Fun Ho! Toys

Fun Ho! Toys was a New Zealand toy brand associated with Underwood Engineering Co. Ltd. of Inglewood, Taranaki. The company produced compact die-cast vehicles and related accessories for much of the twentieth century, beginning with simple lead-cast racing cars in the late 1930s and eventually developing a broad range of cars, trucks, agricultural machines, emergency vehicles, construction equipment, buses, aircraft, trains, buildings and doll-house accessories. Production continued until 1982, while the factory itself officially closed in 1987. The brand began under Jack Underwood, whose engineering business adapted metalworking and die-casting capabilities to toy manufacture. Early products included generic midget racers, sprint cars and salt-flat racers, usually with two axles, four rubber wheels and a driver integrated into the casting. Some early models represented real vehicles, including cars such as the Ford Model A, 1949 Ford, Packard Roadster, Austin-Healey 100, MG TD, Jaguar XK 120 and Mercedes Streamliner. Fun Ho! also made farm tractors and implements, fire engines, trucks, buses, construction vehicles, fighter aircraft and a train with several cars. A notable technical characteristic was the brand's use of aluminum after it moved away from lead. Rather than adopting the zinc alloy commonly used by many die-cast manufacturers, Underwood generally continued with aluminum castings. Most models were close to the small scale associated with Matchbox and Tootsietoy, although larger dump trucks, tractors and construction toys were also made in a Tonka-like format. The products were generally straightforward and durable rather than highly detailed: many small vehicles lacked separate windows and interiors, and details such as seats were sometimes part of the metal casting itself. Fun Ho! expanded significantly during the 1960s with its Midget Scale Model series. Underwood acquired tooling from Streamlux of Melbourne in 1962, bringing nine models into the company's range. These included a tractor, Holden FE sedan, Volkswagen Beetle, BOAC double-decker bus, Volkswagen Transporter, Austin tipper truck and tanker, and a Mercedes Streamliner. The acquired models became the foundation of a series that eventually included at least 60 Midget models and formed part of a total catalogue of more than 250 different models over the brand's history. Later releases covered additional Australian, British and American vehicles, including Holdens, utes, Jaguars, Ford models, Chevrolet models, fire engines and construction equipment. The brand also participated in promotional marketing. Certain Midget models were packaged as Mobil Midget Models for Mobil gasoline promotions, using distinctive red-and-white packaging rather than the standard red-and-yellow boxes. Some tooling later appeared in Australia under the Message Models name. Packaging commonly emphasized New Zealand manufacture and used the company's oval Fun Ho! logo, which incorporated a clown-like figure and stylized lettering. By the early 1970s, production reportedly reached as many as one million vehicles annually. The business then faced growing competition from imported toys and changing New Zealand import-substitution policies. Products from Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Tomica offered features such as windows, plastic interiors, opening parts and accompanying figures or animals, making Fun Ho!'s comparatively austere models less competitive. Original toy production ended in 1982, and the factory formally closed five years later. The brand has continued as a subject of collecting and local heritage. After the factory's closure, the Fun Ho! Toys Museum opened in Inglewood to display the company's models from its production era. Its associated foundry has also used original molding plates and boxes to cast occasional museum memorabilia, giving the name a limited commemorative presence even though regular commercial production has ended.

Fun Ho! Toys developed from the engineering and die-casting activities of Underwood Engineering Co. Ltd. in Inglewood, Taranaki. Jack Underwood began toy production around 1935, and the earliest known Fun Ho! products appeared as simple metal racing vehicles during the late 1930s. These early cars were initially made from lead and commonly depicted generic midget, sprint or salt-flat racers. They typically used two axles and four rubber wheels, with the driver cast into the vehicle. Only a small number of the early products were direct representations of real automobiles. Over subsequent decades, the range broadened well beyond racing cars. Underwood produced road cars, motorcycles, caravans, tractors, farm implements, fire engines, trucks, buses, construction equipment, aircraft and trains. The company also made buildings, road signs, doll-house furniture and miniature gardening tools. Some tooling appears to have originated with or been influenced by other manufacturers, including Tri-ang-related pieces and later models resembling products associated with Matchbox or Budgie. The precise origin of some tooling is uncertain, but Fun Ho! developed and marketed the resulting models under its own brand. The material used for the models was one of the company's distinctive features. As production moved away from lead, Underwood generally selected aluminum rather than the zinc alloy widely used in die-cast toy manufacturing. Many small models were close in size to Matchbox or Tootsietoy products, while larger tractors, dump trucks and construction vehicles occupied a more substantial scale. Their design was usually uncomplicated, with limited painted or molded detail and few separate plastic components. A major expansion came in 1962, when Fun Ho! acquired nine model-tooling sets from Streamlux, a Melbourne manufacturer. The acquired subjects included a tractor, Holden FE, Volkswagen Beetle, Volkswagen Transporter, BOAC double-decker bus, Austin tipper and tanker, and Mercedes Streamliner. These models became the basis for the Midget Scale Model line, which was introduced in the mid-1960s and expanded through the 1970s. The Midget range ultimately comprised at least 60 models, while the entire Fun Ho! catalogue exceeded 250 models. The company sold its products through distinctive packaging that generally highlighted their New Zealand origin. Earlier products could be found in plastic bags attached to red cardboard hangers. Midget models were commonly packed in upright red-and-yellow boxes, sometimes with plastic windows and line drawings of the vehicle. A separate Mobil promotional series used red-and-white boxes and was marketed as Mobil Midget Models. Some Fun Ho! tooling later appeared in Australia under the Message Models name. Fun Ho! reached substantial output during the early 1970s, when production was reported at up to one million vehicles per year. Its competitive environment changed as New Zealand's import-substitution policies weakened and imported toys became more available. Hot Wheels, Matchbox and Tomica models offered greater visual detail and play features, including windows, plastic interiors, opening components and figures or animals. Fun Ho!'s simpler metal models increasingly struggled against these products. Regular production stopped in 1982, followed by the official closure of the factory in 1987. The brand survived as an element of New Zealand industrial and toy heritage. A museum in Inglewood displays models made during the 1935–1982 production period. The associated Fun Ho! National Toy Museum Foundry has also used original molding plates and packaging to make occasional commemorative casts. Consequently, the brand is no longer a conventional mass-market manufacturer, but its surviving products, tooling and museum activity remain important to collectors of New Zealand and international die-cast toys.

• 1987

  Factory officially closes

  [1]Fun Ho! Toysen.wikipedia.org

  The Underwood Engineering factory officially closes after the end of toy production.

• 1982

  Original toy production ends

  [1]Fun Ho! Toysen.wikipedia.org

  Regular Fun Ho! vehicle production ceases after increasing competition from imported toy brands.

• 1970

  Peak production period

  [1]Fun Ho! Toysen.wikipedia.org

  During the early 1970s, annual output is reported to have reached as many as one million vehicles.

• 1962

  Streamlux tooling acquired

  [1]Fun Ho! Toysen.wikipedia.org

  Fun Ho! acquires nine model-tooling sets from Streamlux of Melbourne, providing the foundation for its later Midget Scale Model range.

• 1960

  Midget Scale Model series expands

  [1]Fun Ho! Toysen.wikipedia.org

  The Midget series is introduced in the mid-1960s and develops into a major line of small cars, trucks, buses, agricultural machines and construction vehicles.

• 1935

  Toy production begins

  [1]Fun Ho! Toysen.wikipedia.org

  Jack Underwood begins producing Fun Ho! toys through Underwood Engineering in Inglewood, New Zealand.

• 1930

  Early racing models appear

  [1]Fun Ho! Toysen.wikipedia.org

  The earliest documented Fun Ho! racing cars emerge in the late 1930s, initially using lead castings and simple generic designs.

A locally manufactured, broadly catalogued New Zealand toy-vehicle brand emphasizing simple, durable metal models and domestic production. Its later collector identity rests on its unusual aluminum construction, Australian and New Zealand vehicle subjects, and connection to the Inglewood museum.

• Die-cast toy vehicles · 1960

  Midget Scale Model series

  Fun Ho!'s principal small-scale range, developed from tooling acquired from Streamlux and expanded during the 1960s and 1970s. The series included passenger cars, Australian vehicles, trucks, buses, tractors, fire engines and construction equipment. Models were generally simply cast, often without separate windows or interiors, and were sold in distinctive red-and-yellow boxes emphasizing New Zealand manufacture.

• Promotional die-cast vehicles

  Mobil Midget Models

  A promotional packaging and distribution variant of selected Midget models associated with Mobil gasoline marketing. These toys used red-and-white boxes and related printed material featuring Mobil branding, distinguishing them from the standard Fun Ho! red-and-yellow presentation.

• Die-cast toy cars · 1930

  Early racing cars

  The early range included generic midget, sprint and salt-flat racers, usually with integrated drivers, two axles and rubber tires. Later and related vehicle subjects included the Ford Model A, 1949 Ford, Packard Roadster, Austin-Healey 100, MG TD, Jaguar XK 120 and Mercedes Streamliner.

• Die-cast toy vehicles and implements

  Agricultural and construction vehicles

  Fun Ho! produced tractors associated with Fordson, Massey Harris, Ferguson and Oliver, along with plows, disc harrows and trailers. Its construction range included dump trucks, road rollers, graders, bulldozers and excavators, with some larger models made in a more substantial Tonka-like format.

• Commemorative toy reproductions

  Museum memorabilia casts

  After mass production ended, the Fun Ho! museum and associated foundry occasionally cast memorabilia using original molding plates and boxes. These pieces represent heritage reproductions rather than a return to regular commercial production.

• Mobil Midget Models promotion

  New Zealand

  Selected Fun Ho! Midget models were used as promotional products for Mobil gasoline, with dedicated red-and-white packaging and printed materials.

  Outcome. The promotion created a recognizable packaging variant that is now of interest to collectors.

  Source

• 1982

  End regular productionOther

  Background

  Changing New Zealand import-substitution policies increased access to imported toys, while international competitors offered more detailed models and additional play features.

  Action taken

  Fun Ho! ceased regular toy production.

  Aftermath

  The factory later closed officially, while the brand continued through collecting, museum display and occasional commemorative casting.

  Source

• 1962

  Acquire Streamlux toolingStrategy

  Background

  Fun Ho! sought to broaden its small-vehicle range and acquired nine existing model-tooling sets from Streamlux in Melbourne.

  Action taken

  The acquired tooling was incorporated into the Midget Scale Model programme and supplemented with additional models developed or sourced later.

  Aftermath

  The tooling became the foundation of one of Fun Ho!'s most extensive product series.

  Source

1. 1Fun Ho! Toysen.wikipedia.org