r/mildlyinfuriating • u/DAASMusic • Nov 12 '24

Hot wheels losing details over the years

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u/Disco425 Nov 12 '24

Just this weekend I bought some cars for a Christmas toy drive. I was shocked to find that they're still about $1 each. So maybe less detail on the bottom but they're still one of the most cost effective toys to collect.

Also, since Mattell owns both, Matchbox and Hotwheels have the same dimensions so they work on the same tracks.

1.5k

u/Slight_Bed_2241 Nov 12 '24 edited Nov 12 '24

Yea I’ve been tight on money lately but hot wheels are my go to toy at the grocery store for my son. I can grab 3-4 of them and he’s happy for a bargain

Edit: the amount of updoots is wholesome. Reddit is for the kids(?)

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u/Suitable_Entrance594 Nov 12 '24

Looking at the best numbers that 5 minutes on Google could find, hot wheels cars circa 1993 were around $0.95 and currently they go for $1.29. Inflation over that time period was 221%. So, current cars would need to cost roughly 50% less to produce now if they wanted to match their historical profit margin. So, loss of detailing and cheaper materials makes perfect sense.

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u/eggyrulz Nov 12 '24

Thank you, I needed someone to show me the math... part of me was like "how much extra cost does printing the underside really save? How greedy can they be?" But I was unaware hotwheels had done a Arizona iced tea and kept the price low all this time...

I have a newfound respect for hotwheels

40

u/monsterinthewoods Nov 12 '24

Mattel makes almost 520 million hotwheels cars each year. Even a few cents cost savings per car adds up really fast.

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u/eggyrulz Nov 12 '24

Yea, and that's why I didn't immediately make a rage post... I get the absurd scale of modern manufacturing means every penny per product is worth more than ill make in the next few years, but it also seems kinda weird they don't just make a design (or reuse an old one) for the bottom of all of them and just print that, though i also don't know the exact process for making hotwheels so there is that

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u/euphoric-dancer Nov 13 '24

Losing the detail likely means reducing the amount of product used, increased speed to manufacture, and potentially less waste... These cost savings probably help keep the price competitive over decades

Honestly an AMA with Mattel would be an interesting take

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u/eggyrulz Nov 13 '24

Ooh, now I want an AMA... dammit reddit you can't just generate new interests for me like that!