Hot Wheels celebrates 50 years on a roll

In 1960s Australia, if you were a small boy who was also a fan of die-cast toy cars – which I and most of my mates were – the options available to you were mostly stodgy old UK brands.

There was Dinky – I was the proud owner of a Dinky model of Thunderbird 2 – and Corgi – a heavy and very elegant Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow was in my personal collection.

But the UK die-cast model brand that was ahead of the rest in Australia at that time was Matchbox. Belying its brand name, Matchbox was huge in the local market back then. We each owned an extensive collection of Matchbox cars, and they were models to be admired, treasured and respected for their authentic, detailed reproduction of the real thing – but not actually enjoyed for play.

The problem with Matchbox cars (and Corgi and Dinky models) was that they weren't very 'mobile'. They didn't roll well and their rigid axles allowed no realistic body movement, even if you could find a way to make them roll at scaled-down high speeds.

So when an American firm named Mattel introduced its 'Hot Wheels' brand to the local market, it was something of a revelation. Here were die-cast cars with flexible, lightweight wires for axles and plastic wheels – these axles and wheels lending the American products lower rolling resistance and a degree of body roll like full-scale cars.

Fling one of the Hot Wheels models along the top of a desk or table and with a flick of the wrist you could induce oversteer – and there was no stopping the car until it struck some fixture (usually a wall, skirting board, Mum's foot, et cetera).

The arrival of Hot Wheels in global markets prompted Matchbox to introduce its 'Superfast' range in direct competition. My first Superfast model was a faithful reproduction of a Ford Capri V6 GT in orange. Powered by gravity it was the die-cast car to beat within my peer group. Much like the real deal, the Matchbox Capri was heavy, fast and stylish. Unlike the full-size Ford, the Matchbox facsimile was also quite durable.

Over time, despite the Superfast range of Matchbox models, Hot Wheels came to dominate the market. I never really got the Hot Wheels bug, but its disruptive influence did result in a better strain of Matchbox model, so I salute Mattel and its die-cast toy brand for that.

Mattel celebrated the 50th anniversary of Hot Wheels last month (May). The flamboyant models were introduced to market in 1968 by Mattel's co-founder Elliot Handler. What Handler wanted from his brand of die-cast models was a product range that was more fun for kids and aimed less at collectors of authentic-looking models.

He threw down the gauntlet for his design team to invent what Mattel describes as "the world's first trackable toy car." When Handler saw the first product rolling along a floor, he reportedly said: "Those are some hot wheels."

The name stuck.

The first Hot Wheels model to hit the shelves of toy stores in the USA was a reproduction of the relatively new Chevrolet Camaro in 1968 – a 'zeitgeist' moment replayed 44 years later. Arriving slap-bang in the middle of America's Pony-Car and muscle-car crazes, Mattel capitalised on that fascination by rushing out other models that appealed equally to the hearts of young enthusiasts.

"Over the years Hot Wheels has continued to break barriers, even Guinness World Records, so it's no surprise that 50 years on, Hot Wheels die-cast cars remain the number one selling toy in the world," says Chedney Rodgers, Mattel ANZ Director of Marketing.

Mattel has issued a range of models to commemorate the half century since launching Hot Wheels, and they're retro designs that recapture the era. Named the 'Throwback to the Original 16' collection, the commemorative models retail for $9 and are available locally through Big W stores.

And as for Matchbox? It continues to this day, but it's now part of the Mattel empire – acquired in 1997 along with Tyco Toys, its parent company. In the great die-cast model car war waged over 30 years, Hot Wheels had won.