Classic toys, such as the Hot Wheels, made a comeback during the pandemic. Here’s what makes these toys so popular among kids as well as adults.
As per Mattel, the average U.S. child today owns around 50 Hot Wheels!
Lot of people think that Hot wheels are so popular because they are good at marketing. While that may be correct, the fact is that their vehicles are robust and have top-notch quality. And believe me, even the kids can make that difference out.
Give the kids similar toys of other brands, and they will be quick to tell the difference in build quality, and the difference in paint/decals, design and so on. This is also the most important reason that Hot wheels car toys have been around so long and still preferred by buyers.
- Hot wheels make sturdy and solid little cars that are not going to break so easily. In fact, they survive pretty much everything, smashing against each other, smashing against walls, or anything hard.
- These cars also have a lot of detailing; these look like real cars. The wheels are also very good and work smoothly over smooth surfaces.
Going back in time
Mattel’s Toys first huge success was the Barbie doll which was a rage with girls and earned the company a lot of money. In the late 1960s, the company was trying hard to come up with a toy that would appeal to the boys.
That’s when the founders came up with the idea of making realistic miniature toy cars for kids.
Soon, the company started producing 1:64th scale die-cast cars that looked extremely realistic with a lot of detailing and excellent paint jobs. These cars had much better wheels than the ones on Matchbox cars, which had been on the market for one and a half decades before Mattel launched its hot wheels cars, A tiny push to the Hot Wheels car made them go a really long way.
The entire concept just took off because the design of these cars was much better than what the competitors were producing.
Hot Wheel cars appeals to adults as well
Lot of parents have grown up playing with Hot Wheels, and the company now consciously makes Hot Wheels toys that appeal to the adults/parents as well.
Today, there are thousands of Hot Wheels collectors all over the world around the world, with their own official website.
Lot of variants
The first set of Hot Wheels cars, launched in 1968, included custom versions of the Camaro, Barracuda, Mustang, Thunderbird and Beetle. Mattel sold these cars at one dollar each, making them affordable to most parents.
Over time, Mattel introduced more car variants and they also started making tracks for these cars. While the dollar cars are still sold, the company now also makes premium cars that are more complex and expensive. Mattel also makes special edition versions of its popular cars.
You can checkout the entire Hot Wheels range on their website HotWheels.com
Still sold for about a dollar
Due to high volume sales and low-cost manufacturing, Hot Wheels continue to be sold for about a dollar , the same price when it was first launched. And these still find their way into the parking spaces under Christmas trees.
Recommended Hot Wheels
Several automobile manufacturers have licensed Hot Wheels to make realistic, scale models of their cars. Here are some popular Hot Wheels cars, car sets and car sets with tracks.
- Hot Wheels 50-Car Pack of 1:64 Scale Vehicles (Best Overall)
- Hot Wheels 9-Car Gift Pack (Best for Racing)
- Hot Wheels 20 Car Gift Pack (Best for Loops)
- Hot Wheels Mega Hauler and 4 Cars Set (Best Set)
- Hot Wheels DC Universe Justice League 5-Pack (Best Character Cars)
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Hot Wheels: The classic toy can help children learn physics and enjoy science
Funtoyworld is a family-managed website with me (Ben), and my wife doing most of the work. We are proud parents of two wonderful kids and love reviewing toys. We have a firm but friendly “democratic parenting” style and offer several practical suggestions backed by extensive research. Our own experience with raising two children prompted us to share our knowledge. Read more.
My grandson says his favourite toy is a Hot wheels race car track. “My parents bought it for me from Phoenix mall. It’s a large toy. I like to use it when I feel dull. It also has an automatic car elevator. It pushes the car up to the beginning and it goes down the tracks again. I always have lots of fun with it. I love it because I like to see it go through the twists and turns”.