Traditions are a comforting aspect of the holiday season. Whether it’s a favorite food or activity, we look forward to those special traditions. For toy truck collectors, one of the important moments of the season is getting the new Hess truck.

The Hess truck’s roots go back to when 19-year-old Leon Hess bought his first oil delivery truck in 1933. He built his company over the next few decades, opening his first Hess gas station in 1960. Four years later, he decided to create an affordable, high quality toy for his customers and the Hess Toy Truck was born.

The first toy was the Hess Tanker Trailer, based on the company’s Mack truck and trailer. It featured working headlights and taillights, and a cargo tank that could be filled and emptied via a funnel and rubber hose that came with the truck. The toys have evolved over the years with the addition of more lights and sounds, and movable pieces. Early examples were made of around 75 small hard-plastic pieces, and are now comprised of at least 200 parts.

For the first 16 years of production, the Hess Toy Trucks were only advertised in newspaper ads or in the windows at Hess gas stations. Then starting in 1980, the company began running TV commercials to showcase the newest holiday toys. The TV ads are recognizable, not just for giving kids a look at the latest toy, but also for the catchy jingle. Starting in ’88, the commercials have been accompanied by the jingle, “The Hess Truck’s back and it’s better than ever!” which was adapted from the 1960s song, “My Boyfriend’s Back” by The Angels.

This year, the Hess Toy Truck celebrates its 60th anniversary with a highly detailed fire truck, car, and motorcycle.