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In 1947, the first TONKA brand toy trucks were designed and manufactured by the Mound Metalcraft Company, a business then located in a small schoolhouse basement near Lake Minnetonka in Mound, Minnesota, that specialized in manufacturing garden tools.
How do you tell what year a Tonka dump truck is?
Look at the Tonka logo. From 1947 to 1977, changes were made to the logo every few years which makes it an easy identifier for early-edition Tonka trucks. Identify the colors of the logo. If the Tonka logo shows a blue sea and seagulls, it was likely to be manufactured between 1947 and 1957.
What was Tonka called before?
The logo used the Dakota Sioux word tanka, which means “great” or “big”. In November, 1955, Mound Metalcraft changed its name to Tonka Toys Incorporated.
When did Tonka start making plastic trucks?
But the company manufactured toy trucks as well, apparently as a sideline, and the three founders began exhibiting them at the New York Toy Fair as early as 1947.
Are old rusty Tonka trucks worth anything?
Most Tonka trucks in good condition from the late ’40s through the early ’60s can be purchased for between $100 and $300. Because so many Tonka products were manufactured, standard outlets including flea markets, garage sales and antique stores are good sources for Tonka trucks.
What does the word Tonka mean?
: the coumarin-containing seed of any of several tropical American leguminous trees (genus Dipteryx, especially D. odorata) that is used in perfumes and as an artificial vanilla flavoring also : a tree bearing tonka beans.
Where was the original Tonka toy factory?
Tonka toys were invented and produced in Mound, Minnesota, by the Mound Metalcraft Company. In 1947, the company was approached by Streater Industries, another local business, to take over several toy patents.
What is Tonka in perfume?
If you’re not familiar with tonka bean fragrances, tonka bean is the seed of the catchily named dipteryx odorata tree, or coumarouna odorata, which is why it is also known as coumarin – the chemical isolate that is used in perfumery.
Does Ford make a Tonka truck?
The “built-for-fun” Tonka trucks are made by Ford Tuscany, the leading specialty truck modifier for the Ford Motor Company, and feature a customized body kit. Special design elements include: Fender Vents.
When did Tonka start making toys?
In 1947, the first TONKA brand toy trucks were designed and manufactured by the Mound Metalcraft Company, a business then located in a small schoolhouse basement near Lake Minnetonka in Mound, Minnesota, that specialized in manufacturing garden tools.
How many different Tonka trucks are there?
However, Tonka Trucks remain the company’s most well-known and popular product line, which has expanded to include over thirty different models.
Why is it called a Tonka truck?
The name itself comes from Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota Make a logo to capitalize on the double meaning (note “Tonka” over the waves in the ad), slap it on an oversized metal toy, and by 1947, Mound Metalworks had a hot ticket.
How much does a Tonka truck cost?
The Ford F-150 Tonka Tuscany Edition Fetches a High Price The base Lariat carries a starting MSRP of $42,500. The conversion to a Tonka requires at least an additional $76,000 of modifications bringing the total price up to a minimum of $118, 500.
How much is a real Tonka truck?
Total cost for the upgraded truck when brand new? An eye-watering $96,304. That price includes a brand-new F-150 chassis sourced by Tuscany directly from Ford, as well as the Tonka package installed by the folks at Tuscany. Muscle Motors is asking $49,000 for it, which seems like a solid price.
What scale are Tonka toys?
Tonka Mini Movers are diecast vehicles built “Tonka Tough” at approximately 1:64th scale! These collectible vehicles are available in Single Packs, Combo Packs or in the Mud Rescue series!.
Who restores Tonka trucks?
Among the many talents and abilities Fairview’s fix-it man Chuck Sistrunk, 64, is well known for, restoring toy Tonka Trucks and construction equipment is not one of them.
How do you get rust off metal trunks?
Rub the rust in a circular motion with steel wool, remembering that steel and tin, which are harder, may require a wire brush, while brass, which is softer, might be quickly restored with steel wool. Still, a heavy buildup of rust on brass might require the wire brush.
How do you restore rusty toys?
Pour a little salt on the rust stains, then pour lime juice or squeeze a lime over the salted areas to make a paste, suggests the Earth Easy website in the article “Non Toxic Home Cleaning.” Let the mixture remain on the toy for two to three hours.
What is the smell of tonka bean?
The pleasant, natural aroma of tonka bean can be described as a mix of sweet, spicy, nutty, herbaceous, and woody. Its scent is complex and sweet like vanilla, with enticing notes of spices and tobacco.
Is Tonka an Indian word?
Honestly, I know very little about Osage or any other Native American languages, but something seems fishy here. From what I’ve been able to learn from Internet sources, tonka means “great” in the language of the Dakotas—as in Wakan-Tonka, “Great Spirit” (the adjective great follows the verb Wakan/spirit).
Does Tonka mean Buffalo?
There are many names for the American Bison. Another name for these animals is “tatanka.” Tatanka is the Lakota word for bison. Bison are incredibly important in Lakota culture; the Lakota are traditionally nomadic and would have spent their lives following bison before Euro-Americans settled the West.
