Since 1968, Hot Wheels has released over 20,000 different die-cast models of cars, with over 6 billion units sold worldwide to date. Among all those models, there is one which is very special to Malaysians – the Proton Saga, our country’s first national car which was launched in 1985.
Announced at the Art of Speed Malaysia event in July last year, the Hot Wheels x Proton Saga is a collaboration between Hot Wheels and Proton in conjunction with the 40th anniversary celebration of Mattel, the company which owns the Hot Wheels brand.
A competion to get a Malaysian design
To make their collaboration even more meaningful, Hot Wheels and Proton decided to have the Hot Wheels x Proton Kids Design Competition. This competition invited children from across the nation to create a design for the packaging of the historic model which would become part of the Hot Wheels Collection available globally.
Over 386 children, aged 4-12 years old, submitted their entries which had to capture the essence of ‘A Malaysian National Car’. Not surprisingly, the entries had lots of patriotic blues, whites, reds, and yellows.
Truly Malaysian design for package
The winner was 9-year old Saw Jane Harn from Penang whose design captures and celebrates a range of Malaysia’s natural features and achievements, from the rhinoceros hornbill and hibiscus, the country’s national bird and flower, and the National Monument.
After a period of development to make it ready for production (Hot Wheels has a global manufacturing facility in Prai), the Hot Wheels Proton Saga went on sale from December 2023 – and we’re told all of the first production batch has been sold out.
For those who missed the chance to get one, here’s another opportunity: Next week (from April 23), the Special Edition version with Saw Jane Harn’s winning design on the pack will be available at stores around the country. A part of Malaysian automotive history, it’s a model for every Malaysian to treasure and proudly display in the home or office.
Hot Wheels Proton Saga Limited Edition package first to feature kid’s design
