Such a heavily underated and underused character. It's fantastic that the fanbase has kept his legacy alive and he still gets his much deserved recognition.
"You don't need a grand legacy or to have been in the spotlight for people to recognize you, but instead, simply existing is all you need to do to inspire." A truly inspirational quote.
For someone who watches Sodors Finest on The Unlucky Tug, it's great to see someone other than him to make a professional Thomas character analysis video. Never I'd expected a Thomas history video on Boco would reach almost 40 minutes. The amount of research and fandom on him is dedicated indeed.😁👌
I believe the best way to describe BoCo would be the guy who isn’t always in the spotlight not because he’s not popular, far from it, but simply because he doesn’t need to be and just wants to help people BoCo is a character that, as explained during this, has reached out and impacted many people as they simply didn’t want to see him go, no other character has had the same attention that BoCo got simply due to everyone just loving him for who he was, as I mentioned before, the guy who just wants to help out
Boco’s unique in that he always tries his best because he wants too. Rusty does a lot of what he does because he feels he has to prove something, and Emily had to so she’d stay in service. Boco, on the other hand, does everything he does because he wants too, nothing’s forcing him too.
One thing about BoCo that i find fascinating is how he's a modern parallel to Edward. Edward is a Furness Railway K2 Larger Seagull, BoCo is a BR Class 28 Metrovick. Both classes were built with the intention of running express trains but were plagued with problems. These problems saw that both classes were relocated to Barrow-in-furness. With such close proximity to Sodor, odds are at least one Larger Seagull/Metrovick would venture onto Sudrian metals. And what do you know? Both Edward and BoCo did and both ended up working the Brendam Branch Line. One major difference being that Edward worked the main line for stint before finding his way to Brendam whereas BoCo went to Brendam almost immediately
I personally don’t think BoCo needed a character ark as if he was just a character for the other engines to interact with I think that would’ve been fine but the Fandom’s take on BoCo shows how the characters with the smallest of screen time can have a HUGE impact! Excellent analysis!
Considering how the other diesels were handled, such as Diesel being a recurring anti-hero/straight up antagonist and Daisy as a stuck-up diesel who turns into a nice one, I can understand how BoCo was thrown to the side on the classic series. With that said, GOOD LORD DID THEY WASTE HIS POTENTIAL. Wrong Road and Double Teething Troubles are some of my favorite episodes thanks to how he was handled and on par with his Railway Series relevance. I hope to someday write my own story that'll give him the golden mantle he truly deserves. Thank you for talking about this, BoCo is so important to me and I'm thankful he's getting as much recognition as he does now.
@@inkywright And goes back to be an antagonist next season and throughout the BWBA era which he remains so by the show's end thankfully. Davey Moore should know better than to do that for Season 21 anyway and that things never lasted long with Diesel, even in Season 21.
Very nice summation - and it's so true too! I'm an old school Thomas fan and BoCo was one of my favourite characters. I'm not sure why that was; maybe because he was different? So, I was disappointed when he stopped appearing in the show. I always held on to hope that he would return in the Brenner CGI era, but sadly that never happened. And you are right, there is so much story potential.
BoCo is one of those Classic characters I really wish to see return, but due to many executives' own mindsets to try and focus more on the main Steam Team, new one-off characters, etc., it is VERY disappointing not to see him return. I am so glad we have the fandom's original series/stories to give him more spotlight. In fact, he is another favorite character of mine and second favorite diesel. He really is an interesting inverse of what diesels represented to the steam engines. While Diesel has been devious kickstarting the whole steam vs. diesels rivalry, Daisy going through her own mini-arc, and Rusty being a narrow-gauge diesel that is a close friend to his fellow little steam engine friends, BoCo represented that not all diesels are bad and slowly breaks the steam engines' suspicions of them. For the fandom's take on him, I really love what TrainnedAssassian did with him in his BoCo film (which is in fact my favorite original Thomas feature length project in the fandom, especially with some original creative liberties done to make it more interesting). As long as his representation is carried on, he will always forever be a very kind and friendly diesel to any generation of engine. I think he, Bear and Derek would make a fine trio since they have a similar situation of nearly being scrapped.
I get why the production team from season seventeen wanted to bring him back to the small screen for the appeal of the fandom, but also Mattel rejecting him for more female characters. And despite people wanting Bachmann to make a model of Boco for their Thomas range, the chances of that happening are arranged from being pretty bleak to completely impossible.
Major praise to the fandom for saving Boco from a less than desirable end that the TV series caused. Back when I used to love Thomas to death, Boco was my favorite diesel character of the series. Kinda sad he was wasted by the TV series, but the fandom fortunately brought him back into glory
Wows, I wasn't sure what to expect when I heard you would be making a video on Boco but you certainly knocked it out of the park. After researching more into Boco's real life basis, I was very surprised how much potential there was with him and how Wilbert, Christopher, and the TV show seemingly wasted it. The fandom however recognized that potential and ran with it and this was a really nice of spotlighting that. One small detail you got wrong was when at 4:32 you mentioned the "nationalization plan" I think you meant "modernization plan".
This video popped up in my recommended feed and after watching it till the end. I gotta say that this is a really well put together video about BoCo, he's such an underused character with a lot of mispotential which is why I've come to appreciate him as I got older. I'll admit that he's kinda boring but he's memorable in a good way, as it makes way for creativity to make him a stand out character in fan written stories. While I've lost interest in Thomas & Friends and not apart of the fandom, BoCo is still one of my all time favorite Thomas characters and the amount of well written fan stories about BoCo shows that an underused and forgotten character like BoCo can still meet their full potential if done right. Keep up the good work!
My brother, sister, and I are planning to do a dramatized recording of all of the books and some of the fan stories. We plan on reworking some of the stories to make them flow better, and I also plan on witting my own stories/books. One book I plan on writing is "Really Useful Diesels." I plan on using a story created by Carson videos about how Bear got his name and splitting it up as the first and last story. Then a story each for BoCo and Daisy. I also plan on writing a story that takes place in the 2020's. I plan on sending Black Hills Central #110 to visit the Tallylin Railway, the Skarloey Railway, and of course, the last regularly operated steam railway in the world. The reason being is that since the BHCR is the first tourist train in the US, (if I am remembering right), the owners decide to send him to visit the first preserved railway in the world to boost tourism for the Black Hills of South Dakota. One of the stories would be about when one of #110's axles came off. The story would be called Too Big for His Wheels, or something like that. I also have other story ideas based on real events. Like the story how 15year old Kate Shelley saved a train from going across a destroyed bridge by crossing the storm swept bridge.
A video about BoCo of all characters shouldn't have an ending as good as that...and yet, here we are. In all seriousness though, great video. You've steadily stepped up your game with these essays!
You, my good man, have scored an A+. You highlighted how BoCo should be used. A diesel who is humbled when he learns how mechanically flawed he is, as well as the first truly friendly diesel (at least when he arrives on Sodor), who has to earn the trust of the steam engines. Not just one engine, all of them. The stories you mentioned wonderfully fill the gaps that were left out of the books. Also, I'd highly recommend the Richard Jordan stories "Duck Comes Around" and "Diesels and Dogma". Watch NWR1991's adaptations, and you'll see what I mean.
Love this video! I'd so love if you talked in-depth about other obscure or underutilized engines that fans helped to flesh out and become more beloved than ever. :D
I think maybe I will With how much I enjoyed making this one and the quick success it's gained, I'd very much like to do videos like this on characters like Duke, Derek, Fergus etc the list on underutilized characters is endless
@@usualblokeluke Oho, I'd so love to see you discuss Derek and Duke, especially Derek since I'm a fan of big diesel characters - they're such a rarity in the series.
Even if BoCo returns to CGI, he still be in character like other returnee characters who return to the series so not flanderized. Honestly. He'II probably get the same treatment as Daisy by having more appearances in CGI episodes like she did from Season 20 onwards.
God I absolutely loved that old Accidents Will Happen, thank you for reminding me. Lovely video on a character that has been unappreciated for a long time. That ending message was remarkably wholesome
If BoCo returns to the CGI series, he would be voiced by Rob Rackstraw in UK and US with his Mr. Bentley voice which would suit him really well. MainlandStudios even made two videos around that.
My friend made his own short film version of BoCo’s origin, and it really showed me just how wasted he was. After watching this I went and watched some other BoCo projects that just proved that even further.
Even with Rusty and the newer friendly diesels introduced later on, it wouldn't matter because BoCo returning to the show and be around is all we ever wanted him to be, wither he sticks out or not. You'd understand.
The same can really be said about Duck, sure the CGI series brought him back but it was the Fandom making up their own stories left and right that really kept his legacy alive and well. It really is a shame how so many new characters throughout the show were introduced and barely used. Murdoch and Arthur really come to mind.
@@LegendaryCaptain I thought he already did or it might've been TrainBoy but there kind of his somewhat of a video discussing Duck and his apparent popularity.
@@PennsyPappas trainboy did do a history video but not full scale like this video or one of the sodors finest I'm pretty sure duck is on the chopping block soon enough along with percy, Duncan and sir topham hatt definitely the most hinted at imo
@@LegendaryCaptain I'm sure The Unlucky Tug will eventually do most if not all the characters as that's alot if potential content for him. Though doing characters that are just CGI may not necessarily happen as much since theres not much to go on other than that
In regards to the first Thomas videos I watched, I remember there was a user back in the day called rkovision and he uploaded all the classic series episodes around 2008 or 2009. A similar situation happened again a few years later where I found a user who uploaded all the classic episodes of Pokemon. I miss those days when people just uploaded TV shows on TH-cam and didn't have to worry about copyright problems
Now that I’ve seen the recaps of the Railway & TV Series’, I honestly prefer the way they introduced BoCo in Season 2, just because they brought in him before Rusty. Letting Duck, Gordon etc. see that there’s a diesel from the same railway and on the same gauge as Mr. Devious, who is actually sensible, hard-working and friendly. Showing that not ALL diesels are boastful, prejudiced or antagonistic. Also, even though I love Ghost Train, I totally agree with the Crossed Lines & Deep Freeze opinion.
It's like the alternative where Boco's line of engines made it through testing and carried on plus for some reason, he was my personal favorite engine.
Thank you very much for this stunning video chap! I really learned a lot from. Despite BoCo being more of a background character, he’s always been my favorite. Great work on the editing as well!
BoCo ultimately proves being yourself is the best you should strive to be. Being himself was what got him popular and ultimately made a lot of people show their creative potential.
Boco reappeared in Thomas Creator Collective thanks to fans. He didn't reappear again but he was never forgotten. Sam Wilkinson wanted to bring him back. Also Andrew Brenner wanted to bring him back in Season 22 along with Hank but was dropped out by Mattel for more Female Characters.
as someone who's falling back into this god forsaken series and wanting to interact with the fanbase, this is GREAT! i was wondering what the hype was around boco!
i never watched any if the boco episodes as a kid, but i had the playrail toy of him which is why i knew of him before i went back and watched all the classic episodes recently. he’s a cool guy
Boco was always one of my favorite diesels as a kid. Don't know why. I recently had this idea that if they adapted "Super Rescue" to the TV series, but couldn't make new models, they could've used Boco in place of D7101 and Class 40/Bowler as D199.
This was a really good video Boco video you made. I wasn’t expecting you to make one like this, but you did very well. I also do wish Boco would have come back to the show but he is definitely an underrated and underused character. I also do think the James and the Diesel Engines episodes idea was really interesting, however, I personally think they could work in either seasons 3 or 4. I think the reason for Ghost Train and Woolly Bear for behind two of the last episodes of season 2, was because they wanted to get those two out of the way before giving Thomas a more nicer and grown up side in season 3. I am glad the fandom brought him into their trainz videos and gave him spotlight videos, especially Thomas1Edward2Henry3. Overall, you did very well with this video and hopefully you could make more of these.
BoCo is an Inspiration for fan made characters. One of my made up Thomas OC’s is a BR class 28 Diesel like BoCo, and his name is Binx ( Full name is CoBo Binx ). Binx is BR class 28, No. D5708, one of the Two BR class 28’s with the BR Green livery and Full Yellow Ends.
There's a story, that I can't find online anymore, where the steam engines of Sodor were telling Boco that he wasn't a real engine or diesel, but by the end they apologize and list all of the good things he's done for them. If anyone knows the name of that story or where it is, please let me know.
One of my first (or my first) wooden railway toys was boco. It is still in great condition, and for a long time boco was one of my fav characters. It still is one of my favs
Great video! I couldn’t agree more about how much depth the fandom has given to Boco, it’s truly phenomenal and has made us all love him much more. While all the stories you mentioned are awesome, Personally my favorite fan story of him is called “accidents and Sodor” by Cactus 901 (some number I can’t remember) and it details his life before Sodor and how he befriends some steam engine and his coming to Sodor was actually due to an accident. Anyway I love how you ended the video on such a positive, inspiring note. Huge props to you mate, awesome video!
I most enjoyed the surprisingly comprehensive history of the fandom and of fan stories. Would love more talking about this - key players and pioneers in different subgenres and mediums of Thomas… stuff in different small corners of the internet.
4:34 Dr Beeching only closed alot of Branchlines and Mainlines, Ernest Marples and Phillp Shirley were the ones that replaced the Steam Engines 13:26 The Nationalization of the Railways in the UK happened in the 1940s when all the Big Four Railways United as one Nevertheless good video!
The TV Series team should’ve either adapted Buzz Buzz into Series 2 or adapted The Dieseasal, Wrong Road and Edward’s Exploit into Series 3. This would’ve showed how Duck and the three main line engines were still getting over when Diesel came to the railway and got Duck into a lot of trouble. When they meet with BoCo, they get suspicious of the next diesel, but learn he is kind and hard working.
It did in The Railway Series. But it didn’t in The TV Series. It would’ve been good as it would’ve showed Duck’s continuity with his hatred on diesel engines.
While there was likely no intention I think BoCo did somewhat have a bit of a character arc in the Main Line Engines book, where he deals with the others being rude to him & about him but keeps winning them over in each story and eventually by the end had managed to win everyone over (even the Scottish Twins with their rough history). And that was it, everything with BoCo winning the others over was finished and there didn’t have to be more with him in the RWS.
@@jaanshersaeed4541 Edward has a kind of determined and kind personality but they both win everyone over and they’re both heroic….. And they both saved James. XD
@@skylarthompson299 And while Edward and BoCo are both wise and sensible, BoCo is a bit tougher blunter and more prone to losing his patience with others while Edward lets others continue to push him around and focuses on the needs of others more than himself
@@jaanshersaeed4541 Two opposites, a confident hero and a hero who lets everyone push him around (I’d like to see a story with both of them similar to the one with Henry and Hiro. (BoCo learns to be more patient and less hard on others or himself but still push on while Edward learns to not let others push him around and treat him like nothing or trash not to always focus on needs of others and that if he had to earn respect too many times he should call the others out on their cr*p. And it’ll be like Meg’s speech in “Seahorse Seashell Party” or similar except Edward doesn’t have to apologise to those who hurt him or pushed him around in the past. It’ll be two seperate episodes and it’ll be glorious. (Time for me to write fanfiction.-) (I believe they’re similar in heroics and they’re both wise and sensible but opposites in personality (one rude and doesn’t let himself get pushed around but alsmm on impatient and the other kind and patient but let’s himself get pushed around too much which what makes them interesting and they’d make a good episode with the two of them but not too similar to Henry’s Hiro because of Edward is one of many role models of the show, kids should learn not to let themselves get pushed around and mistreated and also learn patience since BoCo may be stern and stand up for himself but impatient and being too hard when all is needed is a healthy amount of kindness and sternness or toughness, but at the SME time it’s who these two are but I wouldn’t mind seeing character development maybe with the two interacting more even if it’s just one episode (If BoCo was never taken off the show, Maybe BoCo telling Edward how the twins (Bill and Ben) are demons and maddening like Edward said.-) (I’m surprised Edward hasn’t pushed the twins into the sea yet /j, lol jk XD I don’t want Edward to harm the twins even if they can be as said, maddening sometimes.)
Well if All Engines Go brought back Bulstrode of all characters, all hope isn't entirely lost on BoCo making a return. But like you said his personality will be completely wrong.
@@joshuaW5621 I agree. It's already soul crushing enough to see what they've done with Thomas, Percy, Gordon, etc. They really do not need to ruin any more of our cherished characters.
ngl, i loved boco, like a lot as a character. and it was a shame to not see him in the cgi series (though i think there was a cgi render someone did of him) the fact that fans did so much with him just warms the heart to see that everyone's favorite mertovic will never be forgotten, even if the big companies did
As someone who grew up with Thomas back in the 90s (Born in 89, for context), I never thought about just how Boco seemed to vanish. There were even times when I'd forget he was a character, but then I'd see an episode with him in it or would look at my thomas collection and spot his ERTL Die Cast toy and go "Huh! I forgot you were there." Yeah, Boco was sadly forgotten. If Mattel wants to get into the fans good graces again on this one, bringing him back, even if it IS for the-cartoon-that-shall-not-be-named would be a great first step. Meanwhile though, leave it to the fandom to keep our favorite Metropolitan Vicars Diesel Electric Type 2 alive and working.
So I know this is a thing for 2000's cartoons, but I'd assume it'd be the same. Many kids shows were only made until they to be syndicalised. Essentially kids forget shit, and they can show them in any order indefinitly for the youth. It's only a semi-recent thing for kids TV shows to have a consistent plot as a main theme, which to clarify, show writers may create a cohesive plot, but scheadulers just can essentially choose any episode from any point, and it 'makes sense' enough for kids to enjoy.
22:39 That can be explained due to the gimmicky episodes HiT and Mattel wanted, wanting to milk the Steam vs Diesel plot as much as possible, and complaints about the show not having females.
I still make a point about the other obscure characters that were shunned by Mattel and HiT because they were trying to have more females, merchandise, and milking anything they could for money.
@@merlinandmurdoch7837 Do you have any sources to confirm this? I tried to look for information regarding why BoCo never came back but couldn't find anything.
@@usualblokeluke Well when I say broken I don’t mean his mechanisms. I mean since season 3 the middle of his body was starting to sag lower than his face ends. We got that from his ruler pictures for season 3 and season 8. Same could be said for Old Slow Coach. In his season 2 ruler pictures he’s a lot more level
Fans wanted BoCo to return in CGI and if he did, they would be happy to see him back regardless of things but he'd still be in character like before like the other returnees so not flanderized. He can have the same special treatment Daisy got when she returns like more spotlight roles in episodes and expanded since she also didn't appear much in the model era so that he wouldn't be underutilized. You'd understand.
NWR1991's video Duck Comes Around is my favourite video, where Duck and the others first meet Boco when he arranged their trains and wished them a good train journey, Duck in that moment realised that not all diesels are like devious Diesel, that I thought was very wholesome
My favorite fandoms that include Boco are Victor Tanzig’s Stories of Sodor and Thomas1Edward2Henry3’s as they cover more about his past, origin, problems, and how he became a successful engine.
In my opinion BoCo is one of my very favourite characters because of his solidarity and mood. He might be a rectangle on the railway (like duck) he always been a nice engine and will always have a especial place on our very heart Beginner engine enthusiast Darkel-
I bet if BoCo returns in CGI, he'II have the position of leader of the diesels to keep peace and help the steam engines against the devious diesels added to him since he's a good diesel and better for it than Diesel 10 on account of his evil villainy with no care for anyone, even some diesels with good natures as we all know.
It's kinda sad to think Boco showed up in Seaosns 2,3&5. He is one of my favorite characters from the show. I really wished he appeared in GCI. But can't wait for 12 o'clock tomorrow so I can watch it
Boco is just another one of those characters, with real life story pieces , that i always gravitated towards as a kid. Like i never the real world story of the engine , yet i still always ended up loving them. For example toby being the one the awdry's rode on vacation , or stepney for just existing in real life. With boco its teething troubles and all that in real life , that make me love the character even more as an adult now.
Thomas may be my favorite character very but I think boco takes the cake. Boco has been an interesting character to me and he's still my favorite to this day, I wish I could own a merchandise of him
I think the Fandom surpassed Mattel the second Thomas Videos on TH-cam became a thing. From Leokimvideo and Skarloey123’s darker stories, to the hilarious YTP’s of WTLNETWORK, and videos of MissOliverAndBlossom.
In James and the Diesel engine, I think it makes sense that a diesel who james hadn’t met would rescue him instead of BoCo because at the end of mainline engines, it says Donald and Douglas were the last to accept BoCo. And in the beginning of James and the Diesel engine, it says that James likes BoCo and Bear, but treated all other diesels with deep suspicion
I was reading the buzz book of buzz buzz the other day ad noticed there is a very strange picture of boco's model with a yellow buffer beam. Just something interesting I thought I'd bring up
![[ ออกกอง ] วัยหนุ่ม 2544 โลกหลังลูกกรง..ทัวร์กองถ่ายหนังใน "คุกของจริง" | JUSTดูIT.](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/vB--aOkZCpw/mqdefault.jpg)
At this point, there is no question that the fandom is better than Mattel.
True
Facts.
True
I mean…almost literally anything is better than Mattel
bro... "better"? you mean that they are perfect and should pretty much take over all TTTE showings from now on?
Such a heavily underated and underused character. It's fantastic that the fanbase has kept his legacy alive and he still gets his much deserved recognition.
"You don't need a grand legacy or to have been in the spotlight for people to recognize you, but instead, simply existing is all you need to do to inspire."
A truly inspirational quote.
99th like
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@@ThomasAndRandomRobloxGames 2nd like ❤
For someone who watches Sodors Finest on The Unlucky Tug, it's great to see someone other than him to make a professional Thomas character analysis video. Never I'd expected a Thomas history video on Boco would reach almost 40 minutes. The amount of research and fandom on him is dedicated indeed.😁👌
And its not one of those stupid "HOW (inset character name here) CHANGED MY LIFE 300 SUB SPECIAL!" videos
It's a shame what happened to Tug.
@@cheezecuz3252but he's back and he's almost there.... Kinda🫤☹️
I believe the best way to describe BoCo would be the guy who isn’t always in the spotlight not because he’s not popular, far from it, but simply because he doesn’t need to be and just wants to help people
BoCo is a character that, as explained during this, has reached out and impacted many people as they simply didn’t want to see him go, no other character has had the same attention that BoCo got simply due to everyone just loving him for who he was, as I mentioned before, the guy who just wants to help out
I remembered liking BoCo as a kid because of his colour and how he keeps the twins in order.
That’s so beautiful!
Boco’s unique in that he always tries his best because he wants too. Rusty does a lot of what he does because he feels he has to prove something, and Emily had to so she’d stay in service. Boco, on the other hand, does everything he does because he wants too, nothing’s forcing him too.
One thing about BoCo that i find fascinating is how he's a modern parallel to Edward.
Edward is a Furness Railway K2 Larger Seagull, BoCo is a BR Class 28 Metrovick. Both classes were built with the intention of running express trains but were plagued with problems. These problems saw that both classes were relocated to Barrow-in-furness. With such close proximity to Sodor, odds are at least one Larger Seagull/Metrovick would venture onto Sudrian metals. And what do you know? Both Edward and BoCo did and both ended up working the Brendam Branch Line.
One major difference being that Edward worked the main line for stint before finding his way to Brendam whereas BoCo went to Brendam almost immediately
People are gonna get mad at that comment lol
I knew all the details you mentioned but I never thought that Boco would be a Modern Parallel to Edward! Thanks for blowing my mind!
@@stupidproductions69 how so?
And, BoCo kinda is experimental much like Henry pre-Flying Kipper.
@@TankEngine75 people get mad at other people when they say BoCo is a diesel version of Edward
The incident you’d mentioned for my story about Boco at 38:21 was the inspiration so you were 100% sure. Thanks for the mention too.
I personally don’t think BoCo needed a character ark as if he was just a character for the other engines to interact with I think that would’ve been fine but the Fandom’s take on BoCo shows how the characters with the smallest of screen time can have a HUGE impact! Excellent analysis!
BoCo is a good example of how not every character needs the spotlight to be interesting. He’s a bit like Hercules from Tugs in that regard.
@@joshuaW5621 Though it would be nice for him to have more focus in episodes.
@@DavidBContentExtravaganza3967 Idk what his canon character is like.-
@@skylarthompson299 Same in the show.
@@DavidBContentExtravaganza3967 Cool.
I’m glad that BoCo is finally being used to his full potential and I really can’t wait to see what they do to him in the future
And in fanmade CGI style videos.
Even if BoCo wouldn't stand out from the other good diesels, him appearing again in the show would be perfect enough for us fans.
Considering how the other diesels were handled, such as Diesel being a recurring anti-hero/straight up antagonist and Daisy as a stuck-up diesel who turns into a nice one, I can understand how BoCo was thrown to the side on the classic series. With that said, GOOD LORD DID THEY WASTE HIS POTENTIAL. Wrong Road and Double Teething Troubles are some of my favorite episodes thanks to how he was handled and on par with his Railway Series relevance. I hope to someday write my own story that'll give him the golden mantle he truly deserves. Thank you for talking about this, BoCo is so important to me and I'm thankful he's getting as much recognition as he does now.
Mostly straight up antagonist for Diesel mind you.
@@DavidBContentExtravaganza3967 Of course he has his redemption arc, but Season 21 was a bit messy so it got contradicted
@@inkywright And goes back to be an antagonist next season and throughout the BWBA era which he remains so by the show's end thankfully. Davey Moore should know better than to do that for Season 21 anyway and that things never lasted long with Diesel, even in Season 21.
Very nice summation - and it's so true too! I'm an old school Thomas fan and BoCo was one of my favourite characters. I'm not sure why that was; maybe because he was different? So, I was disappointed when he stopped appearing in the show. I always held on to hope that he would return in the Brenner CGI era, but sadly that never happened. And you are right, there is so much story potential.
@Usual Bloke Luke by the way, I think you meant Modernisation Plan instead of Nationalisation Plan.
BoCo is one of those Classic characters I really wish to see return, but due to many executives' own mindsets to try and focus more on the main Steam Team, new one-off characters, etc., it is VERY disappointing not to see him return. I am so glad we have the fandom's original series/stories to give him more spotlight. In fact, he is another favorite character of mine and second favorite diesel. He really is an interesting inverse of what diesels represented to the steam engines. While Diesel has been devious kickstarting the whole steam vs. diesels rivalry, Daisy going through her own mini-arc, and Rusty being a narrow-gauge diesel that is a close friend to his fellow little steam engine friends, BoCo represented that not all diesels are bad and slowly breaks the steam engines' suspicions of them.
For the fandom's take on him, I really love what TrainnedAssassian did with him in his BoCo film (which is in fact my favorite original Thomas feature length project in the fandom, especially with some original creative liberties done to make it more interesting). As long as his representation is carried on, he will always forever be a very kind and friendly diesel to any generation of engine. I think he, Bear and Derek would make a fine trio since they have a similar situation of nearly being scrapped.
And Norman since he keeps breaking down.
He was the first standard gauge diesel to be nice from the outset
9:00 Christopher wrote stories about BoCo in Trucks For Scrap and Quick Thinking
Sodor- a save place for steam engines
Thomas and friends fandom: a save place for wasted and forgotten charecters.
Starbucks/SUVs: A safe place for Karens/SJWs.
Well, that's what fans are for. Taking care of a forgotten nostalgic character.
Awesome documentary btw
I get why the production team from season seventeen wanted to bring him back to the small screen for the appeal of the fandom, but also Mattel rejecting him for more female characters. And despite people wanting Bachmann to make a model of Boco for their Thomas range, the chances of that happening are arranged from being pretty bleak to completely impossible.
I think that’d be Season 21.
Major praise to the fandom for saving Boco from a less than desirable end that the TV series caused. Back when I used to love Thomas to death, Boco was my favorite diesel character of the series. Kinda sad he was wasted by the TV series, but the fandom fortunately brought him back into glory
That accidents will happen video. Was the very FIRST thing I’ve ever seen on TH-cam. Now seeing it 13 or so years later. Truly hit me in the feels
Oh, there is one other Boco story video that deserves some recognition "Snow and Stress" made by Live Steam
Wows, I wasn't sure what to expect when I heard you would be making a video on Boco but you certainly knocked it out of the park. After researching more into Boco's real life basis, I was very surprised how much potential there was with him and how Wilbert, Christopher, and the TV show seemingly wasted it. The fandom however recognized that potential and ran with it and this was a really nice of spotlighting that. One small detail you got wrong was when at 4:32 you mentioned the "nationalization plan" I think you meant "modernization plan".
Even with CGI style.
This video popped up in my recommended feed and after watching it till the end. I gotta say that this is a really well put together video about BoCo, he's such an underused character with a lot of mispotential which is why I've come to appreciate him as I got older. I'll admit that he's kinda boring but he's memorable in a good way, as it makes way for creativity to make him a stand out character in fan written stories. While I've lost interest in Thomas & Friends and not apart of the fandom, BoCo is still one of my all time favorite Thomas characters and the amount of well written fan stories about BoCo shows that an underused and forgotten character like BoCo can still meet their full potential if done right.
Keep up the good work!
I always thought Boco was underused. There should have been a Boco book in the railway series.
My brother, sister, and I are planning to do a dramatized recording of all of the books and some of the fan stories. We plan on reworking some of the stories to make them flow better, and I also plan on witting my own stories/books. One book I plan on writing is "Really Useful Diesels." I plan on using a story created by Carson videos about how Bear got his name and splitting it up as the first and last story. Then a story each for BoCo and Daisy. I also plan on writing a story that takes place in the 2020's. I plan on sending Black Hills Central #110 to visit the Tallylin Railway, the Skarloey Railway, and of course, the last regularly operated steam railway in the world. The reason being is that since the BHCR is the first tourist train in the US, (if I am remembering right), the owners decide to send him to visit the first preserved railway in the world to boost tourism for the Black Hills of South Dakota. One of the stories would be about when one of #110's axles came off. The story would be called Too Big for His Wheels, or something like that. I also have other story ideas based on real events. Like the story how 15year old Kate Shelley saved a train from going across a destroyed bridge by crossing the storm swept bridge.
A video about BoCo of all characters shouldn't have an ending as good as that...and yet, here we are.
In all seriousness though, great video. You've steadily stepped up your game with these essays!
Thank you!
It's been a gradual process but I'm so happy to be where I am now
Being able to make video essays of this quality is awesome.
You, my good man, have scored an A+. You highlighted how BoCo should be used. A diesel who is humbled when he learns how mechanically flawed he is, as well as the first truly friendly diesel (at least when he arrives on Sodor), who has to earn the trust of the steam engines. Not just one engine, all of them. The stories you mentioned wonderfully fill the gaps that were left out of the books. Also, I'd highly recommend the Richard Jordan stories "Duck Comes Around" and "Diesels and Dogma". Watch NWR1991's adaptations, and you'll see what I mean.
This is longer than the amount of screen time Boco ever had.
Love this video! I'd so love if you talked in-depth about other obscure or underutilized engines that fans helped to flesh out and become more beloved than ever. :D
I think maybe I will
With how much I enjoyed making this one and the quick success it's gained, I'd very much like to do videos like this on characters like Duke, Derek, Fergus etc the list on underutilized characters is endless
@@usualblokeluke Oho, I'd so love to see you discuss Derek and Duke, especially Derek since I'm a fan of big diesel characters - they're such a rarity in the series.
@@SegaMario CGI mostly.
Sadly, he didn't get much coverage, but I am a bit of a "Bear" stan. Bear was fairly fair minded and a definite good guy.
I don't think I'd care for BoCo if it wasn't for the fandom. Shows just how amazing this fandoms work is
Even if BoCo returns to CGI, he still be in character like other returnee characters who return to the series so not flanderized. Honestly. He'II probably get the same treatment as Daisy by having more appearances in CGI episodes like she did from Season 20 onwards.
Fantastic video! Well done! I always wondered why they introduced the new character and then he just sort of faded away.
God I absolutely loved that old Accidents Will Happen, thank you for reminding me. Lovely video on a character that has been unappreciated for a long time. That ending message was remarkably wholesome
If BoCo returns to the CGI series, he would be voiced by Rob Rackstraw in UK and US with his Mr. Bentley voice which would suit him really well. MainlandStudios even made two videos around that.
Oooh now this should be great! :D an analysis of Boco but ALSO of how AWESOME the fandom has made him out to be
My friend made his own short film version of BoCo’s origin, and it really showed me just how wasted he was. After watching this I went and watched some other BoCo projects that just proved that even further.
Got a link?
@@LuckyFlanker13The channel is called Guster Productions and the video is called BR Tales: BoCo. It’s a sequel to another video he made.
Even with Rusty and the newer friendly diesels introduced later on, it wouldn't matter because BoCo returning to the show and be around is all we ever wanted him to be, wither he sticks out or not. You'd understand.
The same can really be said about Duck, sure the CGI series brought him back but it was the Fandom making up their own stories left and right that really kept his legacy alive and well. It really is a shame how so many new characters throughout the show were introduced and barely used. Murdoch and Arthur really come to mind.
I really want to see a Duck character analysis video I wouldn't be surprised If unlucky tug covers him one day
@@LegendaryCaptain I thought he already did or it might've been TrainBoy but there kind of his somewhat of a video discussing Duck and his apparent popularity.
@@PennsyPappas trainboy did do a history video but not full scale like this video or one of the sodors finest I'm pretty sure duck is on the chopping block soon enough along with percy, Duncan and sir topham hatt definitely the most hinted at imo
@@LegendaryCaptain I'm sure The Unlucky Tug will eventually do most if not all the characters as that's alot if potential content for him. Though doing characters that are just CGI may not necessarily happen as much since theres not much to go on other than that
@@PennsyPappas true but in terms of CGI exclusive characters he does vocally like Paxton Victor and Stephen so I can definitely see them
Boco is a fan favorite. Of course fans will bring him back
As for Crossed Lines and Deep Freeze in S2, they could have done 30 episodes and still include Ghost Train and Woolly Bear.
And also Buzz Buzz and Percy’s Promise.
BoCo was my favorite since I was 4 years old and 9 years later I still love him
In regards to the first Thomas videos I watched, I remember there was a user back in the day called rkovision and he uploaded all the classic series episodes around 2008 or 2009. A similar situation happened again a few years later where I found a user who uploaded all the classic episodes of Pokemon. I miss those days when people just uploaded TV shows on TH-cam and didn't have to worry about copyright problems
Now that I’ve seen the recaps of the Railway & TV Series’, I honestly prefer the way they introduced BoCo in Season 2, just because they brought in him before Rusty. Letting Duck, Gordon etc. see that there’s a diesel from the same railway and on the same gauge as Mr. Devious, who is actually sensible, hard-working and friendly. Showing that not ALL diesels are boastful, prejudiced or antagonistic.
Also, even though I love Ghost Train, I totally agree with the Crossed Lines & Deep Freeze opinion.
It's like the alternative where Boco's line of engines made it through testing and carried on plus for some reason, he was my personal favorite engine.
Boco and Duke are the two most underrated characters in the franchise
Derek, Murdoch and Dennis are pretty underrated too
Thank you very much for this stunning video chap! I really learned a lot from. Despite BoCo being more of a background character, he’s always been my favorite. Great work on the editing as well!
After watching this video, i'm glad the fandom gave Boco a chance to shine.
BoCo ultimately proves being yourself is the best you should strive to be. Being himself was what got him popular and ultimately made a lot of people show their creative potential.
Boco reappeared in Thomas Creator Collective thanks to fans. He didn't reappear again but he was never forgotten. Sam Wilkinson wanted to bring him back. Also Andrew Brenner wanted to bring him back in Season 22 along with Hank but was dropped out by Mattel for more Female Characters.
That last thing is a rumour only
@@merlinandmurdoch7837 If Boco was to come back would any of the characters charge back to their old self?
Ooh, I wonder. Maybe he doesn't know how they've changed.
as someone who's falling back into this god forsaken series and wanting to interact with the fanbase, this is GREAT! i was wondering what the hype was around boco!
duke was gonna appear in kevin the steamie but was cut, in 2015 sam wilkinson wanted to bring duke back to cgi but it didn't happen
i never watched any if the boco episodes as a kid, but i had the playrail toy of him which is why i knew of him before i went back and watched all the classic episodes recently. he’s a cool guy
Boco was always one of my favorite diesels as a kid. Don't know why.
I recently had this idea that if they adapted "Super Rescue" to the TV series, but couldn't make new models, they could've used Boco in place of D7101 and Class 40/Bowler as D199.
This was a really good video Boco video you made. I wasn’t expecting you to make one like this, but you did very well. I also do wish Boco would have come back to the show but he is definitely an underrated and underused character. I also do think the James and the Diesel Engines episodes idea was really interesting, however, I personally think they could work in either seasons 3 or 4. I think the reason for Ghost Train and Woolly Bear for behind two of the last episodes of season 2, was because they wanted to get those two out of the way before giving Thomas a more nicer and grown up side in season 3. I am glad the fandom brought him into their trainz videos and gave him spotlight videos, especially Thomas1Edward2Henry3.
Overall, you did very well with this video and hopefully you could make more of these.
BoCo is an Inspiration for fan made characters. One of my made up Thomas OC’s is a BR class 28 Diesel like BoCo, and his name is Binx ( Full name is CoBo Binx ). Binx is BR class 28, No. D5708, one of the Two BR class 28’s with the BR Green livery and Full Yellow Ends.
We call him "BoCo"
The showrunners call him "Bozo"
It’s funny that hit made ruler photos of BoCo for season 8. Even though he never appeared in season 8.
They were measuring for his coffin 😂
There's a story, that I can't find online anymore, where the steam engines of Sodor were telling Boco that he wasn't a real engine or diesel, but by the end they apologize and list all of the good things he's done for them. If anyone knows the name of that story or where it is, please let me know.
I believe I know which one you are talking about. It's called "Real Engines | ERTL Stop-Motion" by FamousEngines. It's on TH-cam.
BoCo should have giving more appearances after Series 5.
YES!
One of my first (or my first) wooden railway toys was boco. It is still in great condition, and for a long time boco was one of my fav characters. It still is one of my favs
Great video! I couldn’t agree more about how much depth the fandom has given to Boco, it’s truly phenomenal and has made us all love him much more. While all the stories you mentioned are awesome, Personally my favorite fan story of him is called “accidents and Sodor” by Cactus 901 (some number I can’t remember) and it details his life before Sodor and how he befriends some steam engine and his coming to Sodor was actually due to an accident. Anyway I love how you ended the video on such a positive, inspiring note. Huge props to you mate, awesome video!
I most enjoyed the surprisingly comprehensive history of the fandom and of fan stories. Would love more talking about this - key players and pioneers in different subgenres and mediums of Thomas… stuff in different small corners of the internet.
4:34 Dr Beeching only closed alot of Branchlines and Mainlines, Ernest Marples and Phillp Shirley were the ones that replaced the Steam Engines
13:26 The Nationalization of the Railways in the UK happened in the 1940s when all the Big Four Railways United as one
Nevertheless good video!
Going to associate “Ain’t nothing gonna break my stride” with Boco now, thanks to this video, not that I’m complaining! It suits him.
That's basically the theme of the Thomas Fandom at this point.
The TV Series team should’ve either adapted Buzz Buzz into Series 2 or adapted The Dieseasal, Wrong Road and Edward’s Exploit into Series 3. This would’ve showed how Duck and the three main line engines were still getting over when Diesel came to the railway and got Duck into a lot of trouble. When they meet with BoCo, they get suspicious of the next diesel, but learn he is kind and hard working.
Uh, Buzz Buzz does took place after The Dieseasal
It did in The Railway Series. But it didn’t in The TV Series. It would’ve been good as it would’ve showed Duck’s continuity with his hatred on diesel engines.
While there was likely no intention I think BoCo did somewhat have a bit of a character arc in the Main Line Engines book, where he deals with the others being rude to him & about him but keeps winning them over in each story and eventually by the end had managed to win everyone over (even the Scottish Twins with their rough history). And that was it, everything with BoCo winning the others over was finished and there didn’t have to be more with him in the RWS.
Isn’t that a little similar to Edward’s arc?….
@@skylarthompson299 Yeah I guess, BoCo and Edward have very similar characters
@@jaanshersaeed4541 Edward has a kind of determined and kind personality but they both win everyone over and they’re both heroic…..
And they both saved James. XD
@@skylarthompson299 And while Edward and BoCo are both wise and sensible, BoCo is a bit tougher blunter and more prone to losing his patience with others while Edward lets others continue to push him around and focuses on the needs of others more than himself
@@jaanshersaeed4541 Two opposites, a confident hero and a hero who lets everyone push him around (I’d like to see a story with both of them similar to the one with Henry and Hiro. (BoCo learns to be more patient and less hard on others or himself but still push on while Edward learns to not let others push him around and treat him like nothing or trash not to always focus on needs of others and that if he had to earn respect too many times he should call the others out on their cr*p. And it’ll be like Meg’s speech in “Seahorse Seashell Party” or similar except Edward doesn’t have to apologise to those who hurt him or pushed him around in the past. It’ll be two seperate episodes and it’ll be glorious. (Time for me to write fanfiction.-)
(I believe they’re similar in heroics and they’re both wise and sensible but opposites in personality (one rude and doesn’t let himself get pushed around but alsmm on impatient and the other kind and patient but let’s himself get pushed around too much which what makes them interesting and they’d make a good episode with the two of them but not too similar to Henry’s Hiro because of Edward is one of many role models of the show, kids should learn not to let themselves get pushed around and mistreated and also learn patience since BoCo may be stern and stand up for himself but impatient and being too hard when all is needed is a healthy amount of kindness and sternness or toughness, but at the SME time it’s who these two are but I wouldn’t mind seeing character development maybe with the two interacting more even if it’s just one episode (If BoCo was never taken off the show, Maybe BoCo telling Edward how the twins (Bill and Ben) are demons and maddening like Edward said.-) (I’m surprised Edward hasn’t pushed the twins into the sea yet /j, lol jk XD I don’t want Edward to harm the twins even if they can be as said, maddening sometimes.)
Wonderful character highlight and documentary, thank you!
I always liked Boco because unlike Diesel, Boco was a very friendly diesel engine, which was a nice change of pace for the series!
Boco in Enterprising Engines is such a chad, bro survived a tornado, rock slide, and falling off a bridge into a lake
Well if All Engines Go brought back Bulstrode of all characters, all hope isn't entirely lost on BoCo making a return. But like you said his personality will be completely wrong.
Well then again Bulstrode was used heavily in merchandise of to that point so…
I would rather he didn’t appear in that reboot. It’s best waiting for the revival era because I’d rather he not appear and stay untarnished.
@@joshuaW5621 I agree. It's already soul crushing enough to see what they've done with Thomas, Percy, Gordon, etc. They really do not need to ruin any more of our cherished characters.
BoCo is not that relevant, nowadays.
He's just suitable for fan content and modelling, and that's it.
@@islesofforeignrails7917 To most fans, he is. Story potential that the show and the CGI series didn't get to do to expand his character.
ngl, i loved boco, like a lot as a character. and it was a shame to not see him in the cgi series (though i think there was a cgi render someone did of him) the fact that fans did so much with him just warms the heart to see that everyone's favorite mertovic will never be forgotten, even if the big companies did
As someone who grew up with Thomas back in the 90s (Born in 89, for context), I never thought about just how Boco seemed to vanish. There were even times when I'd forget he was a character, but then I'd see an episode with him in it or would look at my thomas collection and spot his ERTL Die Cast toy and go "Huh! I forgot you were there." Yeah, Boco was sadly forgotten. If Mattel wants to get into the fans good graces again on this one, bringing him back, even if it IS for the-cartoon-that-shall-not-be-named would be a great first step.
Meanwhile though, leave it to the fandom to keep our favorite Metropolitan Vicars Diesel Electric Type 2 alive and working.
So I know this is a thing for 2000's cartoons, but I'd assume it'd be the same.
Many kids shows were only made until they to be syndicalised. Essentially kids forget shit, and they can show them in any order indefinitly for the youth. It's only a semi-recent thing for kids TV shows to have a consistent plot as a main theme, which to clarify, show writers may create a cohesive plot, but scheadulers just can essentially choose any episode from any point, and it 'makes sense' enough for kids to enjoy.
22:39 That can be explained due to the gimmicky episodes HiT and Mattel wanted, wanting to milk the Steam vs Diesel plot as much as possible, and complaints about the show not having females.
Actually it’s because BoCo’s model was broken, the middle was sagging lower than the front and back
And they never fixed it (except for that refurbishment in Season 8).
I still make a point about the other obscure characters that were shunned by Mattel and HiT because they were trying to have more females, merchandise, and milking anything they could for money.
@@merlinandmurdoch7837
Do you have any sources to confirm this? I tried to look for information regarding why BoCo never came back but couldn't find anything.
@@usualblokeluke Well when I say broken I don’t mean his mechanisms. I mean since season 3 the middle of his body was starting to sag lower than his face ends. We got that from his ruler pictures for season 3 and season 8. Same could be said for Old Slow Coach. In his season 2 ruler pictures he’s a lot more level
Fans wanted BoCo to return in CGI and if he did, they would be happy to see him back regardless of things but he'd still be in character like before like the other returnees so not flanderized. He can have the same special treatment Daisy got when she returns like more spotlight roles in episodes and expanded since she also didn't appear much in the model era so that he wouldn't be underutilized. You'd understand.
19:20 "more like outside buzz-box" that made me wheeze
Do one for Duke! He deserves it just as much as Boco!
A fandom call WE LIKE STEAM ENGINES
I will always appreciate the fandom for what they did to my favorite diesel character
boco was a character that always stood out to me even at a very young age. maybe it was his boxy shape and color
im not even into trains or TTTE,, but this is so wholesome
good fandom moment
A new driver? HOW HAS THAT NOT BEEN MADE INTO AN EPISODE IN THE SHOW?! OR EVEN THE ORIGINAL BOOKS?!
NWR1991's video Duck Comes Around is my favourite video, where Duck and the others first meet Boco when he arranged their trains and wished them a good train journey, Duck in that moment realised that not all diesels are like devious Diesel, that I thought was very wholesome
My favorite fandoms that include Boco are Victor Tanzig’s Stories of Sodor and Thomas1Edward2Henry3’s as they cover more about his past, origin, problems, and how he became a successful engine.
In my opinion BoCo is one of my very favourite characters because of his solidarity and mood.
He might be a rectangle on the railway (like duck) he always been a nice engine and will always have a especial place on our very heart
Beginner engine enthusiast Darkel-
Boco was and is my favorite Diesel. I found him scary at first, but turns out he's an awesome and kind machine.
This was such a lovely video! ^^
Looking forward to seeing more of your videos-
I bet if BoCo returns in CGI, he'II have the position of leader of the diesels to keep peace and help the steam engines against the devious diesels added to him since he's a good diesel and better for it than Diesel 10 on account of his evil villainy with no care for anyone, even some diesels with good natures as we all know.
BoCo will always be a fan favorite character!
This is very good. Can't wait to see more of this.
I felt happy when BoCo returned around 2016, not in the TV show, but a collab with HiT Entertainment and the Thomas fans.
It's kinda sad to think Boco showed up in Seaosns 2,3&5. He is one of my favorite characters from the show. I really wished he appeared in GCI. But can't wait for 12 o'clock tomorrow so I can watch it
Maybe if Thomas gets revived, it might happen.
He also appears in Thomas and the special letter in season 4 behind mavis
Great video Luke! You should do more videos like these!
Awesome. I would seriously love to see another one of these.
Boco is just another one of those characters, with real life story pieces , that i always gravitated towards as a kid. Like i never the real world story of the engine , yet i still always ended up loving them. For example toby being the one the awdry's rode on vacation , or stepney for just existing in real life. With boco its teething troubles and all that in real life , that make me love the character even more as an adult now.
BoCo is definitely the fandoms favourite character
Thomas may be my favorite character very but I think boco takes the cake. Boco has been an interesting character to me and he's still my favorite to this day, I wish I could own a merchandise of him
I think the Fandom surpassed Mattel the second Thomas Videos on TH-cam became a thing. From Leokimvideo and Skarloey123’s darker stories, to the hilarious YTP’s of WTLNETWORK, and videos of MissOliverAndBlossom.
In James and the Diesel engine, I think it makes sense that a diesel who james hadn’t met would rescue him instead of BoCo because at the end of mainline engines, it says Donald and Douglas were the last to accept BoCo. And in the beginning of James and the Diesel engine, it says that James likes BoCo and Bear, but treated all other diesels with deep suspicion
I was reading the buzz book of buzz buzz the other day ad noticed there is a very strange picture of boco's model with a yellow buffer beam. Just something interesting I thought I'd bring up
I saw that image too in the wiki gallery
I wonder how that colour swap came about