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Keep
on Truckin’: The Timeless Temptation of Toy Cars and Trucks
By Paul
A. Paterson
May 1, 2003
Toy
cars and trucks have been inspiring imaginations in sandboxes and
playgrounds since the first Model T rolled off the assembly line
nearly a hundred years ago, and their continuing status as a toy
industry mainstays show no sign of wear and tear.
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“The
reason the vehicle category is so strong is we are always a boy’s
first car,” explained Sara Rosales, Vice
President of Public Relations for Mattel. “Our Matchbox
toys appeal to the young boy. They’re the ones they see in
everyday life—police cars, fire trucks, ambulances, mom’s
car. They create their own imaginary stories. They are in control
and at that point, they are not in control of much.”
Rosales notes the Hot Wheels line attracts an older
boy with a developed interest in speed and power, but the experience
of controlling their own play environment continues. She has an
interesting way of looking at the universality of toy cars.
“There are 41 million men who grew up playing with toy cars,”
she noted. “Hot Wheels is probably the world’s largest
auto manufacturer.”
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Over
at Hasbro Inc, home of the famous Tonka
line, Audrey Desimone, Director of Corporate Communications, believes
the experience of playing with toy vehicles boils down to simple
fun.
“Trucks let them act out a fantasy. It lets them act out by
putting them in the driver’s seat,” she said. “Kids
love construction trucks in action, and what kid doesn’t want
to play construction in their own sandbox?”
Long a stalwart of the toy vehicle industry, Tonka’s big yellow
dump truck has retained its popularity while remaining virtually
unchanged for decades. Other lines that have held their level of
popularity from generation to generation are rescue vehicles like
police cars, fire trucks and ambulances, which Desimone believes
shows the transcendent nature of heroes.
“Rescue is very popular,” she said. “Police are
always a popular theme. They are always something that’s been
popular with kids. These kinds of products have always been in our
GI Joe line. Those types of figures are role models kids all over
want to emulate.”
Every
year, the companies come out with lines that mirror what major car
companies produce, and licensing agreements are an important component.
This allows toy companies to keep up with new releases in the automobile
industry, like Chrysler’s PT Cruiser. These new releases are
important, but Roy Nakamura of HotWheelsNow.com
thinks their impact on the overall sales of toy cars is minor.
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