Hobbies And Interests
History
The first Hot Wheels cars were produced in 1968, by Mattel in response to the British Matchbox car phenomenon. Although company executives didn't think that the idea would work well in the United States, the popularity of the Hot Wheels franchise took off very quickly. There were originally only 16 models released in Hot Wheel's first year of existence, but consumers soon clamored for more. The Hot Wheels franchise maintained its popularity through the sixties, and in the seventies built upon this success. In the 1980s, the Hot Wheels franchise began to expand past its single-car line, and began to offer special versions of different car models. However the hot Wheels franchise did not officially split into different lines until the 1990s when the Model, First Edition and NASCAR lines were introduced. Today, Hot Wheels maintains all of its regular lines, and also has several classic edition cars.
Significance
Hot Wheels is a very significant franchise because of its cultural importance. The Hot Wheels brand is instantly recognizable, and there are several specialty shops and museums dedicated to these toys. Hot Wheel's cultural significant is also evident in the high prices that rare and limited edition versions Hot Wheels cars will fetch on online auction sites like eBay.
Types
There are several different types of Hot Wheels model cars in existence today, including First Editions, Classics, Specials and Treasure Hunts. First Editions are new model releases that are widely released when new car models are released. These models are generally very popular with kids and collectors, and have a high level of availability. Classics are re-releases of previously released models. These are also widely released and have high availability when they are released. Specials are models that do not conform to the usual 1/64 scale model size of other Hot Wheels vehicles. These items are generally released as a limited series, and have several different vehicles. Some series that have been released as a special collection in the past include Hot Import Nights-branded vehicles and G-Machines. Treasure Hunts are the most rare of the Hot Wheels collection, and feature special editions of previously released cars that are often hidden on store shelves or with other Hot Wheels products. Treasure Hunt vehicles are prized because of their rarity, and often have a high resell value.
Size
Hot Wheels cars vary in size, but they all represent an accurate 1/64 scale model of the cars they represent. This standard scale generally means the cars will be about 3 inches in diameter and about an inch in height, depending on the make and model.
Potential
The Hot Wheels franchise is still quite popular today, both with adults and children. With this in mind, the Hot Wheels franchise seems to be going forward with more new car die-casts as well as some classic re-releases. Hot Wheels is also moving forward with a series of racing-style video games based on their cars.