| Hot Wheels is a brand of die cast toy car, | | | | four or two D cell chargers (called Juice |
| introduced by American toymaker Mattel in | | | | Machine and Goose Pump respectively). A |
| 1968. It was the primary competitor of Johnny | | | | 90-second charge of the tiny internal NiCad |
| Lightning and Matchbox until 1996, when | | | | battery gives up to five minutes of frenetic |
| Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand | | | | run time. It has been said that the 90-second |
| from Tyco. | | | | charge time was "the longest minute and a |
| | | | half in a kid's life," as they waited |
| Hot Wheels in General | | | | impatiently for the car to charge |
| | | | sufficiently to get back into the race. |
| Most Hot Wheels cars measure about 3" in | | | | |
| length, and are approximately 1:64 scale. The | | | | Through the years, Hot Wheels cars have been |
| MSRP of one car is $.99, with the price | | | | collected mostly by children, but in the last |
| varying by each retailer by only a few cents. | | | | ten years there has been an increase in the |
| The majority of castings are die cast metal; | | | | number of adult collectors. Mattel estimates |
| however, some are cast in plastic. Hot Wheels | | | | that 41 million children grew up playing with |
| is best known for its models of custom hot | | | | the toys, the average collector has over |
| rods and muscle cars. Hot Wheels also makes | | | | 1,550 cars, and children between the ages of |
| cars in different scales such as 1:43, 1:24 | | | | 5 and 15 have an average of 41 cars. Most |
| and 1:18 including replicas of Formula One | | | | believe the collecting craze started with the |
| and NASCAR cars. The Hot Wheels product line | | | | Treasure Hunts in 1995. Mike Strauss has been |
| has also included various tracks, | | | | widely hailed as the father of Hot Wheels |
| accessories, and other kinds of vehicles such | | | | collecting; he has organized two collectors' |
| as rechargeable electric cars, construction | | | | events each year in some form since 1986. The |
| equipment, trains (Hot Line), Rumbler | | | | first event was the Annual Hot Wheels |
| motorcycles and Hot Wings airplanes. | | | | Collectors Convention, normally held each |
| | | | year in the fall. The convention occurred in |
| Related accessories | | | | various locations around the country until |
| | | | 2001, when the first Annual Hot Wheels |
| Unlike most older brands of toy cars | | | | Collectors Nationals was put together. Since |
| (including Matchbox), Hot Wheels cars rolled | | | | then, the Conventions are held each year in |
| well. They were designed to run on orange | | | | southern California. The Hot Wheels |
| plastic track, which could be placed to make | | | | Collectors Nationals rotate among cities |
| interesting jumps and loops. Motive power was | | | | outside of California during the spring. Mike |
| by means of gravity, by means of attaching | | | | has also published the quarterly Hot Wheels |
| the starting point of a course to a table or | | | | Newsletter since 1986 and was one of the |
| chair via an included C clamp. A two-lane | | | | first to unite collectors all over the world. |
| starting gate was available, allowing two | | | | Mike also writes the Tomart's Guide To Hot |
| lengths of track to be set up for racing. | | | | Wheels, a book listing history, car |
| Later sets had both the starting gate and a | | | | descriptions and values. It is used by almost |
| finishing flag which would be tripped by the | | | | every collector to learn more about the hobby |
| first car. One of the most famous sets was | | | | and their collection. |
| the 1970 Mongoose & Snake Drag Race Set, | | | | |
| which reached values as high as $500 during | | | | |
| the 1990s, but has since been produced in | | | | |
| modified replica form. It featured yellow | | | | In 2001, Mattel saw how much collecting was |
| Plymouth Barracuda and red Plymouth Duster | | | | affecting their sales and put together |
| funny cars, loops, jumps, and even an | | | | www.hotwheelscollectors.com as an online way |
| apparatus that would deploy drag chutes after | | | | to unite collectors by offering limited |
| they crossed the finish line, all in a box | | | | edition cars, information about upcoming |
| showing Don Prudomme and Tom McEwen. | | | | releases and events, as well as chat and |
| | | | trade boards. Each year, they sell |
| Other sets included a Supercharger that had | | | | memberships to the Redline Club, which gives |
| an electric motor and foam covered wheels | | | | members the opportunity to order additional |
| that propelled the car around a loop of track | | | | limited edition cars, as well as access to |
| as the cars passed through. Accessories | | | | areas of the site with information such as |
| included a lap counter and a speedometer. | | | | sneak previews of new cars. |
| | | | |
| Sizzlers were a 1970s Hot Wheels spinoff with | | | | There are hundreds, probably thousands, of |
| a built-in motor and a tiny rechargeable | | | | web pages dedicated to Hot Wheels collecting. |
| battery. (The X-V racers of the 90s were | | | | People are collecting everything from only |
| similar.) Mattel recently struck an exclusive | | | | new castings to only Redlines and everything |
| deal with Target stores, and re-released | | | | in between. Most collectors have a love for |
| Sizzlers in 2006. They currently sell for | | | | cars, and since none of us can afford all of |
| about $8 per car. Sizzlers run on black Fat | | | | the old cars (and even if we could, we |
| Track, which is three lanes wide and designed | | | | wouldn’t have enough space to store |
| to allow Sizzlers to run free. In action, | | | | them), Hot Wheels fill that void. For the |
| Sizzlers display a unique, competitive | | | | most part it is a relatively inexpensive |
| "passing action" when running on the Fat | | | | hobby, when compared with coin collecting, |
| Track, as if each car were piloted by an | | | | stamp collecting or Barbie collecting, with |
| impatient driver trying to get ahead of the | | | | mainline cars costing about $1 (USD). The |
| rest. Sizzlers were (and are) charged with | | | | price hasn't changed much in almost 40 years. |