COMING SOON TO TTP: THE STORY OF LEDY JOHNNY LIGHTING BOLIDOS Posted on April 6, 2021 TED IS BACK! The author of Los Autenticos: The Story of Hot Wheels Products Made Under License in Mexico by CIPSA had done it again! The story of LEDY Johnny Lighting Bolidos and the 4 lost Toppers … COMING SOON! Lily Ledy Lili Ledy was Mexico’s premiere toy manufacturer but because of […]
The Grand Prix series Redline Ford J-Car, 1968 Posted on April 6, 2021 Ford J-Car (1968) Ford J-Cars in white enamel (L) and Spectraflame purple (R). The Ford J-Car was one of the original 16 Hot Wheels cars that debuted in 1968. It was originally packaged on the regular blister cards, but later came out in Grand Prix Series blister packs. The real Ford J-Cars were the […]
1969 – Topper Johnny Lightning Models from the First Year – Custom GTO Posted on March 4, 2021 1969: Custom GTO Casting Variations: The Custom GTO body has two main variations: Opening Door Sealed Door Paint Colors: The Custom GTO came in a wide variety of colors, some featuring a flat black roof and black grille: Color Chart in development – TBA Interior: The interior is a plastic piece. White […]
Rare Hot Wheels Pink Beach Bomb Keeps the VW Bus Story Alive Posted on December 9, 2020 Hot Wheels is putting out 42 VW models this year, but none of them is ever going to be worth $150,000. This one is. If you’ve spent more time than normal looking at the things in your house this year, imagine what it’d be like if you had the rarest Hot Wheels model of […]
The Muky Story Posted on October 21, 2020 (October 23, 2020) The Story Many small diecast models have been made in Argentina. Brands such as Buby, Galgo, Aguti, Loden, Rapitoy, and Jet (by Gillette) have all originated within this South American country. In addition, the Muky models were produced there during the 1970s and 1980s. The history of Muky begins in the early 1970s. The […]
What put the Hot in Hot Wheels? Posted on August 20, 2020 In January 1945, while World War II still raged, Elliot and Ruth Handler joined a partner, Harold “Matt” Matson, to start a company in the Handlers’ garage in Los Angeles. Matson and Elliot combined their nicknames to come up with Mattel Creations. The young company produced picture frames, later adding dollhouse furniture made from the […]
The collectors who spend thousands on rare Hot Wheels Posted on August 2, 2020 (August 2, 2020) Every year, Mattel sells nearly $1B worth of new toy cars to kids. But on the secondary market, adult collectors and dealers reign supreme. By day, Bruce Pascal is a successful commercial real estate executive who brokers multimillion-dollar deals in the nation’s capital. By night, he buys $5k Hot Wheels cars on eBay. […]
Ledy Bolidos and The Four Lost Toppers Posted on July 11, 2020 In 1993, Carter Pennington published a small 21 page booklet describing all of the Topper Johnny Lightning models made for the US market. In his booklet, he describes four models which were obviously designed but never mass produced by Topper. All four are replicas of American made cars, with the Mustang and Camaro being the […]
How Chevy Invented Hot Wheels Posted on June 28, 2020 How Chevy Invented Hot Wheels The history of Hot Wheels is inextricably linked to Chevrolet, as deep-pocketed super collectors like Bruce Pascal can tell you. Hot Wheels® might be the best-selling toy brand of all time, with a total production of more than 6 billion cars since the brand’s founding in 1968. That doesn’t just […]
1971 Hot Wheels Mongoose and Snake Wild Wheelie Set Posted on May 21, 2020 (May 21, 2020) Hot Wheels fans were introduced to Don Prudhomme, the Snake, and Tom McEwen, the Mongoose, through funny cars. But these two also drove dragsters. The Snake rail dragster. The Mongoose rail dragster. For 1971 Mattel put their rail dragsters on the Mongoose & Snake Wild Wheelie Set. Box art – front. Courtesy eBay. Box art […]