Bruno is voiced by Chuck Smith, an autistic actor
Thomas & Friends is getting ready to add a new friend to the mix: Bruno the Brake Car. In collaboration with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), Easterseals Southern California, writers and spokespeople with autism, Mattel Television has announced Bruno as the first autistic character in the franchise.
“The most important aspect of Bruno’s development was getting autistic input throughout the process of creating the character and his interactions with his world,” said Zoe Gross, Director of Advocacy at Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN). “It was great to be able to contribute to that as part of a team of consultants from ASAN. Autistic people have been involved in all aspects of creating Bruno, from us as consultants to writers on the show and Bruno’s voice actor—this makes Bruno ring true as an autistic character. I hope that Bruno will provide viewers with meaningful examples of inclusion in everyday life.”
So who is Bruno?
First, he is a neurodivergent role model who is detail oriented and loves routine, schedules and knows where all the tracks go on Sodor. He plays an important roll, rolling in reverse to keep heavy cargo steady while also having a unique perspective on the world around him.
“Bruno’s introduction organically embraces a global audience that is underrepresented and deserves to be celebrated in children’s programming,” said Christopher Keenan, Senior Vice President & Executive Producer, Global Content Development and Production at Mattel. “So much care and thought went into the development of his character, and we can’t wait for audiences to meet and love Bruno as much as we do.”
Bruno is joining the Thomas & Friends franchise with appearances in consumer products, a music album, in a YouTube series, the Thomas & Friends Storytime podcast, and the upcoming Mystery of Lookout Mountain special, in addition to Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go.
You can start following Bruno when he makes his debut on season 26, set to air on Mon. Sept. 12 at 8:30 am ET/PT on Cartoonito on Cartoon Network.
