
Mattel is giving Hot Wheels a
makeover — and enlisting NFL great Russell Wilson and his five-year-old son, Win, to show it off. In Snap to Play,” the New York
Giants quarterback turns into a racetrack announcer as Win demonstrates the brand’s new speed-snap design, which makes it easier for kids to build tracks on their own.
The overhaul marks
the most significant track innovation since the debut of Hot Wheels in 1968. To drive excitement, Mattel is also launching Track Creator Showdown. This weekly content series challenges contestants to
build with a mix of Hot Wheels and household materials under time pressure.
Hot Wheels die-cast cars still reign as the world’s No. 1 toy, and vehicles
remain a bright spot for Mattel. While Mattel’s overall sales have been slipping, vehicle revenues climbed 10% in the most recent quarter to $407 million, primarily fueled by Hot Wheels.
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The broader toy market is also revving its engines. After declines in 2023 and flat results in 2024, U.S. toy sales rose 6% in the first half of 2025, according to
Circana. Average selling prices, stagnant for three years, finally ticked up 3%.
Category performance varied widely, with puzzles and games surging 39%, and
sales of explorative toys climbing 19% on the strength of Pokémon and NFL trading cards. Industrywide vehicle sales gained 2%.
“The toy industry
is showing strength during this period as consumers are holding their breath and waiting for higher prices to kick in,” wrote Juli Lennett, Circana’s vice president and toy industry
advisor, in the report. “This resilience is especially important as we set our sights on the holiday season and what categories are critical for the consumer to bring joy to their loved
ones.”