A holiday tradition is set to continue despite the winds of change.
This week, Chevron entered into an agreement to acquire Hess Corp. in a $53 billion deal. While oil industry mega-mergers fall outside the business of play, members of the toy industry were joined by families across the U.S. in asking the serious question: What about the Hess Toy Truck?
Hess was quick to fire off a mass email backed up by social media posts to clarify that the Hess Toy Truck will roll on following the Chevron acquisition.
We want to reassure all of you, our loyal fans, that the Hess Toy Truck, a long-standing and cherished tradition, will continue for future years … [and] exciting things [are] planned to celebrate the Hess Toy Truck’s 60th anniversary in 2024!"
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 line was relaunched as the Hess Mini Collection in 2017. Each year, Hess releases a limited-edition collection of three scaled-down replicas of fan-favorite vehicles from years gone by. Additionally, the company does occasional special editions and it launched a plush line for infants and toddlers
This fall, Hess released the Collector’s Edition Ocean Explorer which quickly sold out.
The 2023 Hess Police Truck & Cruiser — this year’s Hess Holiday Toy Truck — is available now, while supplies last.
