Illustration of a yellow car on a light blue background with a red then black outer edge with white text
1968 Mattel, Inc. Printed in U.S.A.
For the first three years Mattel made Hot Wheels toy cars (1968-1971), they included collector buttons. The marketing department developed the concept to encourage child-to-child marketing. The tab was included on the button so a child could easily fold it over a pocket or belt. The button designs are credited to Otto Kuhni, who illustrated early Hot Wheels product packaging.
The Turbofire Hot Wheel model was a 1969 release, capitalizing on the immense success Hot Wheels experienced in their first year. It was one of four Hot Wheels to be the first designed in-house (by Ira Gilford) instead of being based on existing custom cars.
(n.d.) "Much Ado About Buttons." Red Line Buttons. Retrieved from: https://sites.google.com/site/redlinebuttons/faq.
Gray, Ted. (n.d.) "Turbofire (1969)." Online Redline Guide. Retrieved from: http://onlineredlineguide.com/69/69_turbofire/69_turbofire.html.