Tow Mater is a character from Cars franchise and Lightning McQueen's best friend. He is voiced by Larry the Cable Guy.
Trivia[]
Before Larry the Cable Guy was cast, Dee Bradley Baker and Carlos Alazraqui were considered to voiced Tow Mater.
Mater's license plate is A113, a recurring number in Pixar movies.
According to his passport in Cars 2, Mater was born on January 12, 1957. This is a reference to John Lasseter, whose birthday is the same as Mater's.
His passport also states that he was born in Radiator Springs. However, Cars on the Road episode, Gettin' Hitched, states otherwise.
Head of story and co-director Joe Ranft got the inspiration of Mater after seeing an old abandoned rusty tow truck during a research trip to Route 66. The character was named after and partly based on Douglas "Mater" Keever, a racing fan the Pixar team met during their research trips, and also draws inspiration from several other people the team encountered.
Mater and Ivan are the only characters in Cars 2 that are tow trucks.
Larry the Cable Guy mentioned that Mater isn't self-conscious about how others view him.
He is obsessed with fart jokes, which is why he loves Tractor Tippin'.
Director John Lasseter stated that Mater's pure heart and personality was based on Joe Ranft.