Why does it read "TONKA" underneath the new Hoth BP speederbike?

[JEDIpartner]

Yes, the box actually reads "THE CLONE WARS" even though this is an OT battlepack!!!

I just got the new Hoth battle pack with the speederbike, Bikerscout, E-web cannon, Snowtrooper and Vader. I happened to look at the bottom of the speederbike and it reads "TONKA - LFL 1995" or something like that. Was the Hasbro boys division a part of the Tonka brand name at one time? Does anyone have the speederbike from the POTF2 line and does it read similarly?

I'm so confused!!!

[El Chuxter]

It's because Tonka trucks are kewl!

I don't know for certain about the POTF2 Speeder Bike, but Tonka bought Kenner, and Hasbro bought Tonka. They still used the Kenner name on Star Wars for a while. Probably something to do with the mold being passed from company to parent company?

[JEDIpartner]

I see... *nods*

[JediTricks]

Actually, General Mills bought Kenner, then merged it with Parker Brothers, another company they owned at the time. Tonka in the '80s bought Kenner-Parker Bros from General Mills, and by the early '90s Hasbro had bought Tonka and all its subsidiaries, including Kenner. The tooling had the copyright changed in '95 right when Hasbro was working out how their company with all these subsidiaries of subsidiaries worked.

[AFCollector]

Does anyone have the speederbike from the POTF2 line and does it read similarly?

Sure does.

Just checked the underside of the bike that came with Endor Luke and it's right on the bottom there.

[JEDIpartner]

WOW!!! There's some history in that company. Thanks for all the info, guys! Thanks for checking the model from 1995, AFCollector.

[El Chuxter]

So, you corrected me because I didn't remember who Tonka bought Kenner from, JT?

[JediTricks]

My point was to explain why it's the only '95 vehicle that seems to wear the Tonka badging (the Snowspeeder says its "distributed by Hasbro" which is also unusual).

BTW, General Mills buying Kenner in the '60s is why Play-Doh is part of the Hasbro family now, and is what makes the Episode II set with the Super Battle Droid made of play-doh possible.