When it comes to iconic, American toys, one of the few brands that immediately springs to mind is TONKA. For me, simply hearing the word conjures images of those five bold letters standing out in the stamped, embossed metal form that I grew up on as a kid in the 80s. My cousins and I had many adventures with our TONKA Trucks and construction vehicles – the original-style metal versions that were built like tanks. From the sandbox to the garden, and even at one point an actual construction site (my aunt and uncle had a property being built that had some cool ditches we used as a “quarry”), we were there with TONKA, getting dirty and having fun. In fact, “Gettin’ Dirty Since 1947” is TONKA’s tagline in 2015, and all these years later, it’s a tradition that The Rock Daughters™ have now been experiencing here at Rock Father HQ…
While the TONKA Classics Steel vehicles are still being made today, as in the 80s, there’s some also-tough plastic and diecast counterparts available, like the new series of off-road racing editions based on real-life TONKA Motorsports vehicles driven by Myan Spaccarelli, Eric Baron, Taylor Atchison, Todd Romano and more. They’re fun for the whole family, including new generations of kids and grown-up collectors like myself.
Produced by Funrise Toys under license from Hasbro, the girls have been rocking four new rides that we received for review in our state-of-the-art Toy Testing Facility (our home, yard and sandbox): The TONKA T-Rex and TONKA Pro2, both in their “Replica” (larger, lights and sounds) and Diecast versions. When Addie first started getting into toy vehicles, I thought she was obsessed… but Little Finley has certainly eclipsed her when it comes to the excitement level. It warms my heart to see them outside playing hard – in dresses and in the dirt!
Getting outside for some quality imaginative play is what it’s all about, and watching my girls create their own adventures is something that will never get old.
TONKA Trucks and Vehicles are available now at retailers everywhere. Check out a full assortment on their official site.
