Thomas began appearing as "Buckwheat" with 1935's "Mama's Little Pirate". Despite Thomas being a male, the Buckwheat character remained a female—dressed as a Topsy-esque image of the African-American "pickaninny" stereotype with bowed pigtails, a large hand-me-down sweater and oversized boots. After Stymie's departure from the series later in 1935, the Buckwheat character slowly morphed into a boy, first referred to definitively as a "he" in 1936's "The Pinch Singer". This is similar to the initial handling of another African-American "Our Gang" member, Allen "Farina" Hoskins, who worked in the series during the silent and early sound eras.