![]() ![]() Which ones did you have? The first ones were the Model 100 Steam Shovel and the Model 150 Crane & Clam. You can be anything you want to be with a Tonka it doesn’t matter as long as you have the right truck, and through the years there have been plenty to choose from. Tonka allows young boys’ – and girls’ – imaginations to run wild. I was a true hero, and that’s the point of Tonka. I saved so many lives and put out so many fires with those trucks. ![]() And, of course, I could not be without the fire trucks. An extremely important haul and, no, the cat litter was not dirty. I had the crane and dump truck and hauled tons of cat litter from construction site to construction site. Many of the Tonka trucks were, and still are, construction themed. The metal tie racks didn’t take off – big surprise – but the toy trucks did, and in 1955 the company changed its name from Mound Metalcraft to Tonka Toys Incorporated. Mound Metalcraft was the company’s original name – founded 1946 – and they began by manufacturing metal tie racks … boring! Tesch tinkered with some old toy concepts left by their building’s previous tenants, and dubbed the toys “Tanka,” which means “big” in Dakota Sioux tongue. Tesch in 1946, but it didn’t start out as Tonka, and they didn’t start out making toy trucks. Tonka was the brainchild of Lynn Everett Baker, Avery F. Without Tonka, you might have never dreamed of becoming a truck driver, so, alas, we pay homage to the mighty “Tonka Tough.” That’s right! You treated and loved that truck better than he ever did! And that Tonka gave you more than just hours of playtime it gave you your career. Did you find it Christmas morning under the tree with a bright red bow on it? Or, was it a birthday present? Or, did your snotty big brother finally get tired of his and hand it down to you after years of being patient. Your first truck wasn’t a Mack it was a Tonka.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |