In 1964, Leon Hess—founder of the Hess Corporation—decided to give the holiday season a set of wheels. Instead of another forgettable advertisement, he commissioned a gleaming toy tanker truck, complete with working headlights and retailing for $1.29 (batteries included) . These toys were sold exclusively at his gas stations. The idea was simple yet audacious: transform the cold transaction of filling a tank into something warm, playful, and unforgettable. What began as a cle