Hot Wheels vs Matchbox: The Billion-Dollar Battle For the Toy Car Industry

They were two legendary toy car companies that were a part of growing up for millions of kids. But behind the scenes, it was a cutthroat battle for our brand allegiance.

Matchbox and Hot Wheels had been fighting it out since the late 1960s, and even though both brands went through tumultuous times in the 70s and into the 80s, the toys stayed strong and even grew in popularity.

The die-cast toy car industry of the 1980s was so big that several other companies entered the picture. From Sears to generic knock-offs, everyone wanted a piece of the action. Including one company that decided they were going to make things much smaller...

• The Everything 80s Movie Review Podcast: Patreon.com/80s