A TOY cars enthusiast, Bruce Pascal, has amassed the world’s most valuable Hot Wheels collection – worth over $1million.
Self-study activity:
Watch the video and answer the questions below.
1 Where does the King of Hot Wheels live?
2 How many items does he have in his collection?
3 How much is the most valuable item, the Pink Rear-Loader Beach Bomb, worth?
4 Why was it pink?
5 Where does he keep his collection?
6 What is Bruce’s dream?
7 What did Ruth Handler invent? When?
The collection today is worth well in excess of a million dollars. I insure it, I protect it and I enjoy it.
On the East Coast of the United States lives the King of Hot Wheels.
I was 7 years old when my parents came home with a Hot Wheel. I was hooked. I collected them as a young kid and it was amazing. I currently have about 3,500 Hot Wheels in my collection. Just come into my room and sit back and look at pieces of history of the most famous toy car.
Included in Bruce’s collection is the most valuable Hot Wheels vehicle in the world, worth a whooping $150,000.
Most valuable Hot Wheel in the world is called the Pink Rear-Loader Beach Bomb and what’s unique about this car is that this was the first the attempt at Mattel to make a Volkswagen VW bus. And when they made it, they put the surf boards on the back side, they put a small sun roof on the top of the car and then this Pink Rear-Loader Beach Bomb was one of the only two made in the colour pink, which was an attempt to sell toy cars to girls. It didn’t do too well, because boys bought them, smashed them with their hammers, and today this is the finest example and the most beautiful Pink Rear-Loader Beach Bomb there is.
And Bruce hasn’t stopped at just collecting the toy cars.
At my old house, I had a small office that I never really paid much attention to. But I realised how much time I spent in my office with my Hot Wheels hobby. I decided when I moved to a new home, I hooked with a great architect and I said, ‘Design me an office that looks like the residence of Mattel in 1970.’ And this way I can come in and just enjoy every single evening, looking at 1,100 Redline Hot Wheels on one wall and cases holding another 2,000 cars made at later days. So, for me, it’s exciting to go into a Hot Wheels room that looks like a real Hot Wheels room.
It’s incredibly important for me to preserve the history of Hot Wheels. And it’s kind of funny, because I think I have more items related to the original production in my house than Mattel does in its entire factory. My dream one day would be to build a museum. To talk about the greatest boy’s toy of all the time, and I wouldn’t mind splitting it up with other collectors with the Barbie doll.
Why? It’s very simple. Elliot Handler was the founder of Hot Wheels. His wife, Ruth Handler, worked at the same company and she was his partner. She invented the Barbie doll in 1958. Imagine that, a married couple where the wife created the number one girl’s toy in the history of the world and the husband invented the number one boy’s toy in the history of the world.
Well, I must say when you tell friends that you collect Hot Wheels, you don’t get the same reaction as when you tell them you collect art work, or you collect cars or you collect baseball cards. One of my goals in life is to elevate the hobby so you get the same level of appreciation. But many people look at me with bewilderment and say, “You collect those toy cars that I played with when I was a kid myself?” And I proudly answer, “Yes, I do”.
Key:
1 On the East Coast of the United States
2 About 3,500
3 $150,000
4 Mattel wanted to sell toy cars to girls
5 In his old house
6 To build a museum
7 Barbie dolls in 1958
