Tonka
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the spice, see Tonka bean.
- For the rocket fuel, see Tonka (fuel).
Tonka is a toy company most known for its signature toy trucks and construction equipment.
On September 18th, 1946 Mound Metalcraft was created in Mound, Minnesota with three men as partners. Lynn E. Baker, Avery F Crounse, and Alvin F Tesch. The first products produced by the fledgling company were two versions of a metal tie-rack. Their original intent was to manufacture garden implements. However when their building's former occupents, the Streater Company, attempted to market two metal toys and failed, the three men at Mound Metalcraft thought they might make a good side line to their other products. After some modifications to the design by Alvin Tesch and the addition of a new logo created by Erling Eklof with the Dakota-Sioux word "Tonka", which means "Great" or "Big", the company began selling metal toys. This soon became the primary business.[1] On November 22nd, 1955, Mound Metalcraft changed it's name to Tonka Toys Incorporated.
The impact of the Tonka truck concept has been enduring and pervasive. In an ironic reversal of the toy as image of reality the Tonka toy truck has led to imitation and mimicry in the real world.
The company was purchased by Hasbro of Pawtucket, Rhode Island in 1991.
[edit] Other products
Tonka has produced a wide variety of toys over the years, including dolls and other toys aimed at girls. They have also produced a variety of computer games, including Tonka Raceway, and purchased the rights for the Sega Master System after Sega decided to stop competing against the Nintendo Entertainment System in the U.S.. However, the Master System's market share declined, since Tonka didn't have experience with video games and neither had an idea of how to market it properly.
Hasbro sold the digital gaming rights for various properties (including My Little Pony, Magic: The Gathering, Tonka, Playskool, and Transformers) to Infogrames for USD$100 million in 2000, buying back the rights for USD$65 million in June 2005.[2]
Tonka has also produced barbecue grills.
[edit] References
- ^ Tonka by Dennis David and Lloyd Laumann
- ^ "HASBRO REACQUIRES DIGITAL GAMING RIGHTS FROM INFOGRAMES FOR $65 MILLION", Hasbro press release, 9 June 2005.
[edit] External links
- Tonka Trucks The Tonka web site
- Tonka Toy Trucks Info and Much More Site with large amount of information on Tonka history
- The Rock Lords collector archives - Collector guide for the Rock Lords toyline from Tonka/Bandai
- Action Figure Archive Gobots, Super Naturals - Vintage Tonka action figures guide, message boards and online store.
