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The Story of Hot Wheels: Casting a Legend

Gearknob Productions・92 minutes read

Hot Wheels, founded in 1968, revolutionized the model car industry with a focus on racing and unique designs, growing into a toy industry giant with various innovations and marketing strategies that set it apart from competitors. Despite facing challenges like changing market demands and financial setbacks, Hot Wheels has maintained its appeal by adapting to new trends and continuously introducing new designs, maintaining its position as a leading diecast car manufacturer.

Insights

Hot Wheels, founded in 1945 by Harold Matson and Elliot Handler, transformed the model car industry by focusing on racing, introducing low rolling resistance cars and an adjustable orange plastic track.
Marketing played a pivotal role in Hot Wheels' success, with eye-catching designs and a catchy name coined by Elliot Handler upon seeing Harry Bradley's El Camino design.
Hot Wheels' introduction of flexible plastic track pieces by Jerome Lamelson offered a unique racing experience, leading to a significant increase in sales.
Harry Bradley's departure from Hot Wheels led to Ira Guilford designing 24 cars in 1969, including the iconic Twin Mill, further expanding the brand's offerings.
Hot Wheels' strategic shift from muscle cars to economy cars due to the gas crisis showcased the brand's adaptability and responsiveness to market demands.

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Recent questions

What year was Hot Wheels launched?
1968
Who designed the first Hot Wheels car?
Harry Bradley
What was the inspiration for Hot Wheels' Redline wheel?
American Racing
How did Hot Wheels differentiate itself from competitors?
California Custom scene
What led to Hot Wheels' financial struggles in 1987?
Collapse of Mattel Electronics

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Summary

00:00

Hot Wheels: Racing Revolution in Toy Industry

Hot Wheels, launched in 1968, revolutionized the model car industry with a focus on racing, utilizing low rolling resistance cars and an adjustable orange plastic track.
The brand, founded in 1945 by Harold Matson and Elliot Handler, evolved into a toy industry giant, cornering various markets within years.
The idea for Hot Wheels stemmed from Elliot Handler's observation of his son's preference for Matchbox cars, leading to the enlistment of car designer Harry Bradley.
Bradley's design of the first Hot Wheels car, the Custom Fleet side, was based on his personalized 1964 Chevy El Camino with hot rod influences.
The Redline wheel, inspired by American Racing's design, was developed by former rocket engineer Jack Ryan for faster speeds, utilizing unique axles and crimped strings for suspension.
Hot Wheels cars were manufactured in the US and Hong Kong, with wooden templates carved for castings and resin scale models used for tooling.
The brand's focus on California Custom scene, incorporating elements like torque thrust wheels, Redline tires, and powerful engines, set it apart from competitors.
Marketing played a crucial role in Hot Wheels' success, with eye-catching designs and a catchy name coined by Handler upon seeing Bradley's El Camino design.
The introduction of flexible plastic track pieces by inventor Jerome Lamelson allowed Hot Wheels to offer a unique racing experience, leading to a surge in sales.
Hot Wheels' official launch in 1968 featured the "sweet 16" designs, priced at 59 cents each, based on modified muscle and pony cars, concept cars, and unique color variations that have become highly sought after by collectors.

13:37

Hot Wheels: Iconic Cars, Global Success

The Beatnik Bandit and custom Volkswagen in the US are distinct castings despite looking similar, with no interchangeable parts between them.
Hot Wheels cars were sold under different names in different regions, like High Sakada in German-speaking territories and Brochure Pista in Italy.
Hot Wheels' toy range was a massive success, surpassing predictions and offering durable cars made of zamak alloy.
Hot Wheels' success led to the displacement of other diecast manufacturers' products due to its appeal to children's imagination.
Harry Bradley left Hot Wheels, recommending Ira Guilford, who designed 24 cars in 1969, including the iconic Twin Mill.
Larry Wood replaced Guilford, designing hundreds of castings over 40 years, incorporating jet turbine engines in many designs.
Over 36 million Hot Wheels cars were produced in 1969, commemorating milestones like the 25 millionth car, a custom Continental.
Hot Wheels commissioned a cartoon featuring Jackrabbit Wheeler and his car, leading to a fast-food contract with Jack-in-the-Box.
Sizzlers battery-powered cars were introduced in 1970, designed by George Sulakis, leading to competition from Corgi and Matchbox.
Hot Wheels' success led to competitors like Johnny Lightning, Matchbox, and Corgi launching their own diecast car lines to compete.

27:13

Hot Wheels: Evolution of Iconic Toy

Hot Wheels utilized a free dimensional grid to position decals on a printing plate onto a surface like a die-cast body, ensuring sales stability in the United States.
Corporate decisions led Hot Wheels to shift focus from muscle cars to economy cars due to the gas crisis, introducing new castings like the Chevy Monza two plus two and the pack in Pacer.
Mattel influenced Mebe Toys in Europe to manufacture Hot Wheels, expanding to Italy and introducing castings based on cars familiar to a European audience.
Production demands in 1976 increased to 600,000 cars per week, leading to the introduction of iconic castings like the Corvette Stingray and the 57 Chevy.
The original Redline wheel was phased out in 1977 due to manufacturing costs and design limitations, replaced by the updated black wall design.
The Scorchers line, introduced in 1979, featured spring-powered cars and was a hit at toy fairs, later succeeded by the Shift Kickers and High Rakers ranges.
The Hot Ones wheel type, introduced in 1980, boasted improved performance with thinner axles, revitalizing the product line and outperforming competitors.
Hot Wheels opened a manufacturing plant in Malaysia in 1983, significantly increasing production rates and allowing for the production of rubber tires with the introduction of Real Riders wheels.
Ultra Hot Wheels, introduced a year after Real Riders, featured further performance improvements and the return of spectraflame paint, marking a brief success before a financial setback.
Hot Wheels partnered with McDonald's in 1983 to offer diecast toys in Happy Meals, leading to a successful collaboration and the incorporation of toys into the meal in 1991.

40:21

Hot Wheels: Evolution and Expansion in 1990s

Hot Wheels entered the Indian market in the same year that they decided to partner with Blowplast Inc to form Leo Mattel Toys due to foreign exchange regulations requiring a 40% Indian-owned stake.
Leo Mattel Toys produced unique and rare castings and designs, including an attempt to sell a Renault 5 casting as a Suzuki Alto-based Maruti 800, which did not resemble a Renault 5.
Certain toolings, like those for the Mach 5 inspired Second Wind, were produced exclusively in India for the international market, but the build quality of India-produced cars did not meet Mattel's standards.
In 1987, Hot Wheels sold $50 million worth of cars, but the company was struggling financially due to the collapse of Mattel Electronics and the cancellation of the Masters of the Universe toy line.
Hot Wheels had to shut down its Paramount plant in 1987 and withdraw from the Philippines in 1988 due to financial losses.
Hot Wheels attracted its first generation of adult collectors, leading to the first Hot Wheels convention in Toledo, Ohio, and the establishment of the Hot Wheels newsletter by Mike Strauss.
In 1988, Hot Wheels released special collector edition car sets to celebrate its 20th anniversary and recorded a profit of $36 million after restructuring under John Amaman.
Under Amaman's leadership, Hot Wheels introduced the Collectors Series in 1989, numbered cars 1 to 76 on blue cards, and launched various gimmicks like Park and Plate series, Revealers, and Tattoo Machines.
In 1990, Hot Wheels expanded its catalog to 91 castings, introduced micro-scale cars, and celebrated manufacturing its 1 billionth car.
Hot Wheels partnered with Warner Brothers Pictures in 1993 to release promotional toys for the movie "Demolition Man," marking a period of transition with new designers joining the company and a focus on growth and expansion.

53:24

Hot Wheels: Evolution of Diecast Cars

Phil Realman began working on a car that defined his career, a design that was initially intended as a promotional vehicle for Mattel.
Realman produced two concepts, including a hot rod delivery van based on a 1930s Ford coupe, which was later abandoned.
The second concept was a Volkswagen bus resembling the Beach Bomb of the 1960s, redesigned into a dragster with a massive bolt-on spoiler.
The drag bus, despite initial doubts about mass production due to weight and cost, was fast-tracked to the mainline in 1996 and sold out unexpectedly.
Hot Wheels collaborated with Metoi in 1989, leading to the appearance of Corgi Jr's castings internationally in 1994.
Hot Wheels launched a series of micro vehicles, smaller versions of existing castings, with a common base plate design for cost efficiency.
The company introduced the Attack Pack in 1993, aiming to compete in the transformable vehicle market dominated by Hasbro's Transformers.
Hot Wheels launched the Computer Car Series in 1996, each blister pack containing a large floppy disk with a digitized representation of the car.
In 1996, Hot Wheels acquired Taiko Toys, its main rival Matchbox's manufacturer, solidifying its control over the 1:64 diecast market.
Hot Wheels celebrated its 30th Anniversary in 1998, manufacturing its 2 billionth car and introducing over 80 new castings, including the iconic Dairy Delivery designed by Phil Realman.

01:06:35

Hot Wheels Evolution: 2000-2005

Hot Wheels shifted focus from traditional muscle cars to Japanese Tunica culture in 2000, introducing designs like Eric Churn's Showstopper, later renamed Seared Tuna, and the Honda Civic SI by Alec Tam.
Designs like Churn's MST Suzuka, Tam's Nissan Skyline, and Dave Wise's 24 7 characterized Hot Wheels in the 2000s.
The Diora 2, designed by Nathan Prosh in 2000, was one of four Hot Wheels concept cars made into full-size functional ones.
In 2000, Mattel began a collaboration with Bandai, launching toy lines like Robo Wheels and Cara Wheels, introducing beloved TV and movie cars like Kit from Knight Rider and the Delorean from Back to the Future.
Hot Wheels acknowledged adult male collectors in 2001 with hotwheelscollectors.com and the Redline Club, offering exclusive castings and facing criticism for toy supply delays.
Bright Vision was founded in 2001 to replicate the rare Rear Loading Beach Bomb Hot Wheels car, selling hundreds before being ordered to cease operations by Mattel.
In 2002, Hot Wheels celebrated its 35th Anniversary with a computer-animated movie, Hot Wheels Highway 35 World Race, and introduced the Track Aces and Track Stars series for racing fans.
2003 saw the debut of tuned designs and Speed Demons, aiming to capitalize on the success of Takarez Koro Q Series, but the latter was short-lived.
Hot Wheels faced challenges in 2004 with new product lines like Fatbacks and Hard-Nosed failing, leading to financial losses and the hurried commissioning of the Customized Volkswagen Drag Truck.
2005 marked Hot Wheels' ambitious year with the launch of the Acceleracers movie series, Faster Than Ever line of cars, and Classics range, alongside attending San Diego Comic-Con for the first time.

01:19:54

Hot Wheels: Evolution of Diecast Collectibles

Hot Wheels introduced the Treasure Hunt series in 2007, which included limited run vehicles with real Rider Tires.
Due to high manufacturing costs, Hot Wheels launched the Super Treasure Hunt's range to maintain sales and cater to Die Hard fans.
In 2007, a scandal involving lead paint in Mattel's Pixar car toys led to McDonald's terminating their contract with diecast toy producers.
The replacement firm for McDonald's diecast toys initially produced decent cars but quality declined over the years.
Hot Wheels celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2008, releasing a diamond-encrusted custom model named after Otto CUNY.
The Designer's Challenge competition in 2008 featured Junior Mae's hw-40 concept, combining 40 years of design inspiration.
Speed Racer-themed merchandise was launched in 2008, featuring various car lines and designs tied to the movie.
The Carbonator, based on a Coca-Cola bottle, was released in 2008 and featured a rear spoiler that doubled as a bottle opener.
In 2009, Hot Wheels changed box art to be specialized for each car, making it easier for collectors to identify preferred releases.
Larry Wood retired from Hot Wheels in 2009 after 40 years, releasing 20 final castings, including the Try Baby 2 as his last design.

01:33:18

Hot Wheels: Fast Cars, Cheaper Materials

Hot Wheels has started using cheaper materials like hoods and metal bases for cost-cutting, despite its long-standing reputation; however, they remain known for being the fastest metal cars.

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