imported>RetroRobotRadio: Created page with "{{Short description|American producer of toy trucks}} {{Other uses|Tonka (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox company | name = Tonka | logo = Tonka logo | type = | foundation = Mound, Minnesota, United States (June 22, 1946) | founder = Lynn Everett Baker,
Avery F. Crounse,
Alvin F. Tesch | location = | key_people = Russell L.Wenkstern{{cite news|author=Published: January 22, 2000 |url=https://www.nytim..."

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Created page with "{{Short description|American producer of toy trucks}} {{Other uses|Tonka (disambiguation)}} {{Infobox company | name = Tonka | logo = center|200px|Tonka logo | type = | foundation = Mound, Minnesota, United States (June 22, 1946) | founder = Lynn Everett Baker, Avery F. Crounse, Alvin F. Tesch | location = | key_people = Russell L.Wenkstern<ref>{{cite news|author=Published: January 22, 2000 |url=https://www.nytim..."

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{{Short description|American producer of toy trucks}}
{{Other uses|Tonka (disambiguation)}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Tonka
| logo = [[File:Tonka logo.svg|center|200px|Tonka logo]]
| type =
| foundation = [[Mound, Minnesota|Mound]], [[Minnesota]], United States (June 22, 1946)
| founder = Lynn Everett Baker, Avery F. Crounse, Alvin F. Tesch
| location =
| key_people = Russell L.Wenkstern<ref>{{cite news|author=Published: January 22, 2000 |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 = [[Toy]]s and [[game]]s
| products =
| revenue =
| operating_income =
| net_income =
| assets =
| equity =
| num_employees =
| parent = [[Hasbro]] (1991–present) [[Funrise Toys]] (1998–2020) Basic Fun! (2020–present)
| homepage =
}}
[[File:1960's Tonka Truck.JPG|thumb|1960s Tonka truck]]
[[File:Tonka Bottom dump truck.jpg|thumb|1978 model Tonka bottom dump truck]]

'''Tonka''' is an American producer of toy trucks.<ref>{{cite news|author=ANTHONY RAMIREZPublished: February 1, 1991 |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 is known for making steel toy models of construction type trucks and machinery. [[Maisto|Maisto International]], which makes [[die casting|diecast]] vehicles, acquired the rights to use the Tonka name in a line of [[1:64 scale]], featuring mostly trucks.

== History ==
Mound Metalcraft was created in 1946 in [[Mound, Minnesota|Mound]], [[Minnesota]], by Lynn Everett Baker (1898–1964), Avery F. Crounse, and Alvin F. Tesch. Their original intent was to manufacture garden implements. Their building's former occupant, the Streater Company, had made and patented several toys. 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=http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1990-08-19/business/9003090435_1_tonka-toy-company-stocks-new-toys |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>

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 toys, 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>{{rp|14}} In November, 1955, Mound Metalcraft changed its name to Tonka Toys Incorporated. The logo at this time was an oval, showing the Tonka Toys name in red above waves, honoring nearby [[Lake Minnetonka]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkMMm9zylI4|title=History of Tonka Toys|access-date=April 5, 2021}}</ref> In 1964, Tonka acquired the Mell Manufacturing Company in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]], allowing it to produce barbecue grills, eventually under the ''Tonka Firebowl'' label.<ref name= DL />{{rp|85–86}}

In 1987, Tonka purchased [[Kenner Products|Kenner Parker]], including UK toy giant [[Palitoy]], for $555 million, 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>{{cite news|first= Anthony| last= Ramirez| date= February 1, 1991 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/02/01/business/tonka-accepts-offer-from-hasbro.html |title=Tonka Accepts Offer From Hasbro | access-date=October 17, 2012 |work=The New York Times}}</ref> In 1998, Hasbro began a licensing deal with Funrise Toys to manufacture and distribute Tonka trucks. 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>

Tonka has produced a variety of toys, including [[doll]]s (''[[Star Fairies]]'', ''[[Bathing Beauties]]'', ''[[Maple Town]]'', and ''[[Hollywoods]]'') and other toys aimed at girls, such as ''[[Keypers]]'', and aimed at boys, such as ''[[Gobots]]'', ''[[Rock Lords]]'', ''[[Spiral Zone]]'', ''[[Legions of Power]]'' and ''[[Steel Monsters]]''. It was the original manufacturer of the [[Pound Puppies]] toy line, and in the late 1980s licensed products inspired by ''[[Maple Town]]''.

Tonka produced [[video games]] as [[Tonka Video Games]], including ''Tonka Raceway'', and purchased the rights to distribute and market the [[Sega 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]] for [[United States dollar|US$]]100 million in 2000, buying back the rights for US$66 million in June 2005.<ref>{{cite press release| url= http://www.hasbro.com/media/pl/page.release/dn/default.cfm?release=372 |title= Hasbro Reacquires Digital Gaming Rights From Infogrames for $66 Million| publisher= Hasbro | date= June 8, 2005| website= hasbro.com}}</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=http://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 other media ==
=== Video games ===
Thirteen video games based on the toys were released between 1996 and 2006.<ref>[https://www.gamefaqs.com/search?game=tonka Game Search: "Tonka"]. [[GameFAQs]].</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Game Title !! Release Date !! Developer !! Publisher
|-
| ''Tonka Construction'' || August 20, 1996 || 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 || Media Station
|-
| ''Tonka Space Station'' || November 6, 2000 || Data Design Interactive 
|-
| ''Tonka Monster Trucks'' || September 25, 2001|| Data Design Interactive || rowspan="2" | [[Infogrames]]
|-
| ''Tonka Search & Rescue 2'' || November 15, 2002 || [[Artech Studios]]
|-
| ''Tonka Construction Site''|| 2002 || [[TDK Mediactive]]
|-
| ''Tonka Town'' || Late 2003 || [[ImaginEngine]] || [[Atari]]
|-
| ''Tonka: Rescue Patrol'' || November 18, 2003 || [[Lucky Chicken Games]] || [[TDK Mediactive]] Atari
|-
| ''Tonka Firefighter'' || February 27, 2004 || Unknown || Atari
|-
| ''Tonka: On the Job'' || November 15, 2006 || [[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://www.deadline.com/2012/06/sony-to-make-tonka-trucks-animated-movie/|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"/>

== References ==
{{Reflist|33em}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category|position=left|Tonka Toys}}
* [https://www.basicfun.com/tonka/ Official Tonka Website]

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

Tonka - Revision history