The toy for today's Advent is one that I have fond memories of. But I'm not really sure what it was I had. Okay- that's not right. I know what the toy was-. It was a firetruck. However, I don't quite know what the make and model was.
Sometime around 1980, my uncle gave me a gigantic toy firetruck. It was about 2-3ft in length. The truck came in 2 parts with the cab hooking up to a trailer. It was so such a long truck could make tight turns. Also, I think the cab had a hole in the roof which was great because you could put a whole bunch of action figures in the cab and have them drive off to adventure.
The trailer came with at least 2 ladders. One ladder hung on the side and could be removed. There may have been another removable ladder on the other side of the trailer. But I am not certain.
However, I do remember very well that this firetruck had a telescoping ladder. There was this metal wheel near that ladder in which when you spun it, the ladder would rise and eventually, it would also spread out. It was quite fun if you had a tall playset like Castle Grayskull or the Death Star that had characters on the top who needed rescuing.
So just what firetruck did I have? I thought it was a Tonka vehicle. My uncle had given me at some point in time a big yellow dump truck and a bulldozer. Both were made by Tonka. But when I looked at such firetrucks made by Tonka around 1980, none of them seem to check all the boxes.
The manufacturer might have been NYLINT. They made hook and ladder firetrucks at the time period I recalled receiving this gift. It came with detachable ladders. And the telescoping ladder had a metal wheel that controlled the apparatus. The only thing that's keeping me from being 100% certain is the cab. I can find images in which the roof has a hole in which to insert a driver. But the make and model just doesn't look right.
Oh well- hopefully you can forgive me if I share the wrong images. I must be getting old...
As my advent present for you- here's a 1982 commercial for the NYLINT hook and ladder. It might not be the same type I got for Christmas. But it should relay just how fun such a toy was for me!
Enjoy!
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