Batteries Included

In the spring of 1976 my mother opened her front door to discover my Uncle Hardy on her doorstep with “his pillow under one arm and a suitcase in each hand.” Nobody really knew what the last straw was between him and my Aunt Joan, just that there’d been enough of them to winter-in a herd. By the holidays of that year, the always-ebullient Hardy was a bit grim over his finances. On Christmas day, however, his nephews and nieces were surprised to each receive a gaily-wrapped box of some size and heft. “Just a little something I picked up at this new gift shop I’ve been doing a lot of my shopping at, kid,” he modestly explained. Our gifts turned out to be toy Hess Oil trucks, a $2.29 holiday promotion from a local chain of gas stations. “Hey,” he laughed, “they even included the batteries, nothing’s too good for the family!”

We all had a good laugh over Hardy’s new gift shop, but the joke was on him. The truth was the trucks really were terrific toys; the headlights and taillights lit up, side doors opened on the trailer — we couldn’t conceive of how Hess could possibly put out such a quality toy for the price. My Uncle Hardy and I agreed that he would get me a Hess Truck as my gift every Christmas. For the next eight years, he was as good as his word. I’ve still got the trucks to prove it.

The life story of Amerada-Hess Oil founder, Leon Hess, makes Horatio Alger look like a crack dealer. Hess was born to Russian immigrants in Asbury Park, NJ, in 1914. By the time he was old enough to go to college, the Depression had hit hard, so college wasn’t even a possibility. In 1933, at the age of 19, he bought a second hand, 615 gallon oil truck, and started delivering fuel oil to local homes. He delivered seven days a week, personally.

By 1938, Hess had made enough money to buy land in Perth Amboy, NJ, where he built what would become the largest oil storage network on the East Coast. During World War II, he served as head of transportation logistics for Gen. George Patton. Patton’s tanks attacked so deeply and so fast into enemy territory that supply trucks had to drive like mad from Allied beachheads just to keep up. These truckers became the legendary “Red Ball Express,” with Leon Hess in charge of fuel. He left the military as a lieutenant colonel.

After the war, Hess traveled widely, establishing alliances with oil-producing countries world over. At home, he became part owner of a franchise in the American Football League, a team called the Titans that eventually became the New York Jets. He bought out his partners in 1977 to become the team’s sole owner.

It was at a Jets game in the early 1960s that the idea of the Hess toy truck promotion first took shape. For years, Hess had wanted some way to thank his customers for their loyalty. He liked the idea of offering a toy oil truck, but had no idea of how to get started. At a home game, he was introduced to the man seated behind him. As luck would have it, the fellow football fan turned out to be in the toy business, and was able to help Hess bring his idea to life. According to the company, Leon had one rule: “The trucks had to be of the highest quality, with not a single detail overlooked.”

The first Hess truck debuted in 1964; it was a scale model of a B Model Mack Tanker. An estimated 150,000 of these first toys were sold to consumers for $1.39. (Today a mint original model from this run would fetch between $1,000 and $2,000!) Hess came out with a different model for 1966, a toy seagoing tanker ship with wheels on its bottom so children could “navigate” them along the floor. (These tankers in their original box now sell for over $2,400.)

The company restricted itself to actual vehicles in the Hess corporate fleet until 1987 when it expanded the collection to include non-fleet and ultimately even “fantasy vehicles.” Sales of the trucks have grown from 150,000 in 1964 to an estimated 1.8 million last year, which makes this rather quiet regional promotion an enormous $36 million-dollar retail enterprise. The holiday toy truck event has become such a huge promotional event that it has spawned a spin-off. Since 1998, Hess has executed a mini-truck promotion each summer that offers a smaller scale vehicle for around $6.00.

Duane Smith is a Web retailer who operates a site specializing in Hess and Texaco collectibles. He sold over 1,000 classic Hess Trucks last year. His theory on the Hess truck popularity is that “They’ve been very smart not trying to push their trucks as collectibles. Things that are made to be collectable generally aren’t.” He goes on to note; “I can’t think of any other company that’s come up with a promotional item that’s consistently increased in value every year.”

It’s all in the details

Hess comes up with details that beggar the imagination; their 1990 Semi-Tanker Truck came with back-up alert and air horn sound effects, plus a mind boggling 36 working lights. The thirty-fifth anniversary truck in 1999 was a flatbed truck with a space shuttle on its bed. The Hess Space Shuttle came with operating bay doors, retractable solar panels, lights, sound, plus a retractable satellite launching arm with its own satellite, and batteries for everything, all for just $19.95. A masterpiece of play value, it was the most complex vehicle ever created by Hess. “This vehicle took six years from concept to build,” according to the company. Any firm that puts this kind of effort into a promotional toy must have great gas too!

In addition to founding the now commonplace holiday truck promotion, Hess’ models were the first to have lights that lit up on their vehicles, first with sound effects, and the first to include batteries. “Their quality is still every bit as good as it ever was,” Smith says.

Once a vehicle hits stores during the November-December promotion period, consumers are limited to a maximum of two vehicles per visit. This intense retail activity forces Smith and other super collectors to use “pickers” to buy each new model. Also, even the P-O-P and clerk badges for the annual Hess toy promotion bring top dollar. Smith currently lists an 8”X12” magnetic pump sign for $155.

Leon Hess passed away in 1999, but the promotion he founded still bears his mark. As the company Web site devoted to the trucks says “At a time when toys have become soulless gadgets, the Hess toy truck still inspires creativity and hours of imaginative play. It is a legacy Leon Hess would be proud of.”

Harkness Gregory DeVoe, “Hardy” to all who knew and loved him, died this past January of complications from hip surgery. It figures something stupid like that would take him from us, we always knew that nothing could hurt his wonderfully kind heart.

Rod Taylor is senior VP of promotions for CoActive Marketing. Send your feedback and suggestions to [email protected]. For more information on Hess trucks go to www.the-collections.com.

The Best of Hess

2001 Helicopter featured two spinning rotors and an operating searchlight, plus a motorcycle and land cruiser with friction motors with operating head and taillights for $19.99. There are major rock stars that don’t have toys this cool.

1999 Flatbed Truck with Space Shuttle and Satellite Operating bay doors on the shuttle, retractable solar panels, automatic satellite launching arm, lights and sound — all for just $19.99. I sleep better at night knowing grown men sweat the details on this sucker.

1990 Semi-Tanker 36 working headlights, taillights and running lights in red, yellow and amber, plus air horn and back-up alert sounds for $9.99. Just turn out the lights and put the hammer down!

1998 Recreation Van w/Dune Buggy and Motorcycle Headlights and taillights work on all three vehicles, plus running lights on the RV for $16.99. Play value for three generations.

2000 Fire Ladder Truck Heavy-duty aerial extension ladder, as well as detachable ladders, horn and sirens synchronized with lights and flashers for $18.99.

1966 Tanker Ship Bow and stern lights, plus four wheels on the bottom of the hull for floor cruising, for $1.89; sometimes simple is good.

1997 Tractor Trailer with Two Friction Powered Cars Headlights, running lights and taillights on the truck, plus two race cars with lights and friction motors for $15.99. Bring your pit crew.