Thomas is a pimp (not really)
So, my son REALLY likes the children’s television series Thomas & Friends. I have watched A LOT of episodes over the past three years. I have watched many of the SAME episodes over and over again. And I have come to notice a few things. Maybe it is just my distorted view of things, but maybe you will agree too.
Emily
Photo: ttte.wikia.com
On the island of Sodor, all women are bitches. The only female engine that was in the cast for a long time was Emily, the dark green engine. She is the definition of a bitch.
I will set the record straight. None of the engines ever does what they are told to do. It is actually a really bad example to set for kids.
But every episode that Emily is in, she bosses the other engines around. She wants to tell them how to do their jobs, sometimes even telling them to change what jobs have been assigned to them.
One episode, a popular soccer team was coming into town. Emily was all excited because they were her favorite team. Every engine got assigned a task. Emily was assigned the task to haul dirty laundry. Emily was disgusted by this. She wanted a more important job, perhaps maybe even carrying the team to the game. The lesson we were supposed to learn from the episode was that the laundry was for the team, and it was important for her to take care of it.
What?
The lesson was that the only way a woman can be of use is to take care of the laundry? Oh no they dih-ehnt!
Other female engines that have been introduced since had not fared much better. Belle is seen overwhelming Toby with her outspokeness and eagerness. Rosie is shown as a tag-along. She feels like a kid-sister for Thomas in the limited number of episodes she appears in. Molly is a big yellow engine. In one of her earlier appearances, she is picked on by another engine. Any guesses who? If you said Emily, then you are correct.
Victor
Photo: ttte.wikia.com
Then there is Victor, who is an engine from Cuba who works at the Steamworks, fixing Sir Topham Hatt’s other engines. I imagine that Victor is gay. Maybe it is the accent. Maybe it is his “partner” Kevin, who seems to live with him at the Steamworks. Kevin always calls Victor “Boss”, and has a very large crane arm.
I always imagine Victor, in his foreign accent, saying things to the other engines like “Oh, I will make you over, my little friend. With a new coat of paint, I will make you look FAB-u-lous!”
Ferdinand
Photo: ttte.wikia.com
Oh, then there is Ferdinand. He is one of the Logging Locos from Misty Island. He is big, kinda dumb, and has a gap-toothed smile. He has a very wide nose. His catchphrase? “Dat’s right.” Ferdinand just comes across as an African American male talking ebonics. I don’t mean to insult anyone with that comparison. If anything, I am offended by the show designers creating him that way.
Do your kids watch Thomas and Friends? What strange things do you notice after too many viewings?
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