Today on Fire Truck and Emergency Vehicle Friday we bring you a toy I call 'The Grasshopper'. You won't find it referred to as that anywhere else and the name came to me while photographing it because of the short wheel-base and very long front end forward of the wheels. And quite frankly, I just think it's kinda ugly. From some angles it looks nice but it's just ungainly looking. However, that being said it's still a nice addition to my stable of fire trucks. This toy sells on eBay as a 'Wannatoy' brand. On page 102 of Bill Hanlon's "Plastic Toys; Dimestore Dreams of the '40s & '50s" there is pictured an identical truck and it is listed as a Dillon-Beck toy. The differences are the addition of a steering wheel and black wheels of the Dillon-Beck version. At 4 1/2" long this little fella fits in just nice with the Ideal and Ross Tool & Manufacturing trucks featured here previously. It's a great addition to any 3-rail O-gauge toy train layout. Enjoy!
