Thomas the Tank Engine and Satire as Kids’ Lit
So, to give some insight into my thought processes at times. Last night, I was riding a horse named Maggie who is an amazing horse, but can get very strong.
My thought process: “Maggie the Choo-Choo Train” (In the horse world it’s not uncommon to call a strong horse a “freight train”).
“You know, none of the engines in Thomas the Tank Engine are guys.”
“Well, yeah. The female characters are carriages.”
“They have no agency and can only go where a guy takes them.”
“Thomas the Tank Engine is really sexist.”
You can now mock me for never having really noticed this before. (And it’s probably the subconscious reason why I never liked the show as a kid).
So, About that Sexism
First of all, I decided to check my memory. Was it actually true that all the girls were carriages.
What I’m most clearly remembering is Annie and Clarabel, who always appeared as a team, were generally pulled by Thomas and had no personalities other than being impossibly and ridiculously cheerful.
But, I had forgotten Emily, who was the “only” female steam engine (Smurfette syndrome anyone). She was designed to be a big sister figure, apparently, but she’s…