Blaze and the Monster Machines

Last updated
Blaze and the Monster Machines
Blaze and the Monster Machines logo.png
Genre Adventure
Created byJeff Borkin
Ellen Martin
Developed by
  • Clark Stubbs
  • Jeff Borkin
  • Ellen Martin
Directed byMiguel Martinez-Joffre
Voices of
Opening theme"Blaze and the Monster Machines Theme," performed by Kyle Gordon, Mason Rather and JP Rende
Ending theme"It's Blaze," performed by Scott Krippayne
Country of origin
  • United States
  • Canada
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes154 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producersJeff Borkin
Ellen Martin
ProducersTina Chow (2014–2016)
Logan McPherson (2014–2016)
Sarah Wall (2016–2018)
Paddy Kelly (2016–2017)
Jennifer DeMichelis (2017–2022)
Nisa Contreras (2018–2020)
Erin Twine (2022–)
Running time22 minutes
44 minutes (specials)
Production companies Nerd Corps Entertainment (season 1)
WildBrain Studios (season 2–present) [lower-alpha 1]
Nickelodeon Animation Studio
Original release
Network Nickelodeon (United States)
Treehouse TV (Canada)
ReleaseOctober 13, 2014 (2014-10-13) 
present

Blaze and the Monster Machines is an American animated children's television series. Focusing on teaching STEM, it premiered on Nickelodeon on October 13, 2014. The show revolves around Blaze, a monster truck, and his human driver, AJ, as they have adventures in Axle City and learn about various STEM concepts which help them on their way. Joining them is the human mechanic Gabby and their monster truck friends: Stripes, Starla, Darington, and Zeg as well as their rival Crusher and his goofy sidekick Pickle. Then later on, Watts and Sparkle join the main cast in Seasons 3 and 5.

Contents

Plot

The show focuses on Blaze, an orange-red monster truck, and his smart, young driver, AJ. They live in a world that involves many living monster trucks called "Monster Machines" who include trucks, Starla, Stripes, Zeg, Darington, Watts (as of Season 3), and Sparkle (as of Season 5), as well as Gabby, a mechanic who can fix anything and later on Watts' Monster Machine driver and close friend (as of Season 3). Each episode also features Crusher, a sneaky blue lightning bolted tractor-trailer who cheats in races, but he slowly evolves into a nicer character who is always accompanied by a small truck named Pickle, his goofy sidekick.

Format

Each episode has Blaze and AJ go on various adventures and solve problems along the way, normally three per episode, with "assistance" from the viewing audience. Blaze might also transform into a different vehicle or artifact depending on the situation. Blaze may sometimes get a task done with the help of his Blazing Speed, a special power that allows him to go super fast. Animals in this Monster Machine world have blended windows (which have been removed as of season 5) and wheels. Despite this, AJ and Gabby are both humans. In some episodes, Blaze, AJ and their friends are in a race against Crusher. During the race, Crusher cheats, usually with the help of his gray robot parts. However, Blaze and AJ manage to get through his traps, and they always beat him in time. Not all episodes involve a proper race, but still have Blaze competing against Crusher, sometimes by racing against him to get an item. Other episodes involve helping a truck friend such as Starla, Zeg, Darington, Stripes, Watts, Sparkle, or even Crusher and/or Pickle. Each episode features two or three original songs usually performed by Blaze and AJ offscreen, when they are setting off on their adventure or demonstrating the episode's STEM concept.

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 18October 13, 2014 (2014-10-13)May 25, 2015 (2015-05-25)
2 18September 25, 2015 (2015-09-25)September 29, 2017 (2017-09-29)
3 22October 10, 2016 (2016-10-10)February 22, 2018 (2018-02-22)
4 19March 20, 2018 (2018-03-20)January 12, 2020 (2020-01-12)
5 20August 16, 2019 (2019-08-16)March 4, 2021 (2021-03-04)
6 23December 18, 2020 (2020-12-18)September 13, 2022 (2022-09-13)
7 30September 14, 2022 (2022-09-14)April 3, 2024 (2024-04-03)
8 TBAApril 4, 2024 (2024-04-04)TBA

Characters

Main

Nolan North, pictured here in 2019, voices the titular character. Nolan North SDCC 2019 (48378697517) (cropped).jpg
Nolan North, pictured here in 2019, voices the titular character.

Recurring

  • Bump Bumperman (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a truck who announces all the races.
  • Animals, Crusher's Inventions (voiced by Dee Bradley Baker)
  • Joe (voiced by Nat Faxon) is Gus' best friend. Based on the same generation GMC Sierra like Starla, but male.
  • Gus (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) is Joe's best friend.
  • Gasquatch (voiced by Fred Tatasciore) is a mud-loving truck.
  • Swoops (voiced by David Shatraw) is a large green helicopter with a grille and bumper. He wears a yellow hat.
  • Speedrick (voiced by Keith Ferguson) is a snooty race car, and is the main antagonist of Race Car Superstar.
  • Becky Checkerflag (voiced by Grey DeLisle)
  • Snout the Warthog (voiced by Ian James Corlett)
  • Wartimer the Warthog (voiced by Trevor Devall)
  • Bunk the Elephant (voiced by Jess Harnell)
  • Bam the Gorilla (voiced by Sirena Irwin)
  • Skyler the Falcon (voiced by Kate Higgins)
  • Nelson the Rhino (voiced by Cedric Yarbrough)
  • Burt Black'n'White (voiced by Eric Morgan Stuart)
  • Paulina (voiced by Nika Futterman)
  • Paulie and Ollie (voiced by Evan Agos)
  • Petey (voiced by Connor Andrade)
  • Peggy (voiced by Juliet Donenfeld)
  • Jimmy (voiced by Micheal Jordan)
  • Annie (voiced by Emma Sloan Jacobs)
  • Kimmy and Ellie (voiced by Destiny Ochoa)
  • Floppy (voiced by Charlie Townsend)
  • Singer 1 (voiced by Scott Krippayne)
  • Singer 2 (voiced by Tommy Leonard)
  • Singer 3 (voiced by Seann Bowe)
  • Singer 4 (voiced by Matthew Tishler)

Minor

  • Reece (voiced by Kate Higgins) is a green female garbage truck. The name is made of creativity, alluding to the fact that it means "recycling".
  • Debris (voiced by James Patrick Stuart) is a white French-accented garbage truck with a red dump bed.
  • Clive (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) is the town baker of Axle City.
  • Rudy (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is Crusher's teammate. Based on Hummer H2 SUT converted to a 2-door single cab with Starla's grille and wheel wells.
  • Ferris (voiced by Jeff Bennett) is a chopped roof tow truck. In the Season 1 episode "The Mystery Bandit", at the very ending scene, it turns out to be that he was actually the one who took the lost items. Yet once again based on GMC Sierra.
  • The King (voiced by Charlie Adler)
  • The Royal Knights
    • Green Knight and Yellow Knight (voiced by Jeff Bennett)
    • Purple Knight (voiced by Cree Summer)
    • White Knight (voiced by Charlie Adler)
  • The Moose
  • Carnival Barker (voiced by Mick Lauer)
  • Lucy (voiced by Grey Griffin)
  • Brodie (voiced by Kate Higgins)
  • Robbie (voiced by Charlie Adler)
  • Little Girl (voiced by Cate Gragnani)
  • Little Boy (voiced by Jack Fisher)
  • Littlest Girl (voiced by Destiny Ochoa)
  • Dance Truck 1 (voiced by James Patrick Stuart)
  • Dispatch (voiced by Nolan North)
  • Traffic Trucks (all voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson, Jeff Bennett, Kate Higgins and Nat Faxon)
  • The Animals
  • Monkey (voiced by Amber Hood)
  • Bunny (voiced by Hynden Walch)
  • Bunny 2 and Panda (voiced by Stephanie Sheh)
  • Frog (voiced by Nolan North)
  • The Sneaky Fox (voiced by Tara Strong)
  • Blaze and Sparkle's Dad (speaking voice by Jess Harnell; singing voice by James Richard)
  • Blaze and Sparkle's Mom (voiced by April Stewart)
  • Snowbie (voiced by Becky Robinson)
  • Sea Star (voiced by Cristina Vee Valenzuela)
  • Swordfish (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson)
  • Turtle (voiced by Nolan North)
  • Shark Flowers and Biggest Shark Flower (voiced by Abby Trott)
  • Crab 3 (voiced by Nika Futterman)
  • Dolphin/Crab 1 (voiced by Kate Higgins)
  • Crab 2/Crab Announcer (voiced by Fred Tatasciore)
  • Zuzu (voiced by Debi Derryberry)
  • Oola (voiced by Kaitlyn Robrock)
  • Zork/Alien Announcer (voiced by Sean Kenin)
  • Kissing Bear (voiced by Kate Higgins).

Special guest stars

Locations

Production

The first season consisted of 20 episodes. [1] On June 15, 2015, the series was renewed for a third season which premiered on October 10, 2016. [2] On June 21, 2017, it was renewed for a fourth season which premiered on March 26, 2018. [3] On May 22, 2018, it was renewed for a fifth season which premiered on August 16, 2019. [4] On February 19, 2020, the series was renewed for a sixth season which premiered on December 18, 2020. [5] On August 9, 2021, Charlie Adler, the voice director for the series, confirmed that the series was renewed for a seventh season, [6] which was later confirmed to have 26 episodes. [7]

Broadcast

Blaze and the Monster Machines premiered on Nick Jr. in the United Kingdom and Ireland on March 6, 2015 [8] and on Nick Jr. in Australia and New Zealand on March 9. [9] The series is also airing on Nickelodeon and Treehouse TV in Canada [10] and Nick Jr. in Africa. [11] It premiered on Nicktoons in the United Kingdom along with Ryan's Mystery Playdate on 6 January 2020. [12]

DVD releases

Blaze and the Monster Machines DVD releases are distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment under the Nickelodeon label.

TitleRegion 1Episodes
Blaze of Glory: A Mini MovieFebruary 17, 2015"Blaze of Glory" & "The Driving Force"
High-Speed AdventuresAugust 11, 2015"The Bouncy Tires", "Stuntmania!", "Epic Sail" & "The Team Truck Challenge"
Rev Up and RoarFebruary 16, 2016"Zeg and the Egg", "Dino Dash", "Gasquatch!" & "Dragon Island Duel"
Fired Up!July 12, 2016"Fired Up!", "Five Alarm Blaze", "Trouble at the Truck Wash" & "Sneezing Cold"
Race Into VelocityVilleFebruary 14, 2017"Race Car Superstar", "Race to Eagle Rock", "Sky Track", "The Wishing Wheel", "The Hundred Mile Race" & "The Polar Derby"
Wild Wheels: Escape to Animal IslandSeptember 19, 2017"Animal Island", "Toucan Do It!", "The Big Ant-venture" & "Falcon Quest"
Heroes of Axle CityFebruary 13, 2018"Tow Truck Tough", "Light Riders", "Rocket Ski Rescue" & "Race to the Top of the World"
Blaze Saves ChristmasNovember 6, 2018"Monster Machine Christmas", "Breaking the Ice", "Catch That Cake!" & "Ninja Blaze"
Robot RidersFebruary 5, 2019"Robots to the Rescue", "T-Rex Trouble", "Meatball Mayhem" & "Robots in Space"
Ninja BlazeAugust 27, 2019"Ninja Blaze", "Ninja Soup", "Pickle Power", "Defeat the Cheat" & "The Super-Size Prize"
Knight RidersFebruary 11, 2020"Knight Riders", "Knighty Knights", "Royal Rescue" & "The Flying Lion"
Race for the Golden TreasureJuly 28, 2020"Race for the Golden Treasure", "Treasure Track", "The Island of Lost Treasure" & "The Wishing Wheel"
Axle City Grand PrixFebruary 2, 2021"Axle City Grand Prix", "The Bouncing Bull Racetrack", "Deep Sea Grand Prix" & "Raceday Rescue"
The Case of the Treat ThiefJuly 27, 2021"The Treat Thief", "Blazing Amazing Stories", "Toy Trouble!" & "Officer Blaze"
Dino DerbyFebruary 1, 2022"Dino Derby", "Dinosaur Parade", "Dinocoaster" & "Dino Dash"
Big Rig to the Rescue!October 4, 2022"Big Rig to the Rescue!", "Big Rig Blaze", "Big Rig: Dolphin Delivery" & "The Big Balloon Rescue"

Video game

In 2021, Outright Games released a racing game, Blaze and the Monster Machines: Axle City Racers on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S.

Mobile streaming

On August 31, 2017, the first two seasons and the first half of the third season were added to the Noggin app.

Notes

  1. Known as DHX Media Vancouver for seasons 2–5.

See also

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References

  1. "Nickelodeon to Debut over 100 Episodes of Brand-New Educational Preschool Series in 2014–2015 Season" (Press release). 13 March 2014.
  2. "Nick boosts preschool with Sid and Marty Krofft pick-up, more Blaze".
  3. "More Blaze, PAWs & Shimmer for Nickelodeon".
  4. "Nick Greenlights New Seasons of Four Pre-K Faves". 22 May 2018.
  5. Patrick Hipes (February 19, 2020). "'Are You Afraid Of The Dark?', 'All That', 'Top Elf,' 'Blue's Clues', The Casagrandes' & 'PAW Patrol' Among Slew Of Nickelodeon Renewals". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved February 19, 2020.
  6. Charlie Adler [@charlie_adler] (August 9, 2021). "It is our pleasure to be a part of this great show Drew! So happy your son is enjoying it! We start recording Season 7 today!!! Thanks for the kind words! #BlazeAndTheMonsterMachines" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 2021-08-09. Retrieved August 12, 2021 via Twitter.
  7. "Breaking News – Nickelodeon Supercharges Its Franchise Strategy with Steady Stream of New Premium Content for 2022–23 Season". TheFutonCritic.com. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  8. "Prepare for Monster Truck Adventures in Blaze and the Monster Machines". Viacom UK & Ireland Press Centre (Press release). London: Viacom International Media Networks. February 12, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  9. Knox, David (March 9, 2015). "Airdate: Blaze and the Monster Machines". TV Tonight. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  10. "CORUS Kids June/July 2015 Highlights". Corus Entertainment (Press release). May 25, 2015. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  11. Ferreira, Thinus. "BET and two new channel2014". Channel 24. Retrieved September 2, 2015.
  12. "Proof of the Nicktoons UK airing" . Retrieved 1 January 2020.