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| Product type | Scale modelcars,racing tracks |
|---|---|
| Owner | Mattel |
| Produced by | Mattel |
| Country | United States |
| Introduced | May 18, 1968; 57 years ago (1968-05-18) |
| Markets | Worldwide |
| Website | hotwheels hotwheelsindo |
Hot Wheels is an Americanmedia franchise and brand ofscale modelcars invented byElliot Handler and introduced by his companyMattel on May 18, 1968.[1] It was the primary competitor ofMatchbox until Mattel bought Matchbox ownerTyco Toys in 1997.
Manyautomobile manufacturers have since licensed Hot Wheels to make scale models of their cars, allowing the use of original designblueprints and detailing. Although Hot Wheels were originally intended to be children's toys, they have become popular with adult collectors, for whomlimited edition models are now made available.
In the late 1960s,Elliot Handler, co-founder ofMattel, developed the concept for Hot Wheels as a toy line that would appeal to boys in the same way theirBarbie had to girls.[2] Handler was inspired to create a new line of toy cars after seeing his son Kenneth play withMatchbox cars. Unlike Matchbox, which focused on small-scale models of real production vehicles, Handler envisioned Hot Wheels as a line of exaggerated, customized "hot rod" cars, featuringbig rear tires,superchargers, flame paint jobs, hood blowers, and outlandish proportions.[citation needed] He began producing the cars with assistance from fellow engineerJack Ryan.[3] The flame logo was designed by artist Rick Irons, who worked at Mattel at the time.[4] Mattel first unveiled 16 Hot Wheels cars in the 1968New York Toy Fair.[5]
The first line of Hot Wheels cars, known asThe Original Sweet 16 were manufactured in 1967. These were the first of the Red Line Series, named for the tires which had a redpin stripe on their sides.[6][failed verification]
There were sixteen castings released, eleven of them designed byHarry Bentley Bradley with assistance from Handler and Ryan.[7][dead link] The first one produced was a dark blue "CustomCamaro".[8] Bradley was from the car industry and had designed the body for the (full-sized)Dodge Deora concept car and theCustom Fleet side, (based on his own customized 1966 El Camino).
The lineup consisted of the following:
In addition to the cars themselves, Mattel produced a racing track set which was sold separately. Though it would be updated throughout the years, the original track set consists of a series of bright orange road sections (pieced together to form an oblong, circular race track), with one (or sometimes two) "superchargers"[citation needed] (faux service stations through which cars passed on the tracks, featuring battery-powered spinning wheels, which would propel the cars along the tracks).[10] Hot Wheels' use of wide, hard-plastic tires created much less friction and tracked more smoothly than the narrow metal or plastic wheels used on contemporary Matchbox cars. Hot Wheels cars were designed to roll easily and at high speeds, which was a great innovation at the time.[11][failed verification]
The Hot Wheels brand was successful,disrupting the industry for smalldie-cast car models from 1968 onward. They forced Matchbox and other competitors to rethink their concepts. Harry Bentley Bradley did not think that would be the case and had quit Mattel to go back to the car industry. When the company asked him to come back, he recommended a good friend, Ira Gilford. Gilford, who had just leftChrysler, quickly accepted the job of designing the next Hot Wheels models. Some of Hot Wheels' greatest cars, such as theTwinMill andSplittin' Image, came from Ira Gilford's drawing board.[7] The Twin Mill was introduced in 1969 and was used to create the company's first full-scale replica car in 2001.[12]
The success of the 1968 line was solidified and consolidated with the 1969 releases, with which Hot Wheels effectively established itself as the hottest brand of small toy car models in the USA.Splittin' Image,Torero,Turbofire, andTwin Mill were part of the "Show & Go" series and are the very first original in-house designs by Hot Wheels.
The initial prototypes of theBeach Bomb were faithful to the shape of a realVW Type 2 "bus", and had twosurfboards sticking out the back window, in a nod to the VW's perceived association with the surfing community and the slang term for a person who spends much time surfing—a "beach bum".[13] During the fledgling Hot Wheels era, Mattel wanted to make sure that each of the cars could be used with any of the playsets and stunt track sets. Unfortunately, testing showed that this early version (now known among collectors as theRear-Loader Beach Bomb, or "RLBB") was too narrow to roll effectively on Hot Wheels track or be powered by the Super Charger, and was too top-heavy to negotiate high-speed corners.
Hot Wheels designers Howard Rees and Larry Wood modified the casting, extending the side fenders to accommodate the track width, as well as providing a new place on the vehicle to store each of the plastic surfboards. The roof was also cut away and replaced by a full-lengthsunroof, to lower thecenter of gravity. Nicknamed theSide-loader by collectors, this was the production version of the Beach Bomb.
TheRear-Loader Beach Bomb is widely considered the "Holy Grail", or ultimate pinnacle, of a serious Hot Wheels collection. An unknown number were made as test subjects and given to employees. A regular productionBeach Bomb may be worth up to $600, depending on condition. Market prices onRLBBs however, have easily reached the five-figure plateau, ranging from $70,000 to $120,000.[14] ThePetersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles had a pinkRLBB in its Hot Wheels exhibit, displayed alone on a rotating platform under glass. The Hot Wheels Collectors Club released a new, updated version of theRear Loading Beach Bomb in 2002 as alimited edition.
1970 was a successful year for Hot Wheels, so Mattel came up with a newadvertising slogan for the cars: "Go With the Winner".[15] 43 new cars appeared that year, including theSizzlers andHeavyweights lines. Howard Rees, who worked with Ira Gilford, was tired of designing cars. He wanted to work on theMajor Matt Masonaction figure toy line-up. Rees had a good friend by the name of Larry Wood, whom he worked with atFord designing cars. When Wood found out about Hot Wheels at a party Rees was holding, Rees offered him the job of designing Hot Wheels models. Wood accepted, and, by the end of the week, Wood was working at Mattel, where his first design was theTri-Baby. Larry Wood retired in 2019 after over 40 years of designing cars.
Another designer, Paul Tam, joined Wood and Gilford. Tam's first design was theWhip Creamer.[16] Tam continued to work for Mattel until 1973. Among the many fantastic designs Tam thought up for Hot Wheels, some of the collector's favorites includeEvil Weevil (aVolkswagen Beetle with two engines),Open Fire (anAMC Gremlin with six wheels),Six Shooter (another six-wheeled car), and the rareDouble Header (co-designed with Larry Wood).
The year 1970 introduced "the Snake andthe Mongoose", a manufactured 'rivalry' between two professionaldrag racers calling themselves "the Snake" and "theMongoose" for the purposes of publicity. This was notably drag racing's first major non-automotivecorporate sponsor, and the beginning of theNHRA's booming popularity with large-budget teams and championships. 1970 also introduced the first 'Silver Series', which contained three silver-painted models: theBoss Hoss, theHeavyChevy, and theKing 'Kuda, which were only obtainable through a mail-in offer that included a membership to the Hot Wheels Club. These three cars featured "supercharged" engines (featuring largeRoots blowers) without hoods, and openexhaust headers, after the style of drag racing cars of the era. Popular among children, these 'Silver Cars' were considered faster than the rest of the Hot Wheels lineup, because they were supposedly heavier than the other gravity models, but the accuracy of this claim has never been tested under scientific conditions.
However, 1972 and 1973 were slow years. Only seven new models were made in 1972. Of the 24 models appearing for 1973, only three were new models. Also the cars changed from Mattel's in-houseSpectraflame colors to mostly drab, solidenamel colors, which mainstream Hot Wheels cars still use today. Due to low sales, and the fact that the majority of thecastings were not re-used in later years, the 1972-3 models are known to be very collectible.
In 1974, Hot Wheels introduced its 'FlyingColors' line, and added flashy decals and"tampo-printed" paint designs which helped revitalize sales. As with the lower-friction wheels in 1968, this innovation was revolutionary in the industry, and—although far less effective in terms of sales impact than in 1968—was copied by the competition, who did not want to be outmaneuvered again by Mattel product strategists.
In 1977, the 'Redline Wheel' was phased out, with the red lines no longer being printed on the wheels. This cut costs, but also reflected that the prototypical "red line tires" popular on high-speed-rated automotive tires during the era ofmuscle cars andPolyglas tires were no longer popular. During this period, there was a trend away from wildhot rods and fantastic cars, and a move to more realistic cars and trucks, like the competitor Matchbox.
In 1981,Hot Ones wheels were introduced, which had gold-painted hubs, and claimed to have thinner axles for greater speed, along with additional suspension compliance that older production Hot Wheels lacked.[17]Ultra Hot Wheels were introduced in 1984, and looked something like the cast alloy wheels found on a 1980s-era high-trimRenault Fuego or aMazda 626, with three parallel dark lines cutting diagonally across the flat chrome face of the wheel, all three broken in the center to form six individual shorter lines. These new "Ultra Hots" claimed further speed improvements. Hot Wheels started offering models based on 1980s-erasports andeconomy cars, like thePontiac Fiero orDodge Omni 024, in addition to their typical 'hot rod' andmuscle car style offerings. In 1983, a new style of wheel calledReal Riders was introduced, which featured real rubber tires.[18] Despite the fact that they were very popular, the Real Riders line was short-lived, because of high production costs. In the late 1980s, the so-calledBlue Cardblister pack color scheme was introduced, which would become the basis of Hot Wheels colors still used today (original blister packs were red and yellow).Two other innovations were introduced briefly in Hot Wheels cars in the 1980s –Thermal Color Change paint, and rotating 'crash panel' vehicles ("Crack-Ups"). The former was able to change color on exposure to hot or cold water, and there was an initial release of 20 different cars, available as sets of three vehicles. The latter were vehicles with a panel that, on contact, would rotate to reveal a reverse side that appeared to be heavily dented. Variations in crash panels included front, rear and side panels, the last of whose mechanism has proven to be the most durable.
In the 1980s, Hot Wheels had gotten into a controversy withGeneral Motors'Chevrolet Motors Division. In 1982, theChevrolet Corvette had ended the curvaceous "Mako Shark" body style that had been in production for almost 15 years, and GM announced that the Corvette would be redesigned. In 1983, Chevrolet started to produce the all-newC4 Corvette but had assembly line problems which pushed production back 6 months causing GM's Marketing Department to label all 1983s as 1984s once they got production perfected so it would seem to the public that the all-new C4 Corvette came out early rather than late. But Hot Wheels saw what the new model of Corvette was going to look like before GM's official unveiling, and they designed a die-cast version of the 1984 Corvette. GM was angered and almost pulled its licensing with Mattel, but this controversy helped Corvette enthusiasts see what the new Corvette was going to look like. The 1984 Corvette production ran for 1.5 model years covering half of the remaining 1983 model year and ending on time for the 1985 model year.
In conjunction withEpyx Software, Mattel released acomputer game edition of Hot Wheels for various8-bitplatforms in 1985, as part of the Computer Activity Toys series.[19]
In 1989, Mattel released collector numbers. Each car had its own number.[20] The cards were all blue, for all blister packs released from 1989 to 1994. Numbers included went as high as 274; however, these were skip numbered, and numbers such as 48, 61, and 173 were not used.[attribution needed]
The year 1995 brought a major change to the Hot Wheels line, where the cars were split up into series. One was the 1995 Model Series, which included all of that year's new castings. In 1996, the Model Series was renamed to First Editions. 1995 also saw the introduction of theTreasure Hunt Series (see below). The rest of the series included four cars with paint schemes that followed a theme. For example, thePearl Driver cars all hadpearlescent paint. Sales for the series models soared with another program also introduced that year called theBonusCar program, causing stores across the nation to have shortages. Purchasing the four car sets and sending in the packaging backs plus a handling fee gave you the opportunity to collect the bonus cars, 1 each released for each quarter of the year starting in 1996 through at least 2000. Several new wheel designs were also introduced in the 1990s.
Mattel bought Tyco Toys in 1997. Along with the purchase came the company's old competitor Matchbox. Arguably the two dominant companies in matchbox-sized cars were now under one roof.
In 1998, Mattel celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Hot Wheels brand by replicating various cars and individual packaging from its 30-year history and packaging these replicated vehicles in special 30th Anniversary boxes. In 1999, Hot Wheels Interactive was launched.[citation needed]
A new generation of Hot Wheels Designers came in. Eric Tscherne and Fraser Campbell along with former designer Paul Tam's son, Alec Tam, joined the design team. Tscherne'sSeared Tuner (formerlySho-Stopper) graced the mainline packaging from 2000 to 2003. TheDeora II, one of only two Hot Wheels concept cars ever made into full-size, functional cars, was also released this year.
In 2001, Mattel created a Hot Wheels collectors website.[12]
Also in 2001, Mattel issued 240 mainline releases consisting of 12Treasure Hunts, 36First Editions, 12Segment Series with four cars each, and 144 open stock cars. Popular models that debuted include the HyperMite and FrightBike.
For 2002, the mainline consisted of 12Treasure Hunts, 42First Editions, 15Segment Series of 4 cars each, and 126 open stock cars. Popular new models included the `68Cougar and theNissan Skyline GT-R. Some cars from the first editions series are theBackdraft,Overbored454, andSuper Tsunami.
In 2003, Hot Wheels celebrated its 35th anniversary with a full-length animated film calledHot Wheels Highway 35 World Race. This movie tied into theHighway 35 line of cars that featured 35 classic Hot Wheels cars with special graphics and co-molded wheels.[21]
In 2004, Hot Wheels unveiled its "Hot 100" line of 100 new models. These included mostly short-lived lines of cartoonish vehicles such asTooned (vehicles based on the largerHotTunerz line of Hot Wheels created by Eric Tscherne[citation needed]),Blings (boxy bodies and big wheels),Hardnoze (enlarged fronts),Crooze (stretched out bodies), andFatbax (super-wide rear wheels and short bodies).Fatbax models included vehicles such as theToyota Supra andCorvette C6. These vehicles did not sell as well as Mattel expected, and many could still be found in stores throughout 2005. Mattel also released 2004First Editions cars with unpaintedZamac bodies. They were sold throughToys 'R' Us and were made in limited numbers.
In 2005, Hot Wheels continued with new "extreme" castings for the 2nd year, debuting theTorpedoes line (skinny bodies and outboard wheels) andDrop Tops (flattened rooflines and wheel arches that extend above the car's roofline), in addition to 20 "Realistix" models. The rest of the line included the standard 12Treasure Hunts, 10Track Aces, 50Segment SeriesCars, and 50Open Stock Models. FourVolkswagen "MysteryCars" were offered as a special mail-in promo. EachMysteryCar came with a special voucher. Upon collection of all 4 vouchers, one was able to send away for a special 13thTreasureHunt, aVW Drag Bus.
Hot Wheels also unveiled its new "Faster than Ever" line of cars, which had specialnickel-platedaxles, along with bronze-coloredOpen-Hole 5 Spoke wheels. These adjustments supposedly reducedfriction dramatically. The first run of these cars were available for a limited time only, from the beginning of October towards the end of November 2005.
Also, a continuation of the movieHighway 35 calledHot Wheels AcceleRacers was created, taking place two years after the events ofHighway 35. It is featured in four movies and many short segments where the drivers (old ones, gangs, like Teku, Metal Maniacs, the evil Racing Drones, and the stealthy Silencerz). All of the shorts and previews of the movies were placed on a temporary website that was deleted shortly after the last movie.[citation needed]
2006 was the final year of the First Editions series consisting of 38 cars for that year including aToyota AE86, 2006Honda Civic Si,Plymouth Superbird and 2007Cadillac Escalade along with fantasy models like theNerve Hammer,Pharodox,Semi-Psycho as well as the fan-favouriteBone Shaker, Larry Wood's most popular design to date.
In 2007, Mattel released 36New Models (formerlyFirst Editions), 12Treasure Hunts (with a hard-to-find regular version and even rarer "Super Treasure Hunt" version of each with rubberReal Rider tires and Spectraflame paint),[22] 12 'Teams' of 4 cars each (formerlySegment Series), 24CodeCars (codes imprinted inside the packaging that can be used to unlock web content), 12Track Stars (formerlyTrack Aces), 24Mystery Cars (packaged on a card with an opaque blister, so the buyer cannot see which car is inside without opening it), and 24All-Stars (formerlyOpen Stock). In late 2006, a new package design for 2007 was released. Some 2006 cars and all 2007 cars are packaged on a blister card with the new design. Hot Wheels released a series calledModifighters, which are similar toTransformers except for the fact that they were originally cars and were modified into robots. TheModifighters names are: Streetwyse, Skullface, Live Wire, Bedlam, Nightlife, Mr. Big, and Quick-Tyme.
In 2008, all the series and vehicles were relatively similar to 2007's cars. Approximately 180 to 200 new vehicles were released.
In 2009, Mattel released 42New Models, 12Treasure Hunts, 12Track Stars, 24Mystery Cars, 10Segment Series of 10 cars, and introduced theIndy Car Series drivers.
Mattel released its first-ever animated episodictelevision series calledHot Wheels Battle Force 5, which was a co-production between Canadian animation studios,Nelvana andNerd Corps Entertainment. (nowWildBrain.) The series debuted in the United States onCartoon Network on August 29, 2009.[citation needed].
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2011 saw the release of 244 cars beginning with the 2011 New Car Series which includes theLamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera, Custom2011 Camaro, and theDeLorean time machine from theBack to the Future series. This was followed by the 15-carTreasure Hunt series with1957 Chevy and1958 Chevy Impala, 15Track Stars including the 2010Formula Street series, the10x10 series, theThrill Racers series, and 22HW Video Game Heroes which were packaged with codes for an internet computer game. The new series "Team Hot Wheels" appeared in late 2011.
2012 saw the release of 247 cars, beginning with the 2012New Car Series which includes theLamborghini Aventador,Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca,KITT fromKnight Rider, and the ever-popularScooby-DooMystery Machine. 2012 also saw the release of two vehicles from theAngry Birds video game franchise, consisting of the Red Bird and the green Minion Pig.
2013 saw the release of 250 cars includingStunt,Racing,Imagination,City, andShowroom, all of which contain sub-series. 2013 also saw a change in the look of the packaging cards which includes a quartet of helmetedmotorcycle riders standing behind the flame logo and theTreasure Hunt series cards no longer marked with atreasure chest. Some of those cars includeRodzilla,Fangula,Twin Mill III (3),BoneShaker andBajaBoneShaker.
General Motors also released a specialChevrolet Camaro Hot Wheels Edition, which was a blueconvertible that offered various Hot-Wheels-themed decorations throughout the car.
2014 saw 250 mainstream cars released with similar segments to 2013. Variousplaysets and other non-car merchandise were also released this year. 2014 also marked the end of the license agreement between Mattel andFerrari (the licensing was eventually renewed in 2025), meaning the 2014 release ofFerrari 5 Pack would be the last for Mattel, and the 2015 blackFerrari 599XX was the last Ferrari model appearing in mainstream, both regular model and its Treasure Hunt variant.
2016 lineup was similar to 2015 and 2014 in terms of segments, and the design of the card was overhauled. Some car names were TBD (To Be Determined) or 2016 (Coming Soon). They're now divided into mini collections with their corresponding segments and their icons printed on the card. Some of them includeHW Showroom,BMW (100th anniversary of BMW),HW Screen Time (Cars and characters seen on television, video games, and movies), andHWSnowStormers. New models include theCruiseBruiser,SideRipper,GrassChomper, and the'16 Acura NSX, while other models first see their release in the mainline series, such as the'52Hudson Hornet
2017 saw a major change in casting numbering. Since that moment, recolors are named with a different number than the original, thus causing the number limit of cars to expand to 365. The idea of numbering a casting with a number corresponding to their own series was also aborted. There were also some new mainline series introduced, such asExperimotors (cars with moving parts, or a secondary purpose),Holiday Racers (cars that have a holiday based theme),Factory Fresh (a series including newer, sometimes older castings with fabric painting) andCamaro Fifty (a series dedicated to theChevrolet Camaro, and its 50th anniversary).
In 2018, Hot Wheels celebrated its 50th anniversary. The style of the blister cards were changed again, depicting a city in the background of the car, thus emulating a "Hot Wheels City" theme. For that year, each blister card had a 50th Anniversary logo. Hot Wheels also launched several collector-focused lines for that year, includingFavorites, which was a series that consisted of 11 highly detailed vehicles (which were based on real cars), all with metal bodies and rubber tires. For this year, Hot Wheels also launched adisplay case, which could hold up to 48 cars, and could either stand up on its own (via attachable "feet") or be mounted on a wall. Each display case came with an exclusive car.
On October 4, 2018, Mattel filed a new trademark for the mottoit's not the same without the flame. In 2019, a seal was added in the bottom left corner of the blister card with the motto.[23]
On February 18, 2021, the Hot Wheels Mars Perseverance Rover was released; a die-cast scale model latest vehicle in its Space mini-collections inspired by theNASA-launchedPerseverance rover.[24]
Hot Wheels designer Ryu Asada died on March 23, 2021, at age 42, after years of suffering from cancer.[25] That same year, Hot Wheels began a partnership withMilestone S.r.l. to release their first game,Hot Wheels Unleashed, in which came out on September 30, 2021.
On 7 March 2023,NBC ordered a reality competition series known asHot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge withRutledge Wood as host.[26] It which premiered on 30 May 2023.[27]
Netflix announced a new animated series adaptation,Hot Wheels Let's Race, on 28 September 2023,[28] which premiered on 4 March 2024.[29]
On 9 October 2024,Formula One announced a new multi-year partnership with Hot Wheels. The partnership began in 2024 with the release of a Hot Wheels F1 car, before the full range of F1 products are later released in 2025.[30]
Starting in 2018, Hot Wheels launched a new program called theHot Wheels Legends Tour. This program was originally launched to commemorate Hot Wheels's 50th anniversary. Each year, there are 18 Legends Tour events that are held at variousWalmart locations across the United States. Over 111,000 people attend and about 5,000 cars are entered at those events. At each event, one car is picked to be recreated as a potential new Hot Wheels casting. After all the events for that year conclude, one finalist is then picked to be the winner, and their car then gets recreated as a new Hot Wheels casting next year. Hot Wheels are looking for vehicles that embody the fun and creative spirit of Hot Wheels, which is their main selling point.[31]
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Through the years, Hot Wheels cars have been collected mostly by children. However, since the late 1990s, there has been an increase in the number of adult collectors. Mattel estimates that 41 million children grew up playing with the toys, the average collector has over 1,550 cars, and children between the ages of 5 and 15 have an average of 41 cars. Most believe the collecting craze started with theTreasureHunts in 1995. Mike Strauss has been called the father of Hot Wheels collecting; he has organized two collectors' events each year in some form since 1986. The first event was the Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Convention, normally held each year in the fall. The convention occurred in various locations around the country until 2001, when the first Annual Hot Wheels Collectors Nationals was put together. Since then, the Conventions are held each year in southern California. The Hot Wheels Collectors Nationals rotate among cities outside of California during the spring. Strauss has also published the quarterly Hot Wheels Newsletter since 1986 and was one of the first to unite collectors all over the world. He also writesTomart's Price Guide To Hot Wheels, a book listing history, car descriptions and values, which is used by almost every collector to learn more about the hobby and their collection. Strauss sold his collection in 2011 and retired from the Hot Wheels Newsletter.
There are hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of web pages dedicated to Hot Wheels collecting. Collectors are seeking everything related to Hot Wheels, from only new castings to only Red Lines and everything in between. For the most part, it is a relatively inexpensive hobby, when compared withcoin collecting,stamp collecting orBarbie collecting, with mainline cars costing about $0.97-$1.08 (USD) at retail. The price has not changed much in almost 40 years, although in real terms the models have dropped significantly in price (a Hot Wheels car cost $0.98 in 1968 and costs $0.98 today, in spite of inflation). After the cars are no longer available at retail the cost can vary significantly. A common car may sell for less than retail, while some of the more difficult cars can sell for many hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The highest price paid for a Hot Wheels car was close to $70,000 in 2000 for a pre-production version of aVolkswagen Rear Loader Beach Bomb (the asking price was $72,000). The Beach Bomb is a VW microbus with a pair of surfboards poking out the rear window. This design failed initial testing, proving to be top-heavy and not functional with the Power Booster track accessory. A widened version with the surfboards mounted in side slots was designed and released for the 1969 model year, making the "rear loader" version a rarity and very sought-after piece. As of 2018, there are about 50 "rear loaders" known to exist.[37]
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The date on the base of a Hot Wheels car (Example: ©2008 Mattel) is the copyright date for the casting of the car, not a production date or release year. The date is usually the year before the car was first released, but not always. For example, a car in the 2001 First Editions series called Evil Twin, was released in 2001 but the year dated on the bottom of the car is 2000. Sometimes, the copyright will be the same year as the casting's first release. This usually happens with cars released toward the end of a model year. There are a few cases where the copyright is several years before a car's first release. The copyright date will usually not change through the lifetime of a casting. For example, the Twin Mill, first released in 1969, still had a 1969 copyright date on the 2019 mainline releases of the car. If the tooling for a car has a major change at some point in its life, the copyright date might be changed or amended to reflect the change. For example, Quick Bite, first released in 1984 as the Good Humor Truck, had a tooling update before 2018, so its date reads 1983, '17 on the base of the 2018 release.
There are a few exceptions where the copyright date applies only to the base of a car instead of to the entire car. Those exceptions are mostly funny car castings where the same base was used with various different bodies over the years.
Since 2008, Hot Wheels cars have had a code stamped or printed on the base. This is a "base code". This base code can be used to identify exactly when an individual car was produced in the Hot Wheels factory. The code begins with a letter, followed by a two-digit number. The letter for the year 2008 was "A". The letter is then followed by two numbers, which represent the week of that particular year the car was manufactured. For example, a car with the date stamp of "A52" was produced on the fifty-second week of 2008.
Some cars have 4-digit date codes on the base. These date codes are more specific than the 3-digit codes as they indicate the day a car was made instead of just the week. For the 4-digit codes, the first 3 digits indicate the day of the year and the last digit is the year. A date code of 1987 would indicate the car was made on the 198th day of 2017 (July 17). A code of 0250 would be the 25th day of 2010 (or 2020; depending on the car).
Date codes only indicate when a specific car was made. They do not necessarily reflect the model release year of a particular car. Mainline production changes to the next model year right around the middle of the calendar year at the end of June/beginning of July. Premiums and other special series lines often run later in the calendar year before changing production to the next year.
TheHotWheelsClassics line was an immediate hit with enthusiasts everywhere. The new line focused onmuscle cars,hot rods, and other offbeat vehicles (such as a go-kart, a motor home and even an airplane), many from the company's first ten years (1968–78) of production. The series is also used to debut several different castings, such as the1965 Chevy Malibu or the1972 Ford Ranchero.
Series 1 from 2005 consisted of 25 models, each with all-metal body and chassis, decked out with Spectraflame paint, in packages similar to those used from 1968 to 1972. Each car had a retail price of about three to four dollars (USD) and each of the 25 cars were released with 7 or 8 different colors. Models included the1957 Chevy Bel Air (pictured at the right), the1963 Ford T-Bird, and the1965 Pontiac GTO.
There were also track sets in similar retro packaging, and1:18 scaleHot Wheels Classics. The Classics version of thePurplePassion was released withReal Riders tires atSan Diego Comic-Con. Mattel also produced aClassicsOlds 442 in Spectraflame blue for the 2005 Toy Fair.
In late 2005, Series 2 now consisted of 30 models including the1967 Camaro Convertible, the1969 Dodge Charger, and a1965 Mustang GT. There was also supposed to be a separateMustang Funny Car (as listed on the blisterpack rear checklist) but this was apparently changed to aPlymouth Barracuda Funny Car during production.
In 2006, a Series 3 line of Classics was introduced, again containing 30 models with multiple colors of each vehicle. Models included the'69 Pontiac Firebird, aMeyers Manxdune buggy, and theRichard Petty'70 Plymouth "Superbird".
In 2007, Series 4 debuted with just fifteen models. However, in recognition of the 40th anniversary there were two packaging versions available - models came with a collectible metal badge (featuring a portrait of the involved vehicle) or were sold alone as in the previous three series. Models included aVW Karmann Ghia, a'68 Mercury Cougar, and the"Red Baron" hot rod. For its 40th anniversary in 2008, Hot Wheels celebrated the making of its four billionth car with the production of a diamond-studded model worth US$140,000. It had 2,700 diamond chips, a total of almost 23karats, and was cast inwhite gold, withrubies serving as taillights.[38]
In 2009, Series 5 has 30 models. For the first time, there are chase cars in the classics series. These cars featureRealRiders rubber tires. A few models included areCopper Stopper,1970 Pontiac GTO, andHammerSled.
Hot Wheels has also released slightly larger, more detailed models, such as the originalGranToros (1/43 scale) from 1970, and theDropstars line (a model line of "blinged" cars). Also in this larger scale are theHIN (Hot Import Nights),G-Machines andCustoms lines. These lines were introduced in 2004–2005.
Hot Wheels has produced many replicascale models in the industry standard 1/43, 1/24 and 1/18 scales. In 2004, it released a 1/12 scale replica of theC6 Corvette.
Hot Wheels also in the early 1990s introduced a series known as the California Customs. A line of cars that had a California theme.
Other lines from Hot Wheels include:R-R-Rumblers & Chopcycles (motorcycles introduced in 1971),Hotbirds (metal airplanes),Sizzlers,XV Racers,Hot Tunerz andStockerz.
Over the years, Mattel has also teamed up with other retail organizations to produce special models available through those retailers. The list of retailers includesAvon,Chuck E. Cheese, Dinty Moore,FAO Schwarz, Full Grid,General Mills,Getty, HEB, Hills,Hormel, Hughes Family Markets,JC Penney,JC Whitney,Kay-Bee Toys,K-Mart,Kellogg's,Kool-Aid,Kroger,Lexmark, Liberty Promotions (contracted the series of special models forJiffy Lube andPenske),Little Debbie Snacks,Malt-O-Meal,McDonald's,Mervyn's,Otter Pops,Rose's Discount Stores,Shell,Target,Tony's Pizza,Toys "R" Us,Union 76,Valvoline,Van de Kamp's,Walmart, and White's Guide to Collecting, as well as severalMajor League Baseball franchises to name a few.
In 2016, Hot Wheels released a special collection for the 50th anniversary of theBeatles' 1966 song "Yellow Submarine." The collections includes five cars, aVW microbus and a yellow submarine.[39]
In some cases, Hot Wheels dies have been sold or acquired by other companies once Mattel has finished using them. One example were early dies that made their way to Argentina and were reproduced asMukys, though not with spectra-flame paints or the same quality as seen in Mattel's products.
Hot Wheels have a series namedHot Wheels Elite andHot Wheels Mattel. TheElite Hot Wheels are 1:18, 1:43 and 1:50 highly detaileddiecast; the majority of them being based onFerraris. They are more expensive than theMattel models which aren't as highly detailed. TheElite versions are licensed byFerrari. The Hot WheelsElite series have a "mini" series which can be seen on the website. Two of the popular limited 1:18 Hot WheelsElite series' are theFerrari in Music andCult Classics. The music series features singers' and rappers' Ferraris, includingJamiroquai'sJay Kay's BlackEnzo Ferrari.
In 2016, Hot Wheels started a new line of Collector's models, in a line calledCar Culture. Car Culture is Hot Wheels' line of Premium 1:64 models with metal bodies and bases, two-piece wheels with rubber tires, and more detailed decorations. Intended for adult collectors primarily, these models retail for roughly 6-7 times the cost of a mainstream 1:64 Hot Wheels model. These cars retail for over three times the retail price of a "basic" car, and are produced in significantly fewer numbers.
This line debuted with the release of "Japan Historics", a set of five Japanesesports cars. Every year at least four more sets are introduced. AllCar Culture sets have five cars, and often have new castings created for the sets. The number five spot in the set is usually reserved for the newest casting in the set.Car Culture cars are typically based on real automobiles; however in 2018, Hot Wheels introduced a set called "TeamTransport", which included some fantasy truck castings. The fact that some of the trucks are unlicensed allows the castings to be universally used in anyTeam Transport set regardless of theme (for example, a Chevrolet-branded truck would not make sense in a Ford-themed set). Although "TeamTransport" is labeled under theCar Culture line, they are a separate category ofCar Culture vehicles than the usual 5-car sets, possessing differentbarcodes and prices.
In 2018, for Hot Wheels' 50th Anniversary, Car Culture card sizes were increased, along with the amount of decorations on the cars. A Hot Wheels "50th anniversary" logo was also placed beside the set's name on the packaging.
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TreasureHunt (sometimes calledT-Hunt) is a line of Hot Wheels cars, introduced byMattel in 1995. It consisted of 12 cars every year (15 beginning in 2011). The original production run was 10,000 of each car worldwide; that number has since risen due to the increasing demand for Hot Wheels as a collector's item.
Treasure Hunt vehicles are identifiable by a circle flame logo placed somewhere on the vehicle and on the card right behind the car.
Treasure Hunt vehicles used to be identifiable by a label on the package. The blister card said "TreasureHunt" or "T-Hunt" on a green bar, sometimes with an illustration of atreasure chest. Since 2013,TreasureHunts do not have the green stripe anymore; instead, the cars are recognizable with a "flame in a circle logo" on the vehicle and behind it on the card. The cars were decorated with flashy designs and special "rubber" wheels before 2007.In 2007, Mattel introduced a two-tieredTreasure Hunt system. A regularTreasure Hunt will feature normal enamel paint and normal wheels like other Hot Wheels cars. The production of these is rumored to be greater than previous T-Hunts.Super Treasure Hunts are much harder to find. LikeTreasureHunts of the past, aSuper Treasure Hunt features premium wheels and Spectraflame paint, as well as (starting in 2015), a golden-colored circle-flame logo printed on the card behind the car. Many Hot Wheels collectors have noticed in recent times that the US Basic mixes are more likely to have aSuper Treasure Hunt in them compared to International Mixes.Before 2013, all 12Treasure Hunt cars of a year were released in both regular and super versions. In 2012,Super Treasure Hunts came with special paint and wheels, but with series designation on the card. However, the regularT-hunts retained a specialT-Hunt series card. Mattel stopped using special cards for allTreasureHunts in 2013. Some U.S. releases in 2014 had the phrase "This symbol on the vehicle lets you know it is hard to find and highly collectible". However, in 2016, this was changed to "Congratulations! This symbol means you just found a collectible treasure-hunt car!". This would be under a silver flame logo on the card forT-Hunts. In 2015, Supers featured a gold logo on the card. Generally, Hot Wheels has targeted both kids and adults with theT-Hunt series, focusing more on the adult collecting market with Supers.
On January 30, 2003,Columbia Pictures announced they had gained exclusive rights to developing a feature film based on the toy lineHot Wheels withMcG attached to direct.[40] Although unwritten, the premise involved a young man "trying to reconcile with his father. It's a kid who steals his dad's racecar and ends up going through a sort ofBack to the Future portal into this world, and he has to reconcile his relationship with his father." In 2006, McG said that he dropped out as director and chose to produce instead.[41] The film was to be produced byColumbia Pictures,Flying Glass of Milk Films andSilver Pictures, under license toMattel.
In 2009, with no recent developments, the film was put intoturnaround, and the rights were handed over toWarner Bros. Pictures.Joel Silver took over producing withMatt Nix writing the script.[42]
On June 17, 2011, it was announced thatLegendary Pictures was developing a film based on Hot Wheels due to the success ofFast Five by developing an edgier film.[43] On July 10, 2013,Simon Crane andJuan Carlos Fresnadillo were named as the frontrunners to direct the film, withArt Marcum and Matt Holloway writing the film, intended to be moreMission: Impossible thanFast and Furious.[44] On September 28, 2016,Justin Lin signed on to direct the film, which will be produced through his production company Perfect Storm Entertainment.[45][46] On August 1, 2017, Lin revealed that the film was still in development.[47] It was speculated that the film would be released as an animated direct sequel to 2003'sHot Wheels: World Race and receive additional animation development fromPlayground Games who had previously collaborated with Mattel to release an expansion for the video gameForza Horizon 3.[48] However the option expired and returned to Mattel.[49]
In late January 2019,Mattel Films andWarner Bros. Pictures agreed to partner on a Hot Wheels film.[49]It was announced on September 25, 2020, byThe Hollywood Reporter that Warner Bros. has hired Neil Widener and Gavin James to write the film.[50]
On April 25, 2022, it was announced thatBad Robot will produce the film.[51][52] On January 23, 2023, Dalton Leeb and Nicholas Jacobson-Larson were announced to write the film.[53] On July 7, 2025,Jon M. Chu was attached to direct.Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier were also hired to work on the script.[54]
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TheSizzlers were a 1970s Hot Wheels spin off with a built-in motor and a tiny rechargeable battery. (TheX-V racers of the 1990s were similar.) They were introduced in 1970 and became immediately popular.Sizzlers run on the regular "orange" Hot Wheels track, and Mattel created special race sets with U-Turns, multi-level spirals and loops to take advantage of the cars' electric motor. Two lane race sets such as the California/8 race set were developed that allowedSizzlers to race side-by side, until Mattel created the blackFat Track which is three lanes wide with steep banked curves and designed to allowSizzlers to run free. In action, Sizzlers supposedly display a unique, competitive "passing action" when running on theFat Track, as if each car were piloted by an impatient driver trying to jockey ahead of the rest. TheFat Track sets included the "Big O", "California 500", and "Super Circuit" race sets, and accessories such as the "Scramble Start" (a four-car starting gate), "Lap Computer" four car lap counter, and "Race-Timer" stop watch.
Six cars were made in 1970, 12 cars were made in 1971, and 4 cars were made in 1972. The"Fat Daddy" Sizzlers (oversized bodies with huge tires) were introduced in 1973. Mattel put the Sizzlers on a hiatus after that year, and in 1976 they createdSizzlers II. That next year, theNight Ridin' Sizzlers (which had headlights you could turn on or off) were created. Mattel permanently stoppedSizzlers production in 1978. They were replaced by another spin off namedScorchers. TheScorchers were"pull back" cars which wound a clock spring when pulled backwards a short distance, which then propelled them forward for several feet.
Sizzlers are charged with four or twoD battery chargers called theJuice Machine andGoose Pump respectively. Later, thePower Pit was introduced—which was an electric charger that plugged into any householdAC outlet and resembled a race track garage orpit stop. A 90-second charge of the tiny internalNiCad battery gives up to five minutes of useful run time. It was claimed by advertisers that the 90-second charge time was "the longest minute and a half in a kid's life" as they waited impatiently for the car to charge sufficiently to get back into the race.
TheSizzler electric technology spun off into theHotline Trains, which ran on track similar to regular Hot Wheels, and theEarthshakersconstruction vehicles. Both lines of vehicles were charged using theSizzler Juice Machine orPower Pit.
In the 1990s, Mattel's trademark on the "Sizzlers" name had lapsed and toy companyPlaying Mantis released a new Sizzlers line based aroundNASCARstock car models and copied theFat Track as the "Stocker 400" and "Mach 500" track sets to capitalize on the booming popularity of NASCAR in that decade. TheJuice Machine was renamed the "Mega-Charger" and incorporated a more efficient "trickle charge" rather than the "dump charge" of the original machines. Interest in the toys began to increase once again. They were taken off the market after Mattel filed a lawsuit against Playing Mantis. However,Sizzlers returned again in 2006, when Mattel struck an exclusive deal withTarget stores to re-releaseSizzlers cars, the "Big O" Fat track, Juice Machine and car carrying case—all in the original packaging from the 1970s. As of January 2009, the Sizzlers line has been discontinued by Target.
In 2011,Sizzlers were re-released asCars 2 characters, and were sold at Target stores. This line was calledCharge Ups and released under the Mattelbrand name but not as part of the Hot Wheels line.
Hot Wheels appeared in the 2016Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.[citation needed]
Starting in 1970, professional drag racersDon Prudhomme ("The Snake") andTom McEwen ("The Mongoose") were sponsored by Hot Wheels, and later on, Hot Wheels created theSnake and Mongoose Drag Set in 1970. Later somewhere in 1972, the second versions of both driver's self-titledfunny cars were released, when McEwen had theMongoose 2, and Prudhomme had theSnake 2. The drag set remained the same. Then, Hot Wheels maderail-type dragster versions of them, based on the actual funny cars and was featured in theWild Wheelie Set. Later in Hot Wheels' lifespan, the normal drag set with Snake and Mongoose were still being produced. The latest set with the Snake and Mongoose is in theDrag-Strip Demons lineup.
In 1970, Hot Wheels sponsoredTrans-Am Series driverDan Gurney and hisAll American Racers car.[55] In 1992, Hot Wheels sponsored the Trans-Am car ofJack Baldwin as he went on to win that year's championship. Hot Wheels signed a sponsorship deal in 1997 withNASCAR driverKyle Petty and the No. 44PE2 Motorsports car[56] and thus began making replicas of NASCAR stock cars. Three years later, Hot Wheels joined theCraftsman Truck Series team ofCarlos Contreras and the No. 12 truck.[57] In 2004, Hot Wheels sponsored the No. 99 car ofJeff Burton for one race atDarlington Raceway.[58] Six years later, the company returned to NASCAR to sponsor the No. 7JR Motorsports car ofDanica Patrick atMichigan International Speedway.[56] Hot Wheels made another one-off sponsorship in 2021 for NASCAR driverJade Buford's No. 48Big Machine Racing Team car atDarlington Raceway; Buford's paint scheme for the race was modeled after Gurney's Trans-Am car.[55]
In 1999, Hot Wheels partnered with fiveFormula One teams to manufacture scale model Formula One cars.[59] In 2016, Hot Wheels opened theRace to Win exhibit atThe Children's Museum of Indianapolis to promote the100th Indianapolis 500.[60]
From 1999 to 2018, Hot Wheels had aMonster Jam license to release monster truck diecasts and field a Hot Wheels-themed truck in the real-life shows. The partnership ended in 2019 afterFeld Entertainment signed a new ten year toy licensing deal withSpin Master for Monster Jam,[61] diecast production stopped and the Hot Wheels team retired. Soon after, Hot Wheels created the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks line and the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live show with the non-Monster Jam owned version of theBigfoot truck as a competitor. Monster Jam claimed this as a plagiarism, causing controversy.[62]
At the2002 24 Hours of Le Mans, Hot Wheels logos appeared on the sidepods of the pair of MG-Lola EX257 prototypes entered by MG Sport & Racing.
Hot Wheels is a partner and sponsor of the Australian stunt riderMatt Mingay's Stuntz Inc team,[63] and also sponsors him in theStadium Super Trucks.[64] After Mingay suffered serious facial injuries at theDetroit Belle Isle Grand Prix in 2016,[65]Robby Gordon drove the No. 2 Hot Wheels truck at theTownsville Street Circuit.[66] Hot Wheels andCastrol returned to support Mingay when he made his racing return in 2020.[67]
Various video games based on Hot Wheels have been released for numerous consoles, PCs and mobile devices:
A coin-operated pinball machine based on Hot Wheels cars and the Hot Wheels CityYouTube series was released by American Pinball in June 2020.
He enlisted former aerospace engineer Jack Ryan and car designer Harry Bentley Bradley.
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