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Tonka was on the grow in 1964. Manufacturing its first truck in 1949, Tonka was establishing a reputation for a durable, tough, realistic toy. Tonka's first series of trucks would become known as the standard or regular series. This series stood alone until 1963 when Tonka developed and marketed the Mini Tonka series. Mini Tonka offered kids an alternative to the larger regular series, both in size and price. At the same time the Mini Tonka trucks were on the drawing board, another series was also in the design process. Had there been sufficient resourses, both series may have been introduced at the New York Toy Fair in 1963. Waiting one year was well worth the wait however. At Toy Fair 1964, the Charles Groschen designed Mighty Dump debuted. And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

The popularity of the Mighty Dump in the 21st century is without question. It has withstood the rigorous test of time and sandboxes everywhere. A whole series of Mightys followed model #900 Mighty Dump over the years. Each model a testament to durable, made with automotive grade steel, kids toys that were guranteed for life. This portion of the website is dedicated to the Mighty Dump, 1964 to 1997. If you are a Mighty Dump enthusiast, they will be presented here with a few details to help you identify the year of manufacture. You may be inspired to collect one of each.

If you want to see, and possibly learn more about the Mighty series, my companion website may be the answer. www.MIGHTYTONKA.com features all Mighty Tonka models made in the U.S.A. from 1964 to 1997 when Hasbro moved the Mighty series to China. You'll find info to help you identify the model and year of manufacture. Did you know that Tonka made a few special order Mightys?

A comprehensive reference book was authored by Mark A. Vaught and published in 2008 detailing the 1964-1983 Mighty Tonka series. The book was rather pricey at almost $50 US but did sell out and will not be republished. However, there is a less expensive alternative. I have been authorized by Mark Vaught to sell the book in CD form. Clicking the image of the book and CD cover to the left will take you to the FOR SALE PAGE where you can place your order. The information on the CD is much, much more detailed than what you will find on this or any other website.

Thanks to Bill Darr, Lloyd Laumann and his series of articles in Toy Trucker and Contractor magazine and Mark Vaught. These guys know Mighty Tonka.

1964 #900 Mighty Dump	1965 #2900 Mighty Dump

What changed from 1964 to 1965: The nose decal. The rubber tires changed to a plastic injection molded two piece tire early in 1965.

1966 #2900 Mighty Dump	1967 #2900 Mighty Dump

What changed from 1965 to 1966: No changes.
What changed from 1966 to 1967: The nose decal to the oval ("Tonka" above "MOUND, MINN.") and the cab decals to ("Mighty-Dump").

1968 #3900 Mighty Dump	1969 #3900 Mighty Dump

What changed from 1967 to 1968: The tires to the much larger blow molded Mighty balloon. The cab wheelwells were flared.
What changed from 1968 to 1969: No changes.

1970 #3900 Mighty Dump	1971 #3900 Mighty Dump

What changed from 1969 to 1970: The nose decal to the oval ("Tonka" above U.S.A.") and the cab decals to ("mighty-Tonka Dump").
What changed from 1970 to 1971: Saddle tanks were deleted and the center rivet at the back of the cab was deleted.

What changed from 1971 to 1972: The vinyl bumper blocks were deleted. The tires changed to a new Mighty balloon blow molded tire with raised letters and numbers XMB-975. (The sidewalls were left black).