Cars Toons is the Pixar short-film series that follows Mater’s tall tales in the Cars universe.
The series is officially titled Cars Toons: Mater’s Tall Tales. Each short presents Mater recounting an extraordinary story about his supposed past, often involving stunts, professions, or encounters with famous characters. The framing joke is that Mater’s friends are unsure whether his stories are true, while the animated events are shown as if they happened.
The shorts expanded the Cars setting beyond the three feature films and gave Mater a leading role. Episodes include “Rescue Squad Mater,” “Monster Truck Mater,” and “Moon Mater.” The first short, “Mater and the Ghostlight,” was released in 2006 and is connected to the original Cars.
The series is sometimes shortened to “Mater’s Tall Tales,” but Cars Toons is the franchise title. It should not be confused with Pixar Popcorn, a separate collection of short-form Pixar content.