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This article is about the crane . You may be looking for the Engine Friends episode. |
“ |
You should see the situation from Cranky's point of view. He's high up in the air coping with wind, rain, and baking sun. Then he looks down and sees you two little engines being annoying! No wonder he calls you bugs! |
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Cranky is a large grumpy dockyard crane, who works and lives at Brendam Docks.
Bio[]
Cranky bullied Thomas and Percy by delaying their loads and calling them "bugs". He later got his comeuppance after a tramp steamer crashed into him and had to be rescued by the two tank engines. Afterwards, he promised never to insult them. However, he still teases the engines, such as when Percy complained that there was too much work and when Henry arrived at the Docks in a barge full of fish.
Despite his lack of sleep, Cranky works very hard. But his working attitude makes the engines cross whenever they think that Cranky is too slow - as a result of their insults, Cranky can cause accidents.
Although he is naturally grumpy, Cranky has shown that he has a kind side too. Once he helped Thomas out of trouble when he and Percy were playing "Hide and Peep" by finding Percy in the dry dock.
He has befriended a seagull that often visits him and has named it, rather fittingly, Seagull. Cranky is not fond of all animals though and is shown to have a fear of elephants.
Cranky has an intense dislike for Salty's stories and Charlie's jokes. According to one of Salty's tales, Cranky is "the Monster of Brendam".
In the seventeenth season, Cranky needed some help, so Kevin was sent to help him. However, Cranky refused the help, leading Kevin to fall into the sea. Cranky rescued Kevin, and apologised for being so mean. He later called Charlie silly when he told him about the elephant on the line, and warned Thomas about the icy tracks.
In Tale of the Brave, Cranky attempted to stop a ship that Gator was on, after Thomas thought that Percy was on board the ship. However, this resulted in Cranky breaking, forcing the ship to turn back.
Cranky was later unloading a crate from a ship at Brendam, but accidentally dropped the crate to the ground. Fearing the contents inside of the crate were broken, Cranky hid the crate out of sight, though it was later found and taken to the Town Hall.
In the Twentieth Season, Cranky teased James while he was pouting by saying he looked crankier than himself.
In The Great Race, Cranky accidentally loaded a crate with Diesel in it into a boat after the devious diesel shunter's plan to enter the Great Railway Show was foiled.
Persona[]
The reason Cranky is so grumpy is because he was initially kept working day and night without rest and seems to have kept up his cranky attitude even though now he does get sleep. Cranky loves teasing the engines and has an intense dislike for Salty's stories. He rarely pays attention to tact due to his perpetual bad temper.
However, Cranky has at times shown a bit of kindness, such as when he sympathised for Percy when Thomas went missing on Misty Island.
Basis[]
According to an interview, Cranky is based on photo reference of various cranes from the 1920s and 50s.
Livery[]
Cranky is painted olive with black and brown pulleys amongst his mechanism and two nameplates on each side that read "CRANKY" in yellow.
Trivia[]
- Cranky can be dismantled and shifted to different locations, despite it never being mentioned or shown, however, there are some cases where Cranky has not been seen at Brendam.
- According to an interview with Sodor Island Forums, Cranky is one of Mark Moraghan's favourite characters alongside Percy.
- Cranky has two seagull friends called Seagull and Stuart.
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Watercraft | AC. 3929 | Alyssa | Boats | Bob and Steve | Bulstrode | Captain | Captain Calles' Pirate Ship | Coast Guard | Fishing Boats | Jacqueline | The Jetty | Judith | K 91 | Katherine | Krystyna | Lakesider III | Lucinda | Mail Boats | Old T. | The Queen of Sodor | S12 FH | Skiff | Stefano | |
Cranes | Big Mickey | Cranky | Colin | Owen | Merrick | Reg | Beresford | Carly | The African Crane | Cranes | A.J.R. No.1 | Ol' Wheezy | Hee-Haw | Happy Hook | Cassia |
Locomotives | Steam | Barry | Bertha | Bill and Ben | Blaney | Dailey | Damian | David | Dawn | Dawson | Donald | Douglas | Edward | Jordyn | Levi | Marion | Nia | Porter | Timothy | Wallace |
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Diesel | BoCo | Derek | Diesel | Rose | Salty | |
Rolling Stock | Coaches | Branch Line Coaches | Express Coaches |
Trucks | Quarry Trucks | |
Non-Rail Vehicles | Anthony | Big Mickey | Carly | Cranky | Malachi | Reg | Rosette | Trevor | |
People | Aanisah | Analice | Areebah | Cassie | Connor | Elliot | Emma | Gabby | Gianna | Hannah | Imani | Jackson | Jade | Jesse | Katherine | Kendra | Lecia | Marley | Meg | Megan | Mr. Appleseed | Mrs. Allison | Mrs. Edwards | Nirmala | Paulina | Reece | Shayna | The Mayor of Sodor | The Vicar of Wellsworth | Tyler | |
Locations | Wellsworth (Vicarage Orchard, Engine Sheds, Hospital, Pet Hospital, Middle School, High School, Apartments) | Crocks Scrap Yard | Suddery (Island Records Office) | Brendam (Docks, Container Yard, Sheds) | The Fenland Track | Lower Suddery | Sodor Animal Park | Dingley Hall | Upper Brendam |
Sudrian Crystal Railway | Locomotives | 'Arry and Bert | Aaron | Annaleigh | Bear | Benjamin | BoCo | Brady | Daisy | Dawn | Derek | Dodge | Duck | Emily | Helen | Henry | Kylie | Oliver | Olivia | Paxton | Percy | Philip | Sam | Scruff | Victoria | Whiff | William |
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Rolling Stock | Bradford | Emerald | Emily's Coaches | Flora's Tram Coach | Jerome and Judy | Malachite | Watermelon Tourmaline | |
Non-Rail Characters | Alfie | Bulgy | Cranky | Demolition Derby Cars | George | Trevor | |
Skarloey Railway | Locomotives | Luke | Peter Sam | Smudger |
Non-Rail Characters | Colin | Madge | |
Arlesdale Railway | Locomotives | Rex |
Keystone Railway | Locomotives | Beryl | Emerald (Keystone Railway) | Fluorite | Fuxite | Green Diamond | Green Pearl | Malachite (Keystone Railway) | Ocean | Peridot (Keystone Railway) | Tremolite | Tsavorite | Zoisite |
The Mainland | Locomotives | City of Truro | The Class 03 | The Class 40 | D782 | Flying Scotsman | Jerry | Mia | Samson | Sans Pareil |
Other Railways | Locomotives | Attila | Gator | Gina | Raphael | The Russian Tender Engine |
Rolling Stock | An An and Lin Yong | Aubrey and Aiden | The Chinese Breakdown Train | |
Non Rail Characters | The American Crane | |
Originally | Zane |