Thread: Does anybody know much about old toy Tonka trucks?

This is an old photo of my "Tonka" (I know it's not the actual tonka brand being matchbox) and my sisters Clover brand one. Back in film camera days

That is so very cool!

Originally Posted by gromit

As V8Ian mentioned, Matchbox & Tonka are two different companies. Tonka (now owned by Hasbro) from the US and Matchbox the UK. Matchbox was a brand name of Lesney but now owned by Mattel who produce Hot Wheels.
In another life I visited a company in the East End of London who were screen printing logos on Lledo cars, still have a couple of limited editions somewhere. Turns out this company rose from the ashes of Matchbox

Tonka - Wikipedia
Matchbox (brand) - Wikipedia
Lledo "Days Gone" diecast toy vehicles (1982-1999)

Anyway, back to the subject matter...

There are quite a few websites devoted to early Tonka's and lots on Ebay.

When I was a kid I don't remember these type of toys being around but a few years back I ended up with quite a collection from Op Shops, Trash & Treasure Markets etc. for one of my boys. All Tonka, some rusty, some like new. They were used in the garden left out in the rain and well loved until the young bloke grew up and we sold them to a mate of mine for his kids, when we visit the young bloke still plays with them !

I still have a Tonka Dragline in the office, I must move it on one day.....


Colin

I bought a couple of Tonka trucks for the kids in the eighties and they were as tough as nails, The kids used to sit on them and scoot around the back yard on them.
Try that with the plastic crap on the market today.

One of the first things I made when we had children was a decent size sand pit.

The second part of the sandpit was Tonka trucks.

I went to a lot of local (vis Beenleigh/Woodridge , SE QLd) sunday markets and bought a few busted old steel Tonka bits and repaired and assembled/painted them and handed them over .....about 6 various models for many years enjoyment from not only my children but friends/neighbours/relatives. Boys or girls , their faces would light up when they saw the fleet awaiting them in the sandpit.

When everyone stopped playing with them I was going to keep them forever but changed my mind , repaired and painted again and took them back down to the Beenleigh markets and onsold them cheaply to the delight of some very young budding quarry machine operators.

Still brings a smile to my face....would love to know where they are now.

I put Tonka trucks in the same category as Lego - timeless classics. They are the gifts that keep on giving.

Originally Posted by ramblingboy42

One of the first things I made when we had children was a decent size sand pit.

The second part of the sandpit was Tonka trucks.

I went to a lot of local (vis Beenleigh/Woodridge , SE QLd) sunday markets and bought a few busted old steel Tonka bits and repaired and assembled/painted them and handed them over .....about 6 various models for many years enjoyment from not only my children but friends/neighbours/relatives. Boys or girls , their faces would light up when they saw the fleet awaiting them in the sandpit.

When everyone stopped playing with them I was going to keep them forever but changed my mind , repaired and painted again …………………....

Did you paint them Tonka yellow? When we were kids my little brother had the tip truck and I had a grader which was quite complex as you could adjust the blade 2 or 3 ways and it could be steered by a lever/tiller sticking out the back of the driver's cab, I forget what my middle brother had, a crane maybe?

I don't know about Tonka Yellow , but certainly yellow and black.

I had a tipper, a bulldozer, a semi-trailer that you could load other cars onto, and the other 3 were what I could do with some bits and pieces of bodywork , axels , wheels and pop rivets.

Pity I never photographed them.

I see new Tonka is plastic.

Google doesn't throw up much info on Matchbox large pressed steel toys, Tonka is much more common. Matchbox were usually smaller diecast toys, originally supplied in a box similar to a matchbox hence the name.

Tonka have plastic mostly now but also some steel.
Tonka Classic Steel Dump Truck | BIG W

Lots of colours other than yellow early on and some serious money being paid for some models.
Vintage Tonka Cars and Trucks | Collectors Weekly


Colin