Hot Wheels is an American brand of scale model cars invented by Elliot Handler and introduced by his company Mattel on May 18, 1968. It was the primary competitor of Matchbox until Mattel bought Matchbox owner Tyco Toys in 1997.

Each Hot Wheels made today contains die-cast or metal in them but less than they did in 1968, Wu said. Parts of each car - which are produced in a limited number of colors - are also made of plastic; sometimes that can be the body or the chassis of the car.

For most of Hot Wheels' history, the vehicles have been produced in Asian countries (Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, China, etc.) and exported around the world for their sale.

In the 1960s, Elliot Handler, a cofounder of Mattel, Inc., envisioned a die-cast car to surpass the popular English Matchbox brand. He wanted a line of toy cars to dominate Mattel's boys' division just as its Barbie doll had become the strongest brand in its girls' division.

*Hot Wheels Basic Cars Assortment is the #1 selling toy in the world, based on units sold, according to NPD. The “Sweet 16,” the first set of die-cast cars, included custom designs based on real life hot rods and reflected California's custom car culture.

When kids play with Hot Wheels, every attempt teaches them to take on challenges, develop problem-solving skills, and cultivate a growth mindset.

Hot Wheels has designed a die-cast toy car for nearly every car ever manufactured and has customized some of the most iconic cars in the world including Dodge Dart, Chevrolet Camaro®, Ford Mustang, Porsche 911 and Volkswagen Beetle to name a few.

When kids play with Hot Wheels, every attempt teaches them to take on challenges, develop problem-solving skills, and cultivate a growth mindset.

Mattel, Inc. Mattel, Inc. Since 1968, more than 4 billion Hot Wheels® cars have been produced.

People collect them because of their immense love and interest in cars. Hot wheels manufacture cars which are scale models of many original cars. People who love to collect cars prefer hot wheels because it is not so expensive. The price of this die-cast toys has not changed much in almost 40 years.

People collect them because of their immense love and interest in cars. Hot wheels manufacture cars which are scale models of many original cars. People who love to collect cars prefer hot wheels because it is not so expensive. The price of this die-cast toys has not changed much in almost 40 years.

Different wheels, windows, paint, colors, and graphics can all lead to different, valuable variants of vintage Hot Wheels. If they released a limited-edition car, the price of those rare Hot Wheels would skyrocket. If there are any manufacturing errors, your car is considered one of a kind.

In general, wheels are used for: low production costs – this is the case if we compare the prices for wheels and tracks; speed – compared with tracks, the wheels need a lower amount of torque to move on from stationary; maneuverability – the wheels provide high maneuverability compared with continuous tracks.

Fast Facts

• Hot Wheels was first introduced in 1968 to the toy industry during NEW YORK TOY FAIR.
• Hot Wheels' birthday is celebrated on MAY 18.
• The first Hot Wheels car off the line was a dark blue CUSTOM CAMARO.
• The first Hot Wheels cars to be sold were the "SWEET 16"
• OVER 6 BILLION Hot Wheels have been produced since 1968.

Hot Wheels went on to influence car culture and real-world car design by creating toy cars that looked radically different from anything else on the road in 1968. To this day "The Sweet 16" remain among the most valuable and collectible toy vehicles ever made.

People collect them because of their immense love and interest in cars. Hot wheels manufacture cars which are scale models of many original cars. People who love to collect cars prefer hot wheels because it is not so expensive. The price of this die-cast toys has not changed much in almost 40 years.