Hot Wheels, from the house of Mattel, celebrates its 50th anniversary on Friday.
Mattel has taken five of the originals and has reproduced them. The General Manager and Senior Vice President of Hot Wheels Chris Down called them as “fan favorites” They include the ’67 Camaro, Custom ’67 Mustang, ’68 Cougar, ’67 Hemi Barracuda, and Volkswagen Beetle. Each car is die-cast metal with the signature “Spectraflame” candy metallic paint, redline tires, and packaging like the originals.
Check it out here:
The cars go on sale from May 18 onwards and the price is $5.49 for each car. As an extra bonus, one of these reproduction cars will have a code to win one of the aforementioned 50th anniversary edition Hot Wheels Camaros.
Upcoming Live Experiences:
- The “Hot Wheels Legend Tour”– During this traveling car show, Hot Wheels will search for a custom car worthy of being turned into a Hot Wheels toy. The tour kicked off in April and is currently visiting 14 Walmart locations across the United States.
- Hot Wheels Challengers – A multi-year marketing program that includes a series of competitions for kids.
- “Hot Wheels: Race to Win” – An exhibit at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
Partnerships:
- General Motors for a Hot Wheels 50th anniversary edition Camaro.
- Race Service for The Evolution of a Diecast video.
- Volcom for an exclusive line of boys clothing.
- Illest for exclusive merchandise, which was sold at the “Legends Tour Hot Wheels HQkick-offff event in April in El Segundo, Calif.
- The company has also unveiled commemorative merchandise including The Hot Wheels Book by Assouline and a 50th anniversary commemorative coin.
“For 50 years Hot Wheels’ intuitive vehicle play-pattern has contributed to its success as the No. 1 selling toy in the world,” said Chris Down, Senior Vice President and Global Brand GM at Hot Wheels. “Since its introduction in 1968, the brand has evolved from a simple toy into a true lifestyle brand that champions the challenger spirit through gaming, digital content, partnerships and live experiences spanning multiple generations and ages. This has allowed the brand to remain relevant to kids and adults and see record growth over the past three years.”
The die-cast Hot Wheels were conceived in 1968 by an innovator, a rocket scientist and a car designer, Mattel said. Five decades later, the brand has evolved from a simple toy car with orange track system into a franchise that offers fans of all ages multi-channel play experiences, according to a statement from Mattel.
