fall inside a hole
Big Big Loader (1993)
First written May 2024The Tomy Big Big Loader is a standalone expansion to the 1977 Tomy Big Loader "construction set" released in 1993 in Japan and in 1994 around the world. Like the original, it uses a powered chassis with reversing gearbox that traverses around a set course hitting reversers and interacting with different construction vehicle "shells" that help it cycle a set of "rocks" around a construction site. In some ways, it is an advanced form of something like a shuttle train toy. The Big Big Loader has a functioning elevator and rock lift, all driven by the little chassis.
I remember seeing the Thomas the Tank Engine Big Big Loader a few times as a kid. Although it works perfectly fine as a standalone loader, one of the coolest features is that it can be connected to an original Big Loader to form Big Big Big Loader, a combined layout with the dump truck traversing between the two sets. Big Big Loader also has a memorable commercial featuring a Muppet-looking fellow singing about how Big Big Loader will work all day long (Big Big Load-errrr! Put it together and whaddaya get?). Trust Tomy to think of it indeed.
Working Vehicle Big Loader Building Construction Set (Japanese release) (1993)
The Japanese version of Big Big Loader was released as はたらくじどうしゃビッグローダービル工事セット or Working Vehicle Big Loader Building Construction Set in 1993.
The initial Big Loader color scheme matches both the 1990 Japanese and 1991 international releases of Big Loader.
Set contents
| Quantity | Item | Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Power
chassis |
 |
| 1 | Dump truck shell |
 |
| 1 |
Scoop loader shell |
 |
| 2 | Half Straight track |
 |
| 2 | Curved Track "A" |
 |
| 1 | Curved Track "B" |
 |
| 2 | T-Point Track "A" |
 |
| 1 | T-Point Track "B" |
 |
| 1 | T-Point Track "C" |
 |
| 1 | T-Point Track "D" |
 |
| 1 | Ramp Track |
 |
| 1 | Elevator |
 |
| 1 | Loading Station |
 |
| 2 pieces | Transfer ramps |
 |
| 1 | Spiral Tower |
 |
| 1 | Upper chute |
 |
| 1 | Lower chute |
 |
| 1 | Hoist |
 |
| 2 pieces | Supports |
 |
| 1 | Loading Gate |
 |
| 2 | Buffer |
 |
| 10 | Rocks |
 |
| 2 | Cardboard sign boards |
The Big Big Loader uses only two vehicle tops compared to the original three, with the dump truck handling most of the course and traversing up to the upper level. I really like the sticker design on this version, it might be my favorite Big Big Loader vehicle variant. The colored lines are cool and I like the Big Loader text.
The chassis in this set is white, like the 1990 Japanese version of Big Loader that it matches with. These Big Loader chassis are marked with date stickers like Plarail - the letter's position in the alphabet indicates the number of the month (in this case, J = 10 = October) and the number(s) is the last digit(s) of the year, in this case 1993.
Big Big Loader features a new layout with an operating elevator and upper layer. Gears in the elevator platform drive it up and down, with the "C" switch on the top section driving up a hoist that drops the balls into chutes for the scoop lifter to load. This earlier production Japanese release uses a slightly older style of C switch with an additional screwed-in plastic piece - no doubt redesigning it subtly saved a few cents.
I quite like the stickers all around this set, the ball loader has some cool geometric shapes and text and the rear of the hoist has a sticker that looks particularly like a cassette tape.
Like the original, Big Big Loader is a mesmerizing toy that cycles around and around with lots of nice mechanical clanking as balls fall down chutes and the chassis changes back and forth between vehicles and directions.
Big Big Loader (American release) (1994)
The first American Big Big Loader was released in 1994 in the wood-boarder Preschool Tomy packaging. The color scheme is the same as the Japanese release but with a different sticker set. In Europe this Big Big Loader was released in Tomy "Big Fun" packaging.
Set contents
| Quantity | Item | Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Power
chassis |
|
| 1 | Dump truck shell |
 |
| 1 |
Scoop loader shell |
 |
| 2 | Half Straight track |
|
| 2 | Curved Track "A" |
|
| 1 | Curved Track "B" |
|
| 2 | T-Point Track "A" |
|
| 1 | T-Point Track "B" |
|
| 1 | T-Point Track "C" |
 |
| 1 | T-Point Track "D" |
|
| 1 | Ramp Track |
|
| 1 | Elevator |
 |
| 1 | Loading Station |
 |
| 2 pieces | Transfer ramps |
 |
| 1 | Spiral Tower |
 |
| 1 | Upper chute |
|
| 1 | Lower chute |
|
| 2 pieces | Hoist |
 |
| 2 pieces | Supports |
|
| 1 | Loading Gate |
|
| 2 | Buffer |
|
| 10 | Rocks |
 |
| 2 | Cardboard sign boards | one shown with hoist |
The Big Big Loader uses only two vehicle tops compared to the original three, with the dump truck handling most of the course and traversing up to the upper level.
The chassis in these 1990s sets use metal swinging power switches. A white power car is used - this was also used on the slightly older 1990 version of Big Loader that was released in Japan, while the international Big Loaders from 1991 used blue chassis. The stickers used on these copies of the Big Big Loader are the same as the European and other international releases, with the old curvy Tomy logo on several stickers.
Geared portions of the elevator and C switch engage with the gear that also runs along the racks molded into the track when the chassis is stopped by small protrusions in the guide rail. The gear will drive either the elevator or rock hoist and then the chassis is released and the cycle continues. Unlike the original Big Loader, there are no user-controlled reversers present on any of the tracks. Some of this is probably because there are just less places where it makes sense to make the truck reverse - Big Big Loader is usually pretty good at cycling all of its balls around, with the scoop lifter having a more reliable time scooping up balls into the spring-loaded loading station instead of the weighted pivot and trough system used on the original Big Loader's loading bay.
Big Big Loader has only one interchange which functions differently from the regular Big Loader. The A switch in between shortchanges the chassis in either direction on the perpendicular section and reversers in the interchange ramps only allow the chassis to leave in reverse - this means the chassis shuffles around between several phases as it performs a three-point turn to get the rear of the chassis pointing out to pick up the next vehicle shell. The scoop loader lifts the balls up into a dispenser and then switches over to the dump truck to pick up the rocks and take them up the elevator. The truck turns out and reverses to get the tipper pointing towards the spiral chute and then heads back towards the hoist lift mechanism, lifting the balls up and down another series of chutes while the truck heads back down the elevator to switch the chassis back over to the loader.
I have come across two 1990s American Big Big Loaders - the boxed example shown here is a fairly early example from 1994, but I also have a later loose copy that has a (very) slightly updated instruction sheet.
The instructions for this set also show how to connect to Big Loader - they suggest that some older production Big Loaders may not connect properly, and this may be the case for some variants (especially if the plastic is warped, perhaps) but I had no problem connecting it to a fairly early late 1970s Big Loader - you do probably want to use the new power car, unless the older one has been serviced and is running well.
Although Big Big Loader is very cool and mesmerizing on its own, one of its coolest tricks is its ability to connect to the original Big Loader and form Big Big Big Loader. Admittedly, the tandem operation is somewhat limited - basically, when the chassis is approaching the relevant switch from its perpendicular branch, you can choose to send it over to the other portion of the layout. You can even run two chassis on the two different sections of the layout at once, but you might as well not have them connected at that point. Click on the GIFs above to see longer videos with sound.
Thomas Big Big Loader (1999)
In 1999 a Thomas the Tank Engine themed version of the Big Big Loader was released to go along with the Thomas Big Loader. A version was released in the United States and in the late 2000s a few recolored variations were produced.
Big Big Loader (2000s rerelease) (~2001)
At some point circa 2001 or so a new Big Loader was released in the U.S. in the newer Preschool Tomy "cloud" packaging to match the late 1990s Big Loader rerelease. This version updated the logos on the elevator and vehicles to use the new squared-off logo and also uses the plastic loading gates also used on the Thomas Big Loader.
I do not own one of these Big Big Loaders, but I did see this incomplete one is a wrecked box at a thrift store and photographed the components with new stickers.
Big Big Big Loader (2004)
In 2004 Tomy updated the stickers for the export Big Big Loader to no longer include the Tomy logo and released the combined Big Loader and Big Big Loader as Big Big Big Loader both under their own brand in similar cloud-boarder packaging as shown above and well as an OEM product to some sellers like the Wal-Mart "Kid Connection" branded one shown here. Despite the Tomy version of Big Big Big Loader box showing the new squared off Tomy logo on some parts of the set like the large elevator sticker it appears both the Tomy and OEM version of this set have no Tomy logos on the stickers.
Set contents
| Quantity |
Item |
Photo |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Power chassis |
 |
| 1 | Dump truck shell |
 |
| 1 | Skip loader shell |
 |
| 2 |
Scoop lifter shell |
 |
| 4 |
Straight track |
 |
| 2 | Curve track |
 |
| 1 | Switch track |
 |
| 1 | Hopper track |
 |
| 1 | Short track |
 |
| 1 | Ramp track |
 |
| 1 | Transfer ramp |
 |
| 1 | Loading dock |
 |
| 2 | Loader gate |
 |
| 1 | Loading trough |
 |
| 1 | Hopper |
 |
| 2 | Hopper supports |
 |
| 1 | Delivery chute |
 |
| 2 | Half Straight track |
|
| 2 | Curved Track "A" |
|
| 1 | Curved Track "B" |
|
| 2 | T-Point Track "A" |
|
| 1 | T-Point Track "B" |
|
| 1 | T-Point Track "C" |
|
| 1 | T-Point Track "D" |
|
| 1 | Ramp Track |
|
| 1 | Elevator |
 |
| 1 | Loading Station |
 |
| 2 pieces | Transfer ramps |
|
| 1 | Spiral Tower |
 |
| 1 | Upper chute |
|
| 1 | Lower chute |
|
| 2 pieces | Hoist |
 |
| 2 pieces | Supports |
|
| 1 | Buffer |
 |
| 20 | Rocks | |
| 2 | Cardboard sign boards | one shown with hoist |
Being a combined set, the set includes only one dump truck and chassis, in this case the green truck and white chassis from Big Big Loader. The body shells include the green truck and scoop lifter with Big Big Loader style stickers but without either style of Tomy logo as well as another scoop lifter with cartoony Big Loader stickers alongside a similarly-decorated skip loader for the Big Loader portion.
In addition to not having any logo on the front sticker, the rear of the elevator reveals that this is actually from the old curvy logo tooling, even though 2000s Thomas Big Loaders from before this set's production used the straight version of the logo.
One neat thing you can do with Big Big Big Loader (or a Big and Big Big Loader combination) is move two of the straight tracks from Big Loader over to Big Big Loader, spreading the layout out. You could also insert the straights between the B and D switches.
The extra curve track for Big Loader to operate separately is not included, although the layout can still be separated between the C and D switches if desired.