Tis the Season

I could do an entire blog just on childhood Christmas toys I remember.  I just saw a commercial, though, that made me reminisce.  Every year through the 80's, my dad would get my brother and I our annual Hess trucks.  We'd each get one, and he'd have to drive to Kearny to get them, which was a good 25 mins away, because that was the closest Hess station (it was also the only one we knew, having been a landmark on our way to Nana's house each time).  I think it was more for him than us.  I do think that it's kinda cool that he always got one for me, not just my brother.  That a truck wasn't just a toy for boys, or maybe that he didn't see his daughter as having to be relegated to Barbies and stuffed animals (though I loved those too).

Anyway, I do remember some of the models...I especially liked the one that was also a bank, and the one that came with a separate race car...much like the 2011 model.  Here are the ones that I remember having in our house...

1984 (this was the bank)


1985 (this one had working headlights, which I thought was so cool at 7 yrs old)


1986 (working flashing lights...ooh!)


1987 (this one was also a bank, and I believe this was the last year I got one...my brother continued to receive them for a few years after)


1988 (the first "multi-vehicle" release)


1989


1990


1991


The 1992 model doesn't look familiar to me, so I think 91 was the final year of Hess in our house.  I think dad got more of a kick out of it than we did, and my brother played with his more often than I did.  But the yearly Hess truck is definitely etched into my Christmas memories.  :-)