Notes on Hot Wheels
In my lifetime, Hot Wheels has always been a hot commodity and a topic of conversation. As we grew into men, we outgrew our cars but started having kids that rekindled the fire and drive to find Hot Wheels everywhere.
My nephew recently turned five years old, and buying him Hot Wheels and watching his expression come across his face as he opened the box made me feel nostalgic. I remember that feeling, the joy it brought me, and the smile I couldn’t get off my face.
My Dad had Hot Wheels, I had Hot Wheels, and I hope one day, when I have children, they will have Hot Wheels. That’ll be three generations of Americans that have a love for cars. A love founded at a young age and encouraged throughout their lifetime.
Here are some of my thoughts when I think of Hot Wheels:
Hot Wheels Design
It’s funny to see how Hot Wheels has gone two ways.
- They go with a futuristic and almost fantasy build of a car
- They create vintage renditions of classic cars returning in popularity for rebuilds.
Still, you don’t see them making any cars in today’s world. No kid wants a Prius, and no kid wants to play with a minivan, so hopefully, and I hope this is the case, in the near future, we start creating cool cars again.
Therefore, I created a slogan: CCCA = Create cool cars again.
This got me thinking about who is designing cars in today’s world.
I understand why they changed with the focus on safety and mileage. Still, we’ve lost this art and this innovative engineering that created badass jeeps and superfast Lamborghinis, and my generation, unfortunately, has settled on the Prius and the minivan. Letting kids fall in love with cars as we have generations before us will pique this imaginative curiosity about cars and innovation.
Let Kids Play
Let’s just remember that Hot Wheels is just a toy car. It comes with no instructions. It’s just a car.
A few weeks ago, when I was buying Hot Wheels for my nephew for his birthday, I walked through the isles of Walmart, Fred Meyer, and Target, and it was hard not to find a toy that was so intrinsically designed to educate or bubble wrap a kid.
I remember being a kid, and none of my toys lit up, made noise, or moved around independently. I would’ve loved that, but I had toys that challenged my imagination. I built critical thinking skills just from having a solid toy to play with, and I don’t see that in toys today. I see a toy with instructions and a goal rather than a toy to intrigue a young kid’s imagination.
That’s what Hot Wheels has always done for kids. You took a toy out of a plastic box and played. That Jeep you just opened is racing through the desert now, and that Corvette is speeding through LA.
As I reflect on the enduring legacy of Hot Wheels, it strikes me that this isn’t just about toy cars; it’s about the timeless joy of imagination. From my dad’s generation to mine, and now passing it on to my nephew, Hot Wheels has been a bridge connecting our childhoods.
It’s more than nostalgia; it’s a symbol of sparking that same wide-eyed wonder and curiosity in the younger generation. The design evolution of these cars reflects not just shifting trends but also a hope for a return to the passion for innovative automobile engineering. It’s a wish, embodied in the slogan CCCA — Create Cool Cars Again, to inspire future generations to revel in the joy of cars beyond the mundane, to dream, to create, and to let imagination roam free.
