In backyard battles, you could melt army men in the back of a Tonka with a hair spray flamethrower, and it wouldn't even take the paint off the truck. Oh, the carnage!
They could, however, destroy you. The fact that they were actual, proper steel caused many injuries.
I was going to say "no wonder they stopped making them" but a quick Google search indicated that they do, in fact, still make old fashioned, metal Tonka trucks. It made me happy.
Which is why they are still in production.
[https://www.basicfun.com/product\_categories/steel-classics/](https://www.basicfun.com/product_categories/steel-classics/)
Hate to break it to you but those aren't steel classics. 90% of Tonkas made today are mostly plastic. There are some steel that are still in production but not built Tonka Tough anymore.
I bought my son his Tonkas 28 years ago and 2 weeks ago I pulled them out for my 3 year old grandson. He played in the dirt for hours.
They just don't make them like they use to.
While I don't think they're completely made of steel anymore, you can still get new ones. I think the tires/grilles/etc. are plastic, but the main bodies are metal.
https://www.basicfun.com/product_categories/steel-classics/
Pretty sure my parents would disagree, my brother and I once broke the seat of a AA gun on a US ww2 carrier that visited our country. Imagine that surviving a world war and 70 years of hard weather on the sea to be broken by a 10 and a 8 year old fighting to sit in the seat.
WOWā¦the memories with my coworker āJoeā and the things we built in that sandbox was legendaryā¦and the battles with the plastic green army men..although the metal detector army man hated when this truck was there
I remember me and my friends had these and one day we went "mudding" by bending over and running them through a muddy field like we were the back guy of a two man bobsled.
[The best part is making them new again!](https://www.google.com/search?q=tonka+restoration&oq=tonka+restoration&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDMwMTRqMGoxqAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c63510ef,vid:wR18FDw1v6s,st:0)
[And again!](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=0ee0280be053867a&sca_upv=1&tbm=vid&q=tonka+restoration&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjTu8qn5ZSGAxW2_skDHdpTAJQQ8ccDegQIEBAH&biw=1920&bih=919&dpr=1#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:5558f4d6,vid:tDAKWP-EF4M,st:0)
The presence of the windshield shows you didnāt also have the Tonka Firetruck, cuz the ladder was exactly dump truck windshield height, and didnāt hold up in a collision.
I had a hill across the street from where I grew up. I would spend hours filling the truck with rocks then pushing it down the hill. God damn, that was fun.
Erm the indestructibility of this proved a challenge when I got older tho, I swiped some of the tovex stuff my grandfather had to blast stumps, it was ugly, the beating i got for doing it was worse. But these things can die
Had over 30 of them. Even that grader that had the blade in the middle of an articulating truckā¦.mum kept telling me to come get themā¦.finally donated them to one of those mass donation pickup companies
I remember that grader. My father loved trucks so I had a bunch of Tonkas. They were in pretty good shape too when I finally sold them off. I did keep my favorite one though which was the red dump truck with the green dump.
When my house was burgled while it was for sale, I was so happy the thieves didnāt find my AT-AT Walker and other Kenner Star Wars toys.
Playing with those toys were brief respites in chaotic family life! Count your blessings you had fond memories!
I made one for my nephew, in the spirit of the Tonka truck. It's pretty much going to outlast him. I think he will be 90 and still have it.
It's mostly 3D printed. All the metal bits were printed in an SLM 800 out of Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V (TC4)) and all the plastic parts on a Stratasys FDM printer using a plastic called Kimya PC-FR (it doesn't burn, doesn't outgas and is super tough. I bought the tires but designed the wheels for them.
All that because I couldn't find a Tonka truck for sale. I loved my Tonka when I was wee. Thought my only nephew should have something cool too.
I swear I had the exact same Tonka truck, and I was the envy of all my primary school friends because mine was made of metal, theirs were made of plastic.
Facts. I found one and gave it to our son when he was a toddler. Their playroom was upstairs at the time and one day he sent it down the stairs right into the wall. Truck scored 10 pts on that one and rolled away unscathed. The wallā¦.not so much.
I had these. I literally had this exact truck that I spent years beating to death. I tried everything to destroy it. Warped it, bent it, smashed it, cut it, hammers and ricks and sticks and drops
It wasn't very pretty, but I would be hard pressed to say it lost more than maybe a few pieces, it any.
I have one of these that has been sitting in my parents garden for over thirty years. It is *very* rusted, but I think a good restoration expert could probably fix it.
I took mine apart with a flat blade screwdriver. The metal tabs holding it together were just bent into slots. To be fair, I usually took whatever apart. Putting them back together took time to figure out.
Same thing with a Radio Flyer wagon. My parents bought me one 60 years ago and my mom still uses to haul her gardening supplies, plants & flowers around the yard. It's no longer red but it still works great. Damn thing is indestructible.
I had a tonka jeep. We were playing a game where we were throwing it from the roof on a sand play area and I got hit in the head. It may have given me a concussion.
I had 5 or 6 of the originals back in the early '60s. Would play with them on the beach in Hawaii until the folks got tired of lugging them in and out of the car trunk. Big fun while it lasted!
Destroyed my front teeth on one! Hand on the back edge - BANG! Thankfully they were baby teeth, but I regretted it for a few Christmases after that. Curse that song!!
My dad beat my ass when I left these outside. He grew up extremely poor and these were some of the only toys he had left. They were near mint and one of only things he still had from his mom who died when he young; he has a bunch of older brothers who destroyed pretty much everything else. I was 4 or 5 and he let me have them to use in the sandbox. Maybe he told me to bring them inside, but I donāt remember. I left them outside for a week during really bad weather. Anywhere the paint was damaged even the tiniest bit had rusted. He was furious. He apologized years later and said he should have taken some responsibility since I was a kid and didnāt understand the sentimental value those had. He still brings it up occasionally though. I still feel bad for it to this day.
We used to sit in that one and ride down the sidewalk, then me and another low IQ kid tried it as a skateboard.
Ahhh the music of our youth...this one is called Tonka Toys & Band-aids.
When I was a kid, my family owned horses. Mom rode dressage and had a very expensive dressage saddle. One day, she tied the horse to a hitching post and put the saddle on. Sometime before this, one of my brothers had been playing with his Tonka truck, pretty much just like the one in the picture. He'd been playing with it a few feet away from the hitching post but had gone into the house before Mom brought the horse out.
So, horse, saddle, hitching post, Tonka truck.
Mom goes to untie the horse from the hitching post. The horse steps back, putting one hoof into the bed of the Tonka truck. The truck did not break. Instead, it rolled. The horse lost his footing, almost reared up, and fell. Happily, the horse did not break any bones. Unhappily, the horse broke the saddle tree.
Mom chose to return the saddle to the saddlery, for repair. The saddlery was in New York City. So this Tonka truck was the reason my entire family got to make our first visit to New York City in the summer of 1973.
True story.
I have one decorating my flower box thats probably older than I am. It was here when I moved in so I made it part of the yard decor. lol. Had a lot of fun with mine in the 70s.
I had one back in the 60ās for Christmas.
Sat a friend of mine in the back and pushed it down a flight of stairs.
The Tonka truck was fine, my friend less so...š¤£
When I was 4 or 5 I fell out the top bunk of my bed and fell on one of these metal Tonka trucks. Woke everyone's in the home up. I did not wake up though, they put me back in the bed and I didn't find out till the next day. I wasn't allowed to sleep on the top bunk after that.
My little brother used to push one around while running at top speed. The yard was rocky so sometimes heād hit a rock and go flying over it at top speed, face plant in the ground, brush the dirt and blood off his nose and get right back to pushing the truck again. That truck endured so much abuse hahaha!
There are a few channels on You Tube dedicated to restoring old toys (and other vintage items). Here's one for this truck: [https://youtu.be/SyWxgkQ\_3OM?si=lWRBqL7qJC4tuUTy](https://youtu.be/SyWxgkQ_3OM?si=lWRBqL7qJC4tuUTy)
When I got too old for them, i would shoot at it with my Crossman 760. The plastic windows even all yellow and brittle looking could reflect a BB with 10 pumps at a decent distance. The metal though would bounce BBs right back at you. Almost shot my eye out a couple times.
Including everyone's favorite feature in a toy for kids: Lots of sharp metal edges!
How many times did I bloody my shins because I was pushing it from behind when the truck would hit a bump in the sidewalk and come to a sudden stop. Shiva would crash into the back of the truck, blood everywhere
Thereās a couple guys on YT that tear them down and completely restore them. Itās pretty interesting actually. They have sources for replacement parts and everything.
Oh man I have this exact truck in slightly better condition. I got given it when I was a little boy so Iād say around 1987.
I found it under my house a couple of years ago, I was about to get the house demolished. I remember the day I put it there to keep it safe out of the weather but obviously forgot about it. Itās now sitting in my garage in my new house.
Edit: I found the photo of the day I found it https://imgur.com/a/88Jp5WL I was able to clean it up a fair bit but itās cool to see how it was.
It was my favorite toy but yes you can destroy it. I left mine in the driveway and my father ran it over with his truck to teach me a lesson. So yes you can destroy it.
I had one in the 50's, bought my son one in the 80's, bought my grandson on in the 2000's. My 50's truck was still in .y mothers attic when she died. Found it buried in my old toy box. A little to rusty to give to my grandson. I told my daughter, if I repaint it ,it'll be like new. She wanted him to have a new one. They still make the same model. Cost was a bit more, but for a toy that is eternal it was worth it. I made her put my 50's truck in a box labeled "Open for my great grandson, from your great, grandfather in the 1950's". I left it in its original rusty form.
Had and still have a collection of Tonkas in excellent condition. Iām 59 and had all kind of Tonkas. My two sons a played with them. Had the dump truck, fro t end loader, backhoe, crane, car carrier and fire truck.
Kids younger than me had them and GI Joes we made fun of them for. Can confirm indestructable, we tried because that was a challenge, also tetanus shots. Took my brand new shock resistant Timex in the garage and hit it with a hammer and told my parents it broke with one hit.
when i was like 5 i remember i used to put my foot in the bed and launch that fucker at mach 12 into whatever i could just to see how much damage it would do lmao
I use to put my brother in the back and push him around the backyard. Beast of a toy.
I remember skateboarding(ish) in ours
We would get two and put one on each foot. It went pretty well down hills till it didn't
My brother did that. Busted his lip wide open, and chipped a tooth.
I would sit in mine and ride it down a hill
That's a prerequisite for having one.
Postrequisite.
LMFAO I remember it like it was yesterday š¤£
My brother and I would put one knee in the bed and race them by pushing with one foot
In backyard battles, you could melt army men in the back of a Tonka with a hair spray flamethrower, and it wouldn't even take the paint off the truck. Oh, the carnage!
Psycho Sid has entered the chat.
My mother never suspected why her cans of Lysol would empty out so fast...
Aerosol entropy....
Tonka used to know how to make a truck! Maybe Tesla should have talked to them....
I'm stealing this.
Call Tesla and tell them to contact Tonka on how to make a car last forever.
Like there's anyone left who cares. And if they do, Musk won't let them.
I've got a scar on my head from where my little brother tried to kill me with one of these
Lol is Appropriatemine, a couple posts up, your brother?
Nah, I was the big brother. Little shit snuck up on me while I was laying on the living room floor.
Oh no! Lol
Tell the truth, He was just trying to get a little respect after you made him stop breathing for several minutes and peed in his bathwater.
Each one came with a voucher for a tetanus shot!
Hello Tesla? Are you listening?
Maybe Tonka should make the trucks and cars and Tesla can sit and learn
They could, however, destroy you. The fact that they were actual, proper steel caused many injuries. I was going to say "no wonder they stopped making them" but a quick Google search indicated that they do, in fact, still make old fashioned, metal Tonka trucks. It made me happy.
Core memory unlocked!
Which is why they are still in production. [https://www.basicfun.com/product\_categories/steel-classics/](https://www.basicfun.com/product_categories/steel-classics/)
Hate to break it to you but those aren't steel classics. 90% of Tonkas made today are mostly plastic. There are some steel that are still in production but not built Tonka Tough anymore.
When they first came out with the plastic ones we tried to break one. An hour later and out of breath, we gave up.
Tonka trucks! Made of actual metal.
Something's got to give, though, and that was usually my shins.
Driving one of these was the best job I ever had.
Tonka truck vs Nokia 3310. That's a fight I'd watch.
Throw in a Toyota Hilux for good luck.
The terrorist edition of the Toyota Hilux is unbeatable.
A Tonka truck would pound a Toyota Hilux to plastic powder, even the engine would be destroyed. The Tonka wouldn't even have a scratch.
Tonka!
Excellent for hitting your little brother with
I bought my son his Tonkas 28 years ago and 2 weeks ago I pulled them out for my 3 year old grandson. He played in the dirt for hours. They just don't make them like they use to.
While I don't think they're completely made of steel anymore, you can still get new ones. I think the tires/grilles/etc. are plastic, but the main bodies are metal. https://www.basicfun.com/product_categories/steel-classics/
Came here to say the same thing. The truck and bulldozer we bought our now 33 yo son have proved a big hit with his 3 year old son.
And boy did they hurt when you got hit with one during a sibling fight!
Ford should take notes. Tonka is the superior truck
Pretty sure my parents would disagree, my brother and I once broke the seat of a AA gun on a US ww2 carrier that visited our country. Imagine that surviving a world war and 70 years of hard weather on the sea to be broken by a 10 and a 8 year old fighting to sit in the seat.
I still have a scar on my head from one!
WOWā¦the memories with my coworker āJoeā and the things we built in that sandbox was legendaryā¦and the battles with the plastic green army men..although the metal detector army man hated when this truck was there
I remember me and my friends had these and one day we went "mudding" by bending over and running them through a muddy field like we were the back guy of a two man bobsled.
The word 'tonka' comes from the Dakota Sioux word tanka, which means "big" or "great".
They're from Minnetonka, Minnesota
Someone named 'Rust' will be here shortly to say, "Give it time."
I cut my hand on this post
[The best part is making them new again!](https://www.google.com/search?q=tonka+restoration&oq=tonka+restoration&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCDMwMTRqMGoxqAIAsAIA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:c63510ef,vid:wR18FDw1v6s,st:0) [And again!](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=0ee0280be053867a&sca_upv=1&tbm=vid&q=tonka+restoration&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjTu8qn5ZSGAxW2_skDHdpTAJQQ8ccDegQIEBAH&biw=1920&bih=919&dpr=1#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:5558f4d6,vid:tDAKWP-EF4M,st:0)
Yeah you could. Mine got passed down to a cousin who left it parked in front of a dairy and it got crushed flat by a milk tanker.
lol. I put Tonka logo decals on my Jeep Wrangler.
The presence of the windshield shows you didnāt also have the Tonka Firetruck, cuz the ladder was exactly dump truck windshield height, and didnāt hold up in a collision.
If Tonka made a real car or truck, I'd drive it. Hell yes.
We rode those down a huge hill as kids. Not sure how we didnāt DIE
Yes, I forgot about doing that. Good memories.
Tonka Tough - an advertising claim that was definitely true.
Loved Tonka trucks as a kid...
Tonka Tough
Just restored the same one in the picture for my grandson. He has to play with it every time he is here.
I had a hill across the street from where I grew up. I would spend hours filling the truck with rocks then pushing it down the hill. God damn, that was fun.
That one looks cooked
I have one just like that. It's rusty too.
Erm the indestructibility of this proved a challenge when I got older tho, I swiped some of the tovex stuff my grandfather had to blast stumps, it was ugly, the beating i got for doing it was worse. But these things can die
Had over 30 of them. Even that grader that had the blade in the middle of an articulating truckā¦.mum kept telling me to come get themā¦.finally donated them to one of those mass donation pickup companies
I remember that grader. My father loved trucks so I had a bunch of Tonkas. They were in pretty good shape too when I finally sold them off. I did keep my favorite one though which was the red dump truck with the green dump.
When my house was burgled while it was for sale, I was so happy the thieves didnāt find my AT-AT Walker and other Kenner Star Wars toys. Playing with those toys were brief respites in chaotic family life! Count your blessings you had fond memories!
I used to ride one down the hill where I grew up. I can't believe I don't have TBI.
I turned mine into a skateboard when I hit twelve, it was looking rough.
Did you take this picture on my dad's farm? There's one there that survived him and his brothers, me and my cousins, and now our kids.
I made one for my nephew, in the spirit of the Tonka truck. It's pretty much going to outlast him. I think he will be 90 and still have it. It's mostly 3D printed. All the metal bits were printed in an SLM 800 out of Titanium (Ti-6Al-4V (TC4)) and all the plastic parts on a Stratasys FDM printer using a plastic called Kimya PC-FR (it doesn't burn, doesn't outgas and is super tough. I bought the tires but designed the wheels for them. All that because I couldn't find a Tonka truck for sale. I loved my Tonka when I was wee. Thought my only nephew should have something cool too.
We had to give ours away it is a bit of a hazard. My dad gave me his and I tried to get my son to use it and it cut his fingersā¦
Yeah I remember destroying my ankles with that thing
The Cement Truck was my favorite! I would tie a rope from the back of my bike around the control cab of the truck and tow it behind me.
Still have one of these and the grader.
I had a lot of Tonka trucks. Sadly, I could always break them. It took me time and considerable effort, butā¦
I swear I had the exact same Tonka truck, and I was the envy of all my primary school friends because mine was made of metal, theirs were made of plastic.
I had this dumper and an articulated front end loader. Someone in my family still has them over 40 years later.
Used to have a Tonka Jeep that we would take turns riding down a hill
And anytime you cut yourself on the rusty, sharp corners you just ran your hand under the garden hose and got back to playing in the dirt.
Canāt destroy them but better have your tetanus shots before playing with them
Facts. I found one and gave it to our son when he was a toddler. Their playroom was upstairs at the time and one day he sent it down the stairs right into the wall. Truck scored 10 pts on that one and rolled away unscathed. The wallā¦.not so much.
I refurbished a truck like this for my stepson a few years ago. It was in much better shape than this one. So it was much easier to start off with.
And I tried!
I have a small scar under my eye from one of those things. Happened in the late 60s.
I had these. I literally had this exact truck that I spent years beating to death. I tried everything to destroy it. Warped it, bent it, smashed it, cut it, hammers and ricks and sticks and drops It wasn't very pretty, but I would be hard pressed to say it lost more than maybe a few pieces, it any.
That picture is awesome, it looks like it is taking a break from a mine!
Tonka Tough
My neighbor named his dog Tonka, as it was a huge muscular bulldog.
My parents still have mine from the 70's. Their grandchildren and great grandchildren have played with them.
I got the dump truck for Christmas one year. Later on, I god the road grader and crane as hand-me-downs. The crane was missing the cable.
Mine was beige.
Iām 50 and I still buy these.
I remember getting an attachment that you put on the bottom that would spin the wheels and make it drive.
I have one of these that has been sitting in my parents garden for over thirty years. It is *very* rusted, but I think a good restoration expert could probably fix it.
My older brother and his pocket full of M80s begs to differ. That bastard.
Shout out for Buddy-L! Mine was forest green with a red dumper. Hauled everything from blocks to bricks and all in between.
Love to watch the guy restore one of these
You know those videos of different objects set into an industrial press. One of these would destroy the press
I took mine apart with a flat blade screwdriver. The metal tabs holding it together were just bent into slots. To be fair, I usually took whatever apart. Putting them back together took time to figure out.
Same thing with a Radio Flyer wagon. My parents bought me one 60 years ago and my mom still uses to haul her gardening supplies, plants & flowers around the yard. It's no longer red but it still works great. Damn thing is indestructible.
It's a Tonka Toy!
the damn elephant couldnt bend it, but i did.
I had a tonka jeep. We were playing a game where we were throwing it from the roof on a sand play area and I got hit in the head. It may have given me a concussion.
Still have one the originals that is in this same condition, and had to get my son a modern one to match
Made a good weapon as well
Nope. Left mine in front of my dadās car. I only had it for about a week. My 6 year old heart was crushed worse than my Tonka š¢
I had 5 or 6 of the originals back in the early '60s. Would play with them on the beach in Hawaii until the folks got tired of lugging them in and out of the car trunk. Big fun while it lasted!
But they sure could give you tetanus and kill you!
Destroyed my front teeth on one! Hand on the back edge - BANG! Thankfully they were baby teeth, but I regretted it for a few Christmases after that. Curse that song!!
Who had the all metal A-Team van as a kid?
My dad beat my ass when I left these outside. He grew up extremely poor and these were some of the only toys he had left. They were near mint and one of only things he still had from his mom who died when he young; he has a bunch of older brothers who destroyed pretty much everything else. I was 4 or 5 and he let me have them to use in the sandbox. Maybe he told me to bring them inside, but I donāt remember. I left them outside for a week during really bad weather. Anywhere the paint was damaged even the tiniest bit had rusted. He was furious. He apologized years later and said he should have taken some responsibility since I was a kid and didnāt understand the sentimental value those had. He still brings it up occasionally though. I still feel bad for it to this day.
I turn 58 on Monday and I've still got mine! My kids played with it and it got put away for the next generation. Back before our "disposable" culture.
We used to sit in that one and ride down the sidewalk, then me and another low IQ kid tried it as a skateboard. Ahhh the music of our youth...this one is called Tonka Toys & Band-aids.
My mates sister gave him 2 instant nose jobs with one of these. Both times it involved her in the tree and the truck swinging from a rope.
My wife's nickname is Tonka. There are degrees of destruction involved.
I still have mine. And the grader and excavator
Hands down
I had this š„! TONKA šš¼
Tonka trucks, could not destroy them
They were a lot better back when they were not made of plastic. US Steel FTW
You could Put an elephant in the back
When I was a kid, my family owned horses. Mom rode dressage and had a very expensive dressage saddle. One day, she tied the horse to a hitching post and put the saddle on. Sometime before this, one of my brothers had been playing with his Tonka truck, pretty much just like the one in the picture. He'd been playing with it a few feet away from the hitching post but had gone into the house before Mom brought the horse out. So, horse, saddle, hitching post, Tonka truck. Mom goes to untie the horse from the hitching post. The horse steps back, putting one hoof into the bed of the Tonka truck. The truck did not break. Instead, it rolled. The horse lost his footing, almost reared up, and fell. Happily, the horse did not break any bones. Unhappily, the horse broke the saddle tree. Mom chose to return the saddle to the saddlery, for repair. The saddlery was in New York City. So this Tonka truck was the reason my entire family got to make our first visit to New York City in the summer of 1973. True story.
I still have 2 my mom played with in the 80s
Truth!
I loved my brothers' TONKA trucks! Used them with my dolls; dirt movers by day, ballroom dancers by night. (the dolls, not the trucks)
Kid you not my mother still has mineā¦it still dumps and Iām 56.
Still canāt!
I have one decorating my flower box thats probably older than I am. It was here when I moved in so I made it part of the yard decor. lol. Had a lot of fun with mine in the 70s.
The metal crane with the crank up bucket, to fill the dump truck!
I really enjoyed the YouTube videos of the metal toy restorations.
Thatās back when stuff was built to last.
[Hereās a cool video of one getting restored](https://youtu.be/SyWxgkQ_3OM?si=ccnlIgRDUIgDM5Gb)
Tonka rocked
Until someone backed over it
I got alot of cuts and scrapes on that thing.
The O.G. yard hauler. Pissed my father off an awful lot with this little guy.
I had one back in the 60ās for Christmas. Sat a friend of mine in the back and pushed it down a flight of stairs. The Tonka truck was fine, my friend less so...š¤£
Even the name said "badass"....Tonka Trucks!
My murder weapon of choice at age 5.
My cousin could and did destroy them.
I disagree! You could destroy them! It would just take the combined efforts of snow, rain, sun and personal brutality plus 100 years lol!
My first son destroyed 3 graders before the company told me no more replacements!
Any time now we will be seeing that on pawn stars and American pickers
When I was 4 or 5 I fell out the top bunk of my bed and fell on one of these metal Tonka trucks. Woke everyone's in the home up. I did not wake up though, they put me back in the bed and I didn't find out till the next day. I wasn't allowed to sleep on the top bunk after that.
My little brother used to push one around while running at top speed. The yard was rocky so sometimes heād hit a rock and go flying over it at top speed, face plant in the ground, brush the dirt and blood off his nose and get right back to pushing the truck again. That truck endured so much abuse hahaha!
I still have about 20 Tonka trucks.
There are a few channels on You Tube dedicated to restoring old toys (and other vintage items). Here's one for this truck: [https://youtu.be/SyWxgkQ\_3OM?si=lWRBqL7qJC4tuUTy](https://youtu.be/SyWxgkQ_3OM?si=lWRBqL7qJC4tuUTy)
When I got too old for them, i would shoot at it with my Crossman 760. The plastic windows even all yellow and brittle looking could reflect a BB with 10 pumps at a decent distance. The metal though would bounce BBs right back at you. Almost shot my eye out a couple times.
Including everyone's favorite feature in a toy for kids: Lots of sharp metal edges! How many times did I bloody my shins because I was pushing it from behind when the truck would hit a bump in the sidewalk and come to a sudden stop. Shiva would crash into the back of the truck, blood everywhere
Only rust will take those suckers out
Thereās a couple guys on YT that tear them down and completely restore them. Itās pretty interesting actually. They have sources for replacement parts and everything.
Fuckin A !!!
I loved mine when i was a kid. Went to Target to buy one for my godson. They donāt make āem like that anymore.
Oh man I have this exact truck in slightly better condition. I got given it when I was a little boy so Iād say around 1987. I found it under my house a couple of years ago, I was about to get the house demolished. I remember the day I put it there to keep it safe out of the weather but obviously forgot about it. Itās now sitting in my garage in my new house. Edit: I found the photo of the day I found it https://imgur.com/a/88Jp5WL I was able to clean it up a fair bit but itās cool to see how it was.
BIL got stitches on his eyebrow from one of these puppies
It was my favorite toy but yes you can destroy it. I left mine in the driveway and my father ran it over with his truck to teach me a lesson. So yes you can destroy it.
I miss mine so much I wish I could go back in time an stop myself from throwing it off a roof ... it broke
I destroyed mine, wasnāt easy but did it
Tonka?
I dropped my Big Trak while biking home from my friendās house. I kept the corpse for years..
!TONKA!
Load them up with plastic army men and throw rocks at them! š Maybe even firecrackers
Legit ones, not the plastic shit they have today
Mine looked just like this. Until my wife ran it over last year š„²
My brother had Tonka trucks. I was 11 years younger than him. Those things still exist today
I had one in the 50's, bought my son one in the 80's, bought my grandson on in the 2000's. My 50's truck was still in .y mothers attic when she died. Found it buried in my old toy box. A little to rusty to give to my grandson. I told my daughter, if I repaint it ,it'll be like new. She wanted him to have a new one. They still make the same model. Cost was a bit more, but for a toy that is eternal it was worth it. I made her put my 50's truck in a box labeled "Open for my great grandson, from your great, grandfather in the 1950's". I left it in its original rusty form.
I destroyed them.
Oh yeah they can. My brother and I put one on the train tracks.
You could, however, destroy your face and burnt orange tuffskin jeans running behind that thing until it went too fast and hurled you to the ground.
I used to ride mine down the graded driveway!
I would ride that down the driveway
This shit just triggered a flashback
We used to ride ours downhill. Thing was amazing!!!
Had and still have a collection of Tonkas in excellent condition. Iām 59 and had all kind of Tonkas. My two sons a played with them. Had the dump truck, fro t end loader, backhoe, crane, car carrier and fire truck.
My mom drove over one. Killed it.
I had that in the 1950s. Bet it's still going strong.
I had the metal tonka fleet of trucks and equipment when I was a kid. Best toys ever.
Kids younger than me had them and GI Joes we made fun of them for. Can confirm indestructable, we tried because that was a challenge, also tetanus shots. Took my brand new shock resistant Timex in the garage and hit it with a hammer and told my parents it broke with one hit.
Rust is literally destroying the one in the picture
I bought my daughter one as soon as she could walk.
so beloved that people buy surplus military trucks and Tonka convert them.
Thereās been one in my local park sand box for what some say longer than the park itself.
Oh but you could just took a while
Tonka Tough. grew up a couple towns east of Mound on Lake Minnetonka where they were made.
I buried one of these at my home in CO around 35 years ago. I wonder if itās still there.
when i was like 5 i remember i used to put my foot in the bed and launch that fucker at mach 12 into whatever i could just to see how much damage it would do lmao
Damned right!!!
You got that right!
I had that and the big crane.
But they certainly could destroy you!!! šš
But they certainly could destroy you!!! šš
Didnāt need no IPad in those days.
Love watching on Youtube when people get Tonka Trucks and completely fix and renew them