After Mattel acquired Tyco in 1998, they also absorbed all of Tyco’s brands. Thus, the Incredible Crash Dummies became a part of Mattel’s catalog. However, they did not rush out to create a new toy line for the crash dummies. Not only did the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration end their PSA campaign around that same time, but Mattel likely remembered the controversy over the toys. Thus, the brand sat around for several years.
Luckily, for fans of the Incredible Crash Dummies, Mattel finally gave the dummies another chance around 2003, under their Hot Wheels banner. This move felt natural since hot wheels had previously dabbled with crashing cars, such as their 1985 toy line, Crack-Ups. Moreover, several hot wheels playsets featured set-ups for crash zones. Thus, Hot Wheels felt like a perfect home for crash dummies.
This new toy line prominently featured many vehicles and playsets. However, Hot Wheels also created a series of dummies to complement their cars. This time, Slick and Spin sat to the side as Mattel created a new quartet to lead their new line. Thus, Crash, Gyro, Crunch, and Splice became the new headliners for this brand. Later, Hot Wheels introduced two more dummies to the mix, Poppa and Flex. The Incredible Crash Dummies’ pets also returned to the scene, especially Hubcat.
Still, the main feature of Hot Wheel’s toy line was the vehicles. This new Incredible Crash Dummies line included race cars, snowmobiles, dune buggies, and show busses. Furthermore, there were playsets for the crash dummies themselves, like crash cannons. So, there was a wealth of toys to look over.
Presenting the top ten toys from Hot Wheels’ early 2000s Incredible Crash Dummies toy line
10. Hot Wheels’ Incredible Crash Dummies Hubcat and Divot (2004)
With Mattel’s new Incredible Crash Dummies brand came the return of the crash dummies’ pets. This time, rather than just featuring a cat and a dog, the toy line featured four dummies that simulated four-legged animals. Though, two of these pets, a raccoon and a skunk, clearly leaned in on the concept that their bodies resembled roadkill when flattened.
Accompanying Hubcat in his package, Divot, the raccoon, made his debut to the Incredible Crash Dummies line. Like the crash dummies before him, this grey raccoon splayed out when players pressed down on his back. Thus, both Hubcat and Divot would flatten when ran over by a car. Their package also included a three-tiered caution roadblock, which could tilt backward.
Their profiles proclaimed this duo as “vehicle undercarriage specialists” since they spent a lot of time looking at the undersides of cars as they ran over them. Thus, both Hubcat and Divot could distinguish which vehicle ran over them. Luckily, these pets could pop back up for more action.
9. Hot Wheels’ Incredible Crash Dummies Crash Snowmobile (2004)
Hot Wheels saw the opportunity to include several small one-person vehicles with their new Incredible Crash Dummies line. Thus, an assortment of vehicles, from lawnmowers to motorcycles to snowmobiles popped up in this line. Hot Wheels also made each of these vehicles with crashes in mind.
The vehicle that stood out the most was the blue and yellow Crash Snowmobile. There were two versions of this snowmobile, one that came with a red-clad crash dummy and another with a blue and yellow crash dummy. No matter which dummy came with the vehicle, both were ready to crash.
Upon crashing, the snowmobile broke apart into pieces, with its sides and back treads popping off. As with all other Crash Dummies figures, users could easily click the snowmobile back into place. So, this vehicle was always ready for another crash.
8. Hot Wheels’ Incredible Crash Dummies Crash (2003)
To create the face of their updated version of the Incredible Crash Dummies, Hot Wheels designed four new dummies. Each of these original four dummies both appeared in the toy line and the animated shorts on Fox Kids. The crash dummy that wore a blue crash suit was Crash. He wore a warm and welcoming grin on his face.
With a press of a button, Crash’s’ arms, legs, and arms flew off, like the original pair from Tyco’s toy line. While the legs popped off from the waist, they also split apart into each separate leg. Crash also came with a yellow skateboard that his feet could peg into.
7. Hot Wheels’ Incredible Crash Dummies Gyro (2003)
When Mattel relaunched the Incredible Crash Dummies toy line, they created four new dummies as the faces for their new brand. These four dummies also starred in the animation shorts on Fox Kids’ Saturday morning line-up. One of these original four dummies was Gyro, who wore grey. He also had a distinguishable smiling face with a missing tooth on his head.
As with all the four stars for the Incredible Crash Dummies line, Gyro had a unique action gimmick. To activate his action gimmick, players had to twist around his upper torso. Then, with a press of his button, his legs would spin around. He also came with a scooter that featured prominent caution lines.
6. Hot Wheels’ Incredible Crash Dummies Crunch (2004)
Crunch was one of the original four crash dummies that both starred in Fox Kid’s shorts as well as launched the new toy line. He wore a yellow testing suit and sported a distressed facial expression. The original Crunch action figure had a head sunk into his body after players pressed his chest button. Meanwhile, the lever on his back sprung his head back into position.
In 2004, Hot Wheels released a second version of the Crunch action figure, this time featuring a sticky suit. He still wore yellow, as with his original design. However, this time he came with several orange additions to his outfit, which clipped onto his chest and shins. Meanwhile, he also came with an orange motorcycle helmet. Unlike his original toy, this Crunch action figure featured arms that popped off as well as a spinning lower body.
5. Hot Wheels’ Incredible Crash Dummies Splice (2004)
The third new crash dummy to headline Mattel’s new toy line was Splice. This dummy stood out from the other four by wearing a red crash suit. While both he and Gyro featured smiles on their faces, Splice had a closed-mouth smile. Also, Slice’s face was wider than Gyro’s slim build.
For his original incarnation, his button caused his body to split in half. Also, his head flew off. Also, he came with a grey pole that resembled a stop sign.
In 2004, Mattel released a new version of Splice with a Sticky Suit. This time, his main outfit changed so that a light grey covered his shoulders and arms. Meanwhile, red stayed the prominent color on his torso and legs. This new action figure came with a blue chest piece and two blue shin guards. Also, a blue helmet accompanied the figure. Unlike his original toy, Splice now featured a gimmick where his arms and legs popped off.
4. Hot Wheels’ Incredible Crash Dummies Crash Cannon (2004)
Owners of the new Incredible Crash Dummies toy line did not just want the dummies, they wanted to crash them in spectacular stunts. Hot Wheels saw fit to give them the playsets to send their dummies flying. For instance, they released the Crash Cannon playset around 2004.
This red cannon was large enough to fit an entire crash dummy inside its barrel. Alternatively, owners could load up the cannon with a large, red plastic bullet. To the side of the cannon was a seat that easily fit any of the crash dummies figures. Thus, with a pull of a string, either a dummy or bullet would go flying. This set also included one crash dummy action figure, whose head popped off.
3. Hot Wheels’ Incredible Crash Dummies Crash Truck & Trailer (2004)
Who would pass up the chance to crash something large like a big rig? While the Incredible Crash Dummies Truck & Trailer was not an 18-wheeler, it still was a hefty truck. This yellow truck could easily seat one of the crash dummy figures in its cab. Though each passenger would be subject to ejection once the truck crashed. Meanwhile, the top of the cab and the wheels would pop off after a crash.
However, this truck also functioned as a crashing center for the smaller vehicles and figures. By opening its trailer, an area with ramps and barricades became available for stunts. For instance, there was a solid yellow barricade as well as a white barricade with yellow and black caution stripes. Thus, the Trailer sported the emblem that read “Crash Test Prototype”. The truck itself acted as a small Crash Test Center akin to the playset from Tyco.
2. Hot Wheels’ Incredible Crash Dummies Crash Dune Buggy (2004)
Hot Wheels released two dune buggies in their Incredible Crash Dummies toy line. One was blue with a windshield, though it had a completely open top. Meanwhile, the other one was green with a grey railing, which made it more like a standard dune buggy. While the blue vehicle only had two sets, the green dune buggy could set up to four crash dummies. Thus, the green dune buggy was the superior one.
As with all vehicles that the Incredible Crash Dummies owned, Hot Wheels fully equipped the dune buggy for crashes. Upon impact, this vehicle would send its riders flying as the seats popped off. Likewise, the railing and motor would also pop off. Meanwhile, the doors would drop down while the hood popped up, though neither disconnected. The Crash Dune Buggy came with one crash dummy who was ready to meet the nearest wall.
1. Hot Wheels’ Incredible Crash Dummies Crash Tuner (2004)
When it comes to the greatest vehicle to crash, all look forward to the spectacular high-speed impacts from race cars. Hot Wheels saw it fit to create several Crash Tuners for their dummies to crash. These race cars came in blue, green, and red. However, anyone who has paid for car insurance knows that red cars are the most dangerous.
No matter which color Crash Tuner, they all crashed in the same manner. Their hoods and windshields would go flying as their frame buckled in half. Meanwhile, their seats and passengers would go flying. Even the top of the roof would pop off. The greatest feature of these new vehicles was the electronic crashing sounds that activated when someone pressed the bumper.
What were your favorite Hot Wheels’ Incredible Crash Dummies toys?
Today, we have shared with you our picks for the top ten toys from Hot Wheels’ Incredible Crash Dummies toy line. So, we would like to hear from you what toys were your favorites. Did you own any of these spectacular crashing toys? If so, did they survive their crashes or are they in pieces? Share your thoughts below.
Do you have old and used Incredible Crash Dummies toys?
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Chris Ingledue
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Bio: I am the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab pop Culture and Toy Shop. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day, I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. I scour the internet, like when we had the Sears Catalog of yesteryear, for the next great treasure. Then, I await the arrival of the postman as if he were Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their own versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!