This film is a love letter to the people and values of a past generation who created these tough, affordable and amazing toys. Born from humble beginnings in Mound, Minnesota, these engaging toys went around the world to entertain us and they helped us develop as human beings. They continue to enrich our lives and memories to this day.
Trailer
Fundraising Film
The Story
Everybody knows Tonka. If you grew up in the 50s, 60s, 70s, or 80s, chances are a Tonka truck was buried in your sandbox. This film traces the company's rise — through the eyes of the people who built it — and the moment everything changed.
Ron on the impact of these toys on childhood development
An expert's view on play, development, and growing up
An expert's view on the health benefits of outdoor play
A firefighter on becoming a firefighter because of his firetruck
A mining dump truck driver on the job he dreamed of as a kid
A female heavy equipment operator on the trucks that shaped her path
The collectors, again — childhood, obsession, and what these toys still mean
The turn — Ron on the 1970s and the rise of planned obsolescence
An expert on the decline of American manufacturing and shifting corporate values
The legacy — collectors on what's endured across generations
Ron, reflecting — driving into the sunset with his wife and dog
Story Beats
Everybody knows Tonka — Boomers through Gen X grew up with these trucks
The collectors — a look inside the obsession that keeps Tonka's history alive
Ron Pauly's story — the truck his father gave him, and the boy who never let it go
Joining Tonka — assigned to design grills, Ron protested until he got to design toys
Building it tougher — how Ron strengthened the Mighty Front-End Loader
The consolidated history of the Tonka Company
Voices from the factory floor — former employees remember working at Tonka
Barry Kudrowitz on the art and science of toy design
