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Character

Stanley is the departed patriarch of Radiator Springs, the deceased husband of Lizzie, and one of the two overarching protagonists of the Cars franchise (alongside Doc Hudson).

Biography[]

In 1900, cars traversing Ornament Valley during hot summers often overheated. A desert strewn with burst radiator caps was a common sight at the time. However, on August 2, 1909, a radiator cap salesman named Stanley (a steam-powered vehicle) was traveling west through the bustling cities of California, hoping to find a place to open a shop and make a fortune. Running low on radiator water, he stumbled upon a natural cooling spring gushing from the ground. After this fortunate discovery, the young and ambitious lad decipded to stay at this "Radiator Springs" (hence the famous name) and realized that if he needed a place to stop during his long journeys, then other cars probably wanted to rest too. So, he committed to helping others by opening a shop for travelers crossing the Route 66 desert. Stanley was far from the town he would eventually build near the Cadillac Range, but at the moment, survival was his primary concern.

Stanley offered free coolant to anyone in need of a new radiator cap, which led to all shapes and sizes arriving. In 1922, Stanley created a small oasis called Stanley's Oasis, featuring various facilities providing customers with oil, radiator caps, and fresh water to cool radiators, such as "Oil Bottle House" (The Famous Bottle Garage), "Stanley's Oil & Lube" (Service and Repair Center), and "Cap 'N' Tap Capstone of Caps" (The Radiator Cap Emporium). He also created attractions like the Comfy Caverns near the natural caves of the area.

Not long after, in 1927, an adorable Model-T named Lizzie arrived at the oasis. "Lizzie" overheated just past Stanley's shops, and when the two met, they fell in love instantly. Helping her, Stanley offered Lizzie fresh coolant to cool her radiator and gave her a special radiator cap that she absolutely adored. Lizzie decided to stay so they could be together and contribute to growing the small oasis. Together, they founded the "Court of Motors," and shortly after, as their friendly oasis began attracting more customers, Lizzie and Stanley moved from the higher rocks to the flat desert land to expand. Stanley named the new town "Radiator Springs" and soon, other shops and services started emerging.

On the day Radiator Springs Courthouse & Fire Department was completed, on April 19, 1929, Lizzie and Stanley got married, celebrating their wedding honeymoon at the Comfy Caverns. Together, they turned Radiator Springs into a legendary roadside stop along Route 66 and lived happily in the most cheerful town in Carburetor County.

During retirement, after retiring from radiator cap sales, Stanley occasionally visited the Lost Cap Cave in the afternoon as a hobby to collect caps.

As other cars continued to travel west, small businesses grew along the town's main street, but a special place was built beyond the Radiator Cap Mountain and beyond the waterfalls through the Tailfin Pass – the "Wheel Well Motel" the most popular stop on the mother road.

Stanley was able to create a rural community in Radiator Springs that could thrive even after he was gone. Eventually, Stanley passed away, and Lizzie decided she would never leave the place again. In his memory, a statue was erected exactly where he had founded the town, just outside the courthouse.

History[]

Cars[]

RamoneCars6

Stanley, Red, and Ramone in Cars.

In Cars, Stanley died long ago from unknown causes and thus never appeared. McQueen accidentally knocks his statue off his pedestal and starts dragging him down the main road, ripping it up, before it ends up in the right place again.

Cars: The Videogame[]

In Cars: The Videogame, the statue of Stanley is seen in its usual spot outside of the courthouse, but plays no major role in the game. Unused icons that seem to depict Stanley can also be found in the game's files, implying that he was intended to have a bigger role, but scrapped due to time constraints or other reasons. If you go through the game's localization files - it says that it was a race in which Lizzie and Stanley were involved. It could possibly be a flashback.

Mater and the Ghostlight[]

In Mater and the Ghostlight, Stanley's statue is seen while Mater is running around Radiator Springs.

Cars: Mater-National Championship[]

StanleyCarsMaterNationalChampionship

In Cars: Mater-National Championship, Stanley's statue can be seen outside the courthouse during exploration mode.

Cars Toons[]

Rescue Squad Mater[]

In Rescue Squad Mater, right before Mater started telling his story, they passed Red, who was watering flowers around the statue of Stanley.

Heavy Metal Mater[]

In Heavy Metal Mater, a statue of Stanley can be seen inside of the record studio.

Time Travel Mater[]

Stanley (TTM)

Stanley in his youth.

In Time Travel Mater, Stanley makes his only living appearance. When Mater leaves Tail Light Caverns after time traveling, he can't find the town, but he sees Stanley by a nearby spring. Stanley was refilling his radiator, then he met Mater. He showed Mater his collection of radiator caps that he sells to customers. He asks Mater if he wants a cap. Mater says no, so Stanley left to go to California to look for more customers.

Mater realizes that if Stanley doesn't stay, Radiator Springs will never be present, and he effectively just erased his own existence. He gets Lightning from the present, goes back to 1909, and removes Lightning's radiator cap. He calls out to Stanley, saying that there was a car who needs a radiator cap. Stanley comes, and gives Lightning a radiator cap. Then, 2 more cars needing radiator caps arrived. Stanley took those 2 cars to the spring, where they both got a drink. Mater tells Stanley to build a town "right next to this here radiator spring." Stanley likes the idea, and decides to name the town Radiator Springs. He starts planning how the town should be built. Mater and Lightning go further into the future, because they think it will take a while for the town to get built.

Stanleylizzie

Stanley and Lizzie's wedding

Next, they arrive in 1927. Stanley finds them, wondering where they had been. He shows them the town, which included a radiator cap store and a water fountain. Then, all three cars see a Model T, who breaks down. Mater comes to help the car, who turns out to be Lizzie, to the town. Lizzie falls in love with McQueen. Mater realizes that if Lizzie falls in love with McQueen, then she won't fall in love with Stanley, and then he will leave, which again will result in the town not being created. However, Lizzie asks Lightning to step aside, revealing she had her eye on Stanley. Lightning introduces Stanley and Lizzie to each other. Stanley takes Lizzie to the fountain to get a drink of water, then into the radiator cap store to get her a new radiator cap. Lizzie likes her new cap, then she and Stanley drive away together.

A few years later, Stanley and Lizzie got married and honeymooned at Comfy Caverns.

Hiccups[]

In Hiccups, the statue of Stanley can be seen when Sheriff quickly reverses down the road, trying to avoid a kiss by Mater.

Bugged[]

In Bugged, Red is watering flowers near Stanley's statue when a bug arrives, which begins to annoy Red. Red shoots the bug down with his water, who lands underneath the statue, trying its best to recover.

The Radiator Springs 500½[]

In The Radiator Springs 500½, the Radiator Springs residents are honoring Stanley for founding the town, and are dressed up in costumes and paint jobs that are similar to his time period, with Lightning McQueen dressing up just like him.

Cars: Race-O-Rama[]

In Cars: Race-O-Rama, Stanley is seen during exploration mode, in his usual spot outside of the courthouse.

Cars 2[]

StanleyCars2

Cars 2

At the end of Cars 2, Mater zoomed around the turn with his rockets, causing the statue to spin around, but it landed on its original spot.

Cars 2: The Video Game[]

In Cars 2: The Video Game, Stanley is seen during most of the races in Radiator Springs.

Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure[]

In Kinect Rush: A Disney/Pixar Adventure, Stanley can be seen in his usual spot outside of the courthouse.

Disney Infinity[]

In Disney Infinity, Stanley's statue appears in the Cars Play Set outside the courthouse. However, it is not unlockable for the Toy Box.

Cars 3[]

Radiator Springs residents Cars 3

Remote view of the Stanley statue

Stanley's statue can be seen from afar in some scenes of the movie.

Pixar Popcorn[]

In Unparalleled Parking, Stanley's statue can be seen from afar.

In Dancing with the Cars, Stanley's statue can be seen from afar.

Other Appearances[]

Imageproxy

Stanley appears in the Route 66 Dash comic. In that comic Lizzie told to Lightning McQueen and Mater about the racing tradition of Stanley and his friends. They raced from Chi-Car-Go all the way to Radiator Springs. There are teams of two racers who compete to see who can complete the journey in the least amount of time. First of this races, Stanley won, and after that, they named the race and trophy Stanley's Cup.

General information[]

Physical description[]

Stanley statue

The statue of Stanley.

Similar to many other Model T's of his time, such as Lizzie, Stanley was posted mostly black with some shades of grey, and white tire treads. In place of a trunk, a storage compartment lies on his back, which he uses to carry around spare parts.

Stanley was modeled after a Stanley Steamer, and his license plate read SIOI. Stanley is a McVaporloch Motor Co. Locomobile.

Personality and traits[]

Stanley's generous personality was a huge factor in his dedication to create Radiator Springs. He had a knack for helping out others when they needed a hubcap or other spare part, which was how he met Lizzie. Many of the current Radiator Springs townsfolk honor Stanley for his kind persona and helpful characteristics.

Powers and abilities[]

Stanley was very knowledgeable with hubcaps and similar parts, which was his initial career idea, before he founded Radiator Springs.

List of appearances[]

For this subject's list of appearances, see Stanley/Appearances.

Profiles and statistics[]

Cars[]

  • Bios
    • "The statue of Stanley marks the very spot where Radiator Springs was founded. As he was traveling west searching for a place to settle and make his fortune, Stanley stumbled upon a natural spring coming up from the earth. He stopped to fill his radiator and never left. Soon afterward Stanley met Lizzie, the love of his life, and together they founded Radiator Springs, which soon became a legendary resting spot for travelers making their way across Route 66."

Portrayals[]

Gallery[]

For this subject's image gallery, see Stanley/Gallery.

Quotes[]

  • "If you don't need a cap, I gotta put a cap on this sale and move along. There's plenty of customers just waiting for a Stanley cap, from here to California!" - Time Travel Mater

Names in other languages[]

  • Hungarian: Gőzi
  • Polish: Stasieniek
  • Russian: Стэнли (transcription: Stenli)

Trivia[]

Boundin'-stanleyfromcars

A vehicle similar to Stanley in Boundin'

References[]

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