A 'timeless' tradition: Why Hot Wheels still win with fans 50 years later

Three generations of Lawrence men have bonded over Hot Wheels.

"It's been a timeless thing," says Mark Lawrence, a long-time collector of the iconic toy cars. "It was passed down from my father and now I'm passing it down to my son."

The popular brand developed by Mattel marks its 50th anniversary this year and will be showcased in an exhibitionat the 2018 Canadian International AutoShow, which opensFriday at the Metro Toronto Convention Centreand closesFeb. 25.

"It's just something that never got old for us," Lawrence said."It's always excitingwhen you go to a store and they've just freshly bought all the stock in and there's bins to search through My son's just on Cloud 9, he loves that."

Avid Hot Wheels collector David Colquhoun has roughly 6,000 cars in his collection and has also passed down his obsession to his two daughters ages two and four.

"I just recently bought them their first Hot Wheels track set," he said. "They're just as excited [as I was.] They like cars and love playing with the little ones."

Community-building and making friends is also part of the hobby's appeal, Colquhounsays.

He's met many new people through the Hot Wheels community and that's because of Mattel's unique way of selling the product. You often to have interact with other collectorsto complete a Hot Wheels collection, he said.

"You can't just go online and buy directly from Hot Wheels. You have to run around, deal with other collectors, go to Walmart or go to Toys R Us to find these cars because you can't just buy complete sets from Hot Wheels. They make it tricky to accomplish what you want."

However, that is part of itsappeal,Colquhounsays.

"The hunt is half the fun."

So why has the magic of Hot Wheels endured 50 years on?

"Because of what it's based on cars," Colquhounsaid."Every little boy wants a car and if they can go out and buy their favourite $1 million exotic car for a $1.50 ...at the local Walmart, why wouldn't they?"

Lawrence says while today's kids may often beenamoured withtechnology,Hot Wheels endure in his householdbecause of their simplicity.

"I see what kids are doing nowand they're mostly on their gadgets and they're mostly on their phones and tablets ...I think the hobbies that are out there now, they don't speak to the simplicity and innocence of a toy car collection."