The Hess Toy Truck has been an East Coast holiday tradition since 1964, when Leon Hess first launched the annual series as an affordable, high-quality gift option for customers of his Hess gas stations. In 1998, after the holiday trucks (despite the name, not always a truck, specifically) had become sought-after toys and collectibles well beyond the East Coast, The Hess Corp. debuted the Hess Miniature Series — a collection of playable, collectible vehicles inspired by previously-released full-size counterparts. Released annually each spring (excluding 2015 and 2016 following the sale of the Hess Express gas stations to Speedway), the Hess Mini Collection is now sold exclusively through the Hess Toy Truck website.
The Toy Insider has your first-look, in-hand review of the new 2019 Hess Mini Collection, which includes three highly detailed trucks from three distinct decades of Hess Corp. history. This year’s release includes the 1975 Hess Box Trailer; 1996 Hess Emergency Truck; and the 2011 Hess Toy Truck & Race Car.
Miniature Box Trailer
When you think about classic toy trucks, it just doesn’t get much more classic than a good old-fashioned articulated tractor and box trailer. Decked-out in the original Hess color quartet: green, white, yellow, and red, this free-wheeling truck features 10, bright red wheels, with a total of six LED lights.
Miniature Emergency Truck
This replica of the 1996 Emergency Truck features the modern green and white Hess color scheme. With chrome wheel hubs and accents, there’s a nice shine that’s enhanced by a whopping 24 total lights — including a Super Bright LED 360-degree rotating searchlight! There’s also a three-tier, 360-degree rotating extension ladder, perfect for kids to mount imaginary rescues in hard-to-reach locations.
Miniature Toy Truck and Race Car
The Hess racing vehicles have been a big favorite over the years, and this Mini shrinks the 2011 heavy-duty flatbed truck and its stock car into a small scale for big fun. Kids can enjoy high-octane adventure with a race car that’s powered by a pull-back motor. The flatbed truck is in modern Hess white and green, with realistic chrome accents and 23 bright LED lights.
Each vehicle in the collection comes with a name plate display stand, three Energizer size A76 batteries, and the entire collection is packaged in a window display box with collectors in mind.
What’s always impressed me about the Hess Toy Trucks is that they’re exceptionally well-made, durable, and packed with more details and features than you’d expect. They’re meant to be played with and passed down through generations, and were a 2014 nominee for induction into the National Toy Hall of Fame. The 2019 Mini Collection is a welcome addition to the collection, carrying on a long tradition of quality that will fuel hours of imaginative play for kids across a wide age range.
The Hess 2019 Mini Collection is sold exclusively at hesstoytruck.com while supplies last.
