to the Rescue - In the Springtime, Rusty the Diesel Engine loves working on the line in a special valley far, far away. The Manager of the line needs another engine to help. Rusty decides to help and with advice from Oliver, the little diesel sets off to the other railway where only brave diesels dare to go.
A Bad Day for Sir Handel - Skarloey and Rheneas are tired old engines who work very hard on their own on the line. Sir Handel and Peter Sam are brought in to help them but Sir Handel's bad temper gets him into trouble with the Fat Controller.
Toad Stands By - Oliver is nervous of trucks ever since his accident with the turntable well. The trucks know this and tease Oliver all the time, but Toad and Oliver have a plan that will teach the trucks a lesson once and for all.
Trucks - Sir Handel didn't like working at the mine, he didn't like the trucks and they didn't like him. He tricked Peter Sam into doing all his work, but things don't turn out the way Sir Handel expected.
Dirty Objects - James the Red Engine learns that it isn't wise to speak rudely to the other engines. You'll never know what will happen next.

Credits[]

Release Dates[]

Percy, James and the Fruitful Day (23rd January 1992)
Tender Engines (16th January 1992)
All at Sea (14th January 1992)
Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party (Later Narration) (30th September 1991)
Buzz, Buzz (13th January 1992)
No Joke for James (Later Narration) (23rd September 1991)
Henry's Forest (Later Narration) (19th September 1991)
The Trouble with Mud (Later Narration) (20th September 1991)
Dirty Work (15th July 1986)
Duck Takes Charge (10th July 1986)
Percy and the Signal (10th July 1986)
Saved From Scrap (8th July 1986)
Coal (17th May 1984)
Trouble in the Shed (16th May 1984)
Tenders and Turntables (16th May 1984)
Rusty to the Rescue (3rd January 1995)
A Bad Day for Sir Handel (Later Narration) (12th September 1994)
Toad Stands By (6th January 1995)
Trucks (Later Narration) (14th September 1994)
Dirty Objects (22nd May 1984)

Opening (Original 1998 Release)[]

VCI Tracking Control Screen (1995-2005)
VCI Warning Screen (1995-2005)
VCI Children's Promo from 1997 with clips of "Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends", "Fourways Farm", "Sooty & Co.", "The Sooty Show: My Bumper Christmas Sooty", "Teddy Bear Sing-Along: My Christmas Play Rhymes & Songs", "Tots Video" and "Roald Dahl's The BFG: Big Friendly Giant" (Without the New for '97 Overview Is Cut). [announced by Jonathan Kydd]
Britt Allcroft Presents Ident
Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends: Season 3 Opening Credits (Cartoon Network Version)
Start of Percy, James and the Fruitful Day (1992)

Closing (Original 1998 Release)[]

End of Dirty Objects (1984)
Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends: Season 1 End Credits
Thomas (Saved from Scrap Version) (Short Version)
A Britt Allcroft Production Ident 1984 (Short Version) (Cartoon Network Version) (Silent)
VCI Ident (1995-2005)

Trailers and info[]

The VCI children's trailer from 1997 with clips of "Thomas The Tank Engine & Friends", "Fourways Farm", "Sooty & Co.", "The Sooty Show: My Bumper Christmas Sooty", "Teddy Bear Sing-Along: My Christmas Play Rhymes & Songs", "Tots Video" and "Roald Dahl's The BFG: Big Friendly Giant" (the 'New for '97' overview is cut).

Trivia[]

On the front cover, Thomas's face has been edited.
This was the last UK VHS release to have the episode titles in the original font before the intros and credits were digitally remastered.
This was also the last UK release to feature the opening and closing credits used on Cartoon Network.
- The episode title fonts for the Season 1 episodes were all originally featured on original Season 1 showings of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends on ITV in 1985.
- The episode title fonts for the "first parted" Season 2 episodes were all originally featured on original Season 2 showings of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends on ITV in 1986.
- The episode title fonts for the "second parted" Season 2 episodes were all originally featured on original Season 1 showings of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends on ITV in 1991, the year that the "second parted" Season 2 episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends were shown as single episodes on ITV.
Final VHS release to use the Cartoon Network (UK) varianted showings of the episodes.
- The opening logo and credits before the episode title card (when Season 1 and 2 episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends were originally shown as single episodes on ITV in 1985 and 1991 and when Season 3 of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends was originally shown on ITV in 1992) is used from the Season 4 intro of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends which as shown on Cartoon Network (UK) in 1995. The music in the opening credit is the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends theme song.
- At the end of each episode from Season 1 and 2 of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends which was originally re-shown on Cartoon Network (UK), there's a quick glimpse of the scene of Thomas from "Saved from Scrap" with the producers credit on front of him that plays for a few seconds. After that the Britt Allcroft logo writes into view in fast motion in the middle of the purple background, the "Britt Allcroft (Thomas) Limited" copyright credit of 1984 and 1986 fades into view in fast motion in the middle-bottom corner of the same purple background and finally, both the "A Britt Allcroft Production" logo credit and the "Britt Allcroft (Thomas) Limited." copyright credit shine along the screen separately in fast motion until fading out to black. The music playing in the background in these two credits is the last music piece of the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends theme song.
The original closing credits of "Duck Takes Charge" features on the end of each "first parted" Season 2 episode of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends are from episodes that have been originally shown on ITV as single episodes in 1991. They feature on the "first parted" Season 2 episodes this video just before the "Producers" credit with the shot of Thomas from "Saved from Scrap" appears into view.
The original closing credits of the "second parted" Season 2 episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends are featured from the original ITV showings in 1986. They feature on the "second parted" Season 2 episodes this video just before the "Producers" credit with the shot of Thomas from the episode "Saved from Scrap" appears into view.
The ending credits at the end of each Season 1 episode on this video just before the "Producers" credit with the shot of Thomas from "Saved from Scrap" appears into view are from the original single episode showings of Season 1 of Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends that was shown on ITV in 1985.
The two episodes "Edward, Trevor and the Really Useful Party" and "Henry's Forest" aren't sourced from the Cartoon Network masters. Instead, the two episodes used on Series 4 opening and closing credits.
The VHS release reuses the Cartoon Network version of "Dirty Objects" from the "Chases, Races and Runaways" UK VHS.