I owned them, and worked on them as a Master Tech at a Toyota dealer. The pickups prior to the Tacoma were in fact the Hilux.
For marketing purposes they were also referred to just as "Truck", "Pickup Truck", "Compact Truck" etc. The Hilux pickup in the USA, was replaced by the less utilitarian, more highway oriented Tacoma for the 1995.5 model year.
So while YOU didn't recognize the pickups prior to the Tacoma as a Hilux, that's what they were.
The more utilitarian trucks with the Hilux name continue on in the rest of the world to this day.