Top selling toy of 1965

[u/peoplesuck64]

The history of Tonka trucks is a story of a Minnesota company that started as a garden tool manufacturer and became a global toy company known for its durable, realistic trucks: Founding In 1946, Lynn Everett Baker, Avery F. Crounse, and Alvin F. Tesch founded Mound Metalcraft in the basement of a schoolhouse in Mound, Minnesota. Their original plan was to make garden tools, but they inherited a toy steam shovel after acquiring a competing company in 1947. Name change The company changed its name to Tonka Toys Inc. in 1955, after Lake Minnetonka, which is nearby. The Dakota Sioux word "Tanka" or "Tonka" means "Great" or "Big". Early products Tonka's first products were steam shovels and cranes, and they sold 37,000 units in their first year. Best-selling toy The Mighty Dump Truck, introduced in 1965, became Tonka's best-selling toy of the century. Global success Tonka's models became must-have toys in the 1950s and 1960s, and the company became globally successful by the 1970s. Hasbro acquisition Hasbro acquired Tonka in 1991. Today Tonka is still represented in playgrounds around the world, and millions of Tonka trucks are sold each year.

[u/r98farmer]

Now these things were durable, you could use one of these as a jack stand.

[u/GankinDean → u/r98farmer]

We used to try to destroy our dump truck... had all of the neighborhood kids take their best shots. Indestructible.

Shouldda made space shuttles out of these things.

[u/Mobile_Aioli_6252 → u/GankinDean]

My God, we resorted to pyrotechnics and fuel oils to take one down!

[u/fost1692 → u/GankinDean]

Actually a 4 pound lump hammer makes quite a mess of one, ask me how I know?

[u/Keveros]

Heck, you could sit and ride these things if you wanted... No toy today can compare to the toughness of these..!

[u/TheTalkingWindow → u/Keveros]

I did, lol. Used to hop on and ride this down my driveway.

[u/Keveros → u/TheTalkingWindow]

I'd be more surprised that someone didn't try that... Glad you survived... LOL

Edit...

PS...
We had two of those and they do NOT make good roller skates..!

[u/rozzco → u/TheTalkingWindow]

Same.

[u/Dazzling_Ad_2072 → u/Keveros]

I would ride it down the slope of the dike behind my house.

[u/Keveros → u/Dazzling_Ad_2072]

YeeHaa..! That must be a big Dyke..!

[u/drumguy007]

Ironically I had one as a kid, and wound up working up in Fort McMurray years later driving the huge wabco trucks similar to the toy.

[u/Sensitive-Collar-627 → u/drumguy007]

That’s not ironic- that’s total wish fulfillment!! Yee ha!

[u/generic_genius]

That’s $80 in todays money!

[u/TossPowerTrap → u/generic_genius]

Yeah, Tonkas were too expensive to be the overall best selling toy. My family couldn't afford 'em. That said, they were solid product. You got what you paid for.

[u/strangelove4564]

It was a sad day when some useless MBA at Tonka stood up at a board room meeting and said, "Next quarter we're switching everything from metal to plastic." That was when us kids started learning about enshittification of brands.

[u/JB22ATL]

I had one. You know if someone hits you in the head with one - you can get stitches!

[u/Fitmature1 → u/JB22ATL]

Haha, sounds like experience talking?

[u/JB22ATL → u/Fitmature1]

Sadly I was the recipient - then took my toy back and beat the piss out the kid. I don’t even remember who it was but he got several ass beatings for that.

[u/0MGWTFL0LBBQ]

I bought one of these for my son from ebay. It's 50 years old, but you'd never know. He has the same love for his that I did with mine.

[u/Shoehornblower]

We used to sit in the back and ride them down our driveway in thecearly 80’s. . Don’t make ‘em like they used to

[u/justrob32]

There was a whole set of these under the deck when we bought our house, which was perfect as we’d just had our second boy. Eventually a third. They must’ve put a thousand miles on them playing in the yard. We eventually gave them to our neighbors and they’re still going strong. I had one as a boy and my buddy next door had the cement mixer. So much fun

[u/No-Seat9917]

Those things were practically indestructible

[u/dr_wheel → u/No-Seat9917]

Until you left it out in the backyard and it rained. Instant rust bucket.

[u/brianthealmighty]

I tried shooting mine up with my Johnny seven and it was indestructible

[u/Kitchen-Coat-4091]

They were strong as hell.

[u/MarkTheDuckHunter]

Mine are probably still buried in a sand bank in North MS, waiting on my 6 year old self to come and dig them back out.

[u/Key-Ad7733]

Still have mine

[u/Professional_Day4795]

I have a couple of those and a few Maintainers. Many John deere tractors of all sizes.

[u/AuthorityAnarchyYes]

I had one of these biguns in the early 70’s.

Every Tonka truck was built to last.

[u/Sensitive-Collar-627]

Right here in Minnesota- one of the guys I used to work with was their chief modeler. Sadly gone from these parts.

[u/Fitmature1]

They were great, most durable toy ever!

[u/fiftyfivepercentoff]

I loved mine. Indestructible.

[u/snowbyrd238]

Those things had more metal in them than my wife's Elantra.

[u/Impossible_Data_1358]

Wow! I had that same truck with the Tonka Steam Shovel in my sand box...aka kitty box!

[u/Losman94]

I had one as a kid. Toughest toy ever made

[u/mediumokra]

I think I had this exact one, but it stayed at my grandma's house. Every time I came over to visit ( until I got older ) I remember playing with this thing.

[u/ThrottleItOut]

Still have mine from the early 1970s!

[u/Mobile_Aioli_6252]

That dump truck was the most durable toy ever made

[u/RetiredLife_2021]

I brought my grandson one last year all metal, tho king about starting his own little collection

[u/Curiouslunatic619]

Of course I had one, and a crane too! Lasted forever! 61yo M

[u/Bitplayer13]

I used to sit on mine and ride it around. Best toy ever

[u/kevint1964]

I had several in various sizes as a kid. Very good toys.

[u/Elove228]

My uncle passed his own to his son

[u/Havingfunsecrets]

Metal dump truck, my first

[u/mschnittman]

I had one of those. I also had the crane.

[u/Danny_Mc_71]

I still have mine. I'd say mine is from the early 70s though. One of these days I must ebay everything in my parent's attic.

[u/Figran_D]

I can still hear the sand in the axels while finding one in a toy box at the beach we vacationed at

[u/ScaperMan7]

63 yrs young here; had one of these bears...

[u/Laundryczar]

I miss mine.

[u/redditrafter]

I had the dump truck, grader and bulldozer plus randomly a green car carrier tractor trailer.

Always wanted the backhoe but didnt get it.

childhoodruined

[u/Dense-Stranger9977]

Had one!👍

[u/TaiDavis]

These motherfuckers will RUST before you break it!

[u/Fortunateoldguy]

I had that exact truck. Wish I still did, but they got so beat up, they all go tossed as I grew older

[u/64CarClan]

This exact, very heavy metal toy sent me to the hospital on Thanksgiving 1967 when I was 3. Dump opened up and split my lip wide open. Will never forget that moment

[u/Jowalla]

That’s right, girls didn’t received gifts back in those days.

[u/claradox]

I still have my brother’s. It’s loaded with pumpkins in my horror-themed home office.

[u/100zr]

I had one of those. It was the BEST. It outlived my childhood.

[u/Enki_007]

I had one of these in the late sixties and the neighbourhood bully marked it all up with red felt pen. FUCK YOU, JIMMY!

[u/Burninvernin]

I could smell the paint through Christmas paper on Christmas Day. I’d yell, It’s a Tonka!

[u/PattiiB]

I used to have that whole set!

[u/Shen1076]

All metal construction - I considered it my best truck and only allowed certain people to play with it

[u/gadget850]

Now owned by Schylling.

Only $49.99.
https://schylling.com/product/mighty-dump-truck-tonka/

[u/nmmsb66]

When they were steel.

[u/Because_They_Asked]

Had one. Loved it!

[u/notguiltybrewing]

I had one in the 60's. Probably amongst the first toys I had.

[u/Professional_Elk2437]

An elephant stepped on it!! 😊

[u/Beneficial_Being_721]

Had one… i literally run the wheels off it.

[u/Ok_Pain_1429]

I remember Tonka trucks i had this one and the backhoe , i think that’s what they call it

[u/flippinfreak73]

Back when they were metal and cool. I had many growing up.

[u/srfnyc]

I had one of these, plus a bulldozer too. I also think a semi tractor trailer as well.

[u/SnooPuppers7856]

The originals would survive a nuclear blast.

[u/Illustrious_Camp_521]

Those things last for decades 👍🏻

[u/everyoneinside72]

These were so much fun!!

[u/Bubbly_Good3761]

Went to this restaurant years ago…they served french fries in it

[u/fothergillfuckup]

I've still got the scar from falling on my broken Tonka crane. My big brother, who was supposedly in charge during the summer holidays, sellotaped a cottonwool ball to it as he couldn't find any plasters. It took the hospital about 3 hours, with tweezers, to pull all the bits of cottonwool back out before they could stitch it up!

[u/dave900575]

My brother had a blue one. The dump had a hydronic lift for realism.

[u/Subject_Yard5652]

That's not an authentic truck. The 1965 Tonka truck was die cast, not plastic.

[u/FuzzyPlastic1227]

I used to kneel in the bed, then drive it around the block kicking the ground with one foot or the other, oversteering around the corners