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| “ | Got ya, this time, Stepney. You'll make very fine scrap indeed. Buffer 'im, Bert! | „ |
| ~ 'Arry after capturing Stepney in "Stepney Gets Lost" |
Harry, accented as 'Arry, and Bert are supporting antagonists in the Thomas & Friends franchise.
They are also the archenemies of Stepney, as well as the archrivals of Thomas.
In the model seasons, just like all of the other characters, they were voiced by the narrator, a role assumed in the seasons that they appeared in by the late Michael Angelis in the UK, and Alec Baldwin and Michael Brandon in the US.
In the CGI seasons, both of them were initially voiced by Kerry Shale from the fourteenth to fifteenth season. From the sixteenth season onwards, Bert was voiced by William Hope, while Shale continued to voice 'Arry.
Physical Appearance[]
'Arry and Bert are British Rail (BR) Class 08 diesel shunters, which is the same engine that Diesel, Splatter, Dodge, Paxton, Sidney, and the Mainland Diesels are based off of. But unlike these characters, 'Arry and Bert, along with Splatter and Dodge, have been modified without ladders going up on the sides of their fronts.
In Season 5, 'Arry and Bert's bonnets were painted olive green, while their cabs, utility boxes, and hazard stripes were painted orange. Their lower areas were mostly painted black, except for their side rods, which were painted silver, and the tops of their running boards, which were painted orange. The Sodor Ironworks' logo was painted on the sides of their bonnets in white.
In Season 6, 'Arry and Bert received several modifications. Their cabs, utility boxes, and hazard stripes changed from orange to bright yellow, while their side rods and the tops of their running boards both changed to black. Additionally, the position of their hazard stripes changed, the writing on their sides increased in size, they gained handrails on their cabs, and they became significantly less weathered than previously.
When the series began its transition into CGI in Season 12, 'Arry and Bert's faces became significantly smaller in size as a result of the animators tracking the scale of the eye plate rather than sizing to the scale of the face. When they made their full CGI debut two seasons later in Season 14, their faces returned to their pre-Season 12 size, albeit slightly larger. In the same season, they lost the counterweights on their wheels. In Season 18, they each gained a tail-lamp.
Personality[]
In their first appearance, 'Arry and Bert were depicted as mysterious and murderous diesels looking to scrap steam engines, which they took great glee in. Also, there was some suggestion that 'Arry was the brains of the duo, while Bert was the brawn, as the former was the only one who spoke. They were also like this when Fergus came to the Smelter's.
In all of their appearances following their debut, 'Arry and Bert remained antagonistic to the steam engines, but their homicidal side seemingly vanished, and they instead became mischievous troublemakers.
Biography[]
Season 5[]
"Stepney Gets Lost"[]
'Arry and Bert approach a lonely Stepney, who has mistakenly traveled to the Smelter's Yard. They shunt him into the Smelter's Shed and place him underneath the "Grabber" before leaving him there to be scrapped. Fortunately, Stepney is saved by the Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt at the last second.
Season 6[]
"Middle Engine"[]
'Arry and Bert place Percy in between two lines of trucks, which causes Henry to mistakenly bump him onto the coal tipper. Following this, James takes over Percy's duties and falls prey to the same trick.
Season 7[]
"Fergus Breaks the Rules"[]
After being tricked by Diesel, Fergus reluctantly heads to the Smelter's Yard, and he's immediately unsettled upon arrival, which is only worsened when 'Arry and Bert arrive and give him such a fright. Afterward, Fergus decides to runs away.
Season 8[]
"Percy's New Whistle"[]
While delivering a train of trucks to the Ffarquhar Quarry, Percy whistles a greeting to 'Arry and Bert, who laugh at his whistle and claim that their horns to be better. Annoyed, Percy vows to show them that his whistle is just as good as their horns as he leaves. Later, he returns and sneaks up on 'Arry and Bert before blowing a great toot on his whistle, which startles the two diesels.
"Thomas to the Rescue"[]
'Arry and Bert break down after being given water-contaminated diesel fuel. Later, Thomas brings them a delivery of clean fuel.
"Halloween"[]
On Halloween Night, the Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt sends Thomas and Emily to the Smelter's Yard to collect a delivery of iron. Upon arrival, both engines become spooked by the piles of scrap. This motivates 'Arry and Bert to frighten them even more with a ghostly prank. But then, they, along with Thomas, become frightened themselves when they think that Emily is a ghost after a tarpaulin falls onto her and run away. Afterwards, the Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt sends 'Arry and Bert back to the Smelter's Yard to do Thomas and Emily's work as punishment for their prank.
Season 9[]
"Thomas and the New Engine"[]
'Arry and Bert are at the Timber Yard with the new engine, Neville, who mistakenly bumps into his train, much to the two diesels' amusement. As they laugh at Neville, Thomas arrives and assumes that Neville has befriended 'Arry and Bert. This causes a rumor regarding Neville being friends with the diesels and horrid to the steam engines to spread. Luckily, the rumor is eventually rectified, and Thomas befriends Neville after rescuing him from a broken bridge.
Season 11[]
"Thomas and the Stinky Cheese"[]
While working with Thomas at the Coaling Plant, 'Arry and Bert join Diesel in calling Thomas "stinky", but the twins and Thomas later get covered in the latter's delivery of stinky cheese. By the time 'Arry and Bert have had a washdown, the Fat Controller/Sir Topham Hatt gives them and Diesel the job of shunting Thomas' new delivery of stinky cheese, much to the three diesels' dismay and Thomas' delight.
The Great Discovery[]
Towards the end of the special, 'Arry and Bert are gathered at the Ffarquhar Quarry with several other diesels upon hearing that Thomas has been found in the days leading up to the grand reopening of Great Waterton.
Season 12[]
"Don't Go Back"[]
'Arry and Bert are resting in the engine shed at the Sodor Slate Quarry when Thomas and Diesel, who are racing each other backwards, appear and mistakenly shove them through the back of the shed and off the rails. The manager then scolds Thomas for the trouble that he has caused, and the latter declines Diesel's challenge to another race. And then, Thomas decides to correct his mistakes instead. After arranging Henry's train, he collects Rocky to help Mavis (whom he has also mistakenly derailed), 'Arry, and Bert.
Season 14[]
"Victor Says Yes"[]
'Arry and Bert are at the Sodor Steamworks to be fitted with new valves. However, the Steamworks continues to become packed with engines, making it hard for Victor to attend to everyone, much to 'Arry and Bert's annoyance. Eventually, Victor manages to sort things out and promises 'Arry and Bert that they will be attended to straight after Gordon, much to their delight.
Day of the Diesels[]
'Arry and Bert are among the diesels who take over the Steamworks.
Season 15[]
"Henry's Happy Coal"[]
'Arry and Bert tease Henry for having to use special coal. In the end, Henry ignores their teasing, and he helps them when they run out of fuel.
Season 16[]
"Bust My Buffers!"[]
'Arry, Bert, and Diesel are shunting at Brendam Docks, where Gordon is dropping off passengers. Gordon attempts to one-up the diesels and seem superior, only for him to become so stuck-up that he foolishly hits Diesel's flatbed, damaging his buffer beam, much to his embarrassment and the diesels' amusement.
Later, when Gordon returns to the Docks after Den and Dart have given him a diesel buffer beam to wear while they mend his usual one, Diesel, 'Arry, and Bert roll past and laugh at his predicament.
Season 20[]
"Diesel and the Ducklings"[]
Diesel claims that 'Arry and Bert are his friends and like him, due to him being "rough and tough", to which they agree. Thomas later attempts to blackmail Diesel into being kind with the threat of telling everyone about his newfound affection for some ducklings. When Diesel eventually breaks their promise, Thomas brings 'Arry and Bert to the ducklings. Although Thomas intended to embarrass Diesel by doing this, both of them see 'Arry and Bert also taking a liking to the ducklings, showing that when it comes to them, they, along with Diesel, are also big softies.
Season 21[]
"Springtime for Diesel"[]
'Arry and Bert are informed by Mavis that Den and Dart have said that Daisy may have to be scrapped, due to her being difficult for them to mend, much to their shock and horror. They then tell this to Diesel, who assumes that they are blaming him for it, as he was the one who bumped Daisy and broke her springs in the process.
"The Big Freeze"
When Thomas and the other steam engines run out of coal, 'Arry, Bert, and the other diesels save the day by delivering some more.
Relationships[]
Friends/Allies[]
- Diesel (Best friend)
- Diesel 10 (Boss and leader)
- Mavis
- Salty
- Paxton
- Norman
- Dennis
- Sidney
- Den and Dart
- Daisy
- Thomas
- Edward
- Henry
- Gordon
- James
- Percy
- Emily
- The other steam engines (sometimes)
- Sir Topham Hatt (boss; sometimes)
Enemies[]
- Stepney (archenemy and victim)
- Thomas (archrival)
- Percy
- James
- Henry
- Gordon
- Edward
- Toby
- Emily
- Duck
- Donald
- Douglas
- Oliver
- Toad
- The other steam engines (sometimes)
- Sir Topham Hatt (boss; sometimes)
- Paxton (sometimes)
- Sidney (sometimes)
Trivia[]
- Unlike most twin characters in the franchise, 'Arry and Bert don't have their names or any numbers painted on them to distinguish them from each other, making them the most difficult set of twins in the franchise to tell apart. Despite this, they are still not quite identical, as Bert has more stubble than 'Arry.
- 'Arry's name is actually Harry, but the H is silent, as the twins speak with a Cockney accent, which is also why there is an apostrophe above the A. However, the other characters who don't speak with a Cockney accents still refer to him as 'Arry instead of Harry.
- The 1998 official website and Question Time with Sir Topham Hatt refer to 'Arry and Bert as the "Yellow Diesels."
- Most of their toys and the official website have the twins called "Iron 'Arry" and "Iron Bert", due to the name, Bert, having previously been trademarked in the duo, Bert and Ernie, from Sesame Street.
- Unlike most of the diesel characters who are based off of the BR Class 08 diesel shunter, 'Arry and Bert do not have ladders going up the sides of the front. However, the ladders are featured on their ERTL, De Agostini, Hornby, and Lionel toys.
- During the production or Thomas and the Magic Railroad, 'Arry and Bert's models were repainted to create the characters, Splatter and Dodge. After the film's production wrapped up, the models were reverted back into 'Arry and Bert.
- 'Arry and Bert's models used to be on display in Canada at Nitrogen Studios and wore their sly and suspicious faces. The models were returned to storage after Nitrogen left the series. As of late 2023, 'Arry's model is currently on display at the Discover Thomas & Friends Exhibition at Drayton Manor Theme Park on the new layout wearing his happy face.
- All of 'Arry and Bert's horn sounds have been used elsewhere in the series:
- Their horn sounds from Calling All Engines! to the eleventh season are Diesel's horn sounds at three steps lower-pitched ('Arry) and five steps lower-pitched (Bert) respectively. They are also BoCo's at two steps lower-pitched ('Arry) and four steps lower-pitched (Bert), respectively.
- Bert's horn sound from the eighth season episode, "Percy's New Whistle", was later reused for Salty from the tenth season episode, "Toby's Afternoon Off" to the twelfth season.
- 'Arry's horn sound from the fourteenth season onwards was later reused for a ship in the song, "Hickory Tickory Tock" from the album, Nursery Rhymes.
- Bert's horn sound from the fourteenth season onwards was previously used as a ship's horn in the fifth season episodes, "Horrid Lorry" and "Something in the Air."
- 'Arry is the only character whose Minis toy doesn't have an ordinary variant.
- Just like Den and Dart from the episode, "Fiery Flynn", 'Arry and Bert share the same voice actor. But unlike the former two, it wasn't a one-time thing.
- 'Arry and Bert's liveries may have been inspired by the colors worn by the NS Class 600, which bears a similar appearance to their basis, the BR Class 08.
- 'Arry and Bert are accompanied by a triplet in the 2006 video game, Right on Time.
- Seventeen different facial expressions were sculpted for both 'Arry and Bert throughout the model era. However, only fourteen were used onscreen, three of which (their depressed, disgusted, and tired faces) were left unused.
External Links[]
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 Villains
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