Mighty Machines facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mighty Machines
Mighty Machines DVD
Genre	Children's television series
Opening theme	"Mighty Machines"
Country of origin	Canada
No. of episodes	39
Production
Running time	23 minutes
Production company(s)	Mighty Machines Productions TVOKids
Distributor	TVO
Release
Original network	TVOKids
Picture format	480i (SDTV)
Original release	1994 (1994) – 2008 (2008)

Mighty Machines is a fun Canadian TV show for kids. It's all about amazing machines and how they do their jobs! The show was even nominated for a special award called a Gemini Award in 1996. It first aired in 1994 and ran until 2008, with 39 episodes in total.

How Mighty Machines Works

Each episode of Mighty Machines focuses on a different type of big machine or a special place where machines work. The cool part is that the machines themselves talk to you! They explain what they do and how they help.

You'll see real footage of these machines working every day. They tell you all about their abilities and what their jobs involve. Each machine has its own personality, and they often chat with each other while they work. It's like a documentary, but the machines are the narrators!

The first season even had two types of episodes: longer ones (about 22 minutes) and shorter ones (about 5 minutes) that could be used as quick clips.

Where Mighty Machines Was Made

Mighty Machines first started in 1994. Later seasons came out in 2004 and 2008. Most of the episodes were filmed in different cities like Toronto and Montreal in Canada, and Roanoke in the USA.

Where to Watch Mighty Machines

The show has been shown on many TV channels in Canada, like TVO and Treehouse TV. It also aired in other countries, including the U.K. on Discovery Kids and in the U.S. on Qubo. There's even a French version of the show!

Mighty Machines on DVD

You can find all the episodes from the first three seasons on VHS and DVD. You can buy them separately or in cool box sets. There was even a special VHS tape with all the short, five-minute episodes from season one.

Meet the Mighty Machines Characters

Many different machines are featured in the show, each with its own name and job!

Airplanes

• DC (a DC-10 jet)
• DC-3
• Canadian Airlines Boeing 737
• Jumbo
• Stearman
• Super Stearman
• JetGirl

Dump Trucks

• Big Mack (a demolition truck)
• Euclid
• Ernie
• Ralph
• George
• Mack
• The Dump Truck Brothers

Bulldozers

• Treads
• Dozer (an FMC Track Loader)
• Pee Wee

Front Loaders

• American Loader
• Irish Loader
• Jaws
• Sally
• Scoop
• Hooper
• LeTourneau

Fire Engines

• Pumper
• Sparky
• King (a platform truck)

Diggers

• Big Cat
• Sammy
• Excavator
• Dino (a Shear Tractor)
• Grapple

Cranes

• Crane
• Skyhook
• Carmen
• Stretch
• Little Brother

City Vehicles

• Dusty (a Street Sweeper)
• Gusher (a Street Sprinkler)
• Vacuum Vic (a Sewer Cleaner)
• Stretch (a Boom Truck)
• Stumper (a Stump Remover)
• Lil Mack
• Buzz
• Ranger
• Blower
• Bobcat
• Big Dude

Trains

• Freddie
• "O" Train
• GO Train
• Shunty
• Diesel
• Engine 95

Garbage Trucks

• Trasher (a rear end loader)
• Mariel
• Whitey (a Garbage truck)
• Biffy (a front loader garbage truck)
• Big Red (a garbage transfer truck)
• Yorkie (a front loader garbage truck)

Big Trucks

• Tanker (a tanker truck)
• Big Hoss (a Peterbilt 379)
• Big Grey (a Peterbilt 379)
• Blue (a Kenworth T600)
• Red (a Western Star 4900)
• Mack (a Mack R series)
• Frank (a Freightliner Classic XL)
• Carrier (a car transport truck)

Mighty Machines Episodes

Season One (1994)

• At The Airport

At Toronto Pearson International Airport, DC, a big DC-10 jet, shows his journey from the hangar to the terminal. He picks up passengers and flies into the sky. He also shows how he gets cleaned. Many other planes are featured, like a Boeing 737 and a Boeing 747. This was the very first episode!

• At The Quarry

Euclid, a dump truck, explains how he brings rocks from the quarry. He takes them to a rock crusher, which turns them into gravel. A gravel conveyor and a front-end loader also show how they help move the gravel and rocks.

• In The City

Little Mac, a small pickup truck, takes you onto the streets of Toronto. He shows how the city streets are cleaned and washed. Machines like Dusty the street sweeper, Vacuum Vic the vacuum truck, and Gusher the street sprinkler help get the roads ready for traffic.

• In The Harbour

Murphy, a Toronto Police boat, takes you into Toronto Harbour. You meet his friends like Blackie and Thor, two large freighters, and William Mackenzie, a fireboat. They all explain how they work in the busy harbour.

• At The Construction Site

An excavator named Big Cat shows how he and his friends build a hospital. They dig the foundation and build the walls. A tall crane named SkyHook and his friend Carmen help build a tall skyscraper. Other machines like Treads the bulldozer and George the dump truck also help.

• At The Race Track

A Formula Ford race car named Goldstar takes you onto the racetrack. He explains how he gets transported and how he makes pit stops during a race.

• At The Demolition Site

Dino, an excavator with a special attachment, shows you around a demolition site. He explains how he takes down an old factory building. Dozer, a tracked loader, clears dirt and gravel. Dynamite is even used to demolish two water towers! Mack the truck picks up the rubble, and Grapple uses his claw to load it.

• At The Train Yard

Shunty, Diesel, and Freddie, three train engines, explain how work happens in the train yard. They show how they switch train cars and transport materials over long distances. Spike and the tie gang also work to keep the rails safe.

• At The Fire Hall

King, a ladder truck, shows how his ladders work. Pumper, a pumper truck, shows how the hoses work. You also see firefighters doing their training.

• On The Road

Big Hoss, a Semi-trailer truck, takes you out on the road. He shows how his cab and trailers work. Big Hoss has a Texan accent!

• At The Garbage Dump

Trasher, a garbage truck, explains his job of collecting garbage. Later, other garbage trucks and loaders show how garbage is moved to a transfer station and then compacted into big trailers. Big Red, a garbage transfer truck, takes the garbage to the landfill.

• At The Cement Yard

A cement yard gets materials for concrete. Big Boy, a cement truck, takes his load to a street and a tall building. He even helps fix a road.

Season Two (2004)

• In the Snowstorm

Buzz, Stretch, and Ranger, a snow removal crew, clear the streets after a big snowstorm. Blower the snowblower, Bobcat the loader, and Big Dude the snowplow show how they work.

• Deep Underground

Range, Driller, and Crusher, machines in a salt mine, explain how they find salt, scoop it up, and bring it to the surface.

• At the Ski Hill

Snowmobiles and other ski hill machines explain how they glide over the snow. Groomers work at night to make the ski hills smooth and safe.

• In The Sky!

Stearman, a blue and yellow biplane, visits an airshow.

• In the Forest

Feller, a special machine, shows how he cuts only marked trees in the forest. Skidders then move the logs to a log loader, which loads them onto logging trucks.

• At the Sawmill

At a busy sawmill, Jaws, a front-end loader, explains how trees are turned into lumber. Other machines like Cat, Grapple, and Scoop also show how they help turn logs into wood.

• All About Recycling

A recycling truck explains how he collects recycling and sends it through machines to be reused. Big Blue, the sorting machine, shows how recycling is compacted. You also see how metal and even roads can be recycled!

• Building A Truck!

Different machines explain and show how much work it takes to build a truck.

• Making Waves!

Skipper takes you into Halifax Harbour. You meet ferries, cargo ships, and navy ships, and learn how waves are formed.

• Making A Road

Sammy, an excavator, explains how machines help build a new road for cars.

• On the Farm

Allis, a tractor, explains how she pulls Polly, a plowing machine, to get the fields ready for farming.

• To the Rescue!

Sambraro, a coast guard lifeboat, explains how they rescue someone from stormy seas.

• Trucks, Trucks, Trucks!

This episode features different kinds of trucks, like a gas truck, a carnival truck, and a cement pumper truck.

• Buses, Subways, and Trains!

You'll see different public transport vehicles like Buddy the bus, an O-Train, a GO Train, and a Toronto subway train. They explain how they pick up and drop off passengers.

Season Three (2008)

• Building An Airplane

JetGirl visits the airport and tells her story about how she was built.

• Ride The Mountain Rails

Diesel locomotive number 95 dumps rocks, while three White Pass trains take people on a tour to see the mountains. This episode was filmed outside Canada, in Alaska and Yukon.

• Car Wreckers

Forks shows what he does in a car scrap yard.

• Laying Down The Pipeline

Excavator, an excavator, shows how he digs deep for pipelines. His friends show how pipelines are connected and put into the ground.

• At The Steel Mill

Slab haulers and other machines show how steel is made.

• Hot Off The Press

Charlie, a printing press, and other machines show how the Toronto Star newspaper is made.

• Giant Tow Trucks

Tow Truck shows all the gear he carries. With another tow truck, they pull a tanker that has tipped over.

• Bringing In The Harvest

Tractors collect tomatoes from the farm and take them to a factory. Clipper clips grapes, and a truck takes them to a factory to make wine.

• Reach For The Sky

Stretch, a mobile crane, replaces an air conditioner on a tall building with help from Little Brother, another crane. Gipsy Lady, a sky crane, helps change AC units on a factory roof.

• Machines Go To School

Backhoes, bulldozers, and other machines go to school to learn how to dig, push dirt, and carry materials.

• Go, Boats, Go!

This episode features a Canadian Coast Guard hovercraft, an air boat, and a modern paddle wheel cruise ship.

• Under The Waves

An underwater tour submarine takes passengers to see a coral reef. A submersible goes underwater to find something, and a Navy Sub shows kids what's inside.

• Board The Ferry

The Spirit of Vancouver Island, a BCFerries ferry, shows kids what happens at the dock, the ship's controls, and other things on board.

Mighty Machines DVD Collections

• Chomp! Crunch! Tear! includes Car Wreckers, Giant Tow Trucks, and Laying Down the Pipeline.
• Tremendous Tools includes On the Farm, At the Sawmill, and Deep Underground.
• Winter Blast includes In the Snowstorm, At the Ski Hill, and In the Forest.
• Revved Up includes Building an Airplane, Ride the Mountain Rails, and Reach for the Sky.
• Diggers and Dozers includes At the Construction Site, At the Demolition Site, and At the Quarry.
• Machines on the Job includes Bringing In the Harvest, At the Steel Mill, and Hot off the Press.
• Big Wheels Rollin includes At the Cement Yard, Building a Truck, and Trucks, Trucks, Trucks.
• Lights and Ladders includes At The Fire Hall, At the Garbage Dump, and In the City.
• Roadways to Runways includes At the Race Track, At the Airport, and On the Road.
• Boats to the Rescue includes To the Rescue, Making Waves, and In the Harbor.
• All About Garbage and Recycling includes All About Recycling and At the Garbage Dump.
• Making Tracks includes At the Train Yard, Making a Road, and Buses, Subways, and Trains.
• Mega Machines includes Go, Boats, Go, Machines Go to School, Under the Waves, Board the Ferry, and All About Recycling.
• Learning, Lifting, and Towing includes Machines Go to School, Reach for the Sky!, and Giant Tow Trucks.
• Planes, Trains, & Automobiles includes Building an Airplane, Ride the Mountain Rails, and Car Wreckers.
• Ships Ahoy includes Under the Waves, Go, Boats, Go, and Board the Ferry.
• Producing the Goods includes Bringing In The Harvest, At The Steel Mill, Hot Off The Press, and Laying Down The Pipeline.
• Smash, Mash, and Crash features 13 mini episodes.