The Big Garage

The Big Garage
Genre Education, Children's
Voices of Thor Bishopric
Terrence Scammell
Patricia Rodriguez
Rick Jones
Liz MacRae
Narrated by Thor Bishopric (as Pump)
Country of origin United Kingdom
Canada
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 28
Release
Original network The Learning Channel (USA)
Family Channel (Canada)
CITV and Disney Channel (UK)
Original release September 29, 1997 – July 17, 2001

The Big Garage is a British-Canadian children's television program that aired on The Learning Channel. It was produced by Prisma Productions in association with Winchester Entertainment. It debuted on TLC on September 29, 1997 within its Ready Set Learn children's block as a co-production with Canada's Family Channel. Aimed at preschool children, the show follows the adventures of a fleet of anthropomorphic taxicabs. Each episode has two short scenes. The first is about a stop sign called Stop, and the second is about a group of tools (a hammer, a saw, three spanners, some nuts and bolts, an oil can, and a pair of pliers).

The show aired its last episode on July 17, 2001. Repeats air on the American multicast network Smile, a primarily religious children's channel also carrying secular content.

Characters

Main characters

  • London is a dark blue taxicab, which wears the number 1. As his name suggests, he has a British accent and closely resembles a typical London taxicab, obviously in the United Kingdom. He is based on a 1960 Austin A40 Farina and is voiced by Terrence Scammell.
  • ZigZag is a purple taxicab, which wears the number 2. She is the fastest taxicab on the show. Her overconfidence sometimes gets the better of her. She also shows feelings for London (which is hinted in the episode, Blow Your Own Horn where London gives her the present, she kisses him on the cheek). She is based on a 1946 Ford Super Deluxe Coupe and is voiced by Patricia Rodriguez.
  • Yorkie is a yellow taxicab, which wears the number 3. He likes to be "cool" and speaks, true to his name, with a New York accent, and closely resembles a typical New York City taxicab. He is based on a 1957 American Ford Fairlane and is voiced by Rick Jones.
  • Mimi is a red taxicab which wears the number 4. She appears to be somewhat shy. Her hood ornament is made to resemble a pacifier in front of her vehicle's grille to represent her as the youngest, or the baby, in the fleet. She is also the only taxicab with her name written on her, near her trunk. She is based on a 1969 Subaru 360 and is voiced by Liz MacRae.
  • Pump is a anthropomorphic (though stationary otherwise) gas pump outside the Big Garage. He's the mentor to the taxicabs (and Rusty too, on occasion), and he sings the opening theme song, as well as other songs with the taxis. He is also the narrator of the series. He is voiced by Thor Bishopric.
  • Rusty is a green tow truck which lives in a junkyard. It seems that in some episodes he is the gang's nemesis and in some is their friend (frenemy). He is also seen singing with the taxis and Pump, though he has never sung solo. He is based on a 1948 Chevrolet 3100 and is voiced by Rick Jones.
  • Scrap is a anthropomorphic compactor who is the gang's nemesis and usually observes the in-town proceedings from Scrapland through a handheld spyglass, trying to force the cabs to completely break down in order to have them towed to Scrapland so he can personally destroy them. He often tricks Rusty into doing his bidding, and breaks the fourth wall by expressing his annoyance at the song sequences the cabs perform. He is also the only main antagonist in the show. He is voiced by Terrence Scammell.

Other/Supporting/Recurring characters

  • Tooly is a small red toolbox with a handlebar moustache. He works with a group of mischief-loving wrenches called the Spanners (another term for wrench in Canada, the show's production base), who always seem to be running away from Tooly. Tooly is often seen chasing after them in almost every episode. He is voiced by Rick Jones.
  • Flash is a traffic light who keeps making up rules besides stopping on a red light. She is voiced by Liz MacRae.
  • Stop is a cartoon stop sign who loves to have fun, mostly by playing hopscotch, as we see in her introduction. She is voiced by Patricia Rodriguez.
  • There are some cartoon tools as well, including Hammer, Saw, the Bolts, the Nuts, Ruler, the Spanners, and Oil Can. Pump narrates these segments as well.

Voices

Episodes

  1. Stop and Listen!
  2. The Mixup
  3. Share and Shake Alike
  4. Welcome to the Big Garage - Mimi tries to find her way to the Big Garage.
  5. Boo! Who? - The taxis believe that London was taken by a ghost when he goes missing.
  6. Blow Your Own Horn
  7. The Great Rescue - Scrap has Rusty carnap London so he can scrap him. Yorky overhears this and goes to warn London. But by the time he reaches the garage, London isn't there. Once London finds out what has happened, he gets the taxis for help, only to find that Scrap has cut his radio dead. The taxis must try to save London, all on their own!
  8. All out of Zoom
  9. Sounds Funny to Me
  10. And the Winner is......
  11. What About Mimi?
  12. The Big Bang - In the middle of the night, something wakes up London and he hides. The taxis must now find him and the something scared him.
  13. You Better Believe It
  14. An Eensy Weensy Lie
  15. Lickety-Split
  16. Slow but Sure
  17. King for the Day
  18. Copy Cars
  19. Breaking All the Rules
  20. The Missing Wheels
  21. First Things First - Rusty and London are testing a magnet one morning, when it suddenly goes out of control and links them together. The taxis must now find a way to unstick Rusty and London.
  22. Just Along for the Ride
  23. Un-Pumped
  24. Rain, Rain, Go Away! - London doesn't want to go out in the rain because, he's afraid he might get muddy. But he soon ends up in trouble when he gets stuck in a muddy puddle.
  25. The Heat Wave - A heat wave strikes Taxi Town and London's engine overheats, leaving him stranded in a tunnel.
  26. London's Oil Crisis - When London's engine squirts oil in his eyes, he ends up being blind. Now, Yorky must be his eyes.
  27. Super London - London wishes he could be a superhero so he can help all his friends.
  28. A Day at the Beach - The taxis are having a day at the beach when a strong wave breaks the jetty that London is on and he sails away from shore.

References

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