Hot Wheels is a popular brand of toy automobile, introduced by U.S. toymaker Mattel in 1968. It was the primary competitor of Johnny Lightning and Matchbox until 1996, when Mattel acquired rights to the Matchbox brand.
Most Hot Wheels cars measure about 6 cm in length, and are approximately 1:64 scale. A majority of castings are diecast metal, however some are cast in plastic.
Aside from their popularity as toys, Hot Wheels cars are also popular collectibles. Mattel estimates that 41 million children grew up playing with the toys, the average collector has over 1,550 cars, and children between the ages of 5 and 15 have an average of 41 cars. A 2004 episode of Antiques Roadshow valued a late 1960s collection of Hot Wheels cars in their original packaging at roughly $100 each, with some of the more rare models worth $200-$300 each. Since 1998, Hallsguide has been an accurate source of pricing and information for Hot Wheels online.
Mattel also sold plastic track under the Hot Wheels brand on which the cars rolled and which could be placed to make interesting jumps and loops. Motive power was by means of gravity, with the starting end of the course placed higher than the end by means of an included C clamp. A dual set of tracks could be set up and using a starting gate a race could be conducted. Later sets had both a plastic starting gate and finishing flag which would be tripped by the first car although a visual ascertainment was usually sufficient.
Other sets included a Supercharger that had an electric motor and foam covered wheels that propelled the car around a loop of track as the cars passed through. Accessories included a lap counter and a speedometer. Sizzlers had a built in motor and a tiny rechargeable battery. Fat Track was black (in contrast to the regular track's orange color), about four times as wide as regular track, and was intended for Sizzlers.
Elliot Handler, co-founder of Mattel, decided to produce a line of toy-diecast miniature cars for boys. Although his executives thought it was a bad idea, the cars were a big success. There were sixteen cars (or castings) released in 1968. All of the cars were designed by Harry Bentley Bradley, with the exception of the Custom Volkswagen which was designed by Ira Gilford. Even though Harry Bentley Bradley was from the car industry, he didn't design the full-fuctioning versions of the real cars. However, the Deora, which was directly based on the Dodge Deora concept car, was his original design. He had previously worked with Chrysler Corporation on designing a concept car which was built by Mike and Larry Alexander. The Custom Fleetside was also his original design, based on his heavily customized '64 El Camino.
The 1990s was the peak for Hot Wheels. The Blue Cards continued offering realisticly detailed cars based off of cars you would see on the street, which were very popular among collectors, while it didn't sacrifice sales made by kids. Some strange additions to the Hot Wheels line were adding the Oldsmobile Aurora the Chevrolet Lumina APV, and the Vector WX-3. 1995 brought a major change to the Hot Wheels line, where the cars were split up into series, 1 being the 1995 Model Series, which was the series where new cars would appear, and other series being of 4 cars, all were sold in different packages, but had similar paint schemes, and when all 4 were found, they would make up a series. 5 Series were offered. 1995 also saw the introduction of the Treasure Hunt Series. In 1996, the Model Series was renamed to First Editions, and Treasure Hunt production was boosted to 25,000 units per car. Sales for the series models soared, causing stores across the nation to have shortages. Many new wheels were also introduced.
