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“I can roll it! and Rock and roll/Rockin' and a rollin'!”
―Roley's original catchphrases


Roley is a green road roller that loves to make up songs and frequently spins his eyes (which are on his front headlights) when he is excited.

Biography

Despite him being the fourth named member of the team, Roley was the fifth machine to join Bob's team. Before he joined, Bob and the four machines were building a road using concrete. However, after they had finished, the road's surface was bumpy. Bob used his hand roller and the machines tried running over the concrete to flatten out the road, but it did not work. Luckily for them, Bird saw the situation and went to get his friend, Roley. Soon Roley arrived and told the team that they needed some rock and roll. Bob replied that that they were fine from music, but Roley meant it as in flattening. Soon, he got to work, making the road's surface smooth and flat. After that, he joined the team.

Personality

Roley is a heavy, cheerful machine who can get excited and loves to "rock and roll"! He's shown to be very musical and usually makes up songs and he even sings them during work. He spins his eyes when he's excited and is also fond of animals.

Technical Details

Livery

Roley is green with a silver bell-shaped mouth. His rollers were dark grey in the stop motion era but were changed to black when the show transitioned into CGI in the Ready, Steady Build! spin-off. He has an orange-yellow warning light on his cab.

Basis

Roley resembles a Zettelmeyer diesel road roller (despite being a steamroller), which were built between 1931 to 1978.


Appearances

Original Series

Specials

Project: Build It

Specials

Trivia

  • In 2003, Jolly Roger (Amusement Rides LTD) made him as a coin-operated kiddie ride, and just like Scoop, he features Bob climbing on his left (viewer’s right) side.
  • Roley's movement sound effect is simply his front roller moving over the ground. This effect is heard regardless of the surface he is on. This rolling sound wasn't used in the Ready, Steady, Build! series.
  • Roley's US voice in the original series and the first half of Project: Build It was higher pitched. But when Lorelei King took over, she made it lower.
  • Like Lofty, he is voiced by female voice actresses in the US dub, even though Roley is male. For almost all of the international versions of the show, Roley is male, but in Sweden, Roley is female.
  • Roley appears to like rapping as seen in Roley's Weather Rap.
  • He was the first machine character to appear onscreen in the first aired episode of the original series, "Scoop Saves the Day" (Series 1).
  • As 'Roley' is also a short name for 'Roland', he is one of the few machines to have a human name, the others being Travis, Benny and Trix. He is also the only main machine to do so.
  • Neil Morrissey gives Roley an East End Cockney accent. But Maria Darling and Lorelei King give him a clear American accent.
  • Roley's UK voice is similar to Terence's from Rubbadubbers (even though they’re voiced by different actors; Roley is voiced by Neil Morrissey and Terence by John Gordon Sinclair).
  • Roley was the first vehicle that Farmer Percy Pickles had a ride on.
  • In the international versions:
    • In the Catalan version, Roley is called "Corró", which is Catalan for "roller".
    • In the Croatian version, Roley is called "Valjko", derived from "valjak" (roller).
    • In the Czech version, Roley is called "Rolík", which is Czech for "roll".
    • In the Danish version, Roley is called "Tromle", which is Danish for "drum".
    • In the Dutch version, Roley is called and spelled "Rollie".
    • In the Finnish version, Roley is called "Rolle".
    • In the French version, Roley is called "Roulo".
    • In the German version, Roley is called "Rollo".
    • In the Italian version, Roley is called "Rullo", which is Italian for "roller".
    • In the Norwegian and Swedish versions, Roley is called "Rulle".
    • In the Polish version, Roley is called "Walec", which is Polish for "steamroller".
    • In the European Portuguese version, Roley is called "Rolão".
    • In the Slovenian version, Roley is called "Tone", a version of "Anton" (Anthony).
    • In the Turkish version, Roley is called "Silindir", which is Turkish for "cylinder".
  • He is the only machine with the ability to sleep-roll.
  • Roley is one of the few machines featured to be able to pull a trailer, like Muck and Travis. More often than not, however, his model rarely features a visible hitch.
  • Roley is one of the main characters whose counterpart in the Reboot series, which is set in a different universe, has the role of a supporting character. The other one being Dizzy.
    • Roley is always wanting the grounds to be smooth and calm with the love of music unlike his Reboot series counterpart.
  • Some TV sites and sources incorrectly list Rob Rackstraw as his UK voice, but Neil Morrissey was actually the voice of Roley, as stated in an interview when Can We Fix It? topped the charts, as well as in this interview.
  • There have been instances where Roley gets careless and accidentally squashes something with his roller. This happens when Roley gets too distracted with something and starts moving into the path of that object.
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