Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary celebrations at CIAS

 

Text and photos by Sonya Davidson

Hot Wheels, the world's most iconic toy car company kicks off their 50th anniversary celebrations at the Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) in Toronto with lots to see and do for collectors, kids and families.

From February 16 to 25, visitors to the show will find plenty to keep little hands busy here including the city's largest Hot Wheels super track complete with CN Tower. Kids are also invited to build and play with tracks inside the PlayZone. There's also a display of collectibles for enthusiasts. Collectors Zone gives fans the opportunity to trade and discuss all things Hot Wheels. In addition, you'll be ablt to get up close to six life-size Hot Wheels cars, including the Darth Vader car and the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro RS. 

Visitors to CIAS who upload images to social media tagging #HotWheels50 and #ChallengeAccepted will receive a free die-cast vehicle by visiting one of the staff at the show (located on level 700, south building).

There is also a design contest where you have a chance to win a Hot Wheels prize pack and the chance to have your design produced as a future die-cast car by Mattel. Details can be found at hotwheelschallenge.ca

Here are some fun facts!

• Hot Wheels was first introduced in 1968 to the toy industry during New York Toy Fair.
• Hot Wheels birthday is celebrated on May 19th.
• The first Hot Wheels car off the line was a dark blue Custom Camero.
• The first Hot Wheels cars to be sold were the "Original Sweet Sixteen."
• There are over 130 new car designs introduced each year.
• OVer 6 billion Hot Wheels have been produced since 1968.
• 519 million Hot Wheels are produced each year.
• 10 million Hot Wheels are produced each week.
• 16.5 Hot Wheels are produced per second.
• The average kid owns 45 Hot Wheels in the US. (I'm pretty sure mine own about 200 each)
• 20,000 different variations of Hot Wheels cars exist.
• Hot Wheels makes over 6,000 miles of orange track each year.
• The first life-size Hot Wheels was the Twin Mill in 2001.
• Hot Wheels currently has a totaly of 19 life-size cars. 
• The largest Hot Wheels collection is worth over $1MM and is owned by famed collector Bruce Pascal.
• Hot Wheels has over 350 partners in 2017.
• Hot Wheels partners with nearly every auto manufacturer in the world.
• The most expensive Hot Wheels ever sold was the Beach Bomb for $72,000.
• Darth Vader is the best-selling Hot Wheels character car.
• Hot Wheels are sold in over 150 countries. 
• Hot Wheels is the #1 selling toy in the world.
• #HotWheels is shared every 30 seconds on social media.
• Hot wheels is part of some of the biggest video games in the industry including Forza, Need for Speed and Rocket League. 

The Canadian International Auto Show runs until February 25, 2018. Located at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, North and South Buildings.