Hot Wheels was invented by Elliot Handler and introduced by his company Mattel on May 18, 1968. Elliot Handler, co-founder of Mattel, developed the concept for Hot Wheels as a toy line that would appeal to boys like Barbie did to girls. He was inspired after seeing his son play with Matchbox cars and aimed to create toy cars with exaggerated, customized designs such as big rear tires, superchargers, and flame paint jobs. The first Hot Wheels cars were developed with help from engineer Jack Ryan and designed initially by Harry Bentley Bradley, a top auto designer from Chevrolet. The brand was unveiled with "The Original Sweet 16" car line at the 1968 New York Toy Fair and became highly successful, revolutionizing the toy car industry.