The company behind Thomas the Tank Engine is Mattel and they say they, "carefully curated Bruno's character to ensure an accurate fictional representation of autism."
Bruno rolls in reverse which gives him a "unique perspective" on life and he also loves timetables, routines, schedules and things being in order, "when everything goes to plan." The train sometimes wears ear defenders if trains get too noisy and he has worked out signals using a lantern to let the other trains know if he is getting overwhelmed or needs support.
There will be a range of Bruno merchandise available by the end of the year.
Mattel accept that although Bruno is autistic, he does not reflect the lives of all autistic people. The National Autistic Society worked with Mattel to create Bruno and they say his inclusion in the show is an "amazing moment for autistic people."
"It is important that everyone sees autistic characters on our screens because there are 160,000 school-age autistic children in the UK and they want to see their stories told. But it's also important that non-autistic children get insight and understanding in to what it can be like to be autistic."
- what is autism? (I asked Oliver, a child with autism how to describe what autism means. Oliver told me, "autism is your brain wired differently so you see the world in a different way. It' just a different view of the world." Oliver says some things are harder for him but but also he better at some things than other children.)
- why do you think Bruno the Brake Car travels in reverse and loves routines and schedules?
- why does Bruno sometimes wear ear defenders?
- why is the lantern useful? How do you think the other trains respond when Bruni asks for support, what kind of support do you think he needs?
- "A unique perspective on life" what does that mean?
- Why introduce a character with autism?
- why have the character voiced by an actor with autism?
- "Although Bruno is autistic, he does not reflect the lives of all autistic people." What does this mean?
- why is this "an amazing moment for autistic people"?
- "It's important that non-autistic children get insight and understanding in to what it can be like to be autistic." - why?
- what can we learn from Bruno the brake car?
- why is this about No Outsiders?
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