Description
Hot Wheels were an immediate hit with young boys, with 16 million cars sold in the first year alone. Their unexpected success rocked the toy car market, with other companies searching for a way to emulate them. At Hot Wheels, new designers joined the team, helping to create fresh, new cars that matched the ever-rising expectations of their customers. Among these new designers was Larry Woods, who would earn the nickname 'Mr. Hot Wheels.' Woods was the lead designer at Hot Wheels for nearly 40 years, producing some of the company’s most popular and memorable cars.
Over the course of Hot Wheels’ more than 50-year history, the company has produced about three billion cars – over 800 different models, and 11,000 variations. According to Mattel, eight Hot Wheels are sold every second.
In 2018, the USPS issued the set of 10 Hot Wheels stamps to mark the company’s 50th anniversary. They were issued in Fort Worth, Texas at the Goodguys 26th Summit Racing Lone Star Nationals at Texas Motor Speedway. At the stamps’ dedication, a USPS official said, 'Today, we make history as the Postal Service and our partners at Mattel are celebrating the 50th anniversary of Hot Wheels with these dynamic stamps showcasing the iconic toys that were a part of my childhood and that of my children. These miniature works of art truly capture the thrill and excitement of these legendary vehicles and now will speed their way as Forever stamps on millions of cards and letters.'
5 Sheets of 100 First-Class Forever© USPS postage stamps.*The slash over "Forever" in the image is to protect it from being used to produce counterfeit postage. Actual stamps will not have this.
