FIRE ENGINE WITH THE STAMP OF APPROVAL
The only die-cast toy vehicle commemorated by a New Zealand postage stamp is the Fun Ho! Fire Engine Fixed Ladders on the 40c denomination from the Nostalgia set of 10 March 1999. The six stamps in the set comprised the fourth issue in New Zealand Post’s Millennium series.
The exposure on envelopes containing standard-post domestic-delivery mail made the Fire Engine Fixed Ladders the most easily recognized New Zealand–made toy after the Buzzy Bee.
Introduced in 1947, after Fun Ho! had relocated from Wellington to New Plymouth, Model No. 161 stayed in the catalogue for 29 years, until 1976. The 165mm toy was developed from a US cast-iron design, with the first version having three different castings — left body; right body; and one containing the radiator, front bumper, and headlights. For the second-generation model, the radiator, headlights, and bumper were incorporated into the left and right body castings.
Plastic wheels replaced the 25mm solid black rubber wheels in 1952, and remained in use until the model was deleted from the catalogue. Chrome fixing washers served as hubcaps from the early 1970s — the earlier plastic wheels were solid and ‘press fitted’. Axles used on the rubber-wheel models could have been crimped at each end to prevent the wheels from rolling off.
The fire crew originally had pink faces and black eyes, helmets, and boots, with their shoulder flashes and helmet badges painted in the same shade of yellow as the side extinguishers. Some early versions of the model had the crew wearing yellow helmets.
Production of the original Fun Ho! toys ended in 1982. The Fun Ho! National Toy Museum opened in 1990 on the Mamaku Street, Inglewood site where the toys were made from 1949. One of the models chosen to launch its cast-aluminium Repro range was the Fire Engine Fixed Ladders with plastic wheels.
Repro versions are made from the original moulds and are distinguishable from the earlier children’s toys by their powder-coated paint finish and more hand detailing. They are stamped ‘Repro’ on the underside.
The Inglewood Development Trust purchased the Fun Ho! National Toy Museum in 1999, and, in its relocated Inglewood premises, the museum continues to produce Repro versions of Fire Engine Fixed Ladders. This model now has rubber wheels. Visit funho.com.