• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, February 2, 2011

Mattel is partnering with General Mills, placing custom-designed Hot Wheels pullback racers in certain cereal boxes. Each box also comes with a promotional code, enabling kids to log on to the toy marketer's Hot Wheels Racing Circuit site, racing against other players.

"The four cars are unique and exclusive to General Mills," Ed Horasz, Mattel's director of global strategic alliances, tells Marketing Daily. "The idea was to give the General Mills consumer not only a physical product they could collect, but also a more interactive experience, as well--it's just a different way to connect with consumers, letting them live out their Hot Wheels fantasy."

The cars are available in Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cookie Crisp, Lucky Charms, Cheerios and Reese's Puffs.