For more than five decades, Hot Wheels has provided adrenaline-fueled vehicle play that ignites the inner spirit in every kid with the most outrageous and innovative cars and track designs. But how did it all begin? What is the history of Hot Wheels and how did the 1:64 scale cars grow to dominate the toy world even to this day?
Hot Wheels was born when Mattel co-founder Elliot Handler (shown below, with wife and Mattel co-founder Ruth Handler) challenged his design team, which included a General Motors car designer and a rocket scientist to create a toy car that was cooler and performed better than anything on the market. They answered with the first-ever trackable toy car.
Hot Wheels Jumps on the Fast Track to Success
Soon, deals were in place to re-create muscle cars from the Big Three car makers, along with a patented independent suspension to complement the speedy wheel design. The Hot Wheels® Custom Camaro® hit shelves in May of 1968. It was quickly followed by 15 more 1:64 scale speed machines. This first edition of cars became known as the “Sweet 16”—now among the most valuable and collectible toy vehicles ever made.
