Monster Jam shows are always quite the spectacle to behold, and the Monster Jam phenomenon has been an attraction in America for decades. Monster trucks became so popular that there was actually an '80s cartoon called Bigfoot and The Muscle Machines about a heroic group of monster truck drivers. It aired amongst Super Saturday Morning and Super Sundays TV shows as one of Hasbro's properties with Marvel and Sunbow Productions. The miniseries had a superstar voice acting cast, including the legendary Chris Latta (G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Inhumanoids), Lance LeGault (The A-Team), Susan Blu, Neil Ross, Peter Cullen, Vince Howard, Wally Burr, and Arthur Burghardt, according to IMDB.
The show is centered around Yank Justice and his monster truck Bigfoot. Yank and his friends Close McCall, Professor Dee, and twins Red and Redder host a Monster Jam-styled together. One day, a woman named Jennifer McGraw steals a map from billionaire Adrian Ravenscroft, a.k.a. Mr. Big. The map leads to the Fountain of Youth. Jennifer is pursued by Ravenscroft's henchman, but finds protection in Yank and his friends at the stadium they are performing in.
Check out the show's intro below, and prepare to get hit with all sorts of nostalgia!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pMXcnNPehhU
Remembering Bigfoot and The Muscle Machines
In the action-packed intro, Professor Dee first notices that Jennifer needs assistance from his truck Orange Blossom Special. Red and Redder nearly run her over when she rushes into the stadium in their Black Gold truck. Yank saves Jennifer in his Bigfoot monster truck just as she is about to be crushed by Ernie Slye and the other villains.
The miniseries sees Yank and his pals help Jennifer find the Fountain of Youth and destroy it foiling Adrian's plans. The show was so successful that it was turned into a 53-minute feature-length film.
Brought to life by the Toei Animation company and directors John Gibbs, Ray Lee, Terry Lennon, and Flint Dille, Bigfoot and the Muscle Machines was a monster hit in the '80s. The show turned monster truck drivers into action heroes in a new and exciting way. These folks put on a show in real life, so why not explore their limitless potential at home on your TV set? Is it time for a modern revamp of this popular '80s animated series turned movie?
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This post was originally published on April 7, 2021.