For over 50 years, the Hess Toy Truck has been a tradition for families on the East Coast – one that’s spread Nationally, and even Globally as its legendary status has continued to grow. Originally launched in 1964 as an affordable, high-quality toy to be sold at Hess Gas Stations, many worried about the fate of the annual truck when the Hess Corporation sold their Hess Express Gas Station business to Marathon last year – the stations converted to Speedway locations, something we’ve long-had here in the Midwest. The good news is that the Hess Corporation has made a pledge to keep the tradition alive, and while the trucks will no longer be available at the neighborhood gas station, they’re available to families throughout the U.S. on HessToyTruck.com, and at Kiosks at 10 Malls across New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. Just how popular is the Hess Toy Truck? The November 1st online launch led to a massive site crash and a virtual queue thousands of people deep… and when the Mall Kiosks first opened for in-person pick-up, lines were lengthy – hours long. The good news is, Hess has plenty available for the next few weeks, and the 2015 Hess Fire Truck and Ladder Rescue is a featured pick in my 2015 Holiday Wish Guide here on THE ROCK FATHER Magazine!
Much like last year, we had a very “Christmas Morning” kind of moment when Little Finley opened her Hess Toy Truck – graciously provided for review by the Hess Corporation.
While both of our girls love their Hess Toy Trucks (we have a few now, including a “Mini” that’s no longer offered), it’s Finn that I tend to think will be looking forward to these in the years to come. The quality is impressive, rivaling many of the major toymakers, and priced at just $30.99 with Free Standard Shipping and Energizer Batteries INCLUDED, it’s a great value considering that it comes wrapped – and the truck is actually two trucks.
Fire Truck Features:
- 3 button-activated sound effects (ignition, horn, emergency siren)
- Pull out ramp with hydraulic sound effect
- 50 LED lights plus a pivoting searchlight that work in flash or steady modes
- 2 moveable fire hose nozzles
- 3 Energizer ‘AA’ Batteries included
Ladder Rescue Features:
- 21 LED Lights
- 4 Tier, 360º rotating extension ladder with fire hose nozzle
- Friction motor drive (rev-it up and let it go!)
- 2 Energizer ‘AAA’ Batteries included
The spotlight on the back of the main Fire Truck truly is “high-powered” as advertised, and funny enough – the perfect play space for it was discovered by Finn a few weeks back… the statue of the Nakatomi Plaza from DIE HARD (technically a “collectible” and not a toy) from the recently-released Ultimate DIE HARD Collection Blu-ray set (reviewed here). You can actually move and shine that spotlight wherever you’d like, so kids can pretend that they’re helping little John McClane fight International terrorists people out of a dangerous situation, adding an element of imaginative play that helps build an appreciation for real-life heroes – first responders.
One cool element this year is that there’s 100 randomly-packed silver editions of the Hess Toy Truck. As of this writing, just three of those have been confirmed to have been found, which means that some families just might have an extra-special surprise waiting under the tree on Christmas morning.
Order yours (while supplies last) at HessToyTruck.com!
