Thomas' Tall Friend

"Will he blow over?" "Why's he so spotty?" "Does he sit down?"

- Gordon, Edward, and Percy upon seeing the giraffe

Thomas' Tall Friend is the first episode of the fourteenth series.

Plot
A new animal park is being built on Sodor and Thomas is called upon to deliver a giraffe to it, while Percy is delivering leaves, Edward drops off apples and Gordon takes the Mayor and the Fat Controller to open the park. Cranky tells Thomas to wait for the giraffe's keeper, but Thomas wants to show the giraffe to the children and leaves. Thomas runs into trouble when the giraffe will not follow his orders and lie down to allow Thomas to go under a bridge. Gordon comes from behind with the Mayor and the Fat Controller on his express. Seeing the giraffe blocking his way, Gordon tells Thomas to go back to the Docks for the keeper. However, Thomas thinks the giraffe will do what he tells him and goes to a siding to allow Gordon to pass.

When Edward arrives, Thomas asks him if the giraffe could eat some of his apples so he can lay down. But even after the giraffe is done eating, he still will not lie down. Edward is not happy about this and tells Thomas to go back to the Docks for the giraffe keeper, but Thomas still thinks the giraffe will do what he says, even after Edward crossly leaves. When Percy arrives, Thomas asks him if the giraffe could have some leaves, and Percy is happy to help his best friend. After playing with the leaves and eating them until there are none remaining, the giraffe finally lies down, allowing Thomas and Percy to chuff to the animal park.

But when they arrive, the Mayor and the Fat Controller are cross after waiting a long time. The giraffe will not wake up despite Thomas whistling at him and there are no more leaves for the animals in Percy's truck. Thomas knows what must be done and goes back to the docks to collect the keeper. After taking him to the animal park, Thomas goes to get fresh leaves and apples to replace the ones the giraffe ate and returns to the Animal Park with them. He whistles with joy at seeing the giraffe wide awake. The giraffe turns his attention to Thomas, who gets his photograph taken with his new tall friend.

Characters

 * Thomas
 * Edward
 * Gordon
 * Percy
 * Cranky
 * Sir Topham Hatt
 * The Ginger-haired Boy
 * Farmer McColl
 * The Mayor of Sodor
 * Headkeeper Jack
 * Henry
 * James
 * Emily
 * Stanley
 * Hiro
 * Diesel
 * The Photographer
 * Sir Topham Hatt's Assistants
 * The Tree Specialists
 * The Teacher
 * The Blond-haired Boy
 * The Welsh Bird Watcher
 * Big Mickey

Locations

 * Sodor Animal Park
 * Brendam Docks
 * Sodor Shipping Company
 * Brendam Warehouse
 * Chestnut Orchard
 * Single Track Siding and Bridge Runby
 * McColl Farm

UK

 * Ben Small as Thomas
 * Keith Wickham as Edward, Gordon, Percy and the Fat Controller
 * Matt Wilkinson as Cranky

US

 * Martin Sherman as Thomas and Percy
 * William Hope as Edward
 * Kerry Shale as Gordon and Sir Topham Hatt
 * Glenn Wrage as Cranky

Trivia

 * This episode is the only episode of the fourteenth series where the number in production order is the same as the number in airdate order. This is due to the fact that the second episode of the fourteenth series production-wise was supposedly held back to air during the Christmas season.
 * The photo album at the end of the episode contains photos from the episodes, Thomas and the Runaway Kite and Creaky Cranky and one from the special, Hero of the Rails.
 * This episode marks the debut of the Sodor Animal Park in the television series; even though it had previously appeared in several magazine stories.
 * This is the first episode narrated by Michiel de Jong in the Netherlands.
 * This episode was aired the same day Misty Island Rescue was released on DVD in the UK.

Goofs

 * During most of the scene at Brendam Docks, Gordon's coach is not rendered properly, as it goes through Gordon's tender.
 * The narrator says that there were no apples, implying Edward had nothing to deliver anymore, but this is not true.

Merchandise

 * Wooden Railway - Thomas' Tall Friends 3-pack
 * Books - The Tall Friend, Thomas' Tall Friend, Holiday Gift Set and Thomas' Tall Friend
 * Magazine Stories - Thomas' Tall Friend/Thomas' Tall Friend
 * Take-n-Play

Home Media Releases
{{Scroll box|

UK

 * Curious Cargo
 * The Complete Series 14

DVD Packs

 * 10 DVD Boxset
 * Friends Together

US

 * Animals Aboard!
 * Curious Cargo

AUS/ITA/NOR/SWE/DK/FIN

 * Curious Cargo

MYS

 * Thomas's Tall Friend

THA

 * Thomas' Tall Friend

CHN

 * Snow Tracks

GER

 * Toby and the Whispering Forest

POL

 * Movie Collection 1

JPN
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 * Thomas and the Giraffe

La Amiga Alta de Thomas החבר הגבוה של תומס Thomas's høye venn Wysoka Przyjaciółka Tomka Высокий гость