Ertl Die-Cast Toys
When toy collectors think “farm toys,” they think Ertl. Since the
mid-1940’s, the Ertl Toy company has established itself as the finest
farm-toy maker in the die-cast toy world, creating miniaturized
vehicles that present a high level realistic detail at a small size.
These toys became a great success and allowed Ertl to expand into
merchandising several different vehicle-related toys that have become
popular around the world.
The Ertl die-cast car legacy began in the Dubuque, Iowa basement of
Fred J. Ertl, Sr. in 1945. A German immigant who had learned
die-casting techniques in his homeland, Ertl decided to use these
skills to create die-cast toys modeled after farm equipment for his
children. When work became scarce, Ertl decided to turn his toymaking
into a business. He obtained licenses from John Deere and International
Harvester to make miniaturized versions of their farm equipment, using
their original blueprints to capture all the real-life details of these
trucks at a scale-model size.
The initial toys did well and led to Ertl's moving his business
from the basement to a building on Dubuque’s west side. In 1959, Fred
Ertl moved his fast-growing business to Dyersville, Iowa. The company
has remained there ever since and has also added branches around the
world in places like Canada, the United Kingdom, Italy and Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, the Ertl toy line has expanded to include model kits and
collector's vehicles.
Fifty years after the fact, Ertl Toys continues to be one of the
Top-10 toy companies in the U.S. Their toys, past and present, are big
favorites on the collector market. There are even collectors who
specialize in specific lines of Ertl toys, and this has led to the
formation of several Ertl collectors’ clubs all over the world. The
continued success and popularity of these toys are proof positive that
Ertl’s vehicles continue to be among the finest in the die-cast world.
|
 |
| 
