NEW YORK — Ever since the first Tonka toy truck rolled off the manufacturing line in Mound, Minnesota in 1947, it has been a perennial favorite with boys and girls of all ages. Today, the Tonka line, which is now owned by Hasbro, has released hundreds of thousands of toy vehicles, and more than a dozen new trucks are in the current production line.
Tonka trucks were the brainchild of Lynn Baker, Avery Crouse and Alvin Tesch, who founded a metalcrafting company in Mound specializing in garden tools. While playing with a toy steam shovel, they had the idea to make a digging toy using pressed steel; the result was a digger with a working crane and clam scoop. They sold more than 35,000 of these diggers in 1947 and subsequently shifted their focus to producing toys, not garden tools. The name Tonka reportedly came from nearby Lake Minnetonka, while some also suggest it was inspired by the Lakota word “tanka,” meaning large or great.
For many collectors, the early Tonka toys — when they were still made of automotive-gauge steel — are the most desirable. By the 1980s, they were fashioned from color-molded plastic instead of metal. All manner of road and construction-type toys were popular from the 1950s on, including dump trucks, steam shovels, cranes, fire trucks, excavators, semis and fork lifts. Tonka toy farm equipment, debuting in the 1960s, was an instant hit, as were the delivery vans and trucks bearing stickers for companies and products such as Allied Van Lines, John Deere and StarKist Tuna. Tonka debuted pickups in 1955, Jeeps in the early 1960s and the Mighty Dump Truck in 1965, which led to a whole Mighty line.
Tonka trucks were celebrated for their toughness. Early steel examples stood up to rough play and the stresses children placed upon them, such as toting loads of rocks. The vehicle toys are also easily recognizable for their bright colors, including royal blue, fire engine red, a bright sunny yellow and orange. Tonka debuted six boxed truck sets in 1958, including the B-204 Truck and Trailer Rental set. A new-in-box example of this set, its paint as vivid as it was when it left the factory, brought $4,900 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2022 at Chupp Auctions & Real Estate, LLC.
Construction toys are among the company’s most beloved lines, and an unmistakable highlight was the B-210 Road Builders Set. Even well-loved vintage survivors that wear their scratches and dings with pride can command good prices at auction, but, obviously, die-hard collectors favor those that are in the best possible condition. Toys that were never or seldom played with top their wish lists. A like-new example of the Road Builders set, retaining its original box, made $3,800 plus the buyer’s premium in December 2019 at Revere Auctions. The set, which was introduced in 1957 and retailed for $19.95, included five trucks, each with stickers marked “State Hi-Way Department.” It consisted of a No. 6 dump truck, a No. 12 road grader with a working steering wheel, a No. 33 Hi-Way hydraulic pump dump truck and a No. 2 dump truck, all with simulated blue flashing lights on their cab roofs.
It was not unusual for other company names to appear on Tonka-branded toy vehicles. Most have been national companies and many still in existence, but the truck representing a fellow Minnesota company, hardware wholesaler Janney Semple Hill & Co, is a rare and cherished find. An original Janney Semple Hill & Co Tonka truck from 1953 realized $3,750 plus the buyer’s premium in October 2022 at Kraft Auction Service. Despite paint chips and wear and tear, its sheer scarcity made this 22in truck a coveted prize.
Besides construction and farming equipment, delivery trucks were one of Tonka’s mainstay vehicles. A boxed StarKist Tuna delivery truck achieved $3,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2021 at Bertoia Auctions. These trucks are hard to find in good original condition, as their size and shape rendered them vulnerable to dents and scratches during rough play. A 1954 Look Book from the company includes the StarKist model, which was made of heavy 20-gauge steel and measured 14½in long.
This boxed StarKist Tuna delivery truck went for $3,000 plus the buyer’s premium in April 2021. Image courtesy of Bertoia Auctions and LiveAuctioneers.
The vehicle that reigns as king of the Tonka line, however, is its dump truck. Originally built to be virtually indestructible, the dump truck was so sturdy that a small child could sit on it without inflicting the merest hint of damage. The #406 pressed steel dump truck was Tonka’s best-selling model, and its design gave rise to the Mighty Dump Truck, which is still in production. A Tonka #406 dump truck with its original box attained $2,800 plus the buyer’s premium in January 2022 at Milestone Auctions.
As the years go by, the number of toys a parent can buy for their child that are almost identical to the ones they once played with grows smaller and smaller. Among those few, almost none are or were as well made as the early Tonka trucks. The company’s tag line from its old TV ads comes to mind: “A toy shouldn’t break just because a child plays with it.” Tonka trucks are still rolling along, gaining new fans and collectors all the time.
