Ten Cents

* Final Design
* Concept Art

**Ten Cents** is a switcher from the Star Fleet used for a wide variety of tasks around Bigg City Port. His capabilities range from towing barges to liner docking operations.

Unlike the other tugs of Bigg City Port, Ten Cents' hooter was modeled to resemble a face complete with a red flat-cap like Sunshine's; its tone is strident but middle-pitched and Ten Cents almost always sounds it in quick double or triple bursts.

He speaks with an East End Cockney accent.

## Biography

It’s implied that prior to the 1920s, Ten Cents was a switcher who did basic jobs for Captain Star rather than bigger ones alongside the other, bigger tugs in the Star Fleet. However, Ten Cents got his chance of helping tow in an ocean liner when the Z-Stacks knocked Big Mac out of action.

Ten Cents usually works with Sunshine, the Star Fleet's second and smallest switcher. They have shared many adventures, almost to the extent that it is impossible to imagine one without the other. Ever since Sunshine joined the fleet, he and Ten Cents have been the best of friends. Hercules often relies on Ten Cents to look after others such as Lillie Lightship or the Duchess.

When Zorran successfully framed Sunshine for an accident during the towing in of the Duchess, Ten Cents was the only tug that didn’t lose his likeness for him and tried to find him. The truth soon got out thanks to Izzy Gomez being a witness.

When a mysterious tug was stealing barges delivered by Ten Cents in the night. Ten Cents was the prime suspect. Ten Cents was angry that rumors were spreading about him, and that he couldn't prove his innocence.

On the night the tugs were sent out to nick the thief, Grampus found Ten Cents and Sunshine and told them the real thief was being blackmailed by criminals. After finding the tug, Sea Rogue, they waited for the Pirate Tugs to come out their warehouse and then captured them. Ten Cents’ actions that night fixes his credibility and Sea Rogue and his uncle return to their home up-river.

On the day of the annual regatta, Ten Cents helped OJ, Grampus and Mighty Mo rescue Lillie Lightship from sinking. Later in the day, he and Big Mac found out from Bluenose that Grampus would be used for firing practice and blown up. Ten Cents raced to tell the others, and helped in the rescue. In the regatta, Ten Cents towed Little Ditcher.

During a heatwave and infectious outbreak, Ten Cents risked getting quarantined for 40 days as he raced with Zorran to Nantucket after hearing from Sunshine that the tramper's flags down had gone down - without authority in sight. O.J. stopped him and his faulty engine overheated in the process. Ten Cents’ lack of thinking was what stopped Captain Star from selling O.J. for scrap.

Ten Cents and Sunshine found Boomer one night and stayed by him as every job he took, even the simplest, resulted in some form of serious misfortune for him and others. Sunshine theorized that the jinxes were caused by Ten Cents’ hooter whistling. Ten Cents denies it, though a test proves otherwise. Even so, a schooner towed by Boomer gets set alight without Ten Cents being there. Despite everything, it turned out well in the end when Boomer was turned into a houseboat. Though a tree fell down, no one got hurt by Ten Cents blowing his whistle near Boomer after he was rebuilt.

Ten Cents was the Star Tug who helped Zebedee with a loose barge. Later, Zebedee unwillingly saved Ten Cents, Sunshine and Scuttlebutt Pete, then the entire Star Fleet and the Princess Alice. After this, and his bravery in stopping Johnny Cuba, Ten Cents offered Zebedee a position on the Star Fleet, but Zebedee rejected it.

As winter was coming in, Ten Cents and the other Star Tugs completely dismissed Big Mac when he said he saw ghosts on his way back to the Star Dock. The next night however, Ten Cents and Sunshine saw some ghostly tugs sail by and a galleon emerge from under the sea. In the morning, Hercules explained to his fleet who the white tugs were and that the galleon was frozen in an iceberg.

## Personality

Ten Cents is one of the younger and braver Star Tugs. He has a tendency to be somewhat cheeky at times, but is strong-willed, and it takes a lot to break him. He is quick-witted and takes action swiftly without hesitation. He never lets other tugs bully him, never fails to stand up for others, and is always willing to set aside his own safety for the sake of others. He has a bit of a short temper, but he is also smart enough to listen to the advice of the older, more experienced tugs. He also shows a great deal of respect and kindness to others around him, by tooting his whistle all the time and greeting other tugs such as Boomer, or even the likes of the Z-Stacks.

## Technical Details

### Basis

Like the rest of the Star Fleet, Ten Cents is based on the tugs of San Francisco from the 1920s, and his name reflects his American origins.

### Livery

Ten Cents is painted in the Star Fleet's corporate livery. This consists of a black hull, a yellow superstructure, white mast, and an American flag-styled red, white, and blue funnel. His name is painted on the sides of his bow in white and he has the number "1" on his funnel. He wears a blue cap.

## Appearances

### Episodes

* Sunshine
* Pirate
* Trapped
* Regatta
* Munitions
* Warrior
* High Tide
* Quarantine
* Ghosts
* Jinxed
* High Winds
* Up River
* Bigg Freeze

### Books and Annuals

* Kidnapped
* Run Aground
* Nothing to Declare
* Treasure Hunt
* Loading Grain
* The Race
* The Missing Barge
* Heat Wave
* Ship In Distress
* Naval Manoeuvres
* Quarantine
* Ten Cents' Busy Day

## Voice Actors

* Simon Nash
* Shigeru Nakahara (*Japan*)
* Elise Langenoja (*Finland*)

## Trivia

* In 2012, Ten Cents' model was purchased by The Star Tugs Company and is currently on display at the TUGS Exhibition.
	+ It is currently unknown if Ten Cents' other face masks still remain in existence.
* Ten Cents is the only tugboat to have his own sentient whistle, despite the fact it never had a speaking role. However it was said to have caused a jinx in the episode Jinxed.
	+ According to model maker Chris Lloyd, Ten Cents got his whistle from an ocean liner.
		- In O.J.'s Bad Day, we can see an ocean liner with a sentient whistle like Ten Cents has.
* Ten Cents is one of the only characters to appear in every episode, the other two being Sunshine and Top Hat.
* Originally, Ten Cents' prop sported a wooden finish to his superstructure.
* Ten Cents was the first model to be built.
* Large cutouts of Ten Cents and Zip would be placed outside of the series' filming area in Shepperton Studios.

## Merchandise

* ERTL (*discontinued*)
* Takara (*discontinued*)
* Port Set (*discontinued*)
* Kabaya Stamp (*discontinued*)
* Kabaya Toy (*discontinued*)
* Waddingtons Puzzles (*discontinued*)
* Pins (*discontinued*)
	+ Pin Badges (*discontinued*)
* Thimbles (*discontinued*)

**Bigg City Port**

*\** **Television Series** *only* | *\*\** **Annuals** *only* | *~~---~~ Cut*