"Failure"

26 September 2023

60s

Mattel bids for global domination.

Because of the success of the Barbie movie, Mattel have made themselves one of the hottest properties in entertainment, and news that J J Abrams is going to direct a film based on Hot Wheels is a clear indication of the toy company's willingness to maximise their moment.

Part of the genius of Barbie was that its tongue was inside and outside its cheek at the same time, enabling the part of the audience that would ordinarily object to watching an exploitative merchandise movie to imagine they were watching a satire.

That same principle appears to have been used when making this commercial for Hot Wheels. The deadpan delivery and clear overstatement of the drama makes it feel as though the commercial is taking the piss out of the basicness of the advertised product... but, equally, it can be taken as a genuine expression of its amazingness.

USA

Toys