The Hess Corporation knows Christmas, and following-up the incredibly fast sell-out of their most-limited toy ever, the Collector’s Edition First Hess Truck, they’ve issued their annual Holiday Hess Toy Truck. Officially released on November 1, the 2018 Hess RV with ATV and Motorbike is a beautiful, 3-in-1 set that kids and collectors will love, packed with cool features and 73 LED lights – the most ever offered on a holiday Hess Toy Truck. The folks at Hess sent us a review sample again this year, allowing The Rock Daughters™ and I to go hands-on with the latest addition to a rapidly-expanding fleet. Let’s take a look at this Holiday Wish Guide™ pick below!
Since 1964, Hess has been offering their holiday toy trucks as a high-quality, yet affordable gift that has been a tradition for families ever since. Originally an east coast thing that was only available at Hess Gas Stations (the company sold those off to Speedway some years back), they’re now available online beginning each November. While the collection is always referred to as the “Hess Toy Truck,” it’s not always a truck, and there’s usually an add-on vehicle – in this case, two.
The oversized RV allows for both the ATV and Motorbike to fit comfortably inside, each revealed by button-operated doors. Their interior compartments are each illuminated by part of the 60 LED lights on the RV itself (there’s also 9 on the ATV and 4 on the Bike). The ATV has a pull-back motor, while the Bike has a friction motor.
One difference with this release is that there are no sound features included, and the lights are all steady-on (no flashing). I was actually a bit surprised at the lack of sound, particularly because the digital effects have been so good these past few years. Still, it doesn’t seem like the lack of sound is really noticed or missed by the kids, though long-time collectors may miss it.
The 2018 Hess Toy Truck is now available for purchase exclusively at www.hesstoytruck.com for $33.99 with free standard shipping and 8 Energizer® batteries included. As always, I highly recommend these, and have to encourage you to shop early because these toys are in limited supply – once they’re gone, they’re really gone!
Bonus: Hess STEM for the Classroom
Hess also has made available for free download a new science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) curriculum with 8 lessons featuring the 2018 Hess Toy Truck. The curriculum can be used by teachers and parents as a learning tool to help teach core STEM concepts. This year, Hess Corporation and Baylor College of Medicine have partnered in a STEM Educational Outreach program. The program offers FREE learning kits which include Hess Toy Trucks along with a STEM Curriculum that demonstrates how the toys can be used as learning tools by teachers nationwide. For more info and to apply for a kit for your classroom (1,000 educators will be chosen!), check out the Hess STEM site.
