Soon after war production closed down, the Otaco Company began making simple steel toys. The two examples shown on this site demonstrate their somewhat primitive nature. They also made other interesting toys, illustrations of which can be seen in the Ron McBain Literature section.
Otaco represent atives went to great lengths to gain approval to use well known oil company logos on their tanker trucks. This approval was stated in their advertising. The catalog number for all tanker trucks, regardless of their oil company logo, was M.T. – 29. The original price was $8.95.
There may not have been "57 varieties" of Heinz Minnitoy trucks, but there were at least 7 Heinz products advertised on these "rolling billboards." All Heinz trucks were white and featured red wheel discs – a very attractive combination.
When it comes to pure advertising impact, you just can't be at the Minnitoy tractor-trailer trucks. Many companies used them as promotional items to increase sales at stores carrying their brands. Many others were used as private label trucks, even for somewhat limited markets. They are considered among the most collectible of all Minnitoy trucks.
The regular Minnitoy productionline included a number of realistic Dump Trucks as well as an Auto Wrecker, an Ice Truck and a Beverage Truck. Another unique and special item was the Beaver Lumber Truck. Some of these straight trucks had dual rear axles, giving them a very "beefy" appearance.
Printed material regarding Minnitoys seems to be quite scarce. The Otaco company's main product line was farm equipment. This material is more readily available.
Ron has some very nice (and rare) Minnitoy trucks. Some of them are shown on these guest pages. Ron also has available several Minnitoy decals for res toration purposes. These are of extremely high quality.
View some fascinating old Minnitoy catalog pages and check out those prices!
See a list of Very High Quality dry transfer decals available for the Minnitoy and Lincoln Trucks.
A comprehensive list of the known variations of Minnitoy trucks. The list does not include those trucks made with the early style cab. It also does not include construction or other types of toys made by Otaco.