Who hasn’t followed imaginary roads up mountain trails (dad’s leg), through rough terrain (shag carpet), along steep cliffs (the edge of a bunk bed), and many other exciting paths? Without being named Bill Gates, how could you drive a fire truck, Ferrari, dump truck, and classic car all in one day? It doesn’t even matter if you wreck them all – your insurance won’t care.
If only real driving were as simple and fun as it was driving our Hot Wheel cars (Mattel, Inc., 2009) as children. These cars were an escape from reality. This was also an activity that kids and adults could play together. Dad, or even Mom, would sit in the floor and drive over roads made with blocks or humans.
Even though they are meant as a childrens’ toy, their role has changed somewhat. Now, instead of kids fighting over the cars freshly hung on the racks, adults are searching for Treasure Hunts and limited editions. They get very excited when they find a complete set of four. I personally have seen two men in a tug of war over a box on Black Friday. Individual cars and sets have appeared on Ebay and are a staple at most Flea Markets. Unlike when bought as a kid's toy, they must stay in their pristine packages.
As you can see, the Hot Wheel’s role has changed over the years, but they are still as financially popular as ever for the company. It will be very interesting to see what happens next!
Hot Wheels. (2009). Retrieved December 11, 2009, from Mattel: http://www.hotwheels.com/
As a former cashier of a well known toy store, I am surprised I never thought to write about this Hot Wheels craze weeks ago. Strangely enough, there are very few children who even care about Hot Wheels. To the children, it seems as though a car is a car; the name brand car is not important. Now to the adults however, the label "Hot Wheels" is quite significant. There really are grown adults fighting over these cars!
ReplyDeleteI had to cringe when I read what you had written when you mentioned two grown men on Black Friday fighting over a package of these cars. I remember, like it was just yesterday, when I spent the day stocking shelves of HotWheels at my store of employment. The newest set of 4 had just been released. Men were waiting for me to open the boxes and pull these cars out to place them up on their displays for sale. The men literally go "batty" for these cars!
I remember this one gentleman in particular. He was waiting for a specific car to be pulled from my box and placed onto the shelf. I wasn't sure which car he was referring too, I just wanted to unpack my boxes and get out of there as qickly as possible! Finally, I suspect I began to hang the car he was so eagerly awaiting on. From what I remember, the cars I pulled out were shiny and red. I never even got a clear view of the car I was hanging before I caught a fight breaking out through my peripheral vision. Next thing I knew, I caught an accidental elbow to my left eye and everything went black. A few moments later, after I regained consciousness, I told my boss I was turning in my two week notice. Fighting over Hot Wheels, or any toy really, is just plain ridiculous! Hot Wheels is a long-running icon. Thank you for sharing your post with us.