UPDATE II: I managed to track down all four colors of wagons on eBay.
The four known colors of the Wannatoy Wagons by Dillon Beck Mfg.
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UPDATE Posted July 2020: It turns out that I I had “Wanna Toy” as two separate words, but the brand name is actually “Wannatoy”.
From Chriscollectibles.com: Wannatoy, the trademark of Dillon Beck Manufacturing Co., produced toys made of acetate plastic. Based in New Jersey, they manufactured numerous toy vehicles (as well as doll house furniture, pot and pan sets and possibly other toys) after the end of WWII through the late 1950s.
From “O’Brien’s Collecting Toy Cars & Trucks” book, 1990, “Wannatoy was among the first toy makers off the starting block at the end of World War II. Of the millions of children born during the war, and the millions more who arrived soon afterward, a good percentage played with Wannatoys.
What seems to have been the company’s first offering, the twenty-five-cent futurist Coupe, was a hit toy for Christmas of 1945, selling a million units that season. With streamlined, Deco-influenced body and bible top, the Couple continued to sell well into the 1950s.”
Here’s an ad (thanks to Andy) from 1952 (available on eBay). The ad suggests there were only three colors of wagons, but doesn’t indicate what those were. So far, I’ve identified four colors (red, green, blue, purple … see them at the bottom of this post).
And this is an example of the packaging. The company targeted both girl and boys:
And this is an example of a display box (available with toys on eBay):
And now for the wagons …Here’s a photo of a blue wagon I just picked up.
And, this is an example of a (florescent looking) green wagon that I hope to acquire in a few days:
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Original Post July 19, 2020
UPDATE: Andy informs me that the purple wagon is a color he’d never seen.
These two plastic wagons were made by Wannatoys. They are 3.5″ long. I photographed these next to my mask to give a sense of size. They are small and rather cheaply made.
I have a red one of these wagons. they are circa 1950-51. When my family moved from Peoria Illinois to Tucson AZ in January 1952, we made the trip in a 1951 Willys 2WD station wagon in two tone grey. My aunt baked a cake decorated with the route from Peoria to Tucson and there was one of these Jeep wagons on the cake. I had that toy for a long time, but don’t recall what happened to it. Several years ago, I found the one I have now at an antique store in Phoenix. I still have it displayed with many of my Jeep toys.
Colin: The dates are helpful. Both are now on one of my jeep shelves. I didn’t have any wagons, so they were a welcome addition.
Hey Dave,
I e-mailed you an unsolicited jpeg of a Wanna Toys ad I’d downloaded a while back that shows the wagon prominently on it.
Andy,
Did you send that to d@deilers.com? My d@ewillys.com address still is not accessible for me.
Thanks,
– Dave
Back in 1952, I was 3 years old, I seem to remember having the Streamliner W-51 car, but not the Willys wagon. WANNATOY being located in Hillside NJ, something I never knew. But how could I know that at 3 years old. as George Carlin said; “You have to wanna.” As many vintage cars of that era, it went to the crusher, in this case, my mother when she stepped on it. I remember my sister having the Breakfast Klub (the K was a clever marketing ploy) set given to her by our neighbor Mrs. Spring, a kindly old Irish lady who lived next door and thought highly of my father. Mrs. Spring sat on her front porch on hot summer days drinking cold cans of Rheingold beer. My mother wouldn’t let my sister use the play set because it smelled from beer, and didn’t want my little sister to get drunk.
Lol Mike … love the stories!
Sent an email with photos attached of a boxed Wannatoy Yacht Club set that you may use for reference if not already in your catalog.
-Chris
Hi Chris.
I will definitely add the pics to show readers additional toys made by Wannatoy. I also responded by email.
– Dave
I volunteer at a Christian Thrift Store and someone dropped off 5 pieces of Woonatoy All in excellent shape. A couple I cant find pictures anywhere. Are you still looking for these?
Hi Rebecca,
Yes, I would be interested in learning more about these. You can email me at d@deilers.com with pics if you have them.
Many thanks!
– David Eilers
Ewillys.com