For a lot of kids, a Hot Wheels collection was the most valuable possession you could have. The small toy cars are infinitely collectible and equally variable, and you can build up an impressive collection of pieces with relatively little time and money. But Bruce Pascal is a collector with (evidently) plenty of both, since he recently took to Barcroft TV to show off his $1 million Hot Wheels collection.
Dubbed "The King of Hot Wheels," Pascal's collection began when most Hot Wheels collections do: when he was 7 years old. From that first car, the collection has slowly but surely ballooned to a strength of about 3,500, and includes among its number, the coveted Pink Rear-Loader Beach Bomb, estimated to be worth about $150,000 all on its own. According to Pascal, the reason for the car's incredible value can be found in its distinctive color, which at the time of its production was an attempt to market the toy to girls, but that resulted in thousands of gender-warrior boys smashing their Pink Beach Bombs with hammers, ultimately leading to the skyrocketing value of a rare mint-condition model.
In case you were wondering, Pascal's collection is indeed all Hot Wheels, with no Matchbox or other off-brand toy cars in the whole bunch. And the room of Pascal's house that holds this massive collection is an impressive sight as well. Custom designed as a designated "Hot Wheels Room" inspired by his desire to have a room "that looks like the president of Mattel's in 1970" to hold his cars. He's committed to the cause of preserving the history of the iconic toy line, too, with an almost-as-impressive collection of other Hot Wheels artifacts that he says surpasses that of Mattel itself.
Pascal also has some other ambitions related to his Hot Wheels collection. One is to open his own Hot Wheels museum, possibly in conjunction with artifacts and collector's items related to the Barbie franchise, which he characterizes as "the number one girl's toy in the history of the world" and counterpart to Hot Wheels' status as the number one toy for boys. His other goal is to elevate the hobby of collecting Hot Wheels cars to the level of other, more respectable collecting passions such as baseball cards or paintings. And with a collection worth a million dollars, he would seem to be the man to do just that.
You can watch Pascal talk about his incredible Hot Wheels collection for yourself below. After that, a call to your parents might be in order, to see if any of your old toy cars are still safe in a closet somewhere.
