Buying a car in 2023 is hard, but that seems to be the way it’s going for just about everything these days — even toy cars. And supply-chain disruptions alone don’t explain it. Just like concert tickets, sneakers, game consoles and luxury watches, the Hot Wheels market has been overrun by resellers who snap up the most desirable new die-cast releases from Mattel and flip them for a profit. As with all those other products, the problem has only grown since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It shows no sign of stopping.

In case you missed it:

About a year ago, I wrote about how Target and Walmart seemed perpetually low on stocks of Hot Wheels die-casts, along with possible explanations for that phenomenon. At the time, Mattel’s pre-pandemic staffing cuts, the pandemic itself, and physical bottlenecks like the Ever Given debacle and last year’s border-crossing blockades were believed to play a role. But there’s another issue affecting the Hot Wheels market, the same one you know all too well if you ever attempted to get your hands on a PS5 over the past 24 months — scalpers.

Hot Wheels “mainlines” — the cheapest, blue-blister-pack cars you see in supermarkets and drug stores — cost $1.29 a pop. It’s frankly an astonishing price, barely 40 cents more than what Mattel charged in 1982, even though inflation means they should really cost around $2.88. Positioned above the mainlines are premium, “adult-targeted” collections like Car Culture and Team Transport, which will set you back about $7 or $15, respectively, if you’re buying them in a store.

On the whole, then, Hot Wheels are pretty cheap. However, new casts drop in waves, cycling in and out of stores very quickly. Retailers get shipments every few weeks, and

KHLOE Kardashian has been slammed by fans for having a garage for her daughter’s toy car and scooter collection.

In a resurfaced clip from KUWTK, Khloe is seen bringing in organizers to help straighten up the garage.

5

5

“This is a plethora of True’s automobiles,” the reality star said in a video posted to Tiktok.

The Home Edit ladies shouted an enthusiastic, “yes!’ and nodded their heads.

“This is a little mish-moshy. I just don’t know….. like how to make it look nicer,” she said.

The women are then seen rearranging the cars, laying down blush pink tape, and adding cones to make the “parking garage” look the best it can be.

When the organizers are finished, Khloe walks back into the garage.

“Oh… my…. God!” she exclaims.

The video then shows all of the cars in their own make-shift parking spot, made out of tape, and the scooters lined up against the wall.

Fans took to the comments and wonder why a 4-year-old needed that many cars and a garage for them.

“I know they have the money but why so many cars Maybe a few but this is crazy,” commented one fan.

“Rich people problems!” said another.

“I bet True doesn’t even use the cars lmao,” added a third.

Many other fans commented that Khloe should definitely donate some of them.

“Nah this is a complete waste. Rich people consume so much it’s crazy. All that for 1 kid who’s gonna grow out of them and 100% they’re not gonna reuse,” commented a Tiktok user.

Other commenters said they didn’t even see a difference in the garage

FOUNTAIN CITY, Wis. — After 29 years of joyfully sharing their auto and toy collection, the Duellman family honored Elmer Duellman with the auction of a lifetime.

Elmer and his wife Bernadette shared treasures of classic cars, motorcycles, pedal cars, bikes, tools and antique toys in Elmer’s Auto & Toy Museum in Fountain City, Wis. The large collection spanned five barns on their property. After Elmer passed away in July 2019, the Duellman family continued running the museum through Labor Day 2022.

The auction, held Sept. 14-17, 2022, celebrated Elmer’s love for the items and offered nostalgic experiences to visitors. Mecum Auction ran the days’ events of 2,020 items with total sales reaching $8.5 million.

“I love people,” Elmer said in a 2012 interview with the Post Bulletin. “When they come here, it’s fun sharing it with them.”

The final celebration brought bidders from around the world. Brothers Brad and Les, two of Elmer’s six children, said the auction items averaged more than anticipated.

“We’re fulfilling our dad’s wishes to share … each piece with the rest of the world so they can make new memories,” said Brad.

From their family to the collectors, the Duellmans know the items are in good, new homes. But the auction days were “bittersweet,” Les said. The Duellmans drove the cars and motorcycles, presented at car shows and played with toys at family gatherings.

“It hits home pretty hard when you’re seeing other people buying the collection and stuff that we’ve had in our family for most of my adult life or beyond, even back into my childhood,” Les said.

The collection featured more than 100 classic cars with a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS topping the sales at $242,000. The top 10 car sales at the auction included:

• 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle SS at $242,000

American toy maker, Mattel, introduced us to the fascinating world of Hot Wheels in 1968, bringing to us a range of model cars. Since Hot Wheels came on the scene, many carmakers have had scale models of their cars made under license. As they are scale models, they get made using original designs from carmakers to ensure as much accuracy as possible. Although Hot Wheels were originally intended to be for children and young adults, they have become popular with adult collectors, for whom limited edition models are available.

Updated February 2023: Hot Wheels cars are a constantly evolving and the popularity of certain models fluctuates with the various trends. As such, this list changes to keep up to date with the most popular of toy cars. Hopefully this awesome collectible will continue to be popular among fans – even after the automotive world has gone electric.

Most people see Hot Wheels cars as toys found for a buck at any local store. However, now and then, a toy meant for kids ends up becoming a highly collectible item. It’s usually because of how rare they are, as Hot Wheels has had a few models produced in minimal numbers, making them hard to find. A few were also one-of-a-kind collector items that shine nicely. Original packaging really helps increase the value of these collectibles.

There have been scores of such Hot Wheels that are now worth thousands of dollars. And others are easily hitting five figures among serious collectors. A few even crack six numbers at major auctions and collector’s items. These are the top 10 Hot Wheels scale model cars that cost more than some actual cars.

RELATED: Check Out This 1963 Ford Anglia That Is Now A Hot Wheels Diecast Model

Bruce Pascal is an avid Hot Wheels collector who boasts a collection of more than 4,000 cars.

Bruce Pascal

hide caption

toggle caption

Bruce Pascal

Bruce Pascal is an avid Hot Wheels collector who boasts a collection of more than 4,000 cars.

Bruce Pascal

Inflation, the curse of our pocketbooks and the Federal Reserve, has hit almost every good in the U.S. But the price of a beloved toy has managed to hover around $1 — for more than 50 years.

Hot Wheels are a retail oddity. They remain one of the most affordable toys in the country at a time when inflation is chipping away at savings accounts and compounding credit card debt for many Americans, experts like James Zahn told NPR.

Zahn is the editor-in-chief of The Toy Book, a trade publication that has covered the toy industry in North America since 1984. Inflation and other supply chain-related factors have boosted prices this year in a few toy categories, most notably action figures, dolls and electronic toys, Zahn said.

A look at one of the many display cases Bruce Pascal uses to showcase his Hot Wheels collection.

Bruce Pascal

hide caption

toggle caption

Bruce Pascal

A look at one of the many display cases Bruce Pascal uses to showcase his Hot Wheels collection.

Bruce Pascal

On average, The Toy Book has recorded a 15% jump in manufacturers’ suggested prices for a lot of toys this season; many products that would’ve been $19.99 a year or two ago are coming in at $22.99 to $24.99, he added.

“It is exceptionally rare to find a toy that maintains its price for a few years, let alone more than five decades,” Zahn said. “Hot Wheels are an anomaly in that the continued sales volume and razor-sharp production pipeline manage to keep

Finding the right subject is a struggle for many photographers. That’s why some get creative with what is available to them. 15-year-old photographer Anthony Ryan Schmidt uses his ever-growing collection of vintage miniature cars and his iPhone to capture images that use forced perspective and fool the eye into thinking these tiny cars are the real thing.

Schmidt’s interest in automobiles can be traced back to when he was just a toddler. “Most people on the autism spectrum have a special interest, and for Schmidt, it has always been cars,” Ramona Schmidt, his mother, tells My Modern Met. “He just loves everything about them and immerses himself into everything about them.” This passion quickly grew, and by age 6, Anthony was photographing the models in his collection. Since then, his skills have only improved, resulting in pictures of vintage cars in parking lots, gas stations, and more.

In behind-the-scenes images, we see how Schmidt composes his illusionistic shots. The different cars are laid out in a miniature setting that is set against a “real” lifesize background. After the picture is snapped, these different elements seamlessly meld into a cohesive image that makes us see the model cars as real ones.

Schmidt began sharing his work online and gained a supportive following. His fans helped him fund his first coffee table book, Small Cars, Big Inspiration. He has since collected more photographs that are featured in his second book, Shifting Perspectives. You can purchase prints, calendars, and books of his work via his online store and keep up to date with his latest projects by following the artist on Instagram.

15-year-old photographer Anthony Ryan Schmidt makes miniature cars look lifesize in his charming photos.

He has been photographing his collection of model cars ever since he was six.

Anthony

A beloved museum in Wisconsin closed its doors for the last time over Labor Day weekend after nearly three decades in operation, but fans now have the opportunity to take a piece of it home with them.

Or drive one home.

Elmer’s Auto and Toy Museum in Fountain City was founded by Elmer Duellman in the 1990s and run by him until his death at 79 in 2019. The entire collection will now be auctioned the week of Sept. 17.

Duellman, who ran several automotive businesses in the area, was an avid car enthusiast with a private collection of mostly American classics he often shared with family and friends.

AMAZING HOARD OF OVER 50 CLASSIC MOTORCYCLES BEING AUCTIONED

Elmer’s Toy and Auto Museum is located in Fountain City, Wisconsin. (Mecum Auctions)

His son Les told Fox News Digital that after taking part in a local historical society tour with some of the cars and seeing the positive reaction they got from everyone in town, he decided to open the doors to his warehouse and turn it into a public museum.

Along with over 100 cars are dozens of motorcycles, bicycles and one of the finest collections of antique pedal cars in the country, which Les said his dad started adding to fill out the spaces in the facility.

This 1927 American National Lincoln pedal car is likely worth over $10,000. (Mecum Auctions)

Elmer acquired over 800 pedal cars spanning the entire 20th century, with several especially rare ones from the 1920s and 1930s. Among them are a 1927 American National Lincoln with an estimated value over $10,000.

There are also a few designed to look like the Dodge Daytona and Plymouth Superbird muscle cars. Elmer had owned each of the real cars since he bought them new until he sold