Rosie's New Look

Happy New Year for 2017! Well, it would be happy if we didn't have the idiot known as Donald Trump for American president, but pfft... whatever. Anyhow, for my first post of the year on the Railfan Brony Blog, we've got a topic that just spawned on Twitter! Rosie the (formerly) lavender tank engine has a new look!

Yep, that's what she'll look like for season 21 onward.

But before I delve further into my thoughts on Rosie's new appearance, I'm gonna briefly summarize what she was like during the past ten seasons at the time of writing: in her debut in season ten, she was a stereotypical fangirl in an equally stereotypical livery. Then in the following season, she was... there, whereas in the season after that, she had a starring role alongside a stronger female character (Emily, in terms of personality). But then during the Nitrogen era, she became a cameo engine to the point that in the previous three seasons, she did literally nothing worth talking about, and so far in season 20, Rosie hasn't turned up at all.

And there may be a good reason for that, which I'll get to later.

Now, how do I feel about Rosie's new appearance? I'm gonna cut to the chase and say that it is a vast improvement. Most would've thought that she'd be better off in black, gray, green, or (a possible nod to The Extended Railway Series) blue, but red? That was so out there, and yet... I think it fits Rosie much better than that stupid pink livery she wore during seasons 10-19 (again, we don't know if she'll be in season 20, but chances are very thin).

What I find interesting about that red livery is that it feels rather close to what steam engines wore on the London, Midland and Scottish Railway - which is odd since Rosie is of Southern design, but I digress - but I find it a bit disappointing that her wheels weren't repainted black to match.

Another intriguing aspect about her redesign is that they used the initials for North Western Railway on her side tanks. That's kind of odd when you consider that from day one, no other steam engine had those initials on their tanks or tenders and so Rosie sticks out like a dented buffer. Even though we can't see her cab sides, perhaps the animators are giving Rosie a number as well? Maybe.

As for why Rosie is getting a repaint? Well, I'm thinking that there will be an episode based upon that where Rosie goes for a repaint (perhaps to James' chagrin?) or they'll simply give an explanation as to why she's in a different color.

But that brings me onto my biggest concern - the merchandise. Since 2007, Rosie had been depicted as being painted pink (or lavender, if you prefer) and for nearly a decade, many young Thomas fans will know that is her livery. Since Rosie will end up becoming red on TV, this could, at best, lead to confusion among the young fans. Unless they know their Thomas faces, some would think this was a different engine altogether! And then there's the matter of changing her livery for the toys, which creates its own list of problems.

Now, it's fair to say that since 2014, whilst the show got better, the toys have gotten worse. Actually, that sounds rather unfair. Sure, they're not as timely as the older models, but some of them, actually, don't look too bad. (I'm thinking of getting a few Adventures models myself *gets shot by angry purists*) But for Rosie's toys, they're going to need a repaint, and paint costs money. The fact that you may end up replacing the pink/lavender Rosie might not help matters a bit. Some of you may even be tempted to repaint your own toys to save money!

That begs the question; why didn't they paint Rosie red from the get-go? Red appears to be a likable color for girls, plus it's more inclusive than pink (not that the color is bad, of course) and much less stereotypical. So... why are they doing it know when they could've done so eleven years ago?

Regardless, I like this new look for Rosie (maybe except for the red wheels; they should be black), and the fact that she'll actually be getting character development makes the situation better. Considering Daisy's roles in season 20, Rosie may end up getting a similar treatment in season 21, and quite possibly get the love she's been begging for in the last decade. Is it not too late for her?