New Hot Wheels Premium Series of Five Cars Is a Celebration of All Things Mattel

Mattel opened for business in 1945 in a garage that was located in Los Angeles. So this wasn't always the multi-billion dollar company it is today. You could say that the big breakthrough came in 1959 when it gave the world the Barbie doll. In 1961, the Ken doll was up next.

It would take several more years before Hot Wheels came along in 1968. You could write entire books about all the types of toys and ideas Mattel would put into use for the next few decades, and we'll see a few of them represented in the new series of premium Hot Wheels cars.

The Pop Culture series has been around since 2013, when the world was given a set of six cars that paid homage to Looney Tunes. The Muppets were up next, and there was even a Hanna-Barbera special series. Does anyone remember Captain Caveman from the good old days of Cartoon Network?

Over the years, we've seen various themes being used in these series such as, Star Trek, Star Wars, Batman, Super Mario Bros., Scooby Doo, and even Rick and Morty. These sets work their magic on two different levels: people love diecast cars, and they'll love them even more if they are connected to a media franchise they are a fan of.

For 2022 we've had the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles first, then came Batman and Jurassic World. And now we're looking at a set of five cars that are a celebration of all things Mattel. Naturally, the first item in the set is representative of Hot Wheels.

The 1985 Chevy Astro Van casting has been around since 2013, when it was featured in a Hot Wheels Boulevard series. It has had only four appearances since as part of Pop Culture every time. But this is the first time it's sitting on Moon Disc wheels, which are the same ones used on the K.I.T.T. Super Pursuit Mode from the Retro Entertainment set.

The Barbie Kool Kombi is a nice addition as well, and you couldn't have an item like this without pink wheels now, could you? Collectors will go crazy anytime they'll see this casting, and it has been used quite a few times in the past three years.

This is its 28th iteration in a matter of just 10 years. You'll find a yellow Moon Eyes variation of it in Case B for 2023! Moving on to the third item of this collection, it's the Masters of the Universe Ford Transit Supervan. Mattel has a dedicated MOTU Shop online, and the Skeletor action figures look rather tempting.

Speaking of the Transit Supervan, this casting has been used as a Premium-exclusive item too. You might remember its most recent appearance in the 2021 Ford Race Team Collector Set, with red and blue stripes across a white body. The next piece of gaming history brings us to Rock'Em Sock'Em Robots, which you may or may not remember.

The Quick Delivery has been used exclusively for the Pop Culture series and should not be mistaken for the Blown Delivery casting, which is just as rare. The last car of the day is the Volkswagen T1 Panel Bus which pays homage to the Little People brand of toys. You can even get a set of Run DMC Little People figures if you want to. Speaking about the Panel Bus, Jun Imai designed this casting.

And it first came into stores in 2012 as part of the Nostalgia: Hershey's collection. The rarest one ever made has to be the 2020 version from the 34th Annual Collectors Convention. 4,500 units were made, and you could end up paying as much as $280 for a single item. But the new Mattel Brands series of five items will only cost you $49 if you get one soon. But we have seen older sets, such as the Grateful Dead, being listed for up to $1,074. So the value of this one might double or triple within the next five years too.