Texas Agriculture Daily

By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

In a Texas Panhandle workshop, the steady hum of welders and painters fills the air as Jerry Sims turns sheets of metal into handcrafted toys.

He’s known as the Happy Toy Maker, and for nearly three decades, he’s been building children’s toys that bring smiles to farm kids across the country.

Although he may not look like Santa Claus or wear a red suit, Sims certainly shares the jolly man’s spirit of Christmas and giving. His joy comes from knowing his hard work brings happiness to kids and adults alike.

And it all started with his two boys.

“It kind of took off when the boys’ friends came over to play, and their parents started asking for toys, too,” Sims said. “It’s been growing ever since.”

He never imagined where it would lead.

“When I first started making toys for the boys, it was just something I wanted to do to keep them busy and interested in the farm,” Sims said. “But I never dreamed the toys would grow like they have.”

He and his crew now make about 10,000 toys each year.

Over the years, Sims has created about 135 different designs, from pickup trucks, semis, trailers, working chutes and corrals. They are all built to look and function just like the real thing.

Each toy begins as a flat sheet of metal. Using AutoCAD, a computer-aided design program, Sims draws and designs each part to ensure every piece fits together perfectly.

Once the design is complete, a laser cutting machine precisely cuts out the components. Then, each piece is bent, welded and assembled by hand, transforming the flat metal into a working toy ready for paint.

As his business has grown, Sims has continued to refine his process. Always looking for ways to improve efficiency, he custom-built 31 hydraulic presses for his shop to streamline production.

“There’s probably 10 hours worth of work in a single pickup,” he said. “By the time I get the frames made, painted, detailed and the tires put on, it becomes a little pickup with a cake box and round bale on it.”

Every toy is touched more than a hundred times during the building process. That includes cutting and welding to sandblasting, painting and detailing.

“It can be a long process, but it’s the most educational toy you’ll ever find,” Sims said.

That educational value is no accident. His toys are designed to work and last like farm and ranch equipment. Gates swing open. Trailers hook up to pickups, and feedlot setups allow toy cattle to move through chutes. The functionality teaches children how equipment operates on a ranch and sparks curiosity about agriculture.

“My whole goal is to keep kids interested in agriculture,” he said. “The average farmer is over 60 years-old, and some day these kids will be the ones running things. If we keep them interested from the time they’re little, they’ll have a greater understanding of agriculture when they grow up.”

Sims isn’t alone in his shop. His 84-year-old mother still comes in to paint and help assemble toys, while his wife handcrafts and paints the animal figurines.

“She has 62 molds of animals and cowboys in her shop that she pours to make the figurines,” he said. “They’re made to fit in the trailers, and they’re things kids would actually see on a working farm.”

His toys have found homes across the United States, Canada and even Australia.

“You can’t imagine the thank you cards and pictures I get,” he said. “It’s amazing, and kids will come up to me and recognize me as the toy maker.”

Now, a new generation is growing up with the toys that started it all. Sims’ nine-month-old granddaughter already has a few of her own pickups.

“To see something the Lord let me create for my boys, and now to see my granddaughter play with the same toys, it’s a pretty overwhelming feeling,” Sims said.

Even after more than two decades, Sims’ creativity hasn’t slowed. He’s already planning 15 new toys for next year, including road graders, bulldozers and skid steers.

“My head just keeps thinking of new ways to build new things,” he said.

And as Christmas approaches, Sims becomes even more like the man in the red suit. He and his family often gather names of children who might not have much waiting for them under the tree and make a few special deliveries.

“We send out a few things during Christmas, so they at least get something,” he said. “And yes, it feels a lot like being Santa when you’re making those deliveries before sunrise Christmas morning.”

Whether it’s under the Christmas tree or out in the dirt on a summer day, Sims takes pride in knowing his work brings joy to kids and keeps a love for agriculture alive, one toy at a time.