View source for Tonka

{{Short description|American producer of toy trucks}}
{{Other uses|Tonka (disambiguation)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2014}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Tonka
| former_names = {{plainlist|
* Mound Metalcraft (1946–55)
* Tonka Toys Inc. (1955–91)
}}
| logo = Tonka logo.svg
| type = [[Joint venture]]
| fate = Acquired by [[Hasbro]] in 1991<ref name=":3"/>
| foundation = {{date and age|June 22, 1946}} in [[Mound, Minnesota]], U.S.
| founder = {{ubl|Lynn Everett Baker,|Avery F. Crounse,|Alvin F. Tesch}}
| location_city = [[Pawtucket, Rhode Island]]
| location_country = U.S.
| key_people = Russell L. Wenkstern<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2000/01/22/business/russell-l-wenkstern-87-toy-chief-and-dump-truck-co-developer.html |title=Russell L. Wenkstern, 87, Toy Chief and Dump Truck Co-Developer |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=January 22, 2000 |access-date=October 22, 2012}}</ref>
| industry = 
| products = [[Toy]]s and [[game]]s
| revenue = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income = 
| assets = 
| equity = 
| num_employees = 
| owner = {{ubl|[[Hasbro]]<br>(1991–present)|[[Funrise Toys]]<br>(1998–2019)|Basic Fun!<br>(2019–present)<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://toybook.com/basic-fun-acquires-hasbros-tonka-license/|title= Basic Fun! Acquires Hasbro's Tonka License|last=Zahn|first=James|date=July 4, 2019|access-date=July 9, 2024|website=The Toy Book|language=en}}</ref>}}
| parent = 
| subsid = {{plainlist|
* Mell Manufacturing Co. (1964)
* [[Kenner Products|Kenner Parker]] (1987)
* [[Palitoy]] (1987)
}}
| brands = 
| homepage = 
}}
'''Tonka''' is an American [[brand]] and former manufacturer of toy trucks.<ref name=":3">{{cite news|author=ANTHONY RAMIREZ|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/01/business/tonka-accepts-offer-from-hasbro.html |title=Tonka Accepts Offer from Hasbro |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 1, 1991 |access-date=October 17, 2012}}</ref> The company was founded in 1946 and operated as an independent manufacturer of popular steel toy construction type trucks and machinery, until its sale to [[Hasbro]] in 1991.

== History ==
Tonka began as "Mound Metalcraft", a gardening tools company, in 1946 in [[Mound, Minnesota]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Aaron |date=2015-09-03 |title=12 Things You Didn't Know About Tonka |url=https://www.thrillist.com/cars/12-things-you-didn-t-know-about-tonka-the-history-of-america-s-most-beloved-dump-truck |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=Thrillist |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Glover |first=Maury |date=2024-03-13 |title=Tonka Toys: How a MN company used power of play to dig the foundation of global success story |url=https://www.fox9.com/news/tonka-toys-how-a-mn-company-used-power-of-play-to-dig-the-fondation-of-global-success-story |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=FOX 9 |language=en-US}}</ref> Lynn Everett Baker (1898–1964), Avery F. Crounse, and Alvin F. Tesch created the company in an old schoolhouse.<ref name=":0" /> Their building's former occupant, the Streater Company, had made and patented several toys, including toy trucks.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DlQ_EAAAQBAJ |title=HowExpert Guide to Toy Collecting: 101 Tips on How to Find, Buy, Collect, and Sell Collectible Toys for Toy Collectors |last=Hopkins |first=Charlotte |date=2021-08-22 |publisher=HowExpert |isbn=978-1-64891-734-9 |language=en}}</ref> E. C. Streater was not interested in the toy business so they approached Mound Metalcraft. The three men at Mound Metalcraft thought they might make a good sideline to their other products.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1990/08/19/tonkas-troubles-nothing-to-toy-with-as-ghostbusters-line-fades/ |title=Tonka's Troubles Nothing To Toy With As Ghostbusters Line Fades |date=August 19, 1990 |access-date=October 17, 2012 |work=Chicago Tribune}}</ref>

[[File:1960's Tonka Truck.JPG|thumb|left|1960s Tonka truck]]

After some modifications to the design by Alvin Tesch and the addition of a new logo created by Erling Eklof, the company began selling metal [[toy]]s, which soon became the primary business. The logo was based on a [[University of Minnesota]] drafting student's sketch by Donald B. Olson, who later became the company's Chief Industrial Engineer. The logo used the [[Dakota language|Dakota Sioux]] word ''tanka'', which means "great" or "big".<ref name= DL>{{cite book| first1= Dennis |last1= David |first2= Lloyd |last2= Laumann| title= Tonka| publisher= MBI Publishing Company| year= 2004| isbn= 0-7603-1868-9}}</ref>

In November 1955, Mound Metalcraft changed its name to "Tonka Toys Incorporated".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hauer |first=Tom |date=2019-11-04 |title=Tough trucks with a strong Midwest history |url=https://theoldtimes.com/stories/f/tough-trucks-with-a-strong-midwest-history |access-date=2022-07-27 |website=The Old Times |language=en-US}}</ref> From 1947 to 1957, their logo was an oval, showing the Tonka Toys name in red above blue ocean waves with seagulls overhead, honoring nearby [[Lake Minnetonka]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkMMm9zylI4|title=History of Tonka Toys|website=[[YouTube]]|date=January 22, 2017 |access-date=April 5, 2021}}</ref><ref name=":1" />

From 1958 to 1961, the logo no longer included seagulls and the colors were changed to white, grey, and red.<ref name=":1" /> The colors changed to red and gold in 1963. In 1978, the oval was removed and the company began using only the name Tonka on their toys.<ref name=":1" />

In 1964, Tonka acquired the Mell Manufacturing Company in [[Chicago]], Illinois,<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Tribune |first=Nick Williams Star |title=How did Tonka trucks get their start in Minnesota? |url=https://www2.startribune.com/tonka-toys-trucks-mound-minnesota-history/600267016/ |access-date=2024-09-26 |website=Star Tribune}}</ref> allowing it to produce barbecue grills, eventually under the ''Tonka Firebowl'' label.<ref name="DL" />{{rp|85–86}}

In 1968, Tonka moved company headquarters from Mound to Minneapolis.<ref name=":4" />

[[File:70's Tonka Semi Truck.jpg|thumb|right|Late 1970s Tonka Car Carrier]]

In 1987, Tonka purchased [[Kenner Products|Kenner Parker]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Content |first=Contributed |date=1987-09-05 |title=TONKA TO ACQUIRE KENNER |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1987/09/05/tonka-to-acquire-kenner/ |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref> including UK toy giant [[Palitoy]], for $555 million,<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Silverstein |first=Stuart |date=1991-02-01 |title=Hasbro Agrees to Buy Ailing Tonka in Big Toy Merger |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-02-01-fi-330-story.html |access-date=2024-03-21 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US}}</ref> borrowing extensively to fund the acquisition. However, the cost of servicing the debt meant Tonka itself had to find a buyer and it was eventually acquired by [[Hasbro]] in 1991,<ref name=":2" /> its headquarters moved out of Minnesota, and relocated its manufacturing operations to Hasbro's facilities in [[Pawtucket, Rhode Island]].<ref name=":3" /> In 1998, Hasbro began a licensing deal with [[Funrise Toys]] to manufacture and distribute Tonka trucks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Muller |first=Joann |title=Can Wal-Mart Help Bring Tonka Trucks Back To The U.S.? |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmuller/2015/09/09/can-wal-mart-help-bring-tonka-trucks-back-to-the-u-s/ |access-date=2022-04-21 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> The deal began with versions of the trucks fitted with electronics for lights and sounds, but grew to encompass the entire brand.<ref name=NYTimes-ArnieRubin>{{cite news|last1=Hirsch|first1=Jerry| work= [[Los Angeles Times]] | url= https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-himi-rubin-20150510-story.html|title=For Arnie Rubin, selling toys has been all fun and games|date=May 10, 2015| access-date=January 22, 2019}}</ref> This agreement ended on July 4, 2019, with the license being transferred to Basic Fun!,<ref>[https://toybook.com/basic-fun-acquires-hasbros-tonka-license/ Basic Fun! Acquires Hasbro's Tonka License] on Toybook, 4 Jun 2019</ref> which produces other brands such as [[Care Bears]], [[My Little Pony]], and [[Lincoln Logs]].<ref>{{Cite web |last= |date=2019-06-04 |title=Basic Fun! secures rights to license Tonka brand |url=https://toyworldmag.co.uk/basic-fun-secures-rights-to-licence-tonka-brand/ |access-date=2024-06-11 |website=Toy World Magazine |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Debter |first=Lauren |title=Why 160,000 Tonka Toy Trucks Won't Make It Home for the Holidays |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurendebter/2021/10/05/supply-chain-war-games-toymaker-basic-fun-holiday-sales/ |access-date=2022-05-11 |website=Forbes |language=en}}</ref> [[Maisto|Maisto International]], which makes [[die-cast toy|die-cast vehicles]], acquired the rights to use the Tonka name in a line of [[1:64 scale]], featuring mostly trucks.{{Cn|date=September 2024}}

In 2024, Basic Fun filed for [[Chapter 11 bankruptcy]] protection.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Delesline |first=Nate III |date=3 June 2024 |title=Toy company Basic Fun to restructure in bankruptcy |url=https://www.retaildive.com/news/toy-company-basic-fun-restructure-bankruptcy/720472/ |access-date=2024-09-04 |website=Retail Dive |language=en-US}}</ref> The company will use bankruptcy proceedings to repay its creditors while remaining in operation.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-06-28/toy-maker-behind-lincoln-logs-tinker-toys-files-for-bankruptcy?ref=biztoc.com|title= Toy Maker Behind Lincoln Logs, Tinker Toys Files for Bankruptcy|date=June 28, 2024|access-date=June 28, 2024 |publisher=Bloomberg |language=en}}</ref>

== Products ==
[[File:Tonka Bottom dump truck.jpg|thumb|left|1978 model Tonka bottom dump truck]]
Tonka has produced a variety of toys, including [[doll]]s (''[[Star Fairies]]'', ''Bathing Beauties'', ''[[Maple Town]]'', and ''Hollywoods''). They have produced other toys, some aimed at girls (such as ''Keypers''),<ref name=":1" /> and others aimed at boys (such as ''[[Gobots]]'',<ref name=":1" /> ''Supernaturals'', ''[[Rock Lords]]'', ''[[Spiral Zone]]'', ''Legions of Power'' and ''[[Steel Monsters]]''). It was the original manufacturer of the [[Pound Puppies]]<ref name=":1" /> toy line, and in the late 1980s licensed products inspired by ''[[Maple Town]]''.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

Tonka produced [[video games]] as [[Tonka Video Games]], including ''Tonka Raceway'', and purchased the rights to distribute and market the [[Master System]] after [[Sega]] of America stopped competing against the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] in the US. However, the Master System's market share declined, since Tonka did not have experience with video games or how to market them. Hasbro sold the digital gaming rights for various properties (including ''[[My Little Pony]]'', ''[[Magic: The Gathering]]'', Tonka, [[Playskool]], and ''[[Transformers (fiction)|Transformers]]'') to Infogrames (later known and currently operating as [[Atari SA]]) for [[United States dollar|US$]]100 million in 2000, buying back the rights for US$65 million in June 2005.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Staff |first=P. B. N. |date=2005-06-09 |title=Hasbro reacquires gaming rights from Infogrames for $65M |url=https://pbn.com/hasbro-reacquires-gaming-rights-from-infogrames-for-65m17878/ |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=Providence Business News |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2001, Tonka trucks were inducted into the [[National Toy Hall of Fame]] at [[The Strong]] in [[Rochester, New York]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Tonka Trucks|url=https://www.toyhalloffame.org/toys/tonka-trucks| website= toyhalloffame.org |publisher=National Toy Hall of Fame|access-date=May 19, 2013}}</ref>  The Winifred Museum in [[Winifred, Montana]], has a collection of more than 3,000 Tonka toys.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.russell.visitmt.com/listings/16968.htm |title=Winifred Museum - Russell Country Montana | website= russell.visitmt.com |access-date=October 22, 2012 |url-status= dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120417055503/http://russell.visitmt.com/listings/16968.htm |archive-date=April 17, 2012 |df= mdy-all }}</ref>
In 2002, [[Ford Motor Company|Ford]] made its very first partnership with Tonka with the [[Ford Mighty F-350|Mighty F-350]] concept.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Williams |first=Mark |date=19 January 2020 |title=Mighty Tonka: The Ford F-350 Concept Truck That Showcased the Direction for Ford |url=https://www.motortrend.com/news/163-0204-2002-ford-f350-concept-truck/ |access-date=1 May 2024 |website=Motor Trend}}</ref>

== In other media ==
=== Computer and video games ===
Thirteen video games based on the toys were released between 1996 and 2006. A majority of these titles were released by Hasbro Interactive and its later re-brandings as Infogrames Interactive and [[Atari Interactive]], although a small number of titles for [[Nintendo]] platforms were released by [[TDK Mediactive]] under a sub-licensing agreement from Infogrames.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamedeveloper.com/pc/tdk-mediactive-gets-tonka-license|title=TDK Mediactive Gets Tonka License|date=May 21, 2002}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Game title !! Release date 
!Platforms!! Developer !! Publisher
|-
| ''Tonka Construction'' || August 20, 1996 
| rowspan="4" |[[Microsoft Windows]] || Vortex Media Arts || rowspan="6" | [[Hasbro Interactive]]
|-
| ''Tonka Search & Rescue'' || October 15, 1997 || rowspan="2" | Media Station 
|-
| ''Tonka Garage'' || April 7, 1998 
|-
| ''Tonka Construction 2'' || October 2, 1999 || [[ImaginEngine]]
Magellan Interactive
|-
| ''[[Tonka Raceway]]'' || December 6, 1999 
|Microsoft Windows<br />[[Game Boy Color]]
| Media Station 
|-
| ''Tonka Space Station'' || November 6, 2000 
|Microsoft Windows<br />[[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] 
| rowspan="2" | Data Design Interactive  
|-
| ''Tonka Monster Trucks'' || September 25, 2001
| rowspan="2" |Microsoft Windows|| rowspan="2" | [[Atari Interactive|Infogrames Interactive]]
|-
| ''Tonka Search & Rescue 2'' || November 15, 2002 || [[Artech Studios]]
|-
| ''Tonka Construction Site'' || May 30, 2002 || Game Boy Color || Cosmigo || [[TDK Mediactive]]{{efn|Under license from [[Atari Interactive|Infogrames Interactive]]}}
|-
| ''Tonka Town'' || Late 2003 || Microsoft Windows || ImaginEngine || [[Atari Interactive]]
|-
| ''Tonka: Rescue Patrol'' || November 18, 2003 || [[GameCube]] || [[Lucky Chicken Games]] || TDK Mediactive{{efn|Under license from [[Atari Interactive]]}}
|-
| ''Tonka Firefighter'' || February 27, 2004 || Microsoft Windows || Boston Animation, Inc. || Atari Interactive
|-
| ''Tonka: On the Job'' || November 15, 2006 || Microsoft Windows<br />[[Game Boy Advance]] || [[Webfoot Technologies]] || [[THQ]]
|}

=== Filmography ===
==== TV series ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"  width=100%
|-
! Title
! Premiere date
! End date
! Network
! Note
|-
| ''[[Challenge of the GoBots]]'' || September 8, 1984 || 1985 || [[First-run syndication]] || rowspan="2" | co-production with [[Hanna-Barbera Productions]]
|-
| ''[[Pound Puppies (1986 TV series)|Pound Puppies]]''|| September 13, 1986 || December 19, 1987 || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|}

==== TV movies and specials ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"  width=100%
|-
! Title
! Premiere date
! Network
! Co-production with
|-
| ''[[Star Fairies]]'' || rowspan="2" | October 26, 1985|| [[Broadcast syndication|Syndication]] || rowspan="2" | [[Hanna-Barbera Productions]]
|-
| ''[[Pound Puppies (film)|Pound Puppies]]'' || [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]
|}

==== Films ====
{| class="wikitable sortable"  width=100%
|-
! #
! Title
! Release date
! Co-production with
|-
| 1 || ''[[GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords]]'' || March 21, 1986 || [[Hanna-Barbera Productions]] and [[Clubhouse Pictures]]
|-
| 2 || ''[[Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw]]'' || March 18, 1988 || [[Tristar Pictures]], [[Carolco Pictures]], [[Atlantic Releasing|Atlantic]]/[[The Kushner-Locke Company|Kushner-Locke]], The Maltese Companies, [[Cuckoo's Nest Studio]], and [[Wang Film Productions]]
|-
| 3 || ''Tonka Tough Truck Adventures: The Biggest Show on Wheels!'' (Direct-to-Video; CGI) || September 28, 2004 || [[Hasbro Studios]],  [[SD Entertainment]], and [[Paramount Home Entertainment]]
|}

In 2012, an animated film based on the trucks toy line was in development. It was to be produced by [[Sony Pictures Animation]], [[Hasbro Studios]], and [[Happy Madison Productions]], and to be distributed by [[Columbia Pictures]].<ref name="TonkaSPA">{{cite news|last=Fleming|first=Mike|title=Sony To Make Tonka Trucks Animated Pic|url=https://deadline.com/2012/06/sony-to-make-tonka-trucks-animated-movie-284768/|access-date=June 30, 2012|newspaper=Deadline|date=June 11, 2012}}</ref> A script was written by Happy Madison alumnus [[Fred Wolf (writer)|Fred Wolf]], and was to be produced by [[Adam Sandler]] and [[Jack Giarraputo]],  [[Brian Goldner]] (CEO and president of Hasbro) and Bennett Schneir (Hasbro's senior vice president and managing director of motion pictures).<ref name="TonkaSPA"/>

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{official}}

{{Hasbro}}
{{Parker Brothers}}
{{Scale model brands}}

[[Category:Tonka| ]]
[[Category:1946 establishments in Minnesota]]
[[Category:1950s toys]]
[[Category:1991 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:2011 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:2020 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:American companies established in 1946]]
[[Category:Hasbro brands]]
[[Category:Hasbro products]]
[[Category:Hasbro subsidiaries]]
[[Category:Manufacturing companies based in Minnesota]]
[[Category:Toy cars and trucks]]
[[Category:Companies based in Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Toy companies established in 1946]]
[[Category:Pawtucket, Rhode Island]]
[[Category:Toy companies of the United States]]