Fun Ho! Toys
New Zealand diecast toys made from 1935 to 1982.
Fun Ho! Toys were a brand of diecast toy cars and trucks made by Underwood Engineering Co. Ltd. in Inglewood, New Zealand. Jack Underwood started production around 1935, and it continued until 1982. After that, reproductions have been made at the Fun Ho! Toys Museum, also in Inglewood (Taranaki), using original molding plates and boxes, mostly as museum memorabilia. The name always appeared with an exclamation mark after "Fun Ho."
In the late 1930s, the earliest Fun Ho! race cars were simple castings of generic midget, sprint, and salt flat cars, with two axles and four rubber wheels (sometimes white rubber). The first cars were made of lead, and most had a driver cast as part of the vehicle. Only a few, like the Cooper and Mercedes Streamliner, copied real cars. Early diecast models included a Ford Model A, a 1949 Ford, a Packard Roadster, an Austin Healey 100, a Studebaker saloon, a Humber Hawk, an MG TD roadster, a Jaguar XK 120 convertible and coupe, the Mercedes Streamliner, and an early 1950s 'High Boy' hot rod that closely resembled a design from Auburn Rubber toys. A caravan house trailer was also made, along with a Morestone-like motorcycle with sidecar and a single motorcycle with rider.
Tractors appeared early on, with more added in the 1950s. Some were generic; newer ones included a Fordson, a Massey Harris, two Fergusons, and a swept-fender Oliver. Farm implements like a disc harrow, plow, and trailers were produced, as well as fire engines, trucks, buses, construction vehicles, a couple of fighter aircraft, and a train with several cars. Most vehicles were small, about Matchbox or Tootsietoy size, but some larger dump trucks, tractors, and construction vehicles were more Tonka-like. Like many early diecasting firms, Fun Ho! also made diecast buildings, road signs, dollhouse furniture, and yard tools such as shovels, pitchforks, and rakes. Some larger toys and dollhouse accessories appear to have used tooling from Tri-Ang of England, as the Tri-Ang name appears alongside the clown and Fun Ho! logo on certain pieces.
A notable aspect of Fun Ho! casting is that when the company switched from lead, it did not adopt the industry standard zamac or similar zinc alloy; instead, most Fun Ho! toys were made of aluminum.
The Fun Ho! Midget Scale Model series launched in the mid-1960s, with more models added into the 1970s. Over the years, Fun Ho!
- Manufacturer
- Underwood Engineering Co. Ltd.
- Location
- Inglewood, New Zealand
- Production started
- about 1935
- Production ended
- 1982
- Total models produced
- over 250 different models
- Peak annual production
- up to one million vehicles per year (early 1970s)
- Material
- aluminum (after lead)
Lore & Background
Fun Ho! Toys began in the late 1930s with simple lead race cars, mostly generic midget, sprint, and salt flat cars with two axles and four rubber wheels, sometimes white. Early models included a Ford Model A, a 1949 Ford, a Packard Roadster, an Austin Healey 100, a Studebaker saloon, a Humber Hawk, an MG TD roadster, a Jaguar XK 120, a Mercedes Streamliner, and a 'High Boy' hot rod similar to an Auburn Rubber design. A caravan house trailer, motorcycles, tractors, farm implements, fire engines, trucks, buses, construction vehicles, fighter aircraft, and a train were also produced. Most vehicles were small 'Matchbox' or 'Tootsietoy' size, but some were larger 'Tonka'-like dump trucks and tractors. The company also made diecast buildings, road signs, doll house furniture, and yard tools; some larger toys and doll house accessories appear to have been tooling from Tri-Ang of England, as the Tri-Ang name appears with the clown and Fun Ho! logo on some toys. When the changeover from lead was made, the industry choice of zamac or similar zinc alloy was passed up and most Fun Ho! toys are made of aluminum.
Reader's Guide
Fun Ho! Toys are significant as a long-running New Zealand diecast manufacturer that produced over 250 models between about 1935 and 1982. The brand is distinctive for its use of aluminum rather than the more common zinc alloy, and for its Midget Scale Model series introduced in the mid-1960s, which was based on tooling acquired from Streamlux of Melbourne, Australia, in 1962. Many Midget models resemble earlier English Lesney Matchbox and Budgie Toys designs, but are cruder and often smaller. The company's logo featured a clown figure, used from the 1930s through the 1960s. Production ceased in 1982 due to competition from imported brands such as Hot Wheels, Matchbox, and Tomica, which offered windows, plastic interiors, and opening features. The factory officially closed in 1987. The Fun Ho! Toys Museum later opened in Inglewood, where Richard Jordan makes reproductions on site using original molding plates and boxes, continuing the brand's legacy as museum memorabilia.
Did You Know?
- Fun Ho! toys were made of aluminum instead of the more common zinc alloy.
- Some Midget models were used as promotional models for Mobil Gas, sold in red and white boxes as 'Mobil Midget Models'.
- The company's logo featured a clown figure, which was also used on company Christmas cards.
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