More often than not when you see a Tonka Pink Jeep for sale, the description will have a reference to Elvis and one or both of his movies, “Blue Hawaii” and/or “Fun in Acapulco”. While there is a vague connection to one of the movies, this toy was in no way influenced by Elvis or his movies.
The story goes that one of Tonka’s sales guys saw the Jeep with the surrey while vacationing in Acapulco in early 1961 and suggested a similar toy to the powers that be. Tonka even bought a couple of the pink Jeeps in 1962.
The featured car in “Blue Hawaii” was a red MGA. The only pink Jeep in “Fun in Acapulco” was an actual Tonka toy in the hands of a little boy.
