New Zealand made Fun Ho! aluminium and die-cast toys, 1940s-80s

Fun Ho! was a New Zealand toy manufacturer that produced cast aluminium toys from 1935 to 1982. The company was founded by George Underwood in Inglewood, Taranaki, and was originally called Underwood Engineering. Underwood started making toys as a way to use up scrap metal from his other businesses. The first toys were made in the early 1930s, and were initially given away as promotional items. However, the toys proved to be popular, and Underwood began to sell them commercially in 1935.

The company's name was changed to Fun Ho! in 1942. The name was chosen because it was thought to be catchy and appealing to children. Fun Ho! toys were known for their high quality and durability. They were made from solid aluminium, and were designed to withstand rough play. The toys were also brightly coloured, and were often decorated with intricate details.

Fun Ho! toys were popular more... with children all over New Zealand. They were also exported to Australia and other countries. The company's peak production period was in the 1960s and 1970s, when it was producing over 250 different models. However, the company began to face increasing competition from imported toys in the 1980s. Fun Ho! toy production ceased in 1982, and the company officially closed in 1987.

Sometime after the closing of the factory, The Fun Ho! Toys Museum opened in Inglewood. The museum acquired much of the original Underwood tooling and currently (sporadically) Richard Jordan makes about 100 different Fun Ho! models there in the function of museum support. The toy making part of the museum goes by the name of the Fun Ho! National Toy Museum Foundry. less...