You remember the theme song. You remember the yellow hard hat. But do you remember the purple forklift? Honestly, if you aren't a die-hard fan or a parent from the early 2000s, Bob the Builder Trix might be a bit of a blurry memory. She wasn't one of the "Core Five" like Scoop or Muck, yet she brought a certain chaotic energy to the yard that the show really needed.
Trix is a violet forklift who worked for J.J. at the suppliers' yard. She first rolled onto the screen in 2002 during the sixth season. Specifically, her debut was in the episode Bob’s Egg and Spoon Race.
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She's fast. She's helpful. But man, she is accident-prone.
Who exactly is Trix?
Most people just call her "the purple one," but Trix actually has a pretty specific backstory. Unlike the machines that live in Bob’s yard, Trix belongs to J.J., the manager of the local building supply depot. This meant she wasn't always around for the morning briefings, which kind of made her appearances feel like a special guest spot.
Basically, she's a JCB 930 Rough Terrain forklift.
If you look closely at her design, the creators actually set her up "backwards" compared to a real JCB. Her cab faces the forks in a way that wouldn't totally work in a real-world warehouse, but hey, it's a talking machine with eyes for headlights. We can let it slide.
In the UK version, she was voiced by Llewella Gideon, giving her a distinct South London accent. When the show crossed the Atlantic, Lorelei King took over for the US dub, swapping the London vibe for a Central Floridian accent. It’s one of those weird trivia bits that changes how you hear the character depending on where you grew up.
Her Personality (and why she disappeared)
Trix is widely considered the youngest machine in the original series. Before she showed up, Lofty held that title.
Being the "kid" of the group meant she had a ton of energy. She was always trying to prove herself, which usually led to her getting things slightly wrong. She isn't calm. If something goes sideways, she panics. Her catchphrase was a simple, "Okey-dokey, J.J.!" or "Easy peasy!"
But then, she just... vanished.
If you’re wondering why you don't see her in the later Project: Build It seasons, it’s because she was literally replaced by her own model. The production team took the stop-motion model for Trix, repainted it, and turned it into Sumsy, a maroon/dark orange forklift who lived on Farmer Pickles’ farm.
It was a bit of a "sorry, we don't need two forklifts" situation. Trix’s final speaking role was in the 2004 episode Trix and the Bug. After that, she was essentially retired from the canon, though her spirit (and her mold) lived on through Sumsy.
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What most people get wrong about Trix
There’s a weird amount of confusion online about Trix's gender. To be clear: Trix is female.
Because the show was dubbed into dozens of languages, things got messy. In the Finnish version, she was given a male voice and renamed "Mini." In the Czech dub, she became "Tom." Even in the German version, they changed her name to "Kessi."
If you grew up watching the show in English, you’ve always known her as Trix, but if you happened to catch an international broadcast, you might be convinced she’s a guy named Tom.
Why Trix actually mattered to the show
She broke the mold. Most of Bob's machines are primary colors—yellow, red, blue. Trix was a vibrant violet. She added a splash of color to the supplier's yard that made J.J.'s place feel distinct from Bob's.
Also, she represented the "new generation" of the show. Her introduction in 2002 marked a shift where the world of Bobsville started expanding. We got more locations, more specialized machines, and more complex problems.
Trix wasn't just a forklift; she was a bridge between Bob’s small-town life and the larger world of logistics and supply. Plus, her relationship with Skip, the lime-green skip truck, was one of the better "machine friendships" in the series. They were the duo that kept J.J.'s business running while Bob was out fixing barns.
The Trix episodes you should rewatch
If you want to see her at her best (or most chaotic), there are a few standout moments.
- Trix’s Pumpkin Pie: She tries to help everyone at once—classic Trix—while looking after a giant pumpkin pie for Farmer Pickles. Spoiler: it doesn't go perfectly.
- Trix and the Otters: This one is actually quite sweet. She wants to watch some otters in the stream but keeps scaring them away because she's a giant, loud machine. Muck eventually helps her camouflage herself so she can watch them in peace.
- Trix and the Bug: Her final appearance. She borrows a giant fake bug used for a cinema promotion to help Spud scare birds. It’s a great example of her "fast-paced but accident-prone" nature.
Actionable insights for collectors and fans
If you are looking to track down Trix today, you’ve got a bit of a challenge. Since she hasn't been in the show for nearly twenty years, she isn't exactly sitting on the shelves at Target.
- Check the "Born to Play" line: This was the original die-cast and plastic toy line. Interestingly, some Trix toys have her exhaust pipe on the left, while others have it on the right. If you find one with the "wrong" pipe, it’s a fun little production quirk.
- Look for the "Take Along" series: These were the portable, magnetic toys. Trix is harder to find than Scoop or Dizzy, but she does pop up on secondary markets like eBay or Vinted.
- The Sumsy Confusion: If you're buying toys for a kid, don't accidentally buy Sumsy thinking it's Trix. They look identical in shape but Sumsy is a brownish-orange color, while Trix is strictly violet/purple.
- Digitally Archiving: Most of Trix's episodes are available on official Bob the Builder YouTube channels or through older DVD collections like Speedy Skip. Because she’s from the stop-motion era, her episodes have a certain texture that the modern CGI reboot just can't replicate.
Trix might not be the most famous member of the Can-Do Crew, but for a few years in the early 2000s, she was the energetic heart of the supplier's yard. She proved that even if you're the youngest and a bit clumsy, you've still got a job to do.
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To keep your collection accurate, always verify the "basis" of the machine. For Trix, you're looking for that JCB 930 silhouette. Anything else is just a knock-off. Stay tuned to the original series airings if you want to catch her in her violet glory.