MEMORIES:
juuice remembers...my favorite ertl die casts were the muscle cars and any cars really.but i also had the tractor and some ... More »
Posted on 05/06/07
Manufacturer:
Few toy makers have spent much time delving in the world of tractors, backhoes, and other farm-related equipment. Ertl Toys proved that there was a market for all things agricultural and presented a complete line of John Deere’s and International Harvester vehicles, by creating small, but highly detailed die-cast metal toy versions. And over half a century later, they are still going strong, having added an extensive number of other vehicle-related toys to the list throughout the years and becoming highly coveted collector’s items.
Fred Ertl was a German immigrant who knew a thing or two about die-cast metal from the techniques he had learned in the old country. Now residing in Dubuque, Iowa, circa 1945, he began fiddling around in his basement, in an attempt to make some metal toys for his kids. Pleased with his creations and in need of some additional income, he decided that maybe his hobby could also become a business. Upon securing the licensing (and blueprints) from such agricultural icons as John Deere and International Harvester, he began making his remarkably detailed toys.
A textbook example of the American Dream in action, his little metal vehicles sold pretty darn well, so well in fact that it was time to move the operation out of his basement and into a makeshift factory in town. He soon outgrew that facility and, by 1959, had relocated to Dversville, Iowa, where the company remains to this day. Over the years, Ertl has expanded their line considerably, including 18-wheelers, racecars, and even a complete line of model kits, having acquired a number of companies along the way. Ertl operates all over the globe, with divisions in Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Italy and Canada and to this day, is one of the top-10 American Toy companies.
Not a bad legacy for a little hobby shop set up in an unassuming basement in the heartland of America. Today, Ertl Collectors Clubs exist throughout the globe, as collectors still marvel these little, yet incredibly detailed, toys. Fred may never have imagined that he would achieve such stature in the toy world but never underestimate the power of the American Dream.
