Big Mickey

Big Mickey is a large hammerhead crane who works at Brendam Docks, alongside Cranky and Carly. He was originally from TUGS.

Personality
As Big Mickey was said to be silent for a long time, mainly because Cranky has "never said a single word to him", very little is known about him (casting aside his known persona from TUGS), although it can be assumed that he is not the best at communicating, as Salty put it.

Basis
Big Mickey is based on a NW70031 WWII USN 20t Tower Crane. The Tanzanian Crane is another member of this class.

Livery
During Seasons 3-5, Big Mickey had cool grey paintwork, however, since the sixth season, he now has warm grey paintwork.

Behind The Scenes
Big Mickey's original model was carried over from Thomas & Friends' sister show, TUGS. He was the yard's biggest crane and was voiced by the late Timothy Bateson. Originally stationed at the Steel Company dock, he was later used by the navy. In the episode "Munitions", a fire sparked by the navy tug, Bluenose causes his dock to collapse, leading to him sinking (his final fate differs between the TV and VHS versions; in the TV version, Captain Star said he survived thanks to landing in shallow waters, while in the VHS version, no such narration is heard, and it is assumed that Big Mickey drowns and perishes). After the show's cancellation, his model was refurbished and modified with a warmer shade of grey paint, and his megaphone was removed.

Trivia

 * Big Mickey had many modifications throughout the television series. These include:
 * Season 3 (from TUGS):
 * He had cool grey paintwork.
 * His megaphone was taken away.
 * His top railing became thinner.
 * His walkway received more detailing.
 * Season 6:
 * He gained riveted steel sides.
 * He gained a new hook.
 * His hoist end became covered.
 * His crane arm became longer.
 * His wheelhouse walkway became square.
 * He gained a new base.
 * He became taller.
 * Season 13:
 * His overall size increased exponentially.
 * His wheelhouse became wider.
 * His crane arm became taller.
 * His paintwork became more cream coloured.
 * Season 21:
 * He gained a face.
 * In episodes of the twenty-first season prior to New Crane on the Dock, Big Mickey was always positioned facing away from the camera done to hide his face.
 * Big Mickey is the only TUGS character to have his name carried over to Thomas & Friends.
 * Big Mickey is one of three characters to have been given a face after debuting without one, with the other two being Butch and Henrietta.