Real Wheels, also known as There Goes A..., and formerly known as Live Action Video for Kids, is a series of children's educational videos for aged 3–8 that features a specified vehicle and the different jobs that it has along with real people who work the job which requires the vehicle. Episodes like There Goes a Garbage Truck, There Goes the Mail and There Goes a Rescue Vehicle, were released as a part of the Dream Big series. Each episode focuses on different modes of transport, though one episode is reserved for Santa Claus and another for roller coasters. Each is live-action, starring Dave Hood who is sometimes accompanied by Becky Borg. Dave Hood does not appear in There Goes a Farm Truck, There Goes a Tractor and There Goes a Dump Truck, in which he is replaced by David Sidoni.

There Goes a...
Also known asReal Wheels
Created byDave Hood
Written byDave Hood
Directed byDave Hood
Ken Urman
StarringDave Hood (21 episodes)
Becky Borg (12 episodes)
David Sidoni (3 episodes)
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes24
Production
Executive producerDave Hood
ProducersDave Hood
Brian Levine
Ken Urman
EditorDave Hood
Running time30 minutes
Production companiesDave Hood Entertainment
Power to Create, Inc.
Original release
NetworkDirect-to-video
Release1993 (1993) –
2004 (2004)

Real Wheels aired in broadcast syndication (alternating with KidVision series A Day With) during the 1996–97 television season under the umbrella title Dream Big, distributed by Litton Syndications. The series was syndicated to public television stations by American Public Television from 2003 to 2008.

Premise

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The series of videos revolved around Dave (sometimes with Becky) in jobs that focused on the vehicles being featured. Dave and Becky always reminded the kids that they did not have their respective jobs, ‘but the real workers had agreed for them to pretend for the day so that the viewers could learn about the vehicles and a little more about the jobs they serve’. While most parts of the videos focused on showing how the vehicles worked and what they can do, some episodes also featured a trope where Dave would predictably get into trouble (for example: accidentally knocking down a building in There Goes a Bulldozer) and deliver his catchphrase, "I shouldn't have done that!". Becky would sometimes get into the same trouble caused by Dave and he would deliver the catchphrase, "You shouldn't have done that!", and sometimes, "We shouldn't have done that!".

In these videos, the hosts talked about how the vehicles worked, and the history of the vehicle featured and talked to real people who worked in their fields. At the end of each episode, Dave and/or Becky would encourage the viewers to visit their local library or the place based on the theme's episode to learn more about the vehicles. In other episodes, in the end, Dave and Becky would also remind the viewers about safety (such as "don't play on the railroad tracks" in There Goes a Train and "don't play with fire" in There Goes a Fire Truck). Other times, the people who worked in the fields of the vehicles would discuss safety with the viewers as well, such as a Federal Railroad Administration safety inspector in There Goes A Train. After the release of There Goes a Garbage Truck, three episodes were hosted by Dave Sidoni, and in 2001, original series host Dave Hood, officially returned to host the series in There Goes a Bus.

Locations

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The majority of the episodes were filmed on location in Southern California at locations such as Union Station, Ontario International Airport, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, Six Flags Magic Mountain, the Metro Headquarters Building, the Getty Museum and Camp Pendleton. They were occasionally filmed at places like the Kennedy Space Center, the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum, and the USS Kitty Hawk.

List of episodes

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Episode # Title Original release date
01"There Goes a Fire Truck"1993 (1993)
Firefighter Dave takes a visit to the Ontario, California Fire Department to see what it takes to be a real firefighter and how fire trucks work. It also features footage of the Ontario International Airport Fire Department in action. We look inside of a fire truck and learn about all of the different equipment and gear the firefighters use.
Note: This is the first episode to feature Dave Hood and the series premiere.
02"There Goes a Bulldozer"March 2, 1994 (1994-03-02)
Construction Foreman Dave visits demolition and construction sites to learn all about machines used in many types of construction.
03"There Goes an Airplane"July 27, 1994 (1994-07-27)
Pilot Dave learns all about different types of airplanes and how they work. Some footage shows the US Navy aircraft in action.
Note: The episode has been called There Goes a Plane on Travel Adventures DVD case. This episode was even originally titled as There Goes a Jet Plane.
04"There Goes a Train"July 27, 1994 (1994-07-27)
Engineer Dave learns all about the different types of trains by visiting places such as Los Angeles Union Station and the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum.
Note: This episode was originally titled There Goes a Locomotive.
05"There Goes a Police Car"July 27, 1994 (1994-07-27)
Deputies Dave and Becky (in her first appearance) learn all about police work as well as the equipment and vehicles they use. Most of the footage shows the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department in action. We look at different police equipment, gear and vehicles to see what they look like.
06"There Goes a Truck"July 27, 1994 (1994-07-27)
Truck Drivers Dave and Becky learn about all different types of trucks and how they work.
07"There Goes a Boat"January 18, 1995 (1995-01-18)
Captains Dave and Becky learn about different types of boats and ships and how they work.
Note: The episode was originally titled There Goes a Ship and There Goes a Big Ship, but was soon re-titled as bigger ships were not only shown in the episode.
08"There Goes a Spaceship"January 18, 1995 (1995-01-18)
Astronauts Dave and Becky visit the Kennedy Space Center to learn about outer space and different types of spacecraft.
09"There Goes a Race Car"January 18, 1995 (1995-01-18)
Race Car Drivers Dave and Becky learn all about different types of race cars, including off-road racing, stock-car racing at a NASCAR race in Tucson Raceway, Top Fuel Dragsters, and visit Sears Point Raceway to visit the Skip Barber Racing School.
10"Here Comes a Roller Coaster and Other Exciting Rides"May 16, 1995 (1995-05-16)

Dave has a dream that he spends a day at Six Flags Magic Mountain and rides on all different types of roller coasters and other thrill rides, with help by his son, Taylor, who helps Dave find “the kid in him”.

Note: This episode was not broadcast in syndication.
11"There Goes a Monster Truck"May 16, 1995 (1995-05-16)
Monster Truck Drivers Dave and Becky learn all about monster trucks, and learn how to drive one.
12"There Goes a Motorcycle"May 16, 1995 (1995-05-16)
Bikers Dave and Becky learn all about motorcycles and how they are used when driving for recreation and racing.
13"There Goes a Helicopter"May 16, 1995 (1995-05-16)
Helicopter Pilots Dave and Becky learn all about different types of helicopters and how they work.
14"There Goes Santa Claus"September 12, 1995 (1995-09-12)
Dave and Becky pretend to be Santa Claus and do the duties that he does.
Note: This episode is a flashback episode when Dave and Becky remember what they did in the past. It features flashbacks from There Goes a Police Car, There Goes a Boat, There Goes a Monster Truck, and There Goes a Motorcycle.
15"There Goes a Mail Truck"1996 (1996)
Letter Carriers Dave and Becky learn about where the mail goes and how it is transported.
Note: The episode is alternately titled as There Goes a Mail Truck and There Goes The Mail.
16"There Goes a Rescue Vehicle"1996 (1996)
Paramedics Dave and Becky learn about different types of rescue workers and the vehicles they use. We get to see some of the equipment medical responders use. Dave and Becky also work with a rescue dog named Buddy.
17"There Goes a Garbage Truck"January 27, 1998 (1998-01-27)
Garbage Collectors Dave and Becky learn about garbage trucks and how important it is to keep the Earth clean and not pollute, and about where the garbage goes and where it is stored..
Note: This episode marks Becky's final appearance in the series. The episode also features a flashback from There Goes a Truck.
18"There Goes a Dump Truck"June 15, 1999 (1999-06-15)
Dump Truck Driver Dave learns all about dump trucks and other construction vehicles in road work, and what it takes being a construction foreman.
Note: Dave Sidoni hosts this episode.
19"There Goes a Tractor"January 30, 2001 (2001-01-30)
Farmer Dave learns about tractors and equipment used in farm work.
Note: Dave Sidoni hosts this episode. The original title for this episode was There Goes a Farm Tractor.
20"There Goes a Farm Truck"January 30, 2001 (2001-01-30)
Following up with the previous episode, Dave learns all about farm trucks and how they work, and learns more about harvesting and the packaging of fruits and vegetables, with different kinds of harvesting equipment.
Note: Dave Sidoni hosts this episode. This episode also marks his final appearance.
21"There Goes a Bus"May 30, 2002 (2002-05-30)
Bus Driver Dave learns about buses and attends bus driver school to know what it takes to become one.
Note: Dave Hood returns in this episode.
22"There Goes a Tank"September 16, 2003 (2003-09-16)
Tank Driver Dave goes to Camp Pendleton and learns all about tanks and other military vehicles and how they work.
23"There Goes a Rescue Hero"September 16, 2003 (2003-09-16)
Rescue Hero Dave learns about rescue workers and the vehicles and equipment they use in emergency situations. He also brings along his real pet dog named Charlie, where he attempts to train him how to rescue people in distress.
24"The Best of Real Wheels"2004 (2004) (syndication)

Dave looks for his favorite Real Wheels experiences.[1]

Note: This is the final episode.

Rockin' Real Wheels

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A spin-off known as Rockin' Real Wheels was also released featuring songs about the specific types of vehicles featured in the main series. There are five episodes in this series.

Episode # Title Original release date
01"Train Songs"September 12, 1995 (1995-09-12)
Two kids named Michael and Jennifer visit the Pacific Southwest Railway Museum to learn all about trains. Along the way, they meet Tuffy the train in a musical train adventure.
02"Bulldozer Songs"September 12, 1995 (1995-09-12)
Two kids named Winnie and Alex meet Rocky the bulldozer as he takes them to learn all about bulldozers and other construction vehicles and how they work through song.
03"Fire Truck Songs"September 12, 1995 (1995-09-12)
During an open house at the fire department, two kids named Jessica and Jay meet Freddy the Friendly Fire Engine as they embark on a musical journey learning all about fire trucks. Along the way, the kids learn about the various types of tools and equipment the firefighters use as well as various fire safety guidelines. Various songs are used to entertain the kids.
04"Santa Songs"September 12, 1995 (1995-09-12)
One day, at the library, three kids named Leslie, Leon (then-future All That star Leon Frierson), and Julie open a magical Christmas book and an animated Santa Claus takes them on a musical holiday journey to the North Pole.

That's How They Do It

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The first two episodes were originally released as part of the Thinking Kids series, and were re-released on DVD in 2002.

Episode # Title Original release date
01"Making Candy"
"Chocolate"
September 12, 1995 (1995-09-12)
Dave as Professor Hoody visits a chocolate factory to see how sugar and cocoa beans become candy bars and chocolate chips.
02"Making Money"
"Money"
September 12, 1995 (1995-09-12)
Dave as Professor Hoody visits Washington, D.C. to learn how dollar bills are printed. He also travels to the Denver Mint to see they make coins.
03"Dolls"2004 (2004) (syndication)
Dave as Professor Hoody visits a doll museum to learn about dolls and how they are made. Hoody gets to create his own doll with a little help from friends.

DVD releases

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The "Real Wheels" series has also released a series of DVD, each usually containing two episodes as well as a blooper reel, interactive glossary, and other special features. The DVDs are usually titled as "Adventures", with three episodes sharing a theme among their featured vehicles. A spin-off called "Rockin' Real Wheels" was also released featuring songs about a specific type of vehicle. All episodes except for Here Comes a Roller Coaster, There Goes Santa Claus, Santa Songs and Roller Coaster Songs (that was unknown) were featured on DVD.

"Adventures" DVDs

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1. Truck Adventures

There Goes a Fire Truck, There Goes a Garbage Truck, and There Goes a Truck.

2. Mega Truck Adventures

There Goes a Bulldozer, There Goes a Monster Truck, and There Goes a Tank.

3. High Speed Adventures

There Goes a Race Car, There Goes a Motorcycle, and There Goes a Spaceship.

4. Travel Adventures

There Goes a Train, There Goes a Plane, and There Goes a Bus.

5. Land, Sea, and Air Adventures

There Goes a Boat, There Goes the Mail, and There Goes a Helicopter.

6. Tractor Adventures

There Goes a Tractor, There Goes a Dump Truck, and There Goes a Farm Truck.

7. Rescue Adventures

There Goes a Rescue Hero, There Goes a Police Car, and There Goes a Rescue Vehicle.

8. Rockin' Real Wheels

Train Songs, Bulldozer Songs, and Fire Truck Songs.

Live tour

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From 2001-2004, there was a live tour entitled, "Real Wheels Live". It starred Dave Hood that featured him doing magic tricks and had audience participation stunts. Before the show, there were vehicles that the audience would touch and look at.

References

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  1. ^ "Real Wheels sales sheet.F.pdf" (PDF). American Public Television. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-01-11.