Aftermarket conversion company Tuscany teams up with Hasbro and Ford to create a limited edition life size Tonka truck based on the F-150 and currently on display at the 2014 Chicago Auto Show
More than a toy
It was back in 1946 that Lynne Everett Baker, Avery F. Crounse and Alvin F. Tesch founded a small company near the shores of Lake Minnetonka in Mound, Minnesota with the intent of manufacturing such steel products as tie racks and garden implements.
The building they chose for their business had formerly been occupied by the Streater Company that had manufactured and patented several toy designs. Owner E.C. Streater, however, was not interested in making pressed steel trucks himself but offered the designs to the new enterprise.
Fortunately for the thousands of boomer children who would spend countless hours playing in the sandbox, the three founders of Mound Metalcraft, after making some design modifications, decided to take a flyer on the project. Nine years later with the iconic toys dominating sales, the company changed its name to match that of the small vehicles it sold – Tonka - and the rest, as they say, is history.
2014 Ford F-150 TONKA truck
To this day there's a soft spot in my heart for the indestructible pickups, dump trucks, steam shovels, cranes, graders and bulldozers – all made by Tonka – that I grew up playing with (I still have my 1957 number 44 Suburban Pumper).
Now owned by Hasbro, the brand still holds sway not only with boomers but the generations of children that followed – something not lost on either Simon Waters, SVP of Global Licensing & Publishing at Hasbro or Mike Graber, the president of Tuscany, an Elkhart, Indiana-based aftermarket conversion company and a Ford Quality Vehicle Modifier (QVM).
According to Waters, "One of the most recognized brands in Hasbro's portfolio, TONKA has been the bestselling toy truck globally since 1947. Everyone has a Tonka story. And we are excited to collaborate with Tuscany and Ford Motor Co. to bring this brand to the 'real-life' road."
The result of this collaboration is the 2014 Ford F-150 TONKA truck – a limited edition model (only 500 will be made according to sales rep Ronald Bender) that will be sold and distributed through Ford dealers in North America beginning this month. Tuscany notes that "interest and demand from Ford dealerships is strong and as a result, distribution will initially be limited to one TONKA truck per Ford dealership."
The sandbox just got bigger
Tuscany uses the tagline "the sandbox just got bigger" to describe the Tonka for grown-ups that, according to Graber, "brings the TONKA experience to life."
Standard features:
• 20" TONKA Alloy PVD Coated Wheels
• BF Goodrich All-Terrain TA LT325/60R20 Tires
• 6" Suspension Lift by Pro-Comp
• Heavy Duty Pro-Comp Performance Shocks
• AccuPro Speedo Recalibrator
• Front End Alignment
• Tire Sensors Recalibrated
• 5" Stainless Steel Oval Step Bar-Ford Factory Style
• TONKA Logos on 5" Stainless Steel Oval Step Bar Pads
• Quiet Tone Performance Exhaust with Dual Stainless Steel Tips
• Painted Custom Fender Flares
• Painted Front Fender Vents
• Painted Custom Cladding with Chrome TONKA Badging
• Painted Custom Front Bumper with TONKA Fascia
• Painted Custom TONKA Tailgate Cladding
• Painted Custom Rear Bumper Cladding
• Painted Tonneau Cover with Carpet Liner
• Upgraded Factory Grille with Custom Paint
• Dual Intake Ram Air TONKA Hood (Full Replacement)
• Billet Grille Insert
• Billet Bumper Insert
• Chrome Tow Hooks
• Chrome Door Handle Covers
• Chrome Mirror Caps
• TONKA Exterior Badging
• Factory Leather Seats with TONKA Embroidery in Headrests
• Deep Tinted Windows (50 state)
• TONKA Logo Carpeted Floor Mats
• 3 Year / 36,000 Mile Warranty
Optional equipment:
• KM2 Mud Terrain Tires
• Bed Rug Bed Liner
• Stainless Steel Bull Bar with KC Lights (KC Lights for off-road use only)
