Basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal came to Madison Square Park on Sept. 2 to hand out “Playcation” kits with Tonka. As the brand ambassador, O’Neal was proud to be a part of the 75th anniversary festivities.
“I had the Mighty Dump, it was my first Tonka truck, I had it for years. I bought Tonka for my children,” said O’Neal. “When my agent here contacted me and said Tonka wants to do something, I said get it done. It’s a fabulous brand, it’s been around a long time, and everybody loves Tonka. I’m just honored to be here for the 75th anniversary honored that they chose me to go outside of Madison Square Park and hand out toys.”
“To work on a legendary brand like Tonka that only comes around every 75 years, it’s been pretty exciting to say,” said Maureen Dilger, Senior Director of Global Brand Marketing for Basic Fun!, which is a leading global marketer of toys and consumer products and Master Toy licensee for Tonka. “Working with Hasbro, working with Shaq truly is a dream team.”
Each kit that was handed out included two micro machines, one of which was open and another which was a surprise, stickers, and a postcard, and there were opportunities to win other prizes at the handout site, such as the 75th anniversary Tonka truck. The kids and parents were also encouraged to take a pledge to prioritize some uninterrupted playtime together.
Though O’Neal was initially surprised that kids knew who he was, the looks on their faces when he handed them toys made his day.
“It’s all in the eyes, a lot of them say thank you and when they go like this [with their eyes wide],” said O’Neal. “I’m very humbled and honored to be with Tonka.”
“The most fun part was looking at the kids’ faces when they won a truck or opened the PlayCation kits, I actually got emotional a couple of times because it’s so cute, they were so excited,” said Katy Katz, Basic Fun! Head of Digital Marketing & Social Media. “Even when they saw shaq, they look like they saw something amazing.”
For 75 years, Tonka has been a go-to brand for parents who are looking for reliable, fun toys that stand the test of time. As people in the toy business, Dilger and Katz see how Tonka trucks have truly been a toy that withstands multiple generations within families.
“Toys is a business where you have something new every day. It is rare when you have a parent or grandparent that was like, ‘when I was growing up, I had this’ and to this day want my kids to have one. If you have a Tonka truck, it’s a rite of passage,” said Dilger.
“I think too that you think it’s the flashiest new thing that is what you need to do as a parent, trucks are just forever just an exciting toy for kids,” said Katz.
As a part of its year-long 75th anniversary campaign, Tonka is calling on parents and kids to put down the screens and enjoy some uninterrupted playtime together. For O’Neal, that uninterrupted playtime is crucial not just for the bond between kids and their adults, but also for the development of the child.
“It’s very important, it allows them to develop a personality. My two ex-wives did a great job of structuring the kids’ playtime, the girls with their Barbies and their Barbie houses and the boys with their GI Joes and Tonka trucks, but it’s very important,” said O’Neal. “I built this room downstairs, it was carpet but we put lines in it so it made roads. Each kid had a section their own neighborhood, they would be like ‘beep beep beep’ and ‘You can’t come in Daddy’s neighborhood,’ and they would make the sound and drive off. I think uninterrupted playtime is important.”
Tonka truck-lovers have a lot to look forward to as the 75th anniversary campaign unfolds. Basic Fun! will roll out the first-ever RC TONKA truck made with cold-rolled steel in October. Called the TONKA Mighty Monster RC Steel Dump Truck, the toy features high torque tank steering with 4-wheel drive, variable speed control and monster lightweight foam tires, this powerful dump truck can withstand the toughest of play.
“It’s the first time ever that we’re doing a Tonka RC made with steel,” said Dilger. “The remote control truck is the next evolution that is still Tonka truck.”
Though O’Neal holds a special place in his heart for his first truck the Mighty Dump, he is looking forward to the release of the new RC truck.
“They were showing me this new remote control one, probably have to go with that because all of the stuff I have to do with my dump truck and then my little truck was all manual, but now you got the remote control, I’m quite jealous,” said O’Neal.
For more information about Tonka, visit basicfun.com.
