This abandoned Hot Wheels escaped the landfill, so it now lives on my desk
I pulled my trusty Honda Civic out of the garage, turned right onto my street, and there he was. There was a blue Hot Wheels pickup truck standing in the middle of the road by itself, 30 feet away from any neighboring houses. I couldn’t stop to check it out at the time, but I also couldn’t help but think about the poor little truck as I drove away to my appointment earlier this afternoon. Why was it there, did someone abandon it, or did a child accidentally drop it while getting off the school bus?
I got home about an hour later and thought it would be gone by then. One of the many people running or walking around with strollers is sure to see it and catch it. It turned out that no, it was still there, gleaming in the sunlight with its blue paint and chrome-plated parts. I thought that was enough so I parked my car and went out to investigate.
As I looked around to see what might be going on, it occurred to me that it was trash pickup day. The closest thing to a pickup truck was actually two garbage cans belonging to a house with several children. The Hot Wheels were probably disposed of but somehow got out of the trash when the truck picked them up, and that’s how they ended up on the road.
As the photos show, the Hot Wheels in question is a blue truck that is apparently powered by a turbine. Said turbine is mounted under the hood and can be seen peeking through the grille, while the exhaust (and other turbo stuff?) is located at the back of the truck. The doors bear two logos, each reading “HW Tires & Tubes”. A quick Google search turned up other examples of my orphan truck, although they were in much better condition and worth about $3.00.
According to my research, Hot Wheels calls this particular model the “Turbine Time Truck Tires and Tubes”. That’s a lot of Ts, but who am I to judge? The model dates back to 2014, so it could have spent the last nine years or so at home, only to be scrapped today. Well, not so fast, because I’m going to keep the truck and give it a new place to live in my home office.
I can’t say that I don’t often throw things away without thinking about it a lot, but I do try to think of multiple options like upcycling, upcycling, or donating. I know no one really wants to think twice about getting rid of something as small as Hot Wheels, but it’s not that hard to put it in a designated bag that you can take to a shelter once it’s full of toys your kids no longer want. I know this because I am a father.
This may be the first time I’ve brought home a new Hot Wheels car that my wife won’t give me “the look.” If you’re in a relationship, you definitely know what I’m talking about.
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