The New Mattel Hot Wheel Is a Wheelchair Model Die-Cast Car

For over 50 years, Mattel's Hot Wheels die-cast cars have been a smashing success with children of all ages. Many kids grow up to collect classic cars and newer models hitting the marketplace.

Brief Hot Wheel History

The first set of die-cast Hot Wheel cars came out in 1968 in a lineup called "Sweet 16". The original set included custom designs based on hot rods available in the real world reflecting California's custom car culture. Some of the beloved automobiles available during initial release were customized versions of the Chevy Camaro, Ford Mustang, and Volkswagen Beetle. Mattel's co-founder, Elliot Handler, envisioned tiny hot rods while playing with his children in 1966. At the time, he realized die-cast cars were lackluster in their performance and not very agile. Indeed, there was a lack of variety of models and variations. After his first prototype rolled off the production line, Handler exclaimed, "Those are some hot wheels!" So the title for the new toys was born and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Wheelie HW Ride-On Chair

Over a half-century after the first Hot Wheel, the creative minds at Mattel dreamt up a new design called the Wheelie Chair. The model resembles the actual wheelchair ridden in real life by Aaron "Wheelz" Fotheringham. For those unaware, Fotheringham is an extreme wheelchair athlete. The BMX-inspired, skateboard-related stunts are nothing short of spectacular. It was Aaron who coined the phrase, "It's a wheelchair, not a prison" and you can check out a video of him performing tricks and taking flight in one of his many online videos. Fotheringham is an inspiration to many people regardless of their abilities and reminds us all to live our best self and not to let obstacles stand in the way of our success.

Miniaturized Riders

A wheelchair needs a rider so Mattel partnered with the Lego brand of building blocks to equip their Wheelie chairs with an operator from their miniature figurine MegaBloks collection. Any of the Lego minifigs will snap into place on the specially designed ride-on chairs as their hands can clip onto the rail that extends from one side, across the rear, and onto the other side as well. The figurines are also able to grasp part of the base that extends past the footrest. To emulate Aaron's, the chair is lime green with bright orange wheels. Further, it comes with licensed decor from the daredevil. Fotheringham's image and signature are on the packaging.

Perfect Pairing

Hot Wheels paired with Aaron Fotheringham and the Danish Lego toymaker makes a fun addition to Mattel's kid-friendly products. It was the brainchild of Mattel Designer Alvin Chan as part of the 2019 Hot Wheels "C" case assortment. Children of all abilities request this particular addition. Then, purchased by collectors looking to add to their beloved inventory of Hot Wheels.

Learn More About the New Mattel Hot Wheel

When you're in the market for an actual, full-sized vehicle capable of transporting a wheelchair and its real-life occupant, check out our inventory of handicapped accessible vans. We've got hundreds of these specially designed vehicles available.