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This hero was proposed but rejected by the community for not being admirable enough or lacks what is necessary to be a purely good hero. Therefore, this hero shall be added to our "Never Again List", where proposed heroes rejected by the community shall be placed to prevent future proposals of the same do-gooder. They can be proposed again (with the permission of an administrator) if new elements appear in their series that can change their status as non-PG heroes. Any act of adding this hero to the Pure Good category without a proposal or creating a proposal for this hero without the permission of an administrator will result in a ban. |
“ | Dad gum! | „ |
~ One of Mater's catchphrases. |
Sir Tow Mater, referred to as simply Mater, is the deuteragonist of the Disney•Pixar Cars franchise.
He is a rusty old tow truck and Lightning McQueen's best friend.
He is voiced by famous comedian Larry the Cable Guy.
Appearance[]
He is a rusty old tow truck (Boom Truck). He is currently covered in rust, and the only spots on where paint is visible on him are the rear and the sides. When he wasn't rusty, he was cyan-colored as an 8-year-old youngster.
Mater's basis resembles that of a 1955-57 Chevrolet Task Force 3800. According to Car Finder, his model is a Haulital Hook'em. His license plate reads "A113", which is a common Easter egg in other films including Pixar, although it reads "RSQ M8R" in Rescue Squad Mater, and "M8R GR8R" in Mater the Greater.
He has hazel eyes that appear green, with orange inner rims and large crooked buck teeth, and used to have pale baby blue paint and light blueish grey eyes in his young childhood in Radiator Springs, but his paint began to get rusty orangish brown over time, though he still has patches of his original blue birth color still showing through. His doors are a light pastel green showing his initials, along with a sticker of McQueen's racing number and lightning bolt design when he first works with Team McQueen in Tokyo. Additionally, he used to have a hood which somehow got lost before the first film occurred, and is shown to still be blue when he finds it in a valley. His back bumper is also painted in yellow and black V stripes to represent a "caution" symbol.
Mater seems to have some kind of control over his tow hook as if it was an appendage.
Personality[]
Mater is a hilarious, not-too-bright, friendly, good-natured, and loyal tow truck who happens to be best friends with Lightning McQueen. He has unconditional love for everyone and for other creatures too. However, he has shown to be smart, such as his knowledge of automobiles and engines and how he managed to expose Sir Miles Axlerod for his crimes. He is shown to have the biggest heart in Radiator Springs and is sweet to a fault.
He has shown to make jokes at times, such as joking that Sally is his fiancée, when she's really not, or teasing Lightning for not being able to honk or him being in love with Sally.
Mater speaks with a somewhat high-pitched thick rural Southern accent, has a whistle-dry lisp to his voice, and frequently misspells words. He is very optimistic and often at times forgetful. He has the biggest heart and is super sweet to a fault. He's a helpful person who is very unselfish and he just loves serving others out of selflessness and unconditional love. He's deeply caring and thoughtful to everyone including his friends and family who he is the closest to. He also has true unconditional or agape love for others and just needs true friendship from other people. He can be extremely scared or skittish at times because of his sensitive nature. He gets scared really easily and usually panics when frightened. And he often lives in his own little world when real danger or threat approaches. Like with the Screaming Banshee, Mater became so scared that he was ignorant to notice the impending danger of the monster at the end of Mater and the Ghostlight.
He is a very selfless and loyal person to a fault, especially towards those closest to him. His selfless nature is most notably shown at the end of Cars 2 when he puts his own life in danger just to save his friends from being blown up by the c4 Bomb on his engine.
He is also a very non-judgmental person.
Although he may seem silly and dim-witted, he has a vast encyclopedic knowledge of automobiles, engines, and towing, and is a fiercely loyal friend to anyone who is willing to give him a chance at true friendship. He unknowingly bestows wisdom upon others at times. He is also beyond funny without realizing it. He also likes to joke about different things, like saying Sally is his fiancée when she's really not. He also likes to do tractor tipping in the fields and loves to drive backwards. Although he is not the smartest car in Radiator Springs, he makes up for it with his extreme heart and loyalty. He has got the biggest heart more than anyone in town. He is extremely friendly, especially towards Holley Shiftwell, Lightning McQueen, and Sally Carrera.
Characterization[]
John Lasseter describes Mater to be one of those special characters, as being fun and lovable, an "idiot savant about obscure little knowledge", as well as being a lot like the late Joe Ranft, saying: "You know I thought of Joe all through this. Because you know Joe is Mater. He's all over Cars 2."
Powers and Abilities[]
Mater has a horsepower of 200 when he is on a good day, along with a 5.8L Windsor V8 engine that has a two-barrel carburetor. His fastest speed is 90 mph, although bolts would fly off him if he goes any faster, and when he does not use his rockets, he goes zero to 60 mph in 10 seconds. He also drives backwards really well, without crashing into other objects. Mater is also skilled in karate as he was able to take out several bodyguards by his own.
While helping the spies, Mater gets a load of weapons and gadgets, which are activated by using voice commands. However, they can get activated when the computer mistakes Mater's catchphrases for them, such as when "Dad-gum" gets mistaken for "Gatling gun", and "Shoot" gets mistaken for either shooting with the guns or deploying a parachute. He appears to have all of them taken off him at the end of Cars 2, although he is given permission to keep a pair of rockets.
Weaponry and Gadgets[]
In Cars 2, since Mater plays a role in a spy case, he is equipped with several high-tech gadgets, although they are not as spectacular as those of Finn McMissile or Holley Shiftwell. Since Mater is not familiar with his gadgets, they are activated by voice commands.
- Deployable machine guns: Mater has two of these Gatling guns, with one on each of his sides.
- Twin rockets: They allow Mater to go at a faster speed, along with moving him around when he is gliding.
- Deployable paraglider: Appearing in an orange color, this allows Mater to travel through the air. When he uses his rockets, it helps him to glide to his destinations.
- Deployable holographic disguise emitter: This allows Mater to change into different forms, being located in his flashing beacon light. It can also make or lack supplementary volume.
- Heads-up Display: This allows Mater to identify other bad people, being placed over his eyes. No one can see it from the outside because it is invisible.
Specifications[]
- Zero to 60: 10 seconds
- Engine: V-8 with two-barrel carburetor
- Horsepower: 200
- Top speed: 90 mph
Creation and development[]
Mater's namesake is Douglas "Mater" Keever, who the Cars staff team met while researching for the film. Mater's voice and vocal patterns are inspired by Harley Russell from Erick, Oklahoma, who the Pixar team met on the real-life Route 66. Some of his catchphrases, such as "Git-R-Done!" and "I don't care who you are; that's funny right there!" are phrases commonly used by Mater's voice actor, Larry the Cable Guy. Larry the Cable Guy spent time with Harley Russell when researching the role.
Mater's physical appearance is based on a 1951 International Harvester boom truck, a vehicle that was used in mine shafts in Cherokee City, Kansas. Additionally, the Cars Rev'd Up DVD released in 2006 describes Mater as inspired by a 1957 Dodge truck. One of Mater's signature talents is his claim of being the the world's best backwards driver, a trait inspired by Route 66 Association president Dean Walker, who is known for his ability to twist his feet around and walk backwards.
Occupations[]
Mater has had many different occupations throughout his life, though some of which may be just imagined in his head, as Mater often exaggerates while telling his tall tales.
Job | Seen in |
---|---|
Tow truck and impound manager | Cars |
Firefighter | Rescue Squad Mater |
Stunt car | Mater the Greater |
Bulldozer fighter | El Materdor |
Drift racer | Tokyo Mater |
Monster Truck wrestler | Monster Truck Mater |
Singer | Heavy Metal Mater |
Private detective | Mater Private Eye |
Autonaut | Moon Mater |
Spy | Cars 2 |
Falcon Hawks performer | Air Mater |
Appearances[]
Films[]
- Cars
- Cars 2
- Cars 3
Shorts[]
- Mater and the Ghostlight
- Miss Fritter's Racing Skoool
- Dancing with the Cars
- Unparalleled Parking
Short[]
- Stig vs Lightning McQueen
Cars Toons[]
- Rescue Squad Mater
- Mater the Greater
- El Materdor
- Tokyo Mater
- Unidentified Flying Mater
- Monster Truck Mater
- Heavy Metal Mater
- Moon Mater
- Mater Private Eye
- Air Mater
- Time Travel Mater
- Hiccups
- Spinning
- The Radiator Springs 500½
- To Protect and Serve
Series[]
- Cars on the Road
Video Games[]
- Cars: The Video Game
- Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures
- Cars: Mater-National Championship
- Cars: Race-O-Rama
- Cars Toons: Mater's Tall Tales: The Video Game
- The World of Cars Online
- Cars 2: The Video Game
- Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure
- Disney Infinity
- Disney Infinity: 2.0 Edition
- Cars: Fast as Lightning
- Disney Infinity: 3.0 Edition
- Cars 3: Driven to Win
- Cars: Lightning League
- Disney Crossy Road
Comics[]
- A Dirty Trick
- A New Champion
- A Torero Trick
- Air-Tow
- Bubbles Galore
- Emerging from the Ground
- Family Secret
- Francesco's New Look!
- Mystery in the Desert
- Silver Speed
- Space Rescue
- The Case of the Missing Muffler
- The Case of the Tire King
- The Lightning McQueen Tour
- The Message
- Training in Radiator Springs
Relationships[]
Family[]
- Mato (sister)
- Mateo (brother in-law)
- Cruz Ramirez (cousin in-law)
- Tommy Joe, Buford, Cletus, Judd, Zeke and Lewis (cousins)
Friends/Allies[]
- Lightning McQueen (best friend)
- Sally Carrera
- Doc Hudson
- Sheriff
- Luigi
- Guido
- Flo
- Ramone
- Sarge
- Fillmore
- Lizzie
- Red
- Mack
- Finn McMissile
- Holley Shiftwell (love interest)
- Rod Redline
- Stanley Steamer
- Mator
- Mia and Tia
- Francesco Bernoulli
- Lewis Hamilton
- Carla Veloso
- Jeff Gorvette
- Smokey
- Miss Fritter
- Ivy
Enemies[]
- Chick Hicks
- Big D
- Kabuto
- Lemons:
- Bubba
- Jackson Storm
- Sterling
- Frank
Descriptions on LEGO.com[]
Radiator Springs variant[]
Help out in the pits! Tow your friends out of trouble! Solve a top-secret spy mystery! Mater is always ready for action. Take him around town and to take on any challenge.
Agent Mater (1st variant)[]
Holley Shiftwell and Mater are setting out on a super-secret spy mission. Help Holley to equip Mater with brand new spy gear before they set out for adventure! Complete the mission together and make it back to the spy lab safe and sound!
Agent Mater (2nd variant)[]
Here comes trouble! Agent Mater, Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell are speeding down the runway trying to make a fast getaway into Siddeley the Spy Jet. Help them to outrun Professor Z’s lemon pals!
Agent Mater (3rd variant)[]
Lightning McQueen is being held captive in Big Bentley Tower. Agent Mater, Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell rush to the rescue. Help our 4-wheeled heroes to bust him out and hit the road!
Ultimate Build Mater[]
They can drive, but the bad guys can’t hide from the Ultimate Build Mater tow truck! This super-spy machine is armed with a huge rocket, holographic screen and super-powerful tow hook. Track down Professor Z to bring him and his lemons to justice!
Ivan Mater variant[]
Mater’s latest mission is to listen in on a secret meeting being held by the lemons at the casino. Luckily, he has been painted blue and is disguised as Ivan Mater. It’s an impressive disguise, but will he be discovered before he can reveal the lemons’ secret plot? You decide!
Agent Mater (2012 variant)[]
Parachute Agent Mater safely away from the evil lemon Petrov Trunkov in a scene from Disney® Pixar® Cars™!
In other media[]
Cars: The Video Game[]
Mater makes his first appearance in Cars: The Video Game as the announcer of the Radiator Springs Grand Prix, which later turns out to be a dream by McQueen. In the Tractor Tipping minigame, McQueen asks Mater to go tractor tipping, which he agrees, surprised that McQueen would want to go tractor tipping because he thought that McQueen was frightened of Frank. He is then controlled by the player in the minigame.
He later teaches McQueen how to drive backwards, by setting out a course, where McQueen has to turn around and drive backwards at the same time as him on certain straights. After the lesson, Mater congratulates McQueen, and calls him "Mr. Gintil", which he was trying to spell his name backwards, only to be corrected by McQueen that it is "Litnig" forwards.
In Ornament Valley, Mater prepares for a race at the Rustbucket Stadium, by banging into a wall on purpose. McQueen comes along, telling him that most cars do not bang into walls on purpose, making Mater explain about the Rustbucket Race-O-Rama. One of his cousins, Tommy Joe, then appears, banging into McQueen, angering him before Mater explains that it is just Tommy's way of greeting. He asks McQueen to help out in the race, only to be saddened when McQueen decides to sit it out. After winning the race, Mater receives a boost tank, which he gives to McQueen.
In the final chapter of the game, he is one of the announcers of the races in Radiator Springs, Ornament Valley, and Tailfin Pass, alongside Darrell Cartrip. After McQueen wins the Piston Cup, Mater joins him and Sally on a drive along the road outside of Radiator Springs.
Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures[]
Mater appears in several of the activities in Cars: Radiator Springs Adventures. In Fill `Er Up, he is one of the customers who come to Flo's V8 Cafe. Tow the Line has him towing his cousins around his yard without bumping into the line and fences. He suggests to McQueen to go tractor tipping in Tractor Roundup, which both of them are controlled in different levels as the player has to make them tip tractors. In Chopper-Hopper, he takes a ride in Rotor Turbosky, the Dinoco helicopter. He is also one of the characters who can be raced against in Legends Race mode.
Cars: Mater-National Championship[]
In Cars: Mater-National Championship, Mater invites racers from all around the world to take part in the Mater-National Championship, with McQueen's racing headquarters being built. At the Rustbucket Stadium, he begins to fall for a British rally car named Emma, who his cousins were staring at for the last hour. Mater soon takes part in a race against Emma and several of the other Rustbucket racers, and later takes her to see the best gas station that he knows in town.
When McQueen is fitted with monster truck tires by Luigi, Mater becomes surprised upon seeing his appearance, and is saddened on that he is wanting to be a monster truck as well. Luckily for him, McQueen searches for more parts around Radiator Springs, and Mater begins doing a rampage in his home. He makes a jump and then smashes his house, which he is actually happy about, telling McQueen that he would not be able to fit in it anymore. McQueen states that it would be no problem if he took his monster truck tires off, but Mater refuses to take them off. However, he somehow does as shown later in the game.
Some time later, Mater takes McQueen out tractor tipping, only for the tractors to soon escape. Just as Mater attempts to tip of the tractors that are wandering around Radiator Springs, he gets spotted by Sheriff, who orders him not to go to the field again, and also plays a trick on Mater by putting a lamp on his tow hook to make him think the ghost light is chasing him. A day later, Mater comes across a Japanese drifter named Koji, and responds to his greeting by saying the Japanese word "Konichiwa!", although he is unable to translate Koji asking if he can race McQueen, believing that he is wanting to race him while blindfolded, driving backwards and wearing flat tires. After McQueen and Koji's race, Mater amazes them by drifting along a bend, tripping over the end of a bridge, and spinning in the air before coming back down. The headquarters is soon finished, and all of the racers admit that they would like to invite Mater, McQueen, and their friends over to Europe, saying that it is just on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, to which Mater points out that he cannot swim. To mark the end of the Mater-National Championship, everyone gets their photo taken in front of the headquarters.
Cars: Race-O-Rama[]
While McQueen has a battle with Chick throughout the Race-O-Rama series, where Chick threatens to take over Radiator Springs, Mater competes in the Rustbucket Derby, coming across Bubba, who is known to him for badly abusing him in the past. Bubba has come to challenge him in the Rustbucket Derby, with Tater and Tater Jr. by his sides. However, Tater and Tater Jr. soon begin a friendship with Mater, starting with when they realize that their names rhyme. Eventually, Mater wins the Rustbucket series, being congratulated by Tater and Tater Jr., while Bubba threatens to get his revenge on Mater soon.
Also in the game, there are minigames based on Mater the Greater, El Materdor, and Tokyo Mater, where the player's aim is to get Mater on the target at the other side of Carburetor Canyon, dodge the bulldozers in time, and beat Kabuto to the top of Tokyo Tower. He can also be played as in his monster truck form in the Monster Truck Mayhem races.
The World of Cars Online[]
Before The World of Cars Online was closed down, players could meet Mater while exploring Radiator Springs, and get missions from him near his Junkyard.
Cars 2: The Video Game[]
After the events of the second film, Mater and his friends join C.H.R.O.M.E. to be trained for spy missions, being assisted by Finn McMissile and Holley Shiftwell. Mater's first simulation goes well when he helps get Finn free from being captured by the lemons and chase Professor Z.
Mater is available at the start of the game, with variant versions of him unlocked as the player progresses. Materhosen is unlocked in-game by collecting the "Agent - Fourth Class" crest, which is collected when the player collects ten crests or badges. The others are available as downloadable content for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions, costing $0.99 each. They are Tokyo Mater, Mater the Greater, Mater Ivan and Mater Kabuki. He is in the "Heavy" class, having a lot more power than speed.
Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure[]
Mater makes his appearance in the Cars levels of Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure. In the first part of the story, Mater tells the player that they have been selected to become part of McQueen's team, but first try out a course that he had designed for the best drivers. The player's aim is to drive through the course while following Mater. After the challenge is completed, Mater finds that the player has done so well to race in McQueen's team, while Holley adds that the player would also be perfect for doing spy work.
When the player unlocks a goal that allows their character to spin and collect coins that are in a semi-circle, Mater can be heard communicating through the radio when the semi-circles appear.
Disney Infinity[]
Mater is one of the playable characters in the first Disney Infinity game, being compatible in the sequels. He is able to be used in the Cars Play Set for the first game, and the Toy Box in any of the games, which his figure is available separately. In the story, he and the townsfolk plan to get Radiator Springs ready for a racing competition being held, along with trying to figure out what to do on his and Holley's date. After Chick Hicks loses the final race, Holley makes an agreement to have their date at Flo's V8 Cafe.
In the first game, he has an exclusive Toy Box Adventure called Mater's Tow 'n' Go. The objective is to tow tourist cars to areas that have a light matching the color of that car.
Cars: Fast as Lightning[]
At the beginning of the mobile game Cars: Fast as Lightning, Mater takes two races against McQueen on his track. McQueen is able to win both but apologizes to Mater for beating him in the first race, to which Mater replies that he is not upset about it.
Throughout the game, Mater is one of the characters who give out missions to the player. He is unlocked as a playable character after the player beats him while playing as Fillmore in the tournament races. Unlocking him will also unlock his race track and the Mater Statue. Occasionally, he sleeps in Tow Mater Towing & Salvage. He also has four paint jobs: Mater the Greater, Tokyo, Winter, and Santa Hat. These are unlocked by winning practice races on Mater's race track or purchasing them with gems.
Cars 3: Driven to Win[]
Mater and his alter-ego Mater The Greater appeared in Cars 3: Driven to Win as playable characters. Mater the Greater serves as a guide in his own stunt-racing event, and completing it unlocks him as a playable character.
Disney Parks[]
Mater appears in Disney's Hollywood Studios along with McQueen, both as "drive-around" characters and in a sequence added to Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show to tie-in with Cars 2. Mater hosts Mater's Junkyard Jamboree and appears in Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land at Disney California Adventure.
Beginning in 2018, Mater wears his "Dracula Mater" disguise from Cars 2 during the Halloween season, while during Christmas seasons, he wears a Santa hat. During safety protocols due to COVID-19, Mater does not drive around and remains stationary outside Fillmore's Taste-In.
Mater also appears in some Disney on Ice shows. A figure of Mater also appears at Walt Disney Studios Park, Disneyland Paris at the Cars Race Rally attraction watching over the action. A statue of Mater can also be found at Disney's Art of Animation Resort.
Quotes[]
Cars[]
“ | No, uh… no, I know your name. Is your name Mater too? | „ |
~ Mater when he meets Lightning McQueen |
“ | When I say go, we go. But don't let Frank catch you. Go! | „ |
~ Mater as he takes Lightning tractor tipping |
“ | Tractors are so dumb. | „ |
~ Mater |
“ | Baby! | „ |
~ Mater when teasing Lightning |
“ | That's Frank. | „ |
~ Mater when Frank the angry combine harvester appears |
“ | He did what in his cup? | „ |
~ Mater |
“ | We'll talk later, Mater. [chuckles] "Later, Mater." That's funny! | „ |
~ Mater |
“ | Look at this! It's my hood! It's my hood! I haven't seen this thing in over 20 years! Well, it fits perfectly! How do I look? (sneezes; the hood falls back down the cliff) Aww, dang! | „ |
~ Mater when he fishes his old hood out of a ravine with his tow hook, only for it to fall right back down |
Cars 2[]
“ | I'M NOT A SPY! | „ |
~ Mater revealing to Finn and Holley he is not a spy |
“ | McQueen, you don't get it! I'M THE BOMB!! | „ |
~ Mater trying to warn McQueen about the bomb in his air filter |
“ | Dad-Gum! | „ |
~ Mater |
“ | Shoot! | „ |
~ Mater |
“ | I Didn't Mean That Kinda Shoot! | „ |
~ Mater |
“ | If I'm lying, I'm crying! | „ |
~ One of Mater's catchphrases |
“ | Good evening. My name is Mater and I'll be your waiter. (laughs) Mater, waiter! That's funny right there! | „ |
~ Mater about to give Lightning McQueen's and Sally's order |
Cars 3[]
“ | Mater: You know what I do? McQueen: What? Mater: I don't know. I got nothing. |
„ |
~ Mater and McQueen in Cars 3. |
Trivia[]
- A113, a recurring joke found in other Pixar films, is Mater's license plate.
- It is highly speculated by fans and heavily implied by the film franchise that Tow Mater has high functioning autism or is somewhere on the spectrum (because of his vast encyclopedic savant-like knowledge, he likes to self stimulate when he feels overwhelmed and he has sensory processing disorder problems. He is also quite obsessive with things that interest him and he's a very visual thinker) He also takes idioms and sarcasm too literally and he's a poor socializer (he's socially inept).
- Mater apparently comes from a rich family.
- Mater is the only character in the Cars franchise with crooked teeth.
- Mater and Ivan are the only characters in Cars 2 that are tow trucks.
- None of the characters, not even Mater himself, use Mater's first name, Tow.
- During the credits' roll of Cars 2, Mater's passport scrolls past. His birth date is listed on it. It turns out to be the same as John Lasseter's: January 12, 1957.
- This would mean Mater was 49 years old in the first movie.
- During the last section of the World Grand Prix Mater is described as the world's greatest backwards driver.
- Mater is American and, in real life, only people from the Commonwealth realm (the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.) can be knighted. People from outside a Commonwealth realm can, however, receive an honorary knighthood, but they cannot be referred to as "Sir". It is possible that Mater was granted British citizenship to receive his knighthood.
- It is revealed in Time Travel Mater that he always cries at weddings. This is probably due to having a very emotional and sensitive personality.
- Mater breaks the fourth wall in the first movie: During the closing song "Route 66", he can be seen in the crowd looking at the viewers while singing some verses of the soundtrack.
- In the credits, it is shown that he is knighted on Tuesday, July 15, 2011. However, July 15, 2011, was not on Tuesday in real life, it was on Friday.
- In the subtitles for the audio commentary on Cars 2, John Lasseter describes Mater with "two miniguns" but the subtitles say "two many guns".
- Mater was the only resident of Radiator Springs who had no dislike of Lighting McQueen when he first arrived even outright saying that he liked him when he was in the impound lot.
- Head of story and co-director Joe Ranft got the inspiration of Mater after seeing an old abandoned rusty tow truck during a research trip to Route 66. The character was named after and partly based on Douglas "Mater" Keever, a racing fan the Pixar team met during their research trips, and also draws inspiration from several other people the team encountered.
- Mater's name has been changed in many other language dubs:
- In Arabic, he is called "ماطم" (Matem).
- In Spanish and Portuguese, he is called "Mate".
- In French, he is called "Martin".
- In Polish, Mater is called "Złomek" (z-wom-eh-k).
- In German, he is called "Hook".
- In Dutch, he is called "Takel".
- In Italian, he is called "Carl Attrezzi", a pun on "carro attrezzi", which means "tow truck"; however, he is more often referred by his nickname "Cricchetto", from the car tool "cric".
- In Swedish, he is called "Bärgarn", which suits him since he is a tow truck.
- In Japanese, he is called "メーター" (me-ta-).
- In Mandarin (Taiwan), he is called "拖線".
- In Mandarin (China), he is called "板牙".
- In Cantonese, he is called "哨牙嘜".
- In Danish, he is called "Bumle".
- In Bulgarian, he is called Матю (Matthew).
- In Hungarian, he is called Matuka.
- In Russian, he is called "Мэтр" (metre).
- In Finnish, he is called "Martti".
- According to the Cars 2 DVD commentary, Lasseter wanted Mater to be the only one to know that Miles Axlerod was behind the conspiracy to sabotage the World Grand Prix so everyone could see him go from being the dumbest guy in the world to the most brilliant guy in the world.
- Mater's horn sounds different in the Disney Infinity series when it is compared to the sound made in the films. Additionally, in the sequels to the first game, some of his quotes are missing, including the sounds he makes when doing air tricks. To add to that, the third game has a few of the sounds that he makes when side-bashing is absent, as well as the subtitles not covering any of his quotes. It is currently unknown if all of this will be fixed in an update patch of the game.
- When Mater was an 8-year-old child (in the Our Town Cars flashback), all of his body was painted baby blue. Today, however, his doors are more like a light green pastel color instead of baby blue like the rest of his paint in his youth.
- In Cars 3, Mater has a bunch of flaps that he collects. He has mud flaps, fishing flaps, church flaps, and going out to eat flaps.
- Head of story and co-director Joe Ranft got the inspiration of Mater after seeing an old abandoned rusty tow truck during a research trip to Route 66. The character was named after and partly based on Douglas "Mater" Keever, a racing fan the Pixar team met during their research trips, and also draws inspiration from several other people the team encountered.
- Mater's license plate is A113, a recurring code in Pixar films.
- If you listen to the way Mater talks real closely, you can see that he talks with a lisp to his voice (as he talks, the air kind of whistles through the gap between his buck teeth) and he doesn't say 'this', he usually says, "dis, dat" and among others along with a "z" at the end of a word like "carz" rather than saying "cars".
- One thing to note throughout the series is that Mater's characteristics and loving nature are very similar to that of a domesticated dog.
- It is noted by John Lasseter that Mater is way too innocent, pure and kind so he can never hurt or harm any soul. He can't even kill a bumblebee without mourning for its life (in fact, this was shown in the Cars teaser trailer).
- Larry the Cable Guy mentioned that Mater isn't self-conscious about how others view him.
- Mater is one of those sensitive guy types. He tends to act and behave more on the feminine side than a macho strong man.
- Also, it is noted in the Cars books, like "Mater's Birthday Surprise" and in "Mater and the Easter Buggy", that his favorite colors are mostly, blue, green, orange, yellow, and most defiantly pink and purple (more of the lighter softer colors). He also likes the color red.
- During the last section of the World Grand Prix, Mater is described as the World's greatest backwards driver.
- Mater is one of the believers in Jesus because he has church flaps and he goes to church.
- One of his catchphrases is "Git-R-Done!" his actor, Larry the Cable Guy's signature phrase.
- Many fans speculate that Mater is somewhere on the autism spectrum. This is due to his tendency to self-stimulate, his encyclopedia-like knowledge, his sensory processing issues, his inability to socialize, and his blindness to sarcasm.
- Many fans speculate that Mater's biological parents are Lizzie and Stanley. He behaves like both of them and he has the same big buck teeth and goofy droopy eyes as Stanley. His speech pattern is a mix between Stanley's southern accent and Lizzie's voice. He forgets easily and is really crazy like Lizzie. He also says yes "siree", "oh apple sauce", and "Dad-Gum" like Stanley used to say. His horn is also mixed between Lizzie's long deep horn and Stanley's short loud horn.
- This was disproven in Cars on the Road, where it was revealed that Mater was born to a rich family outside of Radiator Springs.
- The country bumpkin tow truck Mater got his name from NASCAR superfan Douglas “Mater” Keever, whom the filmmakers met while on a research trip to North Carolina’s Lowe’s Motor Speedway (now called the Charlotte Motor Speedway). Keever has a voice cameo in the film, as the motor home who says “Well dip me in axle grease and call me slick” early in the film. (Keever improvised the line, which was originally “Well dip me in axle grease and call me lubrication.” Producer Darla Anderson opted to change it, Keveer[1]speculated, because “maybe she thought it sounded sexual, I don’t know.”)
- His concept name was Tom.
- His concept name was also Zeb.
External Links[]
- Mater on the Near Pure Good Wiki
- Mater on the Disney Wiki
- Mater on the Pixar Wiki
- Mater on the World of Cars Wiki
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