Why a half-century-old toy remains a popular holiday gift

(via The Verge) In 1964, Leon Hess wanted to find a way to encourage more people to stop at his expanding line of gas stations, and settled on producing a toy truck. “It was important to him that anybody could afford to get a really fun, high-quality and durable toy, no matter their income,” explains Justin Mayer, the Hess Toy Truck general manager. Hess also mandated that the trucks come with batteries installed. The toys were creative, and perhaps most importantly, markedly cheaper than the competition.