You’re reached this site probably due to using search phrases such as “Tiny Tonka Trucks”, “little Tonka Trucks” or maybe “Small Tonka Trucks”. The good news is that this site may have the information you’re looking for. This site features all those small Tonka toys you played with as a kid. The site focuses on the Tiny Tonka and Tonka Mites lines. The information featured here is based on my research and 25+ years of collecting. I cannot say that it is 100% accurate, but I strive to make that possible. If you find information that is not correct please drop me a note and I will correct.
Tiny Tonka Toys is the number one website dedicated to collection of Tiny Tonka Toys and features other related information on collecting these toys. Here you will find an expansive Tiny Tonka collection featuring over 160 collectible Tiny Tonka toys that is still expanding due to other collector’s input and photos. The site features collections of Tiny Tonka Vans, Tiny Tonka Trucks, Tiny Tonka fun buggies, Tiny Tonka stakebed trucks, Tiny Tonka semi-trucks, dozers, cars, to pickups, and a list that is too long to list all here. The site does not have every Tiny Tonka produced but with the help of collectors we will one day get there.
You will find foreign Tiny Tonka’s such as Tonka Rico’s/Sanson and most San Mauricio toys were added to the site. However, I must warn you that some of the foreign Tonka’s are knock-offs and were never produced by Tonka. Due to the unique nature of these toys I am in no way an expert and value the input from anyone to make the information more accurate. These toys are no longer manufactured and to find information on them is near impossible so I rely on information provided by collectors.
Tiny Tonka’s were not limited to just production in the United States. They were produced in many foreign countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina and Spain. This is what makes collecting them fun, discovering these foreign versions. However, I must warn the new collector that they are versions of the toys that were not produced by Tonka. These are generally out of the Eastern block European countries.
You will find this site a valuable visual reference for the collector of these toys or the new collector. If you’re new to collecting, welcome to the world of Tiny Tonka collecting and to the fold. I hope you use this site as a valuable reference to assist in your collection building. You are welcome to send an email if you are in need of any information on a Tiny Tonka vehicle or just willing to share some information. Please support the continuing efforts to update this site by visiting some of the sponsors.
Many folks confuse Tiny Tonkas and Tonka Mites but they are not the same. Tonka Mites are much smaller and are also no longer manufactured. I am in the process of creating a page dedicated to Tonka Mites and you can find that listed in the drop down menu now.
THE HISTORY OF TINY TONKA’S
In 1968 Tonka began producing a line of toys under the label of Tiny Tonkas, ranging in size from 5 inches to 11 inches. These little toys were made out of press steel just like their larger siblings. Over the next two decades Tonka would produced many variations of these toys made out of press steel and plastic in various colors, styles and multiple iterations on the same design. In 1984 Tonka would sell off the Tiny Tonka brand to Hasbro ending the production of these little steel toys. In 1982 Tonka had begun the phase out of the snub nose toys replacing them with a more modern looking square plastic cab. Today these Tiny Tonka Toys have become collectible toys just like their larger Tonka siblings. We feature here mostly the snub nose designed toys. Did you know that the original price for these toys was .99 cents?
The most important feature of the Tiny Tonka line is the snub nose angled front of the toys. The first Tiny Tonka’s released in 1968 (No. 515 Tiny Tonka PICK-UP) did not reflect the round metal part at the bottom of the cab. Subsequent toys however added this prominent feature and stayed with the toys until production ended in 1982. During the 1970s, Tonka branched out into other types of vehicles, but they were still produced under the Tiny Tonka label and some trucks were produced for private labels. Please see the FAQ on what private label toys were.