''Bigfoot and the Muscle Machines'' is a 1985 American animated TV mini-series that aired on the animated half-hour TV series ''
Super Sunday'' and ''
Super Saturday
Super Saturday or Panic Saturday is the last Saturday before Christmas, a major day of revenue for American retailers, marking the end of the shopping season which begins on Black Friday. Super Saturday targets last-minute shoppers. Typically t ...
'' containing 9 segments that ran for 6 minutes each weekend, along with ''
Jem'', ''
Robotix
''Robotix'' is a 1985 American animated series based on the original Milton Bradley toyline of the same name featured on the '' Super Sunday'' programming block. The toyline is of the construction type that includes motors, wheels and pincers a ...
'', and ''
Inhumanoids
''Inhumanoids'' is the title of an animated series and the name of a Hasbro toy property that were both released in 1986. In the tradition of other Hasbro properties such as ''Transformers'', and '' G.I. Joe'', the show was produced by Sunbow Ent ...
''. The segments were combined and turned into a 53-minute feature-length film. The series was based on SST (Super-Sized Trucks) Muscle Machines toy line by
Playskool
Playskool is an American company that produces educational toys and games for children. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.
History
The Playskool Institute was established by Lucille King in 192 ...
who in turn was owned by
Hasbro
Hasbro, Inc. (; a syllabic abbreviation of its original name, Hassenfeld Brothers) is an American multinational conglomerate holding company incorporated and headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of ...
.
This cartoon and the other ''Super Sunday'' cartoons were animated by
Toei Animation
() is a Japanese animation studio primarily controlled by its namesake Toei Company. It has produced numerous series, including ''Sally the Witch,'' ''GeGeGe no Kitarō,'' ''Mazinger Z'', ''Galaxy Express 999'', ''Cutie Honey'', ''Dr. Slump'', ' ...
in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. The show featured animated versions of vehicles popular in real life competing under the
United States Hot Rod Association
The United States Hot Rod Association (USHRA) is an organization that sanctions various motorsports. These included the Monster Jam monster truck series as well as motocross, quad racing and others. Having passed through multiple owners, the righ ...
banner, including Bob Chandler's
Bigfoot
Bigfoot, also commonly referred to as Sasquatch, is a purported ape-like creature said to inhabit the forest of North America. Many dubious articles have been offered in attempts to prove the existence of Bigfoot, including anecdotal claims o ...
monster truck, Allen Gaines' Orange Blossom Special two-wheel-drive pulling truck, Kenneth and Paula Geuin's Black Gold four-wheel-drive pulling truck, and Dan Patrick's War Lord pulling
funny car.
Plot
The story is about five people who run a public monster truck show led by Yank Justice, driver of Bigfoot.
The other members of the show include Red & Redder (twin sisters who drive Black Gold), Professor Dee (driver of the Orange Blossom Special), and Close McCall (driver of War Lord). A young woman named Jennifer McGraw steals an ancient map that leads to the
Fountain of Youth
The Fountain of Youth is a mythical spring which allegedly restores the youth of anyone who drinks or bathes in its waters. Tales of such a fountain have been recounted around the world for thousands of years, appearing in the writings of Herod ...
in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
from an elderly corrupt billionaire named Adrian Ravenscroft, known as "Mr. Big". Ravenscroft hires a gang of henchmen who helped him try to get the map back; they include a man named Ernie Slye, as well as Ravenscroft's limousine chauffeur. This band of criminals chases Yank Justice and his friends across the United States and try to kill them.
In the end, Ravenscroft finds the Fountain and, after drinking its water, is turned into a young man, becoming a far more formidable opponent for Yank. But Yank and the others destroy the Fountain with their trucks, and Ravenscroft makes one final attempt to defeat Yank by trying to ram his
limousine
A limousine ( or ), or limo () for short, is a large, chauffeur-driven luxury vehicle with a partition between the driver compartment and the passenger compartment.
A very long wheelbase luxury sedan (with more than four doors) driven by a prof ...
into Yank's truck; however, Yank is able to move out of the way, and Ravenscroft's car is destroyed when it careens out of control. Ravenscroft tries to flee, swearing revenge, but the effects of the Fountain wear off and he is quickly turned back into his elderly self and is unable to see that he is walking into an
alligator
An alligator is a large reptile in the Crocodilia order in the genus ''Alligator'' of the family Alligatoridae. The two extant species are the American alligator (''A. mississippiensis'') and the Chinese alligator (''A. sinensis''). Additiona ...
-infested swamp, presumably meeting his fate.
The scene then cuts to the rubble that once was Fountain of Youth and Jennifer bemoaning its destruction. Just as a disgusted McCall walks away, an
earthquake
An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) is the shaking of the surface of the Earth resulting from a sudden release of energy in the Earth's lithosphere that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes can range in intensity, from ...
forms a large crevice, containing a huge fortune in gold, jewels and other rare artifacts. While he and several members of the Bigfoot team celebrate their discovery, Yank walks away, and Jennifer joins him as they drive into the sunset.
See also
*
List of animated feature-length films
These lists of animated feature films compiles animated feature films from around the world and is organized alphabetically under the year of release (the year the completed film was first released to the public). Theatrical releases as well as ...
References
External links
*
*
{{Hasbro cartoons mid 80s
1985 animated films
Television series by Marvel Productions
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
Super Sunday (TV series)
Television series by Sunbow Entertainment
Television series created by Flint Dille
Television series by Claster Television
Toei Animation television