Article content As a boy, Bruce Pascal reveled in testing the limits of his Hot Wheels. He might squeeze a firecracker into one of the miniature metal cars and set it off, or flatten one with a hammer to see whether it still rolled. Recommended Videos Now 63, he wouldn’t dare rough up his toys.
His collection is so prolific it literally fills a warehouse in suburban Washington, D.C., and includes the Pink Rear Load Beach Bomb prototype, the rarest Hot Wheels ever made.
Though Pascal’s 8,000-car fleet is singular, he is part of a growing contingent of enthusiasts fueling Hot Wheels dominance – it’s the best-selling toy in the world, according to market research firm Circana. Though purchases are still primarily made for children, adults are buying them at a faster clip, said Roberto Stanichi, who oversees Hot Wheels at Mattel. He estimates that adult collectors drive about one-third of global revenue.
Investors have been bracing for the eventual drop off in sales, said Arpiné Kocharyan, an analyst with UBS Investment Bank. “And yet it still grows.” “The demographic capture is incomparable,” Kocharyan said.
“You can target a kid that’s 3 years old all the way to a collector that’s 60 years old. ..
. It is almost like a universal play pattern that does not recognize borders and cultural barriers.” The 56-year-old toy’s enduring appeal makes it an outlier in an industry with a shrinking audience.
Though children today are quicker to shift from tradition.
