1 00:00:00,240 --> 00:00:27,800 Speaker 1: Ridiculous Histories the production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to the 2 00:00:27,840 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 1: show Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so much for 3 00:00:31,560 --> 00:00:33,800 Speaker 1: tuning in. Let's hear it for the Man, the Myth, 4 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:39,239 Speaker 1: the Legend, Max two Computers, Williams. Let's hear it for 5 00:00:39,320 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: the other miss men and Legends. We've got Noel Brown. 6 00:00:43,520 --> 00:00:47,880 Speaker 1: I am Ben Bullen. Noel. This is one that's been 7 00:00:48,440 --> 00:00:53,120 Speaker 1: a long time in our docket. We're talking about toy 8 00:00:53,240 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 1: cars and did you ever have any of those like 9 00:00:58,000 --> 00:01:00,840 Speaker 1: racetrack sets where they do the little loop de loop 10 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:01,280 Speaker 1: and so on. 11 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:03,480 Speaker 2: I had friends I think that had them, and I 12 00:01:03,520 --> 00:01:05,560 Speaker 2: would you know, like I had a neighbor in my 13 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 2: Neighborhoodhre I grew up whose parents were doctors, so they 14 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:10,640 Speaker 2: always had like the newest, coolest stuff, and they had 15 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:13,400 Speaker 2: like a whole upstairs that was just entirely this massive 16 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:15,600 Speaker 2: play room. So they had all that kind of stuff 17 00:01:15,640 --> 00:01:18,000 Speaker 2: that I never really got. I was more of a 18 00:01:18,040 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 2: he man Masters of the Universe and eventually Ninja Turtles 19 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:22,679 Speaker 2: kind of kid. 20 00:01:23,040 --> 00:01:26,560 Speaker 3: Maybe so Joe's crept in there, Army crawled in there, but. 21 00:01:26,840 --> 00:01:29,640 Speaker 1: Well, they had so many points of articulation. They were 22 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: an excellent action figure. 23 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:33,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean superior to he Man. He Man was 24 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:35,000 Speaker 2: just like weird stiff arms that you could just. 25 00:01:35,040 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 1: Kind of I think shoulders and hips could move. 26 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:41,560 Speaker 2: I think the hips could swivel because it would let 27 00:01:41,640 --> 00:01:43,160 Speaker 2: you do like kind of like punches. 28 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:47,680 Speaker 1: You known my seat, He's like turning around with the 29 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:49,960 Speaker 1: sword like uh huh, you almost got me. 30 00:01:50,080 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 2: Well, there was definitely a figure where his mid section 31 00:01:52,920 --> 00:01:55,200 Speaker 2: was like spring loaded and you could hit a button. 32 00:01:55,240 --> 00:01:56,760 Speaker 2: You could like cock it and then hit a button 33 00:01:56,800 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 2: in the back like swing and that was like its 34 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 2: special bower. There were tons of those. I had the 35 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 2: he Man figures. I had some she Raw figures because 36 00:02:06,520 --> 00:02:11,760 Speaker 2: my parents wanted me to not think that the he 37 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:16,120 Speaker 2: Man universe was just dudes. And I never understood why 38 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:20,600 Speaker 2: she was she raw instead of like she woman. It's 39 00:02:20,639 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 2: a good question. I would have loved to be a 40 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:24,799 Speaker 2: fly on the wall in that pitch meeting. But it's 41 00:02:24,800 --> 00:02:27,280 Speaker 2: just funny. That was also the time of like highly 42 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:31,720 Speaker 2: gendered toys. Oh now for like I mean practically blue 43 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:34,720 Speaker 2: is for boys, pink as for girls. Kind of thinking 44 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:36,720 Speaker 2: behind the marketing of these things. 45 00:02:37,160 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: So Matchbox versus hot wheels, that is h This is 46 00:02:42,520 --> 00:02:45,919 Speaker 1: probably going to be a two parter. Folks, we have 47 00:02:46,320 --> 00:02:48,520 Speaker 1: a heck of a story to tell you. If you 48 00:02:48,720 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 1: ever loved playing with those toy cars, or if you, 49 00:02:52,040 --> 00:02:55,680 Speaker 1: like Nol grew up with someone who had the the 50 00:02:55,720 --> 00:03:00,120 Speaker 1: whole racetrack setup. It's a lot like another version of 51 00:03:00,200 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: model trains, which are pal Max's an expert on. You know, 52 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 1: some some kids had these entire racetracks set about a room. 53 00:03:10,840 --> 00:03:13,040 Speaker 1: You know, they've got the loop de loops, they got 54 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: the wall. 55 00:03:13,960 --> 00:03:15,959 Speaker 2: That's like the room I was describing they had was 56 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:18,440 Speaker 2: all just hardwood floor as far as I could see, 57 00:03:18,440 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 2: and you could set up an entire universe of tracks 58 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:23,680 Speaker 2: in that place, and they all linked together, and you 59 00:03:23,680 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 2: could add the little kind of junction points that were 60 00:03:26,120 --> 00:03:27,000 Speaker 2: different things. 61 00:03:27,160 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 3: It's a whole vibe. 62 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: So our story starts today with two veterans of the 63 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:38,200 Speaker 1: British Naval Forces, Leslie Smith and Rodney Smith. They are 64 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: not related they I know, I know, I know, clear, I. 65 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:43,280 Speaker 3: Mean, there were the probably a lot of Smiths in 66 00:03:43,320 --> 00:03:47,280 Speaker 3: the Yukas. Still aren't Smith popular, you know what I mean? 67 00:03:47,280 --> 00:03:49,720 Speaker 3: The lastmist last time's actually Smith. 68 00:03:50,440 --> 00:03:53,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, I could tell by the way you move. 69 00:03:54,320 --> 00:03:57,440 Speaker 3: No, I'm just kidding. I like that. 70 00:03:57,440 --> 00:04:00,600 Speaker 2: That's very mysterious, not to speaking for you with Smyth, 71 00:04:00,720 --> 00:04:02,520 Speaker 2: you know, because you've got your Patti Smith, and then 72 00:04:02,520 --> 00:04:05,360 Speaker 2: you've got your Patty Smyth and never the twain shall 73 00:04:05,400 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 2: meet Smith does have a y in it, but you 74 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:09,920 Speaker 2: know that's probably more the old English spelling. But the 75 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:12,839 Speaker 2: two of these fellas, Leslie and Rodney, they met during 76 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:14,760 Speaker 2: their time in World War Two, when they, like you said, 77 00:04:14,760 --> 00:04:18,560 Speaker 2: were in the Royal Navy. After the war concluded, decided 78 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 2: to start a company which they very cleverly sort of portmanteau. 79 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 2: Their name favors one of them over the other a bit, 80 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 2: but it was called Lesnie Products. 81 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,440 Speaker 1: Otherwise it would be rod Laie, Yeah right, rod Lee. 82 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 2: Rod Less les Anyway, this is the folks who were 83 00:04:33,800 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 2: walking through it. 84 00:04:34,920 --> 00:04:40,200 Speaker 1: Leslie, first three letters of that, Rodney, last three letters 85 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:41,880 Speaker 1: of that, Lesnie. 86 00:04:42,200 --> 00:04:44,039 Speaker 2: I guess I'm just saying that the les part is 87 00:04:44,080 --> 00:04:46,479 Speaker 2: just a little more striking than the knee part. I 88 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:49,039 Speaker 2: actually had to do a retake because I initially just 89 00:04:49,080 --> 00:04:50,960 Speaker 2: said it was named Leslie. When you look at it 90 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:54,440 Speaker 2: on paper, that favors that name. But they started this company. 91 00:04:54,880 --> 00:04:58,400 Speaker 2: Whatever the providence of the name in Hackney, which is 92 00:04:58,680 --> 00:05:01,520 Speaker 2: a burrow of London's of like Queens to New York 93 00:05:01,560 --> 00:05:05,560 Speaker 2: and all of that. And it would specialize in fabricating, right, 94 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:10,200 Speaker 2: like die casting parts that could be used in various 95 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:15,159 Speaker 2: you know workmen like vehicular functions like agriculture or just cars. 96 00:05:15,720 --> 00:05:19,719 Speaker 1: Yeah, they did a lot of stuff. It's interesting because 97 00:05:20,839 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: if you study the evolution of most major automobile manufacturers, 98 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:32,360 Speaker 1: you see that they already typically have a background in 99 00:05:32,480 --> 00:05:37,360 Speaker 1: manufacturing something like the people who make the bicycles say, hey, 100 00:05:37,480 --> 00:05:39,680 Speaker 1: we know how to make tires. Let's do you know, 101 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:40,679 Speaker 1: let's do cars. 102 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 3: How tough can it be? Machining or fabricating right? And 103 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:44,880 Speaker 3: it's also funny. 104 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:46,839 Speaker 2: We'll probably get to this in a bit, but a 105 00:05:46,880 --> 00:05:49,840 Speaker 2: lot of companies that went on to become toy companies 106 00:05:50,080 --> 00:05:53,040 Speaker 2: got their start and making parts for other stuff. Oh, 107 00:05:53,320 --> 00:05:56,479 Speaker 2: it's all about having this setup, having the infrastructure, and 108 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:57,760 Speaker 2: then pivoting right. 109 00:05:58,080 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 1: All praise due to nintend Do, which started I think 110 00:06:02,160 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: manufacturing playing cards. So we want to give a big 111 00:06:05,440 --> 00:06:09,039 Speaker 1: shout out to Matt Reigel over at grunge dot com 112 00:06:09,080 --> 00:06:13,680 Speaker 1: with his work what happened to matchbox Cars? Before we 113 00:06:13,720 --> 00:06:16,359 Speaker 1: get to that, we have to explain how Matchbox not 114 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:22,360 Speaker 1: Matchbook cars came to be. As we're saying, Lesnie Products 115 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:29,680 Speaker 1: is a machining interest, and they they do weird innovations 116 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,600 Speaker 1: that may not sound like a big deal now, Like 117 00:06:32,640 --> 00:06:37,640 Speaker 1: they squish bread such that you can put it on 118 00:06:37,720 --> 00:06:40,440 Speaker 1: a fish hook more easily, which I guess was a 119 00:06:40,440 --> 00:06:40,960 Speaker 1: big deal. 120 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:43,440 Speaker 3: I guess that tiny divide. 121 00:06:43,440 --> 00:06:47,120 Speaker 2: I don't understand this, Like gay, you just binch off 122 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:48,880 Speaker 2: a piece of bread and squish it and put it 123 00:06:48,920 --> 00:06:51,479 Speaker 2: on the fish. What does this tiny device look like? 124 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:54,640 Speaker 2: I'm trying to We're so close to making lunchables, right. 125 00:06:55,080 --> 00:06:58,919 Speaker 2: So this company, Lesnie Products, they rent out part of 126 00:06:58,920 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 2: their facility to a guy named Jack O'Dell, an engineer. 127 00:07:03,400 --> 00:07:07,200 Speaker 2: Eventually he joins the company. He started as a pop 128 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:10,520 Speaker 2: up and now he became part of the industry. Do 129 00:07:10,560 --> 00:07:12,800 Speaker 2: you think it's neat though, that they had in these days? 130 00:07:12,800 --> 00:07:16,480 Speaker 2: I guess there would be sometimes a little startup mentality, 131 00:07:16,800 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 2: you know, to something because we've got all this stuff, 132 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:20,680 Speaker 2: we only need this much to meet to you know, 133 00:07:20,720 --> 00:07:23,800 Speaker 2: meet our quota for our production. Let's rent out this part, 134 00:07:23,840 --> 00:07:25,200 Speaker 2: you know too. I mean maybe this is like super 135 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:27,640 Speaker 2: common and I'm like romanticizing it. But it is kind 136 00:07:27,640 --> 00:07:29,840 Speaker 2: of neat to think that like a company like this 137 00:07:29,880 --> 00:07:31,760 Speaker 2: would ultimately end up being an incubator. 138 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:34,280 Speaker 1: You know, I think it's cool. Yeah, and that's a 139 00:07:34,320 --> 00:07:39,520 Speaker 1: good word, incubator. Yeah. So soon after Lesnie is founded, 140 00:07:40,240 --> 00:07:44,680 Speaker 1: they receive these orders, uh to machine parts for a 141 00:07:44,760 --> 00:07:49,040 Speaker 1: small toy gun. They said, Okay, usually we're above it, 142 00:07:49,160 --> 00:07:52,000 Speaker 1: but money is money. If we don't have a bunch 143 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:56,080 Speaker 1: of orders coming in from big industries, then we'll work 144 00:07:56,120 --> 00:07:58,920 Speaker 1: on whatever kind of stuff we can get. We got 145 00:07:58,960 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: to keep the lights on, We got to pay the 146 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:03,880 Speaker 1: people who work here. The pivot is coming right, The 147 00:08:03,920 --> 00:08:06,040 Speaker 1: pivot is on the way, just like that guy who 148 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:11,440 Speaker 1: figured out chewing gum. So Lesnie looks into the toy 149 00:08:11,520 --> 00:08:15,720 Speaker 1: market and in nineteen forty eight, that engineer we mentioned earlier, 150 00:08:15,840 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: Jack O'Dell, he designs Lesnie's first Lesnie made toy. It's 151 00:08:22,840 --> 00:08:27,880 Speaker 1: an Avelen Barford road roller. It's a direct copy of 152 00:08:27,960 --> 00:08:31,560 Speaker 1: a toy car. Oh uh, do you guys know what 153 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:34,040 Speaker 1: an Avelen Barford is. 154 00:08:34,320 --> 00:08:37,000 Speaker 2: It's really but it's very barfee sounding. That's hard, that 155 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:38,400 Speaker 2: does not roll right off the time, but. 156 00:08:38,679 --> 00:08:42,280 Speaker 1: It sounds like a specifically it sounds like a British 157 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:44,920 Speaker 1: euphemism for a specific type of fart. 158 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 2: That's right, well, or it just it makes me think of, 159 00:08:46,960 --> 00:08:49,240 Speaker 2: you know, having won too many pints at the pub 160 00:08:49,360 --> 00:08:52,840 Speaker 2: and then you have to barford. But this does your 161 00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:55,400 Speaker 2: right though, all that aside, it sounds like an intensely 162 00:08:55,440 --> 00:08:56,200 Speaker 2: British vehicle. 163 00:08:56,600 --> 00:09:01,520 Speaker 1: Yeah. They were an engineering company, so they made the 164 00:09:01,679 --> 00:09:05,360 Speaker 1: kind of stuff you would see in road traffic construction, 165 00:09:06,559 --> 00:09:11,839 Speaker 1: big trucks, basically the big orange yellow construction trucks. And 166 00:09:12,000 --> 00:09:19,160 Speaker 1: this other toy manufacturer, Dinky Toy, was the leader in 167 00:09:19,280 --> 00:09:24,400 Speaker 1: manufacturing toy cars at the time, and Lesnie, if we're 168 00:09:24,440 --> 00:09:27,320 Speaker 1: being honest, kind of plagiarized them. 169 00:09:27,679 --> 00:09:29,200 Speaker 2: And you know, I just occurred to me that this, 170 00:09:29,400 --> 00:09:32,000 Speaker 2: I think is kind of a parallel story to the 171 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:35,600 Speaker 2: story we recently did on Japanese toys, and again kind 172 00:09:35,600 --> 00:09:38,520 Speaker 2: of companies that were making things for the war effort 173 00:09:38,760 --> 00:09:42,959 Speaker 2: pivoting to making copies of popular war vehicles and then 174 00:09:43,040 --> 00:09:45,680 Speaker 2: you know, going on from there and using I believe 175 00:09:45,920 --> 00:09:48,320 Speaker 2: tin cans and things like that that were left over 176 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:50,000 Speaker 2: from the war effort to make those. 177 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:56,560 Speaker 1: And they grow with great success. It's nineteen fifty one 178 00:09:57,320 --> 00:10:01,760 Speaker 1: and one of the founders decides to leave the company. 179 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:07,080 Speaker 1: Maybe you're onto something nold because the knee of Lesnie 180 00:10:07,400 --> 00:10:12,720 Speaker 1: Rodney Smith is the one who leaves. The Lesnie Corporation 181 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:17,160 Speaker 1: keeps the name. They continue with their work. Their next 182 00:10:17,360 --> 00:10:23,360 Speaker 1: toy is the Coronation Coach, a mini tour model celebrating 183 00:10:23,840 --> 00:10:29,040 Speaker 1: Queen Elizabeth's coronation as Queen of England in June of 184 00:10:29,160 --> 00:10:33,400 Speaker 1: nineteen fifty three. That's so crazy because all of the 185 00:10:33,520 --> 00:10:41,120 Speaker 1: three of us listening were just Americans while the queen 186 00:10:41,400 --> 00:10:42,480 Speaker 1: was the Queen of England. 187 00:10:42,720 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 3: She's always kind of been the queen. 188 00:10:44,640 --> 00:10:48,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, It's just always there. He just always knew that 189 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:51,120 Speaker 1: one fact about that country, and now it's changed. 190 00:10:51,320 --> 00:10:53,280 Speaker 2: Yeah, but I mean for even for us though, it 191 00:10:53,360 --> 00:10:55,520 Speaker 2: never even occurred to me that there was like an event, 192 00:10:55,920 --> 00:10:58,680 Speaker 2: just you know, since she was just always the queen. 193 00:10:59,040 --> 00:11:01,000 Speaker 1: She was there since the island form. 194 00:11:01,360 --> 00:11:04,240 Speaker 4: Precisely, I have to be completely honest. I don't know 195 00:11:04,280 --> 00:11:06,720 Speaker 4: the name of the king, the guy who the coronation 196 00:11:07,080 --> 00:11:07,640 Speaker 4: just happens. 197 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,160 Speaker 2: Charles is Charles, Okay, I was gonna say Philip famous 198 00:11:11,200 --> 00:11:13,079 Speaker 2: Charles with the ears, you know, yeah. 199 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 3: You know, but I'm sitting here like light right now 200 00:11:15,160 --> 00:11:17,160 Speaker 3: doing it live, and I'm like, it's not Philip, that 201 00:11:17,280 --> 00:11:18,080 Speaker 3: was her husband. 202 00:11:18,120 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 1: No, no, no, it's not Harry. 203 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:21,600 Speaker 3: That's the one who's Carson Wentz in disguise. 204 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:26,760 Speaker 1: Yeah, well Knowle's right, it's Charles. He goes by snake 205 00:11:26,840 --> 00:11:30,680 Speaker 1: bite with his friends. Obviously, Okay, cool, he's a tough customer. 206 00:11:31,400 --> 00:11:33,320 Speaker 2: But you know it's crazy, Like think about like selling 207 00:11:33,400 --> 00:11:35,360 Speaker 2: merch and an event like that. You know, you've ever 208 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:37,880 Speaker 2: been to a giant concert and there's like people selling 209 00:11:37,920 --> 00:11:40,000 Speaker 2: like bootleg T shirts outside and stuff. I mean, there 210 00:11:40,040 --> 00:11:43,080 Speaker 2: is money to be made around events like this. So 211 00:11:43,240 --> 00:11:47,160 Speaker 2: Leslie essentially just totally keys into this exact thing and 212 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:50,920 Speaker 2: hits pay dirt by having the coronation coach like coming 213 00:11:50,920 --> 00:11:53,400 Speaker 2: out in sync with this event. It's like feeding frenzy 214 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 2: of an event. Just think about how crazy Americans go 215 00:11:56,280 --> 00:12:00,400 Speaker 2: for royal stuff, you know, around either a coronation or 216 00:12:00,640 --> 00:12:02,240 Speaker 2: a royal wedding or what have you. 217 00:12:02,520 --> 00:12:05,320 Speaker 3: I mean, in the country. This is an absolute feeding frenzy. 218 00:12:05,679 --> 00:12:09,959 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, it's a beautiful idea and they do a 219 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:22,079 Speaker 1: tremendous job with it. If we look at how these 220 00:12:23,280 --> 00:12:27,079 Speaker 1: cars begin, then we're going to need to jump around 221 00:12:27,160 --> 00:12:31,520 Speaker 1: a little bit hashtag no criss cross. That is an 222 00:12:31,800 --> 00:12:34,760 Speaker 1: old school hip hop joke. All right, Fie missed the bus, 223 00:12:34,960 --> 00:12:40,840 Speaker 1: Yeah right. And so the world's first mass market tiny 224 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:44,640 Speaker 1: toy cars date back to nineteen fifty two, which is 225 00:12:44,760 --> 00:12:48,200 Speaker 1: kind of weird because we of course know that the 226 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:53,960 Speaker 1: automobile was around way before that. The idea for mass 227 00:12:54,000 --> 00:13:00,240 Speaker 1: market tiny cars comes from exploiting a loophole. If you 228 00:13:00,240 --> 00:13:03,720 Speaker 1: were a school kid back in the early nineteen fifties, 229 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:06,480 Speaker 1: you could only go to school with toys that were 230 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:12,640 Speaker 1: small enough to fit inside a matchbox. So LESNI keeping 231 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:16,640 Speaker 1: their eye on this, they say, hey, we already have 232 00:13:16,960 --> 00:13:21,480 Speaker 1: economy of scale. We can make a car that can 233 00:13:21,559 --> 00:13:23,480 Speaker 1: fit inside a match box. 234 00:13:23,679 --> 00:13:24,240 Speaker 3: Oh totally. 235 00:13:24,320 --> 00:13:27,080 Speaker 2: And they sold over a million of those Coronation coaches 236 00:13:27,400 --> 00:13:29,480 Speaker 2: so they were rare and to go. So essentially, just 237 00:13:29,600 --> 00:13:31,280 Speaker 2: like you know, I don't know if this is a 238 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:34,040 Speaker 2: national policy, Like it seems like the kind of thing 239 00:13:34,080 --> 00:13:37,480 Speaker 2: that would be, you know, a specific principles idea, you know, 240 00:13:37,559 --> 00:13:40,200 Speaker 2: things like in certain school districts where the length of 241 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:43,400 Speaker 2: a skirt is regulated. But I guess this whole matchbox 242 00:13:43,440 --> 00:13:46,280 Speaker 2: thing was nationwide and they kind of like caught wind 243 00:13:46,320 --> 00:13:48,800 Speaker 2: of it. And we're like, okay, dude, there's a super 244 00:13:48,800 --> 00:13:53,320 Speaker 2: creepy story about it. So we introduced Jack O'Dell. Jack 245 00:13:53,320 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 2: Odell the engineer who started working in a pop up 246 00:13:56,679 --> 00:13:59,080 Speaker 2: at the space and then joined the company. 247 00:13:59,320 --> 00:14:03,440 Speaker 1: Right. He has a daughter, and his daughter has a 248 00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:06,280 Speaker 1: thing that she loves to do at school, and she 249 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:10,120 Speaker 1: gets in trouble for it. She takes the matchbox rule 250 00:14:10,559 --> 00:14:14,000 Speaker 1: for toys and instead of bringing toys to school, she 251 00:14:14,160 --> 00:14:16,520 Speaker 1: brings spiders to what. 252 00:14:17,080 --> 00:14:20,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, she's an amazing is she like a Wednesday Adams 253 00:14:20,520 --> 00:14:21,440 Speaker 2: type figure. 254 00:14:22,840 --> 00:14:23,800 Speaker 1: I dream of that. 255 00:14:23,920 --> 00:14:25,640 Speaker 3: She's wearing like black lace. 256 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:28,000 Speaker 2: Dresses like every Oh my goodness, this is the Gothis 257 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:29,320 Speaker 2: thing I've ever heard go on. 258 00:14:30,040 --> 00:14:35,280 Speaker 1: So little goth Odell is bringing spiders to school. The 259 00:14:35,560 --> 00:14:39,360 Speaker 1: school marm, we can imagine, does not love this, and 260 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:44,160 Speaker 1: so jack Odell, her father says, Okay, I'm gonna make 261 00:14:44,200 --> 00:14:46,880 Speaker 1: you a little car, and he makes her a little 262 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:50,840 Speaker 1: a tiny replica of a steamroller like you would see 263 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:55,120 Speaker 1: on construction site right, paving roads. And the steamroller is 264 00:14:55,160 --> 00:15:00,000 Speaker 1: made of brass, it's painted red and green, and his daughter, 265 00:15:00,120 --> 00:15:03,760 Speaker 1: he likes it, and she shows it off to her friends, 266 00:15:04,560 --> 00:15:11,120 Speaker 1: assuming she still had friends despite her clear track record 267 00:15:11,200 --> 00:15:15,520 Speaker 1: of throwing spiders at children. She had some friends who 268 00:15:15,600 --> 00:15:19,200 Speaker 1: I guess were happy that it was a steamroller instead 269 00:15:19,240 --> 00:15:22,960 Speaker 1: of a spider. They were also impressed. And you know, 270 00:15:23,720 --> 00:15:28,080 Speaker 1: if you can get a kid doing something that impresses 271 00:15:28,120 --> 00:15:31,040 Speaker 1: other children, I have it, like. 272 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:32,760 Speaker 2: I have to have the thing, you know. That's how 273 00:15:32,840 --> 00:15:36,120 Speaker 2: Pokemon works. I love though. There's this New York Times 274 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:42,080 Speaker 2: article by Douglas Martin, and there's an amazing kind of 275 00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:46,160 Speaker 2: characterization of what Odell's thinking was behind this, that it 276 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:50,720 Speaker 2: was just right for a child's hand, but hard to swallow, 277 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:56,920 Speaker 2: no batteries, violence, free, quiet, and costing just pennies to make. 278 00:15:57,120 --> 00:16:00,120 Speaker 2: These are all winners. These are all checking the box 279 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:03,600 Speaker 2: of capitalism right here, my friends. Yeah, hard to swallow, 280 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:05,080 Speaker 2: that's the most important. 281 00:16:05,560 --> 00:16:08,520 Speaker 4: Yeah, it's not like they cannot swallow it, but it's 282 00:16:08,760 --> 00:16:13,000 Speaker 4: they would really, you know, yeah, it would exist. 283 00:16:13,560 --> 00:16:20,280 Speaker 1: It's like water resistant or fire resistant. So in just 284 00:16:20,480 --> 00:16:25,640 Speaker 1: the space of one year, the steamroller and various iterations 285 00:16:25,640 --> 00:16:31,520 Speaker 1: of this vehicle are selling like hotcakes. Lesnie had set 286 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:37,720 Speaker 1: up a small factory inside an abandoned bar in London, 287 00:16:37,880 --> 00:16:43,680 Speaker 1: inside an abandoned London pub called The Riflemen, and after 288 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:46,800 Speaker 1: they made the steamroller and that caught on, they made 289 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:49,680 Speaker 1: a land rover. Then they made one of those iconic 290 00:16:49,800 --> 00:16:53,720 Speaker 1: London buses. They made a bulldozer, they made a fire truck. 291 00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:59,040 Speaker 1: In nineteen fifty four, they already had made nineteen different vehicles, 292 00:16:59,200 --> 00:17:05,320 Speaker 1: and their ninth teenth one was a MGTD roadster. This 293 00:17:05,600 --> 00:17:09,760 Speaker 1: is considered the first match Box car, and they looked good. 294 00:17:09,880 --> 00:17:13,160 Speaker 1: I'm so glad you brought up the earlier example of 295 00:17:13,240 --> 00:17:15,960 Speaker 1: the Japanese toy manufacturing industry. 296 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:20,000 Speaker 2: It's really interesting how like the name of a legacy 297 00:17:20,080 --> 00:17:23,080 Speaker 2: company that we just accept as having like always been 298 00:17:23,080 --> 00:17:26,760 Speaker 2: around can spring from something so random, you know, like 299 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,359 Speaker 2: Matchbox cars. We think of that as you know, we 300 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:33,240 Speaker 2: see the logo with the like the racing stripe and 301 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:35,160 Speaker 2: the little kind of flaming out thing like that. It's 302 00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:38,199 Speaker 2: like a ribbon, and you picture the tiny cars, and 303 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:40,879 Speaker 2: it just makes sense, you know, Oh, it's match Box 304 00:17:40,920 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 2: like like it's small. 305 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:42,479 Speaker 3: I get it. 306 00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:46,240 Speaker 2: But that kind of branding often isn't just like it 307 00:17:46,359 --> 00:17:48,840 Speaker 2: comes from some weird occurrence, and I think. 308 00:17:48,640 --> 00:17:50,280 Speaker 3: That this is a perfect example of that. 309 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:55,920 Speaker 1: Agreed. Agreed, I mean they were also pretty well made. 310 00:17:56,520 --> 00:17:58,920 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, it comes from machining. I mean, these are 311 00:17:59,359 --> 00:18:02,560 Speaker 2: made of metal. These things are like damn near indestructible. 312 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:05,320 Speaker 2: They're the bane of the existence of parents because if 313 00:18:05,359 --> 00:18:07,879 Speaker 2: you step on one of those, like heel down, not 314 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:09,960 Speaker 2: only is it gonna hurt, but you might slip and 315 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:11,600 Speaker 2: fall down the stairs to your death. 316 00:18:11,960 --> 00:18:17,240 Speaker 1: It's like a rolling lado. Yeah, so Odell, if we 317 00:18:17,280 --> 00:18:21,960 Speaker 1: could talk about some of the production quality. Jack Odell 318 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:29,960 Speaker 1: has designed machines at this point entirely created to make 319 00:18:30,080 --> 00:18:35,080 Speaker 1: these tiny toy cars. There's one machine. All it does 320 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:40,080 Speaker 1: it spray paints tiny silver headlights on the models. There's 321 00:18:40,119 --> 00:18:43,280 Speaker 1: another one. All it does is bang out the mold 322 00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:48,199 Speaker 1: for the interiors. There are dashboard dials. This stuff is 323 00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:52,480 Speaker 1: like scale model accurate. Some cars have more than one 324 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:57,280 Speaker 1: hundred parts. We're talking tiny, tiny, like not just tiny 325 00:18:57,320 --> 00:19:01,480 Speaker 1: tiny windshield fibers, but little you know, ceiling hooks where 326 00:19:01,480 --> 00:19:04,360 Speaker 1: you would hang uh oh yeah, like uh hang out, 327 00:19:04,720 --> 00:19:05,560 Speaker 1: hang some laundry. 328 00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:07,920 Speaker 2: And of course all this got dumbed down over time, 329 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:10,760 Speaker 2: you know. But I mean, can you imagine exactly the 330 00:19:10,800 --> 00:19:14,960 Speaker 2: precision of this one hundred It's like watchmaker like level 331 00:19:15,119 --> 00:19:15,920 Speaker 2: kind of precision. 332 00:19:16,000 --> 00:19:20,359 Speaker 1: To Philip Petique of uh of tiny car toys. I 333 00:19:20,400 --> 00:19:22,840 Speaker 1: love it, man, I love it, and I can see 334 00:19:23,880 --> 00:19:28,160 Speaker 1: Nola can crpl max here kind of maybe thinking about 335 00:19:28,440 --> 00:19:31,440 Speaker 1: model trains, no fence backs. I'm just in your head 336 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:32,280 Speaker 1: a little bit. Well. 337 00:19:32,320 --> 00:19:34,679 Speaker 2: And again not to jump too far ahead, but you know, 338 00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:38,480 Speaker 2: obviously this level of quality uh isn't going to last forever. 339 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:40,720 Speaker 2: But then it becomes part of this kind of bespoke 340 00:19:41,160 --> 00:19:45,720 Speaker 2: culture of like buying the perfectly you know, machined, exact 341 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:48,639 Speaker 2: replica of like this particular train engine or whatever. 342 00:19:49,040 --> 00:19:53,880 Speaker 1: So this is still a European phenomenon at this point. 343 00:19:54,000 --> 00:19:58,240 Speaker 1: Right until the very end of the nineteen fifties, there's 344 00:19:58,320 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 1: an up and coming guy in the York is very 345 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:04,639 Speaker 1: madman in my head. His name's Fred Bonner, and he 346 00:20:04,880 --> 00:20:09,800 Speaker 1: takes over sales of the Lesnie Corporation in the United States, 347 00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:13,720 Speaker 1: and he says, I can sell them a car. 348 00:20:14,480 --> 00:20:18,520 Speaker 2: I see a market here, yeah, And so it hits 349 00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:22,000 Speaker 2: the American market around the end of the fifties, Like 350 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:26,920 Speaker 2: you said, around sixty two, Matchbox is knocking a million 351 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:31,600 Speaker 2: units out per week. And again, Douglas Martin, in this 352 00:20:31,640 --> 00:20:35,560 Speaker 2: New York Times article we cited points out that's more 353 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:39,800 Speaker 2: than like real cars by a factor of a lot. 354 00:20:40,160 --> 00:20:43,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, and can you imagine the social dynamics there too. 355 00:20:43,920 --> 00:20:49,320 Speaker 1: I think Odell in that nineteen sixty two period, which 356 00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:52,520 Speaker 1: again quoted by the New York Times article, he said, 357 00:20:53,160 --> 00:20:56,960 Speaker 1: we produce more Rolls Royces in a single day than 358 00:20:57,000 --> 00:21:01,600 Speaker 1: the Rolls Royce company is made in its entire history. Okay, 359 00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:05,640 Speaker 1: it's apples, the l apples orange. It's a good it's good. 360 00:21:05,760 --> 00:21:09,320 Speaker 2: It's a good quote though, it's it's great, it's very 361 00:21:09,440 --> 00:21:10,440 Speaker 2: it's very impressive. 362 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:15,280 Speaker 1: I hope he was talking with the person interviewing him, 363 00:21:15,800 --> 00:21:18,600 Speaker 1: and I hope when he said that he picked up 364 00:21:18,640 --> 00:21:23,159 Speaker 1: a little toy car and made room room and just 365 00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:25,679 Speaker 1: sort of sailed it andross the table. 366 00:21:25,880 --> 00:21:28,160 Speaker 3: And then the interviewer is like, what's your point, sir? 367 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:30,359 Speaker 1: Exactly? 368 00:21:31,200 --> 00:21:32,679 Speaker 3: So I want to jump in here. No. 369 00:21:32,760 --> 00:21:35,879 Speaker 4: I remember when we were doing the uh kind of 370 00:21:35,920 --> 00:21:38,920 Speaker 4: like the parallel story about the Japanese car toy industry. 371 00:21:39,280 --> 00:21:40,800 Speaker 4: You you talked like they I guess they made like 372 00:21:40,840 --> 00:21:42,840 Speaker 4: a Lexus or something, and you're like, you know, there's 373 00:21:42,840 --> 00:21:44,280 Speaker 4: some guys like, hey, baby, you want to go see 374 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:44,880 Speaker 4: my a Lexus? 375 00:21:44,880 --> 00:21:46,719 Speaker 3: You know, somebody did with one of these Rolls Royces 376 00:21:46,760 --> 00:21:48,600 Speaker 3: also like I got a Rolls Royce at home. 377 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:51,600 Speaker 2: Yeah, exactly at the time of the y. You know what, 378 00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:53,920 Speaker 2: you never know, it could have still been impressive enough, 379 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:56,000 Speaker 2: you know, to seal the deal. It's like, because there 380 00:21:56,000 --> 00:21:57,960 Speaker 2: weren't that many of these, These were kind of remarkable 381 00:21:58,080 --> 00:21:58,560 Speaker 2: to behold. 382 00:21:58,720 --> 00:21:59,959 Speaker 3: This was a new phenomenon. 383 00:22:00,280 --> 00:22:02,359 Speaker 2: So like for someone to have this, they would have 384 00:22:02,359 --> 00:22:04,520 Speaker 2: had the kind of the hottest thing on the market 385 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:05,000 Speaker 2: at the time. 386 00:22:05,320 --> 00:22:09,520 Speaker 1: I mean, think of die Cast rocket and Space Shuttle 387 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:13,360 Speaker 1: models during the Space Race. It's the same thing. You know, 388 00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:16,640 Speaker 1: you're a kid, dream big. So in nineteen sixty four, 389 00:22:17,320 --> 00:22:21,280 Speaker 1: Lesnie contacts our boy Fred Brauner and he has this 390 00:22:21,359 --> 00:22:25,280 Speaker 1: stack of matchbox cars that he's been selling, and they say, okay, 391 00:22:25,280 --> 00:22:28,240 Speaker 1: we're going to buy those all back from you. Great 392 00:22:28,320 --> 00:22:33,240 Speaker 1: job Fred. Also, we think you're cool. Do you want 393 00:22:33,280 --> 00:22:35,840 Speaker 1: to work with us? Do you want to lead the 394 00:22:36,040 --> 00:22:42,320 Speaker 1: US division of Lesnie products? And Fred says absolutely yes, 395 00:22:42,680 --> 00:22:45,280 Speaker 1: And then they probably both take a little car and 396 00:22:45,320 --> 00:22:49,920 Speaker 1: go in front of each other. And just to clarify 397 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,080 Speaker 1: we were talking about this off air when we say 398 00:22:53,240 --> 00:22:58,560 Speaker 1: they bought stacks of matchbox cars back from Fred Brauner, 399 00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:02,920 Speaker 1: he didn't have stock in the company. Remember these were 400 00:23:02,920 --> 00:23:04,880 Speaker 1: not available in the United States. 401 00:23:05,320 --> 00:23:06,240 Speaker 3: He just got a. 402 00:23:06,119 --> 00:23:07,160 Speaker 1: Hold of a ton of them. 403 00:23:07,200 --> 00:23:09,639 Speaker 2: He got a lot of products and yea product a 404 00:23:09,720 --> 00:23:12,440 Speaker 2: commodity for them. Hey, so now we have a market here, 405 00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:16,760 Speaker 2: let's have those back that you fulfills our agreement, and 406 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:19,800 Speaker 2: now we're gonna you know, move these units as it were. 407 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:25,639 Speaker 1: And so with that in mind, we're being as objective 408 00:23:25,680 --> 00:23:30,320 Speaker 1: as possible. We are going to introduce you to the 409 00:23:30,359 --> 00:23:34,600 Speaker 1: origins of hot wheels as well. There's a guy named 410 00:23:34,640 --> 00:23:38,120 Speaker 1: Elliott Handler. He's one of the co founders of this 411 00:23:38,359 --> 00:23:39,880 Speaker 1: huge company, Mattel. 412 00:23:40,359 --> 00:23:42,679 Speaker 2: Again one of these legacy companies that just sort of 413 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:45,640 Speaker 2: starts early, gets to the market first, and then becomes 414 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 2: so ubiquitous and associated with like everything big in the 415 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:52,440 Speaker 2: toy world, including Barbie. They have spun off Fisher Price 416 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:54,600 Speaker 2: at some point. They had connections with all of the 417 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:58,440 Speaker 2: biggest like movie studios and tie ins you could possibly imagine, 418 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:01,399 Speaker 2: and I think pretty much contind you with that level 419 00:24:01,440 --> 00:24:04,720 Speaker 2: of you know, ownership of the marketplace to this day. 420 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:08,920 Speaker 1: Yeah, Mattel was a new kid on the block as well. 421 00:24:09,040 --> 00:24:13,359 Speaker 1: They were founded in January of nineteen forty five out 422 00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:20,399 Speaker 1: on the West coast, and they were super into they 423 00:24:20,400 --> 00:24:24,280 Speaker 1: were super into multiple toy lines, so of course they 424 00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:29,240 Speaker 1: would get their spider sense about this Elliott Handler. He's 425 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:32,840 Speaker 1: running Mattel, he's a co founder, and he says, we're 426 00:24:32,840 --> 00:24:35,680 Speaker 1: going to make to your point about gender toys. He says, 427 00:24:35,760 --> 00:24:40,400 Speaker 1: we're gonna make die cast toy cars for boys. And 428 00:24:40,480 --> 00:24:45,400 Speaker 1: he says, we've got a huge market for small car 429 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:52,240 Speaker 1: models and it's dominated by these jokers across the Atlantic, 430 00:24:52,320 --> 00:24:58,480 Speaker 1: these Matchbox people, and everybody else in the boardroom. To 431 00:24:58,560 --> 00:25:05,159 Speaker 1: be clear, everybody else in the Mattel boardroom is saying, Elliott, buddy, 432 00:25:05,359 --> 00:25:08,320 Speaker 1: we love you, you know we love you, but you're 433 00:25:08,359 --> 00:25:11,879 Speaker 1: being a schmuck. This is never gonna work. And he said, 434 00:25:11,920 --> 00:25:16,880 Speaker 1: believe me when I co founded Mattel. YadA, YadA, YadA. 435 00:25:17,440 --> 00:25:20,200 Speaker 1: Whatever he said. It convinced them, and it turned out 436 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:24,760 Speaker 1: that Elliott Handler was right. The cars that Mattel created 437 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:30,320 Speaker 1: were a huge success. They came out strong in nineteen 438 00:25:30,400 --> 00:25:36,320 Speaker 1: sixty eight with sixteen different models. And maybe we talked 439 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:39,760 Speaker 1: about Handler. Maybe we talked about Elliott a little bit 440 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:46,040 Speaker 1: because he he had a bit of a personal grudge, 441 00:25:46,400 --> 00:25:51,360 Speaker 1: I think because his grandson loved Matchbox cars. 442 00:25:51,960 --> 00:25:54,400 Speaker 2: But like we were kind of hinting at earlier, Matchbox 443 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:57,879 Speaker 2: at this point already was starting to get this reputation, 444 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:01,680 Speaker 2: you know, rightfully so for being that kind of bespoke 445 00:26:01,880 --> 00:26:06,760 Speaker 2: collector's kind of old world sensibility of craft. You know, 446 00:26:06,960 --> 00:26:11,280 Speaker 2: like precision tooled German toys, you know that kind of stuff, 447 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:14,399 Speaker 2: Like they are very when you're mass marketing something, and 448 00:26:14,560 --> 00:26:17,280 Speaker 2: especially when the United States are concerned, things like that 449 00:26:17,320 --> 00:26:19,119 Speaker 2: tend to go out the window. It's more about like, 450 00:26:19,160 --> 00:26:21,800 Speaker 2: how can we, you know, get rid of the human element, 451 00:26:21,840 --> 00:26:24,479 Speaker 2: how can we make these things as reproducible on the 452 00:26:24,720 --> 00:26:27,760 Speaker 2: largest scale possible, Because let's remember, I mean, when you 453 00:26:27,760 --> 00:26:30,640 Speaker 2: know the Matchbox deal happened and we're talking about trading 454 00:26:31,080 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 2: stacks of cars, we're talking about a relatively finite supply. 455 00:26:36,160 --> 00:26:43,840 Speaker 1: Yeah, Matchbox is. Matchbox is the og, the original gangster here, 456 00:26:44,440 --> 00:26:47,760 Speaker 1: and match Box is basing all of their stuff on 457 00:26:48,960 --> 00:26:55,760 Speaker 1: vehicles that already exist. Right These are two scale reproductions 458 00:26:55,800 --> 00:27:04,480 Speaker 1: of very important vehicles, singular cars, construction equipment, hot wheels. 459 00:27:05,000 --> 00:27:08,480 Speaker 1: Goes a little off the rails. They say, we're gonna 460 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:12,880 Speaker 1: make these things that could be vehicles even if they 461 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:16,400 Speaker 1: don't exist, we're gonna make one. They get brighter colors, 462 00:27:16,840 --> 00:27:20,920 Speaker 1: put stickers on everything. They do, fantasy designs that are 463 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:25,160 Speaker 1: kind of based on wild imaginings of hot rod culture. 464 00:27:24,920 --> 00:27:27,320 Speaker 2: Of course, and why wouldn't you, you know, but it 465 00:27:27,400 --> 00:27:29,840 Speaker 2: is really funny. It was just a difference in sort 466 00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:33,320 Speaker 2: of thinking around you know, those early matchbook cars, And 467 00:27:33,359 --> 00:27:35,000 Speaker 2: when we were talking about that, I was thinking, man 468 00:27:35,160 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 2: and a hot wheels car what I was used to, 469 00:27:36,920 --> 00:27:38,720 Speaker 2: and I was a kid that would be a sticker, 470 00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:42,719 Speaker 2: that wouldn't be like a machine tooled little engraving or 471 00:27:42,760 --> 00:27:45,520 Speaker 2: like an actual piece of thing that had to be made. 472 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:48,600 Speaker 2: Hot wheels kind of essentially, like we said, sort of 473 00:27:48,720 --> 00:27:51,760 Speaker 2: dumbed down the idea, figured out how to make it 474 00:27:51,880 --> 00:27:56,159 Speaker 2: much more scalable, and also, you know, broke the box 475 00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:58,119 Speaker 2: of kind of creativity. It's like, how do we just 476 00:27:58,240 --> 00:27:59,800 Speaker 2: make this whatever we want. 477 00:27:59,640 --> 00:27:59,960 Speaker 3: It to be? 478 00:28:00,320 --> 00:28:03,520 Speaker 2: And that's pretty attractive for a mass market for kids 479 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:08,000 Speaker 2: who aren't necessarily interested in like a perfect Rolls Royce replica. 480 00:28:08,080 --> 00:28:11,600 Speaker 3: But Noel, they were cool. They're so cool. 481 00:28:11,640 --> 00:28:16,760 Speaker 1: Okay, okay, okay, Nerd Okay, you guys are both cool. 482 00:28:16,880 --> 00:28:21,240 Speaker 1: You're both very cool. Uh, Benjamin, thank you Maxigaman. So 483 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:26,199 Speaker 1: the thing is by saving costs, this is around the 484 00:28:26,240 --> 00:28:30,560 Speaker 1: time plastic is a big deal right in manufacturing. By 485 00:28:30,640 --> 00:28:35,280 Speaker 1: saving cost Hot Wheels also made a toy that was 486 00:28:35,440 --> 00:28:39,280 Speaker 1: more fun arguably, and it all goes back to the 487 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:45,880 Speaker 1: tiny replicas of wheels. They used wider wheels manufactured of 488 00:28:45,960 --> 00:28:51,040 Speaker 1: plastic versus the narrow metal wheels of the old school matchbox. 489 00:28:51,560 --> 00:28:53,880 Speaker 1: This means that if you buy a Hot Wheels car, 490 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:57,880 Speaker 1: it's a kid's idea of a hot rod car. And 491 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:02,440 Speaker 1: those plastic wheels right allow it to roll pretty freely, 492 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:08,640 Speaker 1: pretty quickly. Because plastic weighs less, there's less friction, it 493 00:29:08,680 --> 00:29:13,920 Speaker 1: picks up more speed. Also, they purposely design the wheel 494 00:29:14,040 --> 00:29:17,520 Speaker 1: with what's called a tamper, which allow like it makes 495 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:21,800 Speaker 1: an angle such that a toy car, if you just 496 00:29:21,880 --> 00:29:25,880 Speaker 1: throw it roll it across a floor, it can glide 497 00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:32,960 Speaker 1: in clean straight lines. And Mattel just kept all respect 498 00:29:32,960 --> 00:29:35,960 Speaker 1: to you, guys, Mattel. Mattel just kept kind of failing 499 00:29:36,000 --> 00:29:38,440 Speaker 1: their way to the top of the toy car game. 500 00:29:45,280 --> 00:29:47,240 Speaker 2: No, and that's the thing, Like it sounds like we're 501 00:29:47,440 --> 00:29:50,920 Speaker 2: nagging on the idea of like making something more accessible, 502 00:29:51,000 --> 00:29:55,160 Speaker 2: and like sure, if you're someone who really appreciates collectors' items, 503 00:29:55,160 --> 00:29:57,600 Speaker 2: and you know, the kinds of craftsmanship that goes into 504 00:29:57,600 --> 00:30:01,160 Speaker 2: stuff that's its own thing. But to make something that 505 00:30:01,240 --> 00:30:04,680 Speaker 2: like kind of capitalizes on the zeitgeist and like figured out, 506 00:30:04,720 --> 00:30:06,320 Speaker 2: like what do kids really want? 507 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:09,120 Speaker 3: There's something impressive about that, even if it is kind 508 00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:10,840 Speaker 3: of like evil. 509 00:30:10,480 --> 00:30:14,080 Speaker 2: Corporate, you know, marketing kind of stuff. I gotta give 510 00:30:14,080 --> 00:30:15,800 Speaker 2: them props. They figured out how to make a car 511 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:18,680 Speaker 2: that truly did go zoom zoom, and then they started 512 00:30:18,720 --> 00:30:20,720 Speaker 2: to kind of go from there, and then they could 513 00:30:20,760 --> 00:30:23,160 Speaker 2: introduce all of these accessories and all of these other 514 00:30:23,240 --> 00:30:25,240 Speaker 2: things and all of these tie ins because they could 515 00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:27,160 Speaker 2: make their car whatever they wanted it to be. 516 00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:30,000 Speaker 1: And speaking and failing up, like I was saying earlier, 517 00:30:30,040 --> 00:30:34,680 Speaker 1: Mattel had a bunch of stuff in the workshop, you know, 518 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:37,920 Speaker 1: things that never really got to the public, or maybe 519 00:30:37,960 --> 00:30:44,040 Speaker 1: even didn't get past drawing board phase. Earlier, pre late 520 00:30:44,160 --> 00:30:49,880 Speaker 1: nineteen sixties, Mattel had thought about creating a guitar, and 521 00:30:49,920 --> 00:30:53,880 Speaker 1: the whole purpose of their mission with their guitar project 522 00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:57,840 Speaker 1: was to make a guitar that never went out of tune. 523 00:30:58,280 --> 00:31:00,120 Speaker 1: They lost a ton of money on this. 524 00:31:00,280 --> 00:31:01,280 Speaker 3: It's so funny. 525 00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:04,160 Speaker 1: It never came out. It never came out. 526 00:31:04,040 --> 00:31:06,760 Speaker 2: As a musician, like you know who always like how 527 00:31:06,800 --> 00:31:10,880 Speaker 2: would you? And also who cares? Just tune it, make 528 00:31:10,920 --> 00:31:15,000 Speaker 2: a tuner instead of you're designing the wrong thing, Mattel, 529 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:18,760 Speaker 2: like it's never gonna happen, and like it's just again, 530 00:31:19,120 --> 00:31:21,880 Speaker 2: how would you? How you made you and the weird 531 00:31:21,960 --> 00:31:25,480 Speaker 2: thing to glom onto and like make your whole like crusade. 532 00:31:25,920 --> 00:31:28,680 Speaker 3: I'm just thinking, it's like how bad would those strings sound? 533 00:31:28,720 --> 00:31:31,560 Speaker 4: Like all your points is like completely correct, like that 534 00:31:31,720 --> 00:31:33,160 Speaker 4: just that's just not gonna happen. 535 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:33,840 Speaker 3: But let's play this. 536 00:31:34,320 --> 00:31:36,880 Speaker 4: You know, one in a billion they actually pulled this off, 537 00:31:36,880 --> 00:31:41,280 Speaker 4: they'll probably be like the crappiest sounding strings. Very yes, 538 00:31:41,440 --> 00:31:43,600 Speaker 4: it sounds like a project made by somebody who's. 539 00:31:43,400 --> 00:31:46,280 Speaker 2: Not who doesn't understand music or any like just doesn't 540 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:47,240 Speaker 2: get it, you know, Like. 541 00:31:47,520 --> 00:31:52,720 Speaker 1: Yes, it's it's big producer energy. It's big executive producer energy. Right, 542 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:56,240 Speaker 1: Someone's like, well, I love the ventures, but I hate 543 00:31:56,280 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 1: having to keep tuning my guitar. 544 00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:00,520 Speaker 3: And everything, big director energy. 545 00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:06,320 Speaker 1: There we go. So here's the thing. Mattel absolutely craps 546 00:32:06,360 --> 00:32:10,120 Speaker 1: the bed on this. The guitar never comes out and 547 00:32:12,000 --> 00:32:15,920 Speaker 1: they get far enough into this ideation process that they've 548 00:32:16,000 --> 00:32:21,000 Speaker 1: made a ton of this magical mystery guitar string wire 549 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:24,560 Speaker 1: and they don't have anything to do with it. So 550 00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:30,400 Speaker 1: they decide, Hey, we're going to use these wires as 551 00:32:30,480 --> 00:32:35,400 Speaker 1: the axles for our hot wheels, and that makes them 552 00:32:35,560 --> 00:32:41,360 Speaker 1: lighter than the matchbox toys, and it also allows the cars, 553 00:32:41,760 --> 00:32:46,000 Speaker 1: the toy cars to go much faster because there's less 554 00:32:46,040 --> 00:32:49,720 Speaker 1: weight involved. They've failed upwards yet again. 555 00:32:49,800 --> 00:32:53,200 Speaker 3: Ben, I know the answer for you. Max. Did you 556 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:56,520 Speaker 3: ever do the Pinewood Derby? Oh? Yeah, absolutely, it did 557 00:32:56,600 --> 00:32:59,080 Speaker 3: a four or five years I think. Yeah. Did you 558 00:32:59,200 --> 00:32:59,800 Speaker 3: elementary school? 559 00:32:59,840 --> 00:33:00,000 Speaker 2: Yeah? 560 00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:03,400 Speaker 3: Yeah. I didn't stick around after elementary school though I didn't. 561 00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:05,440 Speaker 3: I knew boy Scouts. I didn't Cub scouts you were 562 00:33:05,480 --> 00:33:05,960 Speaker 3: too cool. 563 00:33:06,240 --> 00:33:07,880 Speaker 2: Well, but I believe you made it all through the 564 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:10,880 Speaker 2: ranks of we below boy Scout, Cup Scout, et cetera, 565 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:12,640 Speaker 2: and whatever order that happens. I didn't make a past 566 00:33:12,640 --> 00:33:15,560 Speaker 2: Cub Scout, but I did have the privilege of competing 567 00:33:15,600 --> 00:33:17,840 Speaker 2: in the Pinewood Derby. And for those that don't know, 568 00:33:17,920 --> 00:33:21,400 Speaker 2: it's you know, a race down a you know, a 569 00:33:21,440 --> 00:33:24,840 Speaker 2: standardized kind of hill track with this like car kit 570 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:26,760 Speaker 2: that you make, and I just remember and want to 571 00:33:26,760 --> 00:33:30,160 Speaker 2: get y'all's opinion. Was it cheating to put coins on 572 00:33:30,200 --> 00:33:30,920 Speaker 2: the bottom. 573 00:33:31,120 --> 00:33:34,720 Speaker 1: It was cheating. It is cheating. Yeah, to weight the 574 00:33:35,040 --> 00:33:38,200 Speaker 1: front of the vehicle is cheating. 575 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:40,720 Speaker 2: So the way you get speed is by whittling it 576 00:33:40,760 --> 00:33:43,040 Speaker 2: in a certain way or like carving it down making 577 00:33:43,080 --> 00:33:44,720 Speaker 2: it as aerodynamic as possible. 578 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:49,320 Speaker 1: Yes, the ethical way to cheat with the distribution of 579 00:33:49,400 --> 00:33:52,479 Speaker 1: weight would it would all depend on the type of 580 00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:56,560 Speaker 1: wood that you use to create the vehicle. I'm sorry, 581 00:33:56,640 --> 00:34:00,400 Speaker 1: the ethical way to cheat, the ethical way to Jeez 582 00:34:01,080 --> 00:34:04,400 Speaker 1: derby fair enough? Okay, well, but again that's all kind 583 00:34:04,400 --> 00:34:07,800 Speaker 1: of as a result of this type of energy, you know, 584 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:11,799 Speaker 1: like the idea of let's make a small thing that 585 00:34:11,840 --> 00:34:14,040 Speaker 1: we can make go really fast and then we can 586 00:34:14,200 --> 00:34:17,160 Speaker 1: like have you know, kids like racing each other. Yeah, 587 00:34:17,239 --> 00:34:22,359 Speaker 1: And so imagine you are a department store of the time, right, 588 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:28,040 Speaker 1: You're a Sears, Roebuck or whatever. In this case, Kmart, 589 00:34:28,200 --> 00:34:33,239 Speaker 1: which used to be a fairly like popular department store. 590 00:34:33,280 --> 00:34:36,200 Speaker 1: I guess I don't know how many are around today, 591 00:34:36,600 --> 00:34:42,560 Speaker 1: but Kmart decide Oh, Max says there are three. Max 592 00:34:42,680 --> 00:34:45,919 Speaker 1: is nodding, okay, oh right, you're gonna stay on mute. 593 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:50,480 Speaker 1: There are not many kmarts. They are an endangered corporate 594 00:34:50,520 --> 00:34:53,879 Speaker 1: species at the very least. But back in the day, 595 00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:58,800 Speaker 1: Kmart was one of the big US distributors that choose 596 00:34:59,160 --> 00:35:03,480 Speaker 1: between the p seeing coke of Matchbox versus Hot Wheels. 597 00:35:03,960 --> 00:35:08,480 Speaker 1: They chose Hot Wheels, and they did it because they 598 00:35:08,640 --> 00:35:14,359 Speaker 1: watched versions of both toys on a plastic track and 599 00:35:14,400 --> 00:35:20,160 Speaker 1: they said, Wow, the Hot Wheels car performs better than 600 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:25,160 Speaker 1: the Matchbox car. That thing just kind of does and 601 00:35:25,200 --> 00:35:28,320 Speaker 1: then yeah, and then steers the wrong way, et cetera. 602 00:35:28,880 --> 00:35:34,040 Speaker 1: And after this meeting, actually before they leave the meeting, 603 00:35:34,600 --> 00:35:38,400 Speaker 1: they have a handshake deal that says Mattel will sell 604 00:35:38,600 --> 00:35:42,719 Speaker 1: fifty million Hot Wheels cars to Kmart. 605 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:44,719 Speaker 3: Also, I want to jump in here. I actually went 606 00:35:44,760 --> 00:35:45,399 Speaker 3: and looked it up. 607 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:49,040 Speaker 4: There twenty Kmart retail stores last the United States, four 608 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:52,240 Speaker 4: of which are in the US Virgin Islands. Twenty percent 609 00:35:52,440 --> 00:35:54,200 Speaker 4: of the k Marts in America are in the US 610 00:35:54,280 --> 00:35:54,960 Speaker 4: virgini Isles. 611 00:35:55,280 --> 00:36:03,200 Speaker 1: Let's do the sound, cue the phone backs and peacefull 612 00:36:03,280 --> 00:36:07,239 Speaker 1: in log it's just for you right now with. 613 00:36:07,400 --> 00:36:11,120 Speaker 3: The fat which one is that? 614 00:36:11,520 --> 00:36:12,120 Speaker 1: Back to the backs? 615 00:36:12,160 --> 00:36:16,239 Speaker 2: Of course, I thought you met like corporate mouthfeasans we 616 00:36:16,280 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 2: need a sound cue for that as well, And I'm sorry, 617 00:36:19,120 --> 00:36:21,880 Speaker 2: I just want to backtrack to my Pinewood Derby aside. 618 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:23,040 Speaker 3: One second. 619 00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:26,400 Speaker 2: Nineteen fifty three was when that first race took place, 620 00:36:26,560 --> 00:36:28,120 Speaker 2: so that would have been parallel to kind of what 621 00:36:28,160 --> 00:36:28,799 Speaker 2: was going on with. 622 00:36:28,800 --> 00:36:33,799 Speaker 1: It's in the zeitgeist exactly. Can you imagine being a 623 00:36:33,960 --> 00:36:38,720 Speaker 1: kid in the nineteen fifties or nineteen sixties and you say, 624 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:42,560 Speaker 1: I've been so good, all I want for my birthday 625 00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:46,080 Speaker 1: is a matchbox or a Hot Wheels car, and your 626 00:36:46,160 --> 00:36:50,400 Speaker 1: parents say, we got you a pocket knife, here's a stick. 627 00:36:50,920 --> 00:36:53,120 Speaker 1: Do your best. Yeah, take that with you to school 628 00:36:53,800 --> 00:36:54,960 Speaker 1: on a show until day. 629 00:36:56,239 --> 00:36:58,319 Speaker 2: Yeah. Honestly, you'd probably be better off with the pocket 630 00:36:58,360 --> 00:37:00,560 Speaker 2: knife because you could learn to fend yourself. 631 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:03,160 Speaker 3: And they can do all sorts of the impending apocalypse. 632 00:37:03,200 --> 00:37:06,720 Speaker 2: But you know, messbox cars and hot wheels were fun, 633 00:37:07,239 --> 00:37:09,920 Speaker 2: and we're into now like nineteen sixty eight. I think 634 00:37:09,920 --> 00:37:12,320 Speaker 2: they made sixteen different releases, right. 635 00:37:12,440 --> 00:37:15,279 Speaker 1: Mm hmmm. Yeah. The first hot wheels car to hit 636 00:37:15,280 --> 00:37:19,520 Speaker 1: the market was the custom Camaro. And then if you 637 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:23,160 Speaker 1: are a collector of hot wheels vehicles or toys, I 638 00:37:23,239 --> 00:37:28,000 Speaker 1: should say then you know those first sixteen releases as 639 00:37:28,120 --> 00:37:33,399 Speaker 1: the quote unquote Sweet sixteen. They are identified by the 640 00:37:33,400 --> 00:37:37,560 Speaker 1: red stripe on the tires. There were also you know, 641 00:37:37,760 --> 00:37:43,440 Speaker 1: various accoutrement in paraphernalia that came out tracks, different sets. 642 00:37:43,560 --> 00:37:45,960 Speaker 1: You could you know, you could like race them around 643 00:37:46,160 --> 00:37:49,400 Speaker 1: and so on. They became a massive success to your 644 00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:55,640 Speaker 1: earlier point, Noel, and this success, the gravity of it, 645 00:37:55,640 --> 00:38:00,279 Speaker 1: it wasn't all trumpets and angel farts for everybody. There 646 00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:04,840 Speaker 1: was one guy who worked at Mattel named Harry Bentley Bradley, 647 00:38:05,600 --> 00:38:13,000 Speaker 1: who came from the actual car industry, and he said, okay, Mattel, 648 00:38:13,480 --> 00:38:17,400 Speaker 1: good game, good game. I'm going back to work on 649 00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:22,600 Speaker 1: actual cars. And when the company asked him to rejoin 650 00:38:23,360 --> 00:38:26,040 Speaker 1: Mattel and they said, hey, we've got something really special 651 00:38:26,120 --> 00:38:30,160 Speaker 1: going on with these hot wheels, he said, not me, 652 00:38:30,440 --> 00:38:34,640 Speaker 1: but I know a guy. Here's my friend, Ira Guilford. 653 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:38,480 Speaker 1: He can help you design hot wheels cars. 654 00:38:38,880 --> 00:38:43,400 Speaker 2: Because he had just left Chrysler, an actual facts auto manufacturer, 655 00:38:43,400 --> 00:38:46,839 Speaker 2: and he shout out Laura and vogelahm Baker him at 656 00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:48,160 Speaker 2: the top of the Chrysler building. What do you mean 657 00:38:48,640 --> 00:38:51,799 Speaker 2: actual facts, Oh, actual facts? Sorry, I thought it was 658 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:54,279 Speaker 2: anti reference. I don't know why I think of a 659 00:38:54,640 --> 00:39:01,319 Speaker 2: musical theater when in the conversation no reason whatsoever. We 660 00:39:01,360 --> 00:39:04,080 Speaker 2: love you, Lauren, But yeah, I mean this. The guy 661 00:39:04,440 --> 00:39:08,600 Speaker 2: understands design in the first place, so I would think 662 00:39:08,640 --> 00:39:11,560 Speaker 2: maybe though coming from Chrysler, he might be more of 663 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:14,240 Speaker 2: that kind of matchbox mind of like you know, making 664 00:39:14,320 --> 00:39:17,520 Speaker 2: like you know, replicas of actual cars, or he might 665 00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:20,680 Speaker 2: have that more philosophy in mind. But you know, if 666 00:39:20,680 --> 00:39:22,319 Speaker 2: you pay someone the right amount of money, they can 667 00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:23,319 Speaker 2: like pivot as well. 668 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:29,359 Speaker 1: M sure. Yeah, and the the aesthetics apply equally, as 669 00:39:29,360 --> 00:39:35,360 Speaker 1: I would argue, right. So, so our buddy Ira takes 670 00:39:35,400 --> 00:39:39,160 Speaker 1: the job of designing the next generation of Hot Wheels models. 671 00:39:39,680 --> 00:39:44,160 Speaker 1: Some of the coolest cars that Hot Wheels comes out with, 672 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:49,720 Speaker 1: at least according to collectors, are from Ira Guilford's mind. 673 00:39:49,880 --> 00:39:54,080 Speaker 1: He makes the twin Mill, he makes the Splitten image. 674 00:39:55,000 --> 00:39:55,920 Speaker 3: He's great names. 675 00:39:56,239 --> 00:40:00,680 Speaker 1: They are great names, right, and they're gathering Mattella's gathering 676 00:40:00,840 --> 00:40:05,040 Speaker 1: a cadre of designers, right. And the more familiar you 677 00:40:05,120 --> 00:40:08,879 Speaker 1: are with the world of actual automotive design, the more 678 00:40:08,920 --> 00:40:12,560 Speaker 1: important your input becomes. And it's kind of an alluring 679 00:40:12,680 --> 00:40:16,160 Speaker 1: thing too. If you are coming from the world of 680 00:40:16,239 --> 00:40:22,440 Speaker 1: automobile design. Now you just make whatever you think looks cool. 681 00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:26,680 Speaker 1: You don't have to worry about engine performance the way 682 00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:29,239 Speaker 1: you don't have to worry about intake or how the 683 00:40:29,320 --> 00:40:30,320 Speaker 1: transmission works. 684 00:40:30,400 --> 00:40:33,480 Speaker 2: Well, it's a concept cars. You know, like people that 685 00:40:33,719 --> 00:40:38,520 Speaker 2: like design stuff for auto manufacturers that maybe, well it's 686 00:40:38,560 --> 00:40:40,719 Speaker 2: their job just to design kind of the aesthetic and 687 00:40:40,800 --> 00:40:42,600 Speaker 2: they don't have to worry about any of that stuff. 688 00:40:42,760 --> 00:40:44,760 Speaker 2: And then a lot of times those don't go anywhere 689 00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:48,000 Speaker 2: because they just don't make logistical sense to manufacture. But 690 00:40:48,040 --> 00:40:49,759 Speaker 2: if you're one of those people, and that's where your 691 00:40:49,800 --> 00:40:52,000 Speaker 2: passion is, worry for a company like this is a 692 00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:54,279 Speaker 2: dream come true because that's all you do. You just 693 00:40:54,360 --> 00:40:55,040 Speaker 2: churn these. 694 00:40:54,880 --> 00:40:58,920 Speaker 1: Out and you just dream. You know, that's that's kind 695 00:40:58,920 --> 00:41:04,120 Speaker 1: of good. And so there's much more to the story. 696 00:41:04,719 --> 00:41:09,560 Speaker 1: Of course, Hot Wheels and Mattel continue gathering more people, 697 00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:12,960 Speaker 1: legends like Larry Wood join the Hot Wheels team. It 698 00:41:13,040 --> 00:41:16,720 Speaker 1: goes on and on. But now you are perhaps thinking 699 00:41:16,840 --> 00:41:22,080 Speaker 1: ridiculous historians. You're saying, Noel Max Ben, You've set up 700 00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:27,520 Speaker 1: these two juggernauts of a very weird specific industry. What 701 00:41:27,760 --> 00:41:32,400 Speaker 1: happens when worlds collide. That's what we will answer in 702 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:36,480 Speaker 1: part two of this week special series. Big big thanks, 703 00:41:36,480 --> 00:41:40,120 Speaker 1: of course to our research associate, doctor z the legend 704 00:41:40,560 --> 00:41:44,200 Speaker 1: doctor Z who you know, Noel. I think I think 705 00:41:44,280 --> 00:41:46,680 Speaker 1: Zach probably has some hot wheels. 706 00:41:46,840 --> 00:41:47,600 Speaker 3: He probably does. 707 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:49,239 Speaker 1: I think I might have a few. Well. 708 00:41:49,239 --> 00:41:54,280 Speaker 2: You know, my very dear friend Harry, you know very well, 709 00:41:55,160 --> 00:41:58,359 Speaker 2: is a collector, a big record collector. But also some 710 00:41:58,440 --> 00:42:01,120 Speaker 2: of the matchbox and wheels cars that he has in 711 00:42:01,160 --> 00:42:04,320 Speaker 2: this collection are quite valuable. You mentioned the red stripes 712 00:42:04,400 --> 00:42:07,600 Speaker 2: on those tires for the what was it, the Sweet sixteen. Yeah, 713 00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:10,080 Speaker 2: those are worth you know, I mean two hundred, two 714 00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:11,359 Speaker 2: hundred and fifty bucks a pop. 715 00:42:11,719 --> 00:42:15,520 Speaker 1: And if you have some of those toys kicking around, 716 00:42:17,200 --> 00:42:19,800 Speaker 1: save them, you know what I mean, Save them for 717 00:42:20,719 --> 00:42:24,080 Speaker 1: someone that you think will really enjoy them. Right, Just 718 00:42:24,680 --> 00:42:27,719 Speaker 1: don't just throw them out when you're moving, is what 719 00:42:27,719 --> 00:42:31,880 Speaker 1: we're saying. We're also saying that we're going to start 720 00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:34,919 Speaker 1: to amp things up in part two when we learn 721 00:42:34,960 --> 00:42:39,719 Speaker 1: a little bit about the conflict between matchbox and hot wheels. 722 00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:43,719 Speaker 1: It's a bit of a pepsiv coke kind of Highland 723 00:42:44,320 --> 00:42:49,040 Speaker 1: moment or four versus Ferrari just so and big big thanks, 724 00:42:49,080 --> 00:42:54,200 Speaker 1: of course to Max Williams, big thanks to Alex Williams 725 00:42:54,239 --> 00:42:59,320 Speaker 1: who composed this slamming track, Big big thanks to Jonathan Strickland, 726 00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:04,000 Speaker 1: who I from what I understand, he's the type of 727 00:43:04,040 --> 00:43:07,040 Speaker 1: dude who just took the wheels off the toy cars. 728 00:43:07,440 --> 00:43:09,520 Speaker 3: He just wants to watch the world burn. We'll see 729 00:43:09,520 --> 00:43:10,320 Speaker 3: you next time, folks. 730 00:43:17,160 --> 00:43:20,960 Speaker 2: For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, 731 00:43:21,080 --> 00:43:23,240 Speaker 2: or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.