Talk:Tonka

Untitled
There is another meaning for the word "tonka", which is a sort of rocket fuel, used for some time since 1940. According to the John Clark's "Ignition!" book on liquid rocket propellants (printed around 1970), von Zborowsky (the guy who also invented the term "hypergol") from Caltech lab (?) used the word "tonka" (after a coumarin bean with vanilla-like smell) as a codename for a fuel he worked with.

Confused, would-be poets such as myself might want to look at Tanka for info about the Japanese poem form.

I am not sure the General Mills information is correct. Is there a citation? -- No, the General Mills information was incorrect. It has been removed.

There are several problems with this article, and I intend to correct them. I don't know who Berg Holmgren was, but the chronology of events looks to have been passed down by his family, as Mound Metalcraft purchased the Streater templates for two toys after Streater had failed to market them. If Berg Holmgren designed those two toys, he did so for Ed Streater, not for Mound Metalcraft, and it was Mound Metalcraft that purchased them from Streater and marketed them as Tonka Toys. Anyway, I am going to start working on the article now. I will probably take my time and do it bit by bit, as I learn the formatting here. Any help in Wikifying what I put in would be appreciated. Dennis M. Myers 00:42, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

The word Tonka is sioux for Great. Minne is the word for water. Minnesota, Sky Blue Water. Minnetonka, Great Water. While it is true the word Tonka is found in the name for the lake Mound is located on, the idea really was "Great Toys". Unfortunately, I cannot find a reference to this directly. It was related to me by my grandmother, who was Lynn Baker's sister-in-law. Is there any way to reference such material? Dennis M. Myers 01:14, 7 December 2006 (UTC)

My apologies. I never had the time to work on it. Dennis M. Myers (talk) 12:05, 4 October 2018 (UTC)

location, location, location
Can someone in the know insert the location(s) of the company HQ over the years --all we have now is Hasbro's. --A Good Anon 08:25, 12 December 2006 (UTC)

As the article now says, the company was founded in Mound Minnesota. I am researching this, however, as I believe there was a time when the corporate offices were moved to another nearby city. Dennis M. Myers 00:25, 25 January 2007 (UTC)

the head quarters was located at the intersection of Hwy 62 and 494 in Minnetonka MN until about 1989. The headquarters moved to the North tower of the Shelard Complex on hwy 169 in 88 or 89. In 1991 Tonka Toys was aquired by Hasbro and the all operations in Minnesota discontinued early in 1992.

Lswanee (talk) 18:41, 28 May 2010 (UTC) lswanee

The Tonka ethos
When I was growing up, I was told that the thing that marked Tonka toys as different from their competitors was their near indestructible build-quality, i.e. that they were specifically designed so that kids would be able to really punish them yet they'd still work. Can anyone confirm whether this is true? If it is then it would be good to have it mentioned in the article. A few photos of some of the toys wouldn't go amiss either! -- Hux 20:03, 16 March 2007 (UTC)

Family Tradition has it that Lynn Baker used his nephews (my uncles) as test subjects and let them really beat the crap out of the toys to see how they stood up. Unfortunately this is, as I said, quotes from my family. My uncles remember it well, but there is no reference I can use for Wikipedia. Dennis M. Myers (talk) 21:54, 7 January 2013 (UTC)

Fair use rationale for Image:Tonka logo.png
Image:Tonka logo.png is being used on this article. I notice the image page specifies that the image is being used under fair use but there is no explanation or rationale as to why its use in this Wikipedia article constitutes fair use. In addition to the boilerplate fair use template, you must also write out on the image description page a specific explanation or rationale for why using this image in each article is consistent with fair use.

Please go to the image description page and edit it to include a fair use rationale. Using one of the templates at Fair use rationale guideline is an easy way to insure that your image is in compliance with Wikipedia policy, but remember that you must complete the template. Do not simply insert a blank template on an image page.

If there is other fair use media, consider checking that you have specified the fair use rationale on the other images used on this page. Note that any fair use images uploaded after 4 May, 2006, and lacking such an explanation will be deleted one week after they have been uploaded, as described on criteria for speedy deletion. If you have any questions please ask them at the Media copyright questions page. Thank you.

BetacommandBot 11:18, 6 July 2007 (UTC)

Tonka toy made 'real'
I think that photo of the Tonka truck should be deleted or have it's caption changed because it seems to give the wrong impression that a Tonka toy design was made into a real vehicle when in reality it's just a CGI image that even then might not fall under fair use.--Anguirus111 03:44, 18 July 2007 (UTC)

Gender Roles
Tonka has been crtisized by Feminist critics, based on its current ad campaign "Built for Boyhood"...

Check it out

http://feministphilosophers.wordpress.com/2007/09/20/tonka-built-for-boyhood/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.202.10.103 (talk) 20:19, 19 February 2008 (UTC)

researching tonka toys legacy
I am from MOund Minnesota.Original home of TONKA TOYS. I would like more info on Tonka Toys dumping into Lake Minnetonka. Rumor has it that they moved to Mexico to avoid dumpng fines.I DO NOT KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE. IT IS JUST WHAT I HAVE ALWAYS HEARD. Mound is a very small town with VERY VERY high rates of cancer, immune disorders, autism and severe as well as rare birth defects.I worked in special ed several years back so I have seen this first hand and I have a son with autism, and many life threatening health problems.He and my daughter also have significant immune dificiencies.I have heard that when Lost Lake was uncapped, a few years back,instead of levels of toxins being lower,they were higher....I want to know what toxins?? I want to know some truth and solid facts....how much dumping did Tonka TOys do??What did they dump??and what are the long term affects on the environment.Noone is talking.There was a doctor her a few years back doing research on the subject but he was closed down. I want to know who closed him down and how?? Another doctor told me that there is a specific classification for us, "PIFM"- meaning patient is from Mound.When the docotors see this they know they will encounter many medical problems and few answers.He said we should ask what was dumped in the lake but the lake is all this small town has ,so far as revenue, so noone is going to even suggest that it may be unhealthy. SOooo, do any of you Tonk TOys experts know WHERE DID THEY REALLY GO??WAS IT MEXICO?? WHERE ARE THEY NOW??DOES TONKA TOYS EVEN EXIST ANYMORE OR WAS IT TAKEN OVER BY HASBRO????WHERE DO THEY MANUFACTURE THEIR TOYS NOW???MORE IMPORTATNLY WHERE IS THEIR HEADQUATERS LOCATED???? Any help would be greatly appreciated.As a parent, I am just stabbing in the dark for answers. Thanks Uhane —Preceding unsigned comment added by Uhane (talk • contribs) 14:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

I reckon that this report, although it dies not deal with the lake per se, is relevant to the above query: https://www.pca.state.mn.us/waste/mound-tonka-main-plant

Tonka licensed/impoted by Funrise under Hasbro license--Relevant?
Funrise Toys is (as of 2014) the importer/licensee of the Tonka brand from Hasbro, amongst a large collection of classic toy brands. (see http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/8/prweb9805292.htm) Is this a sufficiently wiki-relevant business and collector detail? I'd think it would be of more interest to collectors down the road than, say, a feature film director's attachment to a project. Thoughts? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.39.216.12 (talk) 21:56, 13 August 2014 (UTC)
 * The first step in this answer is whether or not it has been reported in independent reliable sources. (It's worth noting this article is not specifically aimed at "collectors down the road". Collectors, in general, are interested in minutia that a more general audience would not care about.) - Sum mer PhD  (talk) 22:17, 13 August 2014 (UTC)
 * I think it warrants a small mention at least, like the video game rights and the original transfer to Hasbro. It's been mentioned in business press a few times in the twenty years of partnership (the deal began in 1998 and continues; Hasbro no longer maintains a website for Tonka and the brand is represented entirely in association with Funrise). I've added a small note about it. Mockingbus (talk) 06:09, 23 January 2019 (UTC)

Streater
The article omits the history of E.C. Streater. E.C. Streater allegedly producted wood products, specifically wooden ammunition cases during WWII. From scrap wood, he produced wood toys that sold under the name "Tick Tock, made exclusively for Firestone." Ive seen some of these toys on ebay. The label has the "Tick Tock" and "Firestone" names. Marc S. 206.192.35.125 (talk) 14:56, 7 August 2015 (UTC)
 * Can you explain how this is connected to Tonka? Binksternet (talk) 16:04, 7 August 2015 (UTC)

According to my family lore, Streater owned the building that was purchased to set up Mound Metalsmith. The templates for the metal toy trucks were found on a shelf in a closet. They checked with Streater and got permission to use them. I do not know if any money was exchanged for them. There were modifications made to make them easier to build with their machinery. Dennis M. Myers (talk) 12:03, 4 October 2018 (UTC)

"revealed"
Yes, on Wikipedia, EVERYTHING is a revelation ("a surprising and previously unknown fact, especially one that is made known in a dramatic way")

That said, the meaningful part as far as this article is concerned is that there was a film in production, not that it was announced or revealed. Most of this (or any other) article could be rewritten with "revelations".

"The Winifred Museum in Winifred, Montana, has a collection of more than 3,000 Tonka toys." becomes "In 2012 it was revealed that the Winifred Museum..."

"In 1964, Tonka acquired the Mell Manufacturing Company in Chicago, allowing it to produce barbecue grills, eventually under the Tonka Firebowl label." becomes "In 1964 it was revealed that Tonka acquired..."

In short order, Wikipedia is no longer about anything real, it's all a series of revelations. - Sum mer PhD v2.0 02:07, 8 July 2017 (UTC)

Commons files used on this page or its Wikidata item have been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons files used on this page or its Wikidata item have been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussions at the nomination pages linked above. —Community Tech bot (talk) 08:22, 28 January 2020 (UTC)
 * Played with Tonka toys.jpg (discussion)
 * Tonka Bottom dump truck.jpg (discussion)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 04:08, 25 September 2020 (UTC)
 * Tonka Bottom dump truck.jpg

Parents
Hasbro is the parent company. Those other two never owned the brand. 2600:1008:B044:D9AC:0:39:A07F:B401 (talk) 16:59, 18 September 2023 (UTC)