The Biggest Present of All

"I was trying to find you a welcome present, Hiro - something special from Sodor, but I couldn't find anything. I'm sorry." "Thomas, my friend. You must not worry. My welcome present is right here. Being here with my friends is the biggest present of all, and the most special present from Sodor, there is nothing more special!"

- Thomas and Hiro at the welcome party

The Biggest Present of All is the sixteenth episode of the thirteenth series.

Plot
All of the engines on the Island of Sodor are very excited. Hiro is coming back to Sodor because the engines need help with the summer holidaymakers. The Fat Controller tells Hiro to be go to the Steamworks to be checked over and then go to Knapford, where the Fat Controller is secretly throwing a surprise welcome party at Knapford for him. He then tells Percy to collect Lady Hatt and Thomas to tell all the other engines.

Along with the party, Thomas wants to get Hiro a wonderful gift to celebrate his visit. Thomas first puffs to McColl’s Farm where he sees Emily and tells her Hiro is back and wants to get a gift for him. She wishes him good luck, but he unfortunately doesn’t tell her about the party. Looking around, Thomas considers giving Hiro a barn to put items in until he thinks that it’s too big to take. He then chuffs to the quarry and tells Henry, James and Toby about what he’s doing, but again doesn’t tell them about the party. Thomas also looks around the quarry, but all he can see is slate which he sees as too small and leaves.

Thomas soon gets to the Steamworks where he notices a bell and thinks Hiro would like that, but it clangs very loudly when Kevin picks it up and Thomas dismisses it. Later, Thomas arrives at Knapford, but no-one is there, as Thomas had not told anybody about the party. Thomas quickly races around the island to tell them, all the while they offer suggestions for gifts (which Thomas turns down) and soon, they all arrive at Knapford. Thomas apologises for not finding a gift, but Hiro insists that the best present of all was having all of his friends together.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Henry
 * Percy
 * Toby
 * Emily
 * Hiro
 * Victor
 * Kevin
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * James
 * Mavis
 * Lady Hatt
 * Edward
 * Gordon
 * Cranky
 * Farmer McColl
 * Sir Topham Hatt's Assistants
 * The Teacher
 * The Bird Watcher
 * The Ginger-haired Boy
 * The Blond-haired Boy
 * The Lady with the Big Hat
 * The Welsh Bird Watcher
 * The Female Puppet Show Entertainer
 * Big Mickey

Locations

 * The Coal Hopper
 * Maithwaite
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Brendam Warehouse
 * McColl Farm
 * Sodor Slate Quarry
 * Sodor Steamworks
 * Victor's Shed
 * Knapford
 * MC BUNN

UK, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and South Africa

 * Ben Small as Thomas and Toby
 * Keith Wickham as Henry, Percy and The Fat Controller
 * Teresa Gallagher as Emily
 * Togo Igawa as Hiro
 * Matt Wilkinson as Victor and Kevin

US and Canada

 * Martin Sherman as Thomas and Percy
 * Kerry Shale as Henry, Kevin and Sir Topham Hatt
 * William Hope as Toby
 * Jules de Jongh as Emily
 * Togo Igawa as Hiro
 * David Bedella as Victor

Trivia

 * This episode was shown in select US theatres in January 2010.
 * Kevin still mistakenly calls Thomas "boss," which began when he took over as manager in Steamy Sodor for a short while.
 * This is the first time Hiro appeared in an episode.
 * In Poland, this episode premiered before Hero of the Rails, so the audience would not have known about Hiro, Victor, Kevin or the Sodor Steamworks.
 * This episode as seen in episode compilations from the official YouTube channel is titled The Biggest Present of Them All.

Goofs

 * At the begining of the episode, Percy is seen pulling the Mail Train, but in the next scene, he is seen infront of Thomas waiting for Hiro.
 * When Thomas returns to tell Emily about the party, Emily's tender is not rendered properly as it is transparent.
 * As Toby, James and Henry puff away to shunt trucks, James and Henry swap their whistle sounds.
 * In the last shot, Thomas has Henry's whistle.

Merchandise

 * Magazine Stories - The Perfect Present and The Best Present of All

Home Media Releases
{{Scroll box|

UK

 * Thomas and the Runaway Kite
 * Awesome Adventures: Party Surprise
 * The Complete Series 13

DVD Packs

 * Steam Team Collection

US

 * Thomas and the Runaway Kite
 * Awesome Adventures Vol. 4: Preschool Party Surprise

CAN

 * Thomas and the Runaway Kite

DVD Packs

 * Steam Team Collection

AUS/POL

 * Splish, Splash, Splosh!

AUS DVD Packs

 * The Lion of Sodor and Splish, Splash, Splosh! Double pack

POL DVD Boxsets

 * Splish, Splash, Splosh!/Misty Island Rescue 2-Pack

THA/MYS/SWE/DK/FIN/ITA

 * Thomas and the Runaway Kite

FRA

 * Thomas and the Runaway Kite
 * Series 13

NOR

 * Thomas and the Runaway Kite
 * Snow Favorites

JPN

 * Special Gift of Hiro and Thomas
 * Fellow Hiro Special Care
 * 75th Anniversary Edition: Thank You as Always! Thomas & Friends Masterpieces

GER

 * The Master of the Muddles

CHN

 * Toby's New Whistle

KOR
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 * Thomas and Friends Five Specials Set

El Regalo Más Grande de Todos המתנה הגדולה מכולן Najwspanialszy Prezent Подарок для Хиро