Ricky Zoom is an animated children's television series created by Alexander Bar and produced by Hasbro's Entertainment One subsidiary and Frog Box in collaboration with Maga Animation Studio, TeamTO, Youku Kids and Rai Ragazzi. The series was first released on Youku Kids on June 28, 2019.
Contents
Synopsis
Set in the town of Wheelford, the series follows young anthropomorphic motorcycle Ricky Zoom and his friends, Loop Hoopla, Scootio Whizzbang and DJ Rumbler. They form the "Bike Buddies" and have adventures in their community, and Ricky dreams of becoming a rescue bike just like his parents and his idol, Steel Awesome.
Characters
Main
Ricky Zoom (voiced by Max Fincham) is an anthropomorphic red motorcycle with dark blue eyes and equipped with rescue gadgets who dreams of becoming a rescue bike like his parents. His symbol is a Z, which stands for his last name.
Loop Hoopla (voiced by Bradley Bissett) is a blue dirt bike with green eyes and paddle tires who can hover via boosters on his side. He loves doing wild stunts. His symbol is a spiral. Loop is the only Bike Buddy other than Ricky to have a sibling, but he is also the only one not to have his mother appear.
DJ Rumbler (voiced by Leo Templer) is a green 3-wheeled ATV motorcycle with brown eyes, and is equipped with a robotic arm and several tool attachments. His symbol is a criss-crossed screwdriver and hammer. He is extremely strong, capable of pulling several hundred pounds unassisted.
Scootio Wizzbang (voiced by Twinkle Jaiswal) is a yellow scooter with blue eyes, and is equipped with a drone called a Zoomcam and miniature robots called ScootBops. She keeps a tablet in her front wheel arch. Her symbol is a sun. Scootio is the only female of the main four Bike Buddies.
Recurring
Toot Zoom (voiced by Frances White) is a little lavender motorcycle with blue eyes, and Ricky's younger sister. Sweet yet sassy, Toot is always eager to get in on some fun with the Bike Buddies whenever she can – though her habit of recounting embarrassing tales and titbits about Ricky means that although he adores her, he can be resistant to having her around! They think of her rather like an extra set of wheels: nice to have around when you need them, but whoever heard of a bike with four wheels?! However, though smaller than the other buddies, Toot is impossible to ignore – and often ends up stealing the show!
Hank Zoom is a red adult motorcycle with blue eyes who is Ricky and Toot's father. He has a special job as a rescue bike which Ricky wants to be when he grows up.
Helen Zoom is an orange adult motorcycle with green eyes who is Ricky and Toot's mother. She had a past life as the Wheelford Wheeler, a bike who rescues those in need and vanishes before anyone found out who she was.
Dasher Zoom is a Lightblue pre-teenage motorcycle with green eyes which is Ricky and Toot's cousin and Hank and Helen's nephew, he loves racing.
Steel Awesome is a superhero that Ricky idolizes. Movie star, comic-book hero and huge celebrity, stunt bike Steel Awesome has packs of adoring fans... including himself! Bold, brave and handsome (and doesn't he know it!), he loves doing his own extravagant movie stunts. Though he can be who absurdly over-the-top, Steel is the epitome of what an action bike can be, and Ricky idolises him for it. Ricky dreams of becoming his sidekick, Vroom Boy, so that Steel will teach him all he knows about being a daring and courageous bike. He speaks with an American accent.
Maxwell is a bike who runs the garage. Good-natured Maxwell and his Service Station are at the heart of the community, providing everything a bike needs along with the latest Wheelford news and gossip, as well as plenty of tales of the good ol’ days! A trusted and valued member of the community, Maxwell is also leader of Ramp Camp, the outdoor club that all the Buddies love being a part of, and he enjoys using his experience of the world to help the Buddies learn and grow.
Production
On August 22, 2019, it was announced that Hasbro would acquire Entertainment One for $4 billion, giving them ownership of Ricky Zoom. On December 30, 2019, the $3.8 billion deal was closed.
On September 5, 2019, it was announced that the series would premiere in the United States on September 9, 2019. On February 9, 2020, it was announced that eOne had renewed the series for a second season containing 52 11-minute episodes, which premiered on November 16, 2020.
Broadcast
Internationally, the series airs on Super RTL in Germany, Yle TV2 in Finland, Clan TV in Spain, Gulli in France, Nickelodeon, Kabillion and Peacock in the United States, RAI in Italy, Discovery Kids in Latin America, Karusel in Russia, and ViuTV in Hong Kong. As of April 2020, the series has aired on Channel 5's Milkshake! in the United Kingdom.
