Jan 29 2015

How Hot Wheels Work

41 min 10 movies discussed
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If you're an American who had a childhood, you probably have some nostalgia for Hot Wheels. Get your engines revved for this trip down memory lane as we discuss these fun and iconic toys.

AI Summary

# Stuff You Should Know: Hot Wheels

This episode takes you on a thrilling ride through the history and culture of Hot Wheels, the wildly popular miniature die-cast cars that have sold over four billion units since their 1968 debut. Josh and Chuck explore how Hot Wheels conquered the toy market by out-racing competitor Matchbox cars with superior engineering, special suspension systems, and sleek design, then dive into the world of passionate collectors hunting for rare vintage models worth thousands of dollars. Along the way, they discuss everything from the original designers who sneaked Corvette blueprints from GM to McDonald's Happy Meal promotions that kept kids coming back for more, plus fascinating details about fantasy car designs and the most valuable Hot Wheels ever sold.


Movies Discussed

DeLorean
DeLorean
1981 53m
★ 10.0
"It looks sort of like a DeLorean, but I don't think it is. — While discussing a Hot Wheels diamond-studded car design that resembled a DeLorean." — Chuck
Fast & Furious
Fast & Furious
2009 PG-13 1h 47m
★ 6.7
"Fast and the Furious. I know they had a line. — Mentioned Hot Wheels had a licensing deal with Fast & Furious franchise for branded cars." — Chuck
Ghostbusters
Ghostbusters
1984 1h 47m
★ 7.5
"Like the Ghostbusters Ectomobile. Right. — Referenced the Ghostbusters Ecto-1 as an example of branded Hot Wheels vehicles." — Josh
Mad Max
Mad Max
1979 1h 31m
★ 6.7
"That new Mad Max looks good, though. Are they remaking Mad Max? — Discussed a new Mad Max reboot with Tom Hardy directed by the original Mad Max director." — Chuck
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road
2015 2h 1m
★ 7.6
"And it's supposed to be just one long, intense chase battle. Sounds a lot like a Mad Max movie. — Discussed the new Mad Max film's plot structure focusing on a continuous chase sequence." — Josh
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!
1969
★ 7.8
"By the people who did Scooby-Doo using the same people who did the voices for Scooby-Doo — Compared the Hot Wheels cartoon to Scooby-Doo as having similar formats and production styles." — Chuck
Speed Buggy
Speed Buggy
1973
★ 7.3
"If you took Shaggy and put some racing goggles on him, and then turned Scooby-Doo into a Dune Buggy, that's Speed Buggy. — Described Speed Buggy as a Scooby-Doo-like cartoon featuring a talking dune buggy character." — Josh
Star Wars: Starfighter
Star Wars: Starfighter
2027
"It's funny to think about. It's the same with Star Wars. Sometimes the mistake ones are the ones that are super valuable. — Used Star Wars collectibles as an analogy for how manufacturing errors can increase collector value." — Josh
Two-Lane Blacktop
Two-Lane Blacktop
1971 R 1h 42m
★ 6.9
"Yeah, two-lane blacktop, too. Challenger? That's another classic car movie. — Mentioned Two-Lane Blacktop as another classic 1970s car movie featuring a Challenger." — Josh
Vanishing Point
Vanishing Point
1971 R 1h 39m
★ 7.1
"Have you ever seen Vanishing Point? It was like, man, I can't remember the car. But the car was basically the star. — Referenced Vanishing Point as a classic car movie where the vehicle is central to the plot." — Josh

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