Man's monster truck inspires Hot Wheels toy
| Thursday, Sep 02 2010 05:13 PM
Last Updated Thursday, Sep 02 2010 05:13 PM
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Pat Gerber holds the Hot Wheels version of a custom monster truck he built. This is the second Hot Wheels toy truck Mattel has built using Gerber's monster truck as a model.
Pat Gerber holds the Hot Wheels version of a custom monster truck he built. This is the second Hot Wheels toy truck Mattel has built using Gerber's monster truck as a model.
Pat Gerber's custom monster truck that he built sits in a garage without the big tires he uses at shows. Mattel made a Hot Wheels to truck that was based on Gerber's monster truck.
Pat Gerber likes trucks.
Specifically, big, noisy monster trucks with tires as tall as a person and shiny exposed shock absorbers that seem to shout, "Get in my way. I dare you."
Good thing for him, plenty of others feel the same way. So many that El Segundo-based Mattel Inc. has a whole series of Hot Wheels toys inspired by real life monster trucks, including one Gerber is custom building in Bakersfield.
The deal grew out of an eight-year-old partnership between Mattel and the Monster Jam monster truck entertainment circuit, which Gerber has been affiliated with since it started in 1995. This year, the toy manufacturer will produce about 80 Hot Wheels trucks inspired by the circuit's most interesting vehicles.
"We are always looking for cool and interesting design elements to include in our Hot Wheels monster trucks," Steven Ziemniak, marketing manager for Hot Wheels, wrote in an email. "The new look of Pat's truck really caught our attention and is something we are sure our fans will love."
Gerber's truck, named Shocker, is green camouflage with a razor-toothed, leering mouth painted on the side of the cab.
The real one is in the process of being custom built at Shocker Motorsports in northwest Bakersfield, where Gerber services trucks and sport utility vehicles and sells related parts and accessories.
The toy version of Shocker is supposed to hit stores later this month, retailing for about $3.50.
Gerber, 34, gets a fraction of proceeds from the toy's sales, but it's nothing to write home about.
"I won't be getting rich off this," he said. "It's really more for the bragging rights than anything."
Bragging rights are no small thing, however. Gerber already has had requests to autograph the packaging when the toy hits store shelves, which he says he'll be happy to oblige.
"I love it when kids come by the shop," said the father of two daughters, ages 11 and 5.
Customer Bo Decker, 39, said he admires Gerber for being able to make "a major production" out of doing what he loves.
"And who wouldn't want a Hot Wheels car of your own vehicle?" he said. "That might not sound like anything, but it's pretty wild, if you think about it."
Decker says he'll buy the toy for his 9-year-old son.
Customer Allan Evans, 40, is looking forward to buying it, too. He has three boys, two of whom are still young enough to play with toy cars.
"They love this stuff," he said.
Licensed products comprise about 30 percent of toys overall, according to the Toy Industry Association, a trade group based in New York.
"It's a way to make a toy a real lifestyle brand for the fan," said spokeswoman Adrienne Appell. "It works best with a recognized name or familiar character. A good one can extend the play experience across multiple channels from a book or movie to a toy to a backpack to clothes to shoes.
"There's a huge amount of crossover."
Monster Jam drivers aren't household names, but the circuit itself has a large and devoted following, and the namesake Hot Wheels trucks have the circuit's logo on the packaging.
This is Gerber's second round with toy fame. An earlier truck he created was made into a Hot Wheels toy about six years ago, but that truck was damaged so he doesn't drive it anymore.
Gerber said he played with Hot Wheels as a child, and he's been building monster trucks since he was a teenager, so the experience meshes two great loves and has been unbelievable.
"I'm pretty happy, yeah," he said. "And the kids are excited about it. They think I'm pretty cool."
