IHSS Blog: Toys and Tipping Points - Hot Wheels

 Alex Gross

Mr. Roddy

IHSS
5 October 2020

IHSS Blog: Toys

My blog about toys is going to focus around one of the most popular toys that has been sold in the past 50 years - Hot Wheels. Hot Wheels are miniature versions of cars of differing colors, shapes, make, and models that have been produced since 1968 by the company Mattel. These cars definitely involve some gender bias; perhaps the most out of any singular toy in the world. Every boy I knew had Hot Wheels growing up whether they bought them themselves or received them as gifts. I never bought Hot Wheels but I had so many of them that an entire shelf in my closet was dedicated to buckets of Hot Wheels cars because basically every holiday someone would send me some. I never saw people giving Hot Wheels to girls but when my friends who were girls would come over some of them would be interested in playing with Hot Wheels. In every advertisement for Hot Wheels that I ever heard there was always a male narrator voice and they would talk about cool things that boys are supposed to be interested in like fire and big cars. I find it interesting that so many people gave these toys to young boys yet they were never given to young girls despite the fact that they came in almost every color imaginable. Toy cars definitely seem like a toy for boys when looked at from a gender stereotypical point of view. The strangest part is that I never thoroughly enjoyed receiving or playing with these toys but since I was a little boy and little boys were supposed to play with cars, trucks, monster trucks, and other “manly” things I just went along with it. I feel like even as a young kid there were societal pressures put on me and my friends to play with the “right” toys. I didn’t spend most of my time playing with toys once I got electronics and other more advanced means of entertainment, though I still think there is a period when young boys will almost inevitably play with Hot Wheels in their youth. Now there are modern versions of Hot Wheels to appeal to the need for more going on with toys. Some of these new adaptations include electric Hot Wheels tracks that move the cars on their own, and more automated systems to play with the toys. All in all I think it is very interesting that this toy has been around for over 50 years, and is adapting to the new times, yet still maintains some of the social pressures surrounding it.

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