Large SSS Tinplate Trucks, the Smith Millers of Japan

The SSS toy company was “E Pluribus Unum ” tin toy manufacturer operating in Post War Japan during the 1950’s.  Most boys, growing up in that era, who received a toy with a made in Japan label on the box for a birthday present or a holiday gift always looked at them with a juvenile jaundiced eye (myself and my kid brother included).

In the beginning SSS only produced two of these large-scale trucks, about 1/17 – 1/16 scale , the Cement Mixer and the Dump Truck.  Both incorporate tandem rear axles with realistic detailed litho instrument panels and interiors. The cabs themselves are spot on replicas of late 1950’s and early 60’s International Harvester heavy duty R -Series trucks.  This is also evident by the chrome ” I H ” insignia located on the nose of both vehicles just like their real over the road big brothers.  The Dump Truck has a friction motor with an operating spring-loaded body and a realistic swinging tailgate.  The cement mixer which is the classier of the two also has a body that raises into a dump position and features a rotating mixer drum.

One can classify the SSS trucks as the Smith Millers of the Made in Japan tin toy trucks.   Also just like the Smith Millers the SSS trucks were not cheap, with a retail price tag of about $7.50 each.  At the period these trucks were stocking the shelves in toy stores a factory worker was earning about .75 – $1.25/ hour with women in the same factories doing the same job as a man but earning less per hour only because of her sex.  Aside from the large size of the trucks, another cause for the considerable price tag was that each vehicle contained between 50 to 90 parts and required a time-consuming assembly process at the factory.

I purchased the Cement Mixer last year.  It was one of those serendipitous occasions.  My Wife and myself were at a local high end consignment shop which usually has a few cases devoted to toys.  The operator usually has the toys priced realistically but he had the Mixer in with a bunch of rusted and beat up Tonka and Buddy L’s.  I saw the SSS on the bumper and then looked at the tires, which are the real key, and they also had SSS embossed on the sidewall.

Needless to say, I made a most excellent purchase.

As luck would have it, a few months later I was at a Toy Show and a dealer had the Dump Truck on his table. We were able to come to a reasonable accommodation and the two SSS trucks now reside together in my museum.