Happy Douglas Day (+ Toad)
Happy Douglas Day everyone!
When I decided to do group pictures for every month's characters, it occurred to me that October, November, and December wouldn't have an equivalent SR or TUGS character to include.
So, instead of giving Douglas a solo picture for his day, I drew him with his (RWS canon) break van, Toad.
For those who haven't read the series as written by Awdry or have forgotten, Toad volunteered to become Douglas's brake van in gratitude after he, Isabel, and Oliver were rescued. There is evidence of this in season three of TTTE, as in Toad Stands By, Toad asks permission - and is granted it - for Douglas to let him stay in the yard to help Oliver.
I like Toad in the CGI series, but I was a little disappointed to find him back with Oliver. You could argue that Douglas may have 'released Toad from his "debt" at that point, but I think Toad would likely have stayed with him and the rest of the Arlesbrugh engines rather than latching back onto Oliver. Let's face it, Douglas's relationship with the other Sudrian brake vans isn't going to be the healthiest after he straight-up murdered one (with a smile on his face if you believe the show) when he first arrived, so Toad was probably a dream come true for all concerned.
Oliver won't be alone in November - he didn't escape with just Toad in the books - so Douglas shouldn't be either.