[Impala64ssa]

The demise of Matchbox cars started with the introduction of Hot Wheels. The economic problems that plagued the UK in the 70's eventually bankrupted the original company that made Matchbox cars, Lesney Products & Co. Ltd. and the brand was eventually bought by Mattel. Camaros were immortalized in song by Debbie Harry and the late great Joey Ramone.

[henkster]

The metallic green Silhouette was a bad ass car.

[Snickering Hound]

https://youtu.be/57AKK4mCRv8
1968 commercial

[Hatteras]

I think mine is still buried along with a few others in Mom's back yard...

[Snickering Hound]

https://youtu.be/HgfbVRNbVEw
Then there were Sizzlers that you could never afford.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I’d completely forgotten about Matchbox cars! I thought those were the greatest and I was too old and loyal to switch to the far inferior HotWheels.

I’ll bet Mom and Dad sold my modest Matchbox collection for pennies at a garage sale when they downsized.

Thanks for the business history lesson how atchbox got beat up and bankrupt. I didn’t know that.

[dznutz]

My first Hot Wheels car was the Beatnik Bandit, followed by the one with the surfboards, the Deora, with many more to follow. We had the drag racing track where you’d clamp the starting gate to the back of a chair, press the button between the two cars and off they’d go, through the loop the loop, and on to the finish line where the flag fell to the winners side.

Our friend down the street had the oval track with the power house that would launch the cars around the track. All of our friends had Hot Wheels and we spent hours racing them. I’d say they were the most popular toy at that time.

Mom soon found out the Hot Wheel tracks worked better than the belt when me and my brothers would get into trouble. We learned to hide the tracks then. I bet those cars and tracks are worth a fortune now.

[Yardstick]

Another fun mini car were the Stompers of the early ‘80s. They sort of took the concept the next level by adding a motor powered by a single AA battery. We used to build tracks for them by digging grooves in the dirt.