We were all her...
For five decades the boxes of Hot Wheels they have locked away the fantasies of millions of children around the world. Your brand flamed has been synonymous with action and speed on wheels for those who did not yet have a driving license and for many who did have one but remained captivated by the scale realism of these iconic miniatures.
From 1968 to the present Hot Wheels has sold more than six billion units and has maintained that "crazy enthusiasm" that according to his senior vice president and general manager, Chris Down, awakens the company globally.
Hot Wheels, the cars that we all wanted in real size when we were little
It all started when a co-founder of **Mattel (the toy company that owns the Hot Wheels brand) ** wanted to diversify different products and start a toy car line . There were times when it was more about collecting and showing than just playing, and Handler was able to clearly see that those miniature vehicles would have a secure niche in the market.
For this he knew how to keep the balance between cars that were flashy and fun but without neglecting some engineering details as realistic as its rotating wheels.
Earned the respect of the most fundamentalists of the motor thanks to that sensitivity for details, Hot Wheels has also been able to successfully cross the barriers of popular culture thanks to the numerous licenses that Mattel has of franchises such as Star Wars, DC Comics or Marvel.
In the cases where he has recreated such pop models he has also shown exquisite respect for their references. This was the case, for example, with his darth vader car , who used the mask of the black character from george lucas like an air intake.
Beatle by Hot Wheels
Precisely that model Darth Vader represents one of the few cases in which one of the Hot Wheels miniatures has ended up becoming a full-size vehicle. . It is a fully operational car, with an engine LS3 with 526 hp and custom tires with a red line that was featured in the San Diego Comic-Con Festival in 2014. A very recent custom is that of building some Full-scale Hot Wheels. The first time it was done was in 2001 with a 1969 Hot Wheels Twin Mill with two V8s sticking out of the hood.
Hot Wheels continues to remain the number one brand worldwide selling toys, although it seems that the years of unstoppable growth that it experienced in the past have been left behind due to the technological revolution that we have experienced in recent years.
Life-Size Hot Wheels Darth Vader
Now digital native children live abducted by screens and pay much less attention to analog toys than digital ones . This has caused Mattel to experience losses of nearly 900 million euros in just the last year. A balance of results that has caused that in the last four years four different people have held the position of chief executive.
Hot Wheels seems to have understood that it has to go out into the streets in search of its potential public and to celebrate its 50th anniversary it has organized a tour called 'Legend Tour' that will land in 12 American cities and that also implies a contest.
All those customized cars that want to participate can sign up for this competition and from each city a finalist will come out who will go to the grand finale in the Las Vegas SEMA at the end of October.
The winning car will be the next model to be released by Hot Wheels and will be available for purchase on toy store shelves around the world.
The tour kicked off last April 28 in Los Angeles (where a '49 Ford F-5 Truck Dually Rat Rod was classified) and has already been through Kansas City (where a 1938 Dodge Superior bus went to the final) Bentonville, Nashville and New York. Your next stops will be Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte, Seattle, Detroit, Dallas, Miami, Scottsdale, Washington , to finish again in The Angels on October 20.
Also to celebrate this half century of existence, Hot Wheels has launched a special edition baptized as 'Black&Gold' and dedicated to seven of the brand's most iconic models painted in black and gold. Those seven models are the Bone Shaker, the Twin Mill, the Rodger Dodger, the Dodge Dart, the Chevrolet Impala, the Ford Ranchero, and the Camaro.
Not only the brand is celebrating, but also its enormous legion of followers throughout the world. Throughout this year numerous conventions are taking place for these die-hard fans to meet and share their experiences. The most massive took place last April in Mexico City and brought together more than 30,000 people.
All to keep the flame of some miniatures that do not understand age, race or gender. According to statistics, one in three girls in the United States owns a Hot Wheel car, one more sign that these magical toys will survive the digital catastrophe. Here's to another fifty years on wheels!