Miniature car fans rejoice – you’re about to learn everything about the most famous toy car brand ever, Hot Wheels! There’s a lot you might not know, so get ready to find out how long they’ve been in business, who their biggest rivals were, and why they can go so fast! Don’t forget to check out our other Hot Wheels stuff – try the trivia quiz, find out which Hot Wheels: Let’s Race character you are, or have a laugh with some Hot Wheels jokes!

1. It’s an old brand

Hot Wheels made its debut in 1968, meaning that in 2028 it will celebrate an amazing sixty years in business! The cars were a novelty when they came out, as most other toy cars couldn’t go anywhere near as fast.

2. It’s by Mattel!

Hot Wheels is owned by toy company Mattel, who also own Barbie, UNO, American Girl, Polly Pocket, Scene It?, Monster High – and more!

3. Barbie’s little brother?

Hot Wheels and Barbie aren’t just owned by the same company – they were created by a husband-and-wife team respectively! Elliot and Ruth Handler were toy designers and business partners who co-created and owned Mattel. Ruth created Barbie in 1959, marketing it towards young girls, and the doll was a smash hit. Elliot thought that the company needed a brand that would cater primarily to boys, and so Hot Wheels was born! Of course, you can play with Hot Wheels or Barbie whether you’re a boy or a girl – which one do you prefer?

4. We’re not sure where the name came from

It’s undoubtedly a cool name – but what exactly does “hot wheels” mean? Elliot says the name came when he saw an El Camino being tested, which prompted him to comment: “That is one set of hot wheels you have there!” That might just be a legend, though! The name probably has something to do with hot rod cars, which are classic cars that the owners customise.

5. The first car was a Camaro

The original line up of cars consisted of sixteen models, nicknamed “The Sweet Sixteen.” The very first car was a dark blue Custom Camaro, and the rest of the lineup included a a Custom Mustang, a Dodge Deora, and a Custom Firebird. Mattel also produced a race track for the cars, though it was sold separately.

6. They work with actual car designers

One reasons the cars function so well (and look so good!) is because they’re designed by actual car designers! Some of the most prolific early Hot Wheel designers, like Harry Bradley, Ira Gilford and Larry Wood worked in the automobile industry and brought their expertise with them. Wood used to work for Ford, and Gilford worked for Chrysler. Bradley actually made a model of the 1968 Corvette before it was even released to the public! It’s one of the reasons Hot Wheels are so popular with collectors – they’re well-made, with great attention to detail!

7. They bought out their rivals

Hot Wheels were designed as a rival to another brand of toy car, Matchbox. Matchbox started producing die-cast toy vehicles in 1953, and got their name because the toys were originally sold in replica matchboxes. Hot Wheels was a huge success as soon as it appeared on the scene – in fact, it was such a big success that Matchbox had to completely rethink their design and marketing. In 1997 Mattel purchased Tyco Toys, the company that made Matchbox. Not everyone liked this – toy collectors weren’t very big fans of the move because they were worried Matchbox cars would suffer in quality, or that they’d stop making them altogether. Mattel still makes Matchbox cars today, though!

8. They’ve made billions of cars!

Since 1968, Mattel has made over six BILLION cars – that’s more than the number of real cars in the world! It’s hard to imagine how much a billion is, so put it like this: if Mattel made one car every second, it would take about 190 years to get to six billion! Mass production makes it easy to make Hot Wheels so quickly.

9. There are character cars

There are a lot of special edition Hot Wheels cars, and one collab they did was with Star Wars in 2014. The Darth Vader car became their best-selling character car of all time, and they promoted it with a life-sized version that went on display at Comic Con!

10. They can go REAL fast

If you love playing with Hot Wheels you’ll already know how speedy they can be – and this was one reason they became so popular! They have wide, low-friction wheels, which means they can go far with just a tiny push.

11. There are some VERY expensive ones!

Hot Wheels are popular with adult collectors, which means that some models can go for a LOT of money! The most expensive vintage car is the Rear-Loader Beach Bomb, which was made in the late 1960s and wasn’t very popular when it first came out, but is now described by some collectors as the Holy Grail! It sold for $70,000 dollars at an auction – though it’s possible some were sold for more and not recorded!

12. Look out for the red lines!

If you have a vintage Hot Wheels toy and want to see if it’s worth anything, take a look at its tires! Mattel produced “redline” cars between 1968 and 1977, so called because of the red stripes on the tires. It doesn’t always mean they’re that old though, as some later cars featured the stripe, so you’ll need to also check the series number and country of manufacture.

13. They have very innovative axles

Another reason Hot Wheels are still so popular was because of their incredibly detailed axle design. The axle comes from a design originally intended for guitar strings. It was repurposed to give extra speed to the toy cars, instead.

14. There was a diamond-encrusted car!

To celebrate 40 years of Hot Wheels, in 2008 Mattel made a one-off car that was totally encrusted in diamonds, with rubies as tail lights! It was worth about $140,000, and had 270,000 diamonds on it!

15. There might be a film!

There have been a few animated adaptations of Hot Wheels, including a 2003 feature-length film and a 2024 Netflix series. But Mattel has been trying to get a live-action film made since 2003! The original idea for the film was about a father and son trying to repair their relationship with the help of Hot Wheels. The idea has been reworked, and as of 2023 it’s still stuck in development. After the enormous success of Barbie, though, it’s possible that the film might be back on track!