Little people and little cars inevitably go together. Miniature vehicles attract like magnets. I remember playing with my brother's toy cars when I was a child. He had quite a collection of miniature cars, and I admired the craftsmanship and attention to detail on each small vehicle.
Last year Tonka celebrated its 70th anniversary, what a great achievement for a toy brand.
Tonka was born in 1947 in Mound, Minnesota, originally created and manufactured by Mound Metalcraft (manufacturer of garden implements).
The company started selling metal toys, which soon became their primary business.
A bit of trivia: the name Tonka comes from the Dakota Sioux word "Tanka" or "Tonka", which means great or big.
Tonka's famous motto is "a toy shouldn't break just because a child plays with it".
This year (from the 10th of February onwards) Tonka launched a new range of vehicles in ASDA. which is aimed at children aged 3-6 years. This range is not available yet online but watch this space.
What could you find in selected ASDA stores?
Tonka Diecast Big Rigs (£6.99) are built to last with realistic detailing to look like a real big rig.
Long Haul Semi-Truck is one of three big rigs
The colourful trailer is detached from the truck. The truck part is diecast and feels quite heavy and solid in hand.
Tonka Diecast Monster Trucks (£6.99) are sturdy vehicles for all kinds of terrain. The Tonka Monster metal die cast collection was built for the extreme action.
This is a selection of urban, construction and emergency vehicles atop massive Monster wheels.
Watch it, it will crush anything in its path!
This toy is ginormous in comparison to Tonka Tinys, which you can easily hide in a pocket.
Tonka Tinys blind garages are a steal at £1.99. Collect your favourite mini vehicles
If you haven't come across Tonka Tinys before, this is a collection of miniature vehicles which are great for small scale adventures.
Suitable for ages 3+ (due to small pieces), this range of mini collectibles is popular with children and grown-ups alike.
We have already reviewed some of the Tonka Tinys last year.
There are lots of different vehicles to collect including police pickups, quarry dump trucks etc. You can get them in packs of three (with one mystery vehicle) or in blind garages.
Blind garages are small sized plastic boxes, which you can easily stack together.
These new collectable toys are light and easily-transportable. You can carry them in your pocket.
When my boys were younger, I used to buy mini cars to take with us on a flight, and give them to my boys as a surprise when we board the plane. They had something new to distract them and play with.
Tonka Tinys will be just the right distraction for long car trips too.
Despite the size, these mini-vehicles are well-detailed, with movable parts.
At such affordable prices, Tonka Tinys will make a perfect purchase for pocket money.
Collect them all, and swap with your friends.
Tonka Tinys Three Pack (£4.99) has three vehicles, two of which you can see through the clear plastic packaging, while the third one remains a mystery until you unbox it.
And the last one to showcase today is Tonka Tinys Mini Playset (£9.99).
Tune-up Garage playset has a launching conveyor belt, a vehicle lift and working garage doors. It comes with one vehicle. The assembly is very easy, even for young children.
We love Tonka toys.
My only criticism (which could be applied to many toy brands) is the amount of packaging. In bigger boxes there is a cardboard box, plastic bits with screws which I find very tricky to turn to open, the scotch tape everywhere, thin rubber bands etc.
Each blind garage is a plastic box wrapped in transparent tight packaging, and each vehicle inside the box is also put in a small plastic bag.
Our local council does not bother with recycling flyaway plastic, for example.
In this day and age it might be a good idea to reduce the amount of plastic and packaging overall.
Now getting off my high horse, I want to add that Tonka toys are here to stay. They've been enjoyed by several generations of children, and are a delight to play with.
Disclosure: We received a selection of Tonka toys for the purposes of testing and reviewing. All opinions are our own.
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