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.
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.