Theodore Tugboat Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Main Page

"It's bigger and better! It's bitter, eh no it's butter! Eh, it sounds fresh!"
— Hank to Theodore
Theodore'sWhistle9
Theodore's Whistle
Director(s)

David Coole

Producer(s)

Andrew Cochran

Writer(s)

Jeff Rosen

Narrator

The Harbour Master
(Denny Doherty)

Per Frisch
(Norwegian Dub)

Kjeld Nørgaard
(Danish Dub)

Jan Nonhof
(Dutch Dub)

Stefan Ekman
(Swedish Dub)

Jari Silvennoinen
(Finnish Dub)

Previous episode

Theodore and the
Big Harbour

Next episode

George's Ghost

Theodore's Whistle is the first episode of the second season.

Plot

Theodore and Hank are bringing a ship named Katherine to the Big Harbour. As soon as Theodore toots his whistle to warn Hank that he's about to turn, Katherine compliments Theodore saying his whistle is cute. But Theodore is disgusted. He was the tug in charge, and didn't believe a tug should have a "cute little whistle."

After Katherine was docked, Theodore can't stop thinking about his whistle. Then he sees Emily docking a ship with George and hears her whistle. To Theodore it sounded confident. He sounds his, but to him it sounded ordinary, and wasn't good enough. He decides to make his whistle sound like Emily's. But as he tries to sound his whistle like hers, Emily thinks there could be something stuck in his smokestack, and suggests he goes to the repair yard, which disappoints him.

Then Theodore sees Foduck on his harbour safety patrol. When he hears him sounding his whistle, he thinks Foduck sounds serious. So Theodore thinks his whistle should sound like Foduck's. He goes up behind him and blows his whistle like Foduck's. That only startles Foduck, making him believe there's a giant bat in the harbour. And he races off to warn everyone. Theodore can't believe Foduck thought his whistle sounded like a bat and is even more disappointed.

Hank is about to pull Bobby Barge and toots his whistle as he pulls out. Theodore thinks his whistle sounded larger than life. So, he tries to whistle like him. Hank doesn't know what to say. But seeing Theodore looking discouraged, he tells him that it sounds fresh. Fresh is the only word he can think of whenever he describes something. But it isn't good enough for Theodore, and he floats away.

On his way home, Theodore spots George moving Owan the giant oil rig. When he hears George blasting his whistle, it sounded big, brash, and bold. So, Theodore decides to try to whistle like him. But as he heads towards George and tries to whistle like him, only a big whoosh of air comes out. All of Theodore's attempts to sound like everyone else had worn out his whistle.

That afternoon, the Dispatcher tells the tugboats that the Queen Stephanie was coming to the harbour. They're all thrilled as the Queen Stephanie is the greatest ocean liner in the world. And when she visits, it's always a special event. They all whistled when the Dispatcher asked if they were all ship shape. Except Theodore. He quietly tells the Dispatcher he can't whistle as it was still worn out. The Dispatcher can see Theodore is upset, and he sadly tells him that tugboats must whistle in order to work, and he can't let him go with the others to bring in the Queen Stephanie. So, Theodore sadly stays while the other tugs go.

As night falls, the tugboats return to the dock tired, but excited. They talked about the Queen Stephanie being kind, modern, big, and fresh (which is the only word Hank can think of). Emily tells Theodore that the Queen Stephanie was asking about him, and suggest he goes to see her. Theodore is surprised and asks if it's okay. Emily assures him that even though he can't work without his whistle, he can still visit. So, Theodore complies and goes to visit the Queen Stephanie. The closer he got to her, he grew even more nervous. And then he sees her as he passes Willy's Island. Her lights reflected in the water, and she swayed from side to side. Theodore thinks she was like a floating palace. The Queen Stephanie is surprised to see Theodore and is happy to see him as she missed him. Theodore feels bad and tells her he wore out his whistle. The Queen Stephanie feels bad for him and says his whistle is so bright and cheerful like him. Theodore is stunned to hear this and thought she never noticed. The Queen Stephanie tells him even though she can't see the tugs buttoned on below her, she can hear their whistles and identify them, as they have their own unique whistles. Especially Theodore's, and tells him his whistle is what makes him unique, and is what makes her smile. Theodore is very touched, and he starts to feel better. The Queen Stephanie reassures him that he'll get his whistle back soon. And with a big yawn, she wishes him good night. Theodore heads back to the dock, thinking about what the Queen Stephanie told him and comes to the happy conclusion that his whistle is special. Then, Theodore turns around to the Queen Stephanie and softly lets out a small and sweet whistle. And he smiles as he heads back home.

Characters

Trivia

  • This story received a book adaptation due to popularity.
  • New models of the tugs were used in this episode onwards.
  • First appearance of Katherine.
  • The Swedish VHS title translates to "Horn", while the DVD title translates to "Theodore's Horn".
  • Going by filming order, this is the thirteenth episode of the second season.
  • This is the final episode to be dubbed into Dutch.

Goofs

  • When The Dispatcher makes his surprise announcement in one shot, Katherine is behind Theodore and Hank, and in the next shots, she disappears. This is because footage from Emily the Vigorous is used.
  • Katherine's eyes are wonky in two scenes.
  • Owan's eyes are wonky.

In Other Languages

Language Name Meaning
Norwegian Theodor's Fløyte Theodore's Whistle
Finnish Teodorin Vihellys Theodore's Whistle
Danish Theodors Horn Theodore's Horn
Dutch Theodoor's Scheephoorn Theodoor's Horn
Swedish Tutan Horn

Video Release

Watch

Slæbebåden_Theodor_•_Theodors_Horn

Slæbebåden Theodor • Theodors Horn

Danish Dub

Theodore_Tugboat-Theodore's_Whistle-0

Theodore Tugboat-Theodore's Whistle-0

English Dub

Theodoor_Sleepboot-Theodoor's_Scheephoorn_(Theodore's_Whistle-Dutch)

Theodoor Sleepboot-Theodoor's Scheephoorn (Theodore's Whistle-Dutch)

Dutch Dub

Bosse_bogserbåt_-_Bosses_signalhorn-0

Bosse bogserbåt - Bosses signalhorn-0

Swedish Dub

Taubåten_Theodor_S02E01_-_"Theodors_fløyte"-0

Taubåten Theodor S02E01 - "Theodors fløyte"-0

Norwegian Dub

Teodor_Pikku_Hinaaja_•_Teodorin_vihellys-0

Teodor Pikku Hinaaja • Teodorin vihellys-0

Finnish Dub

Advertisement