Hess Truck Price Index

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 clever marketing gesture quickly became something larger. Each November, just before Thanksgiving, families would look forward to the design of the newest Hess Truck.

Given the toys popularity, with a new release each year, we thought it would be interesting to track how the Hess Truck has increased in price over years. With the 61th Annual Hess Truck retailing for $49.99, the price is up over 8.70%, well above the 3.0% Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12 months ending September 2025.

We show the changes for 1-year, 10-years and since inception in the chart below.

The toy started in 1964 at for $1.29 which would buy you 4.3 gallons of gasoline with a price per gallon of 30¢. Today in 2025, the Hess Truck price of $49.99 would get you 16.4 gallons gasoline at $3.05 per gallon.

At least it has lights and sirens.

Paul Mangione

Fort Schuyler Advisors

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