I’ve always felt that the clown in Watty Piper’s The Little Engine That Could was another hero in the story.

The clown is the eternal optimist who is determined that someone will help in spite of rejection after rejection. I wanted to make sure this clown looked like a toy rather than a person dressed up in a clown suit.

In this scene, our clown is flagging down the big strong Freight Engine… maybe he will help!