Anniversary marked by Hot Wheels with yearlong lineup of live experiences, new digital content, products, partnerships and commemorative items
Today, Hot Wheels, a global toy-selling brand with nearly 500 million units sold every year, celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Conceived in 1968 by an innovator, a rocket scientist and a car designer, Hot Wheels 1:64th scale die-cast cars were designed to look awesome and perform.
Five decades later, the brand has evolved from a simple, yet beloved, toy car with orange track system into a franchise that offers fans of all ages multi-channel play experiences.
“For 50 years Hot Wheels’ intuitive vehicle play-pattern has contributed to its success as the number-one selling toy in the world.
“Since its introduction in 1968, the brand has evolved from a simple toy into a true lifestyle brand that champions the challenger spirit through gaming, digital content, partnerships and live experiences spanning multiple generations and ages — this has allowed the brand to remain relevant to kids and adults and see record growth over the past three years,” said Chris Down, Senior Vice President and Global Brand GM, Hot Wheels.
To celebrate this anniversary, Hot Wheels is introducing a year-long lineup of live experiences, new products and compelling content.
The Hot Wheels 50th-anniversary celebration will include an array of products and partnerships that pay tribute to the brand’s iconic heritage from best-in-class partners that share our values and bring authenticity, credibility and expertise in their categories that resonate with our fans.
The first toy created by the brand was a 1968 Custom Camaro, and to celebrate its anniversary, it partnered with General Motors to create a life-size version of the die-cast.
Available for purchase in 2018, the full-sized 50th Anniversary Hot Wheels Camaro includes exclusive features like a Crush-Orange paint job, referencing the brand’s iconic orange track, unique interior and wheels, and commemorative badging.
The evolution video seen above created in partnership with Race Service will honour the more than five-decades of Hot Wheels die-cast design and performance, along with the toy’s influence on the auto industry and ties to pop-culture.
This new video launched today is the latest instalment in Donut Media‘s successful evolution series which highlights cars and brands that have revolutionised car culture.
The brand will partner with 2016 Formula 1 champion Nico Rosberg. As a brand ambassador, Rosberg will help amplify the brand’s purpose to ignite the challenger spirit and celebrate the brand history and deep-rooted ties to racing.
Both born in California, the brand and Volcom combine forces to show that the creative spirit comes in all colours, shapes and sizes.
Volcom, a brand known for supporting action-sports, art and music are collaborating with the brand on an exclusive line of boys clothing that captures the challenger spirit.
It is with this free-wheeling and youthful exuberance that this collection was created.
