Today we are going to be discussing something that was a way bigger hit than the name would imply, Micro Machines! Yes, the toy line that, for a “small” period, was everything to me and all my friends! It is also a good time to them because of a recent announcement that was made.
We’ll get into all that but before we do let’s get into these toys!
1986, Distributed originally by Galoob these were cars, trucks, boats, planes, even motorcycles, shrunk down to a tiny scale. Yes, that was it, but they looked great! They had a strange life to them, they were colorful and fun and hurt really bad when you stepped on them. You bought them in a 5 pack, the vehicles displayed in such a way that leaving them in the package almost made sense, except I wanted to play with them!
The concept of the Micro Machines came from toy store owners Clemens V. Hedeen, Jr and Patti Jo Hedeen. The idea was to create a new, original line of less expensive vehicle toys. They worked with a model maker, then approached Galoob and that was that.
Micro Machines were a thriving market for Galoob, which was eventually bought by Hasbro. For collectors this was a good thing as Hasbro brought the Star Wars universe into these tiny toys. Other lines existed too, G.I Joe, NASCAR, Star Trek, even Indiana Jones and Power Rangers. There were also playsets released, some that folded open and let you store the toys inside!
These little cars were a monster hit eclipsing any other vehicle line in sales, selling more than Hot Wheels and Matchbox combined for a period. Eventually Micro Machine production was stopped, although I’m not sure why. My guess is sales dropped and they decided it was no longer worth producing them.
I have very very fond memories of collecting and trading these, seeking out specific cars and making deals with friends. One of the best things I recall was climbing up on snow drifts from plow trucks, smoothing out trails and tunnels, and racing boats down it with my friends. Yeah, that was something we did, and I had this one boat, blue with a white stripe, I believe it was the Aqua Speed Boat, that could not be beat!
The commercials were something special too. The spokesman was a guy named “Motormouth” John Moschitta Jr. who was, according to Guiness, the fastest talking man in the world! If you don’t remember these commercials head over to YouTube and check them out.
The first run had 11 vehicles but between 1986 and 1999 hundreds of vehicles were released. The best list I have been able to find is on the Fandow Wiki page which lists the years.
There is also the Micro Machines Museum site. This is a good one because they break things into categories, and subcategories and offer images of different variations of the cars.
Loose cars can range from $1 to $5, but you can hop on ebay and buy a handful of cars for a pretty good price. Carded will run you more of course but as I mentioned before, even on card they make a great looking display.
So I mentioned an announcement. Well Hasbro recently announced a revival of the line in late 2020. As Hasbro purchased the line in 1998 and a lot of people blamed them for the decline of the toys this is a good thing to hear. They are teaming up with Wicked Cool Toys who have helped re-launch brands prior. This is good for those who simply want these cars again, and believe it or not it is also good for the collector. It generates interest and that means people will be clamoring for the originals.
If you’re a “Car guy”… or girl, or if you just dig 80’s stuff Micro Machines are a great addition to you collection.
So that’s it, the big story behind these little cars. Until next time, remember, when it comes to collecting Rewind Toys, the hunt is half the fun.
Jason Emmitt, signing off.
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