If you ever spent a Saturday morning as a kid pushing a tiny car across a linoleum floor, you’ve probably held a Larry Wood design. You just might not have known it. For a lot of us, Hot Wheels were just those dollar toys in the blue bins at the grocery store. But behind the scenes, there’s this one guy who basically defined what "cool" looked like for three generations of car fans.
Larry Wood Hot Wheels designs aren't just toys. They’re a specific kind of mechanical art that bridged the gap between the crazy custom car culture of the 1960s and the modern collector craze we see today.
Honestly, the story of how he even got the job is kinda wild. It wasn't some corporate headhunting mission. In 1969, Larry was at a party. He was working for Lockheed at the time, designing airplane interiors, which sounds fancy but probably wasn't nearly as much fun as what came next. His buddy Howard Rees was working at Mattel and wanted out of the Hot Wheels department to work on action figures. He literally told Larry, "Hey, you should take my job."
Larry did. And then he stayed for 50 years.
The Man Who Saved the Brand (Twice)
People forget that Hot Wheels almost died in the early 1970s. After the initial "Sweet 16" craze, sales started to dip. Mattel was laying people off left and right. At one point, Larry Wood was the only designer left in the entire department. For about 15 years, he was basically a one-man army. If a car came out between the mid-70s and the late 80s, there’s a massive chance Larry drew it, sculpted the wooden model, and picked the paint.
He didn't just draw cars. He lived them.
Larry is a "hot rodder" to his core. While other designers might look at a brochure for a new minivan, Larry was out in his garage in Long Beach wrenching on a '32 Nash or a '51 Ford Woodie. That’s why his designs have that "soul" people talk about. He knew how a shaker hood actually sat on a Mustang because he helped pitch the idea back when he worked at Ford in the 60s.
That One Time He Put His Phone Number on a Toy
There’s a legendary piece of trivia that every die-hard collector knows. In 1975, Larry designed a tow truck called the Ramblin' Wrecker. He needed some graphics for the side, so he just slapped his own home phone number on it under the words "Larry’s Towing."
Bad move.
He started getting calls at 2:00 AM from kids asking for a tow. He even got calls from people in other states where that same number belonged to real towing companies. Mattel had to scrub the number in later releases, which—you guessed it—made the original "phone number" version a massive collector's item.
The Designs That Changed Everything
When you talk about Larry Wood Hot Wheels icons, you have to start with the Bone Shaker. It’s arguably the most famous Hot Wheels car ever made that isn't based on a real production vehicle.
It’s a nasty-looking rat rod with a skull on the grille. Larry actually says he threw the original sketch in the trash once because he thought it was "too dumb." He pulled it out, refined it, and now it’s a cultural icon that’s been turned into a life-sized, drivable car.
Then there’s the Purple Passion. Released in 1990, this car changed the hobby forever. Before this, Hot Wheels were mostly for kids. But the Purple Passion—a slammed '49 Merc—was so beautiful that adults started buying them in droves. It was the moment Mattel realized that "grown-up collectors" were a real market. Larry basically invented the modern die-cast collecting hobby by making toys that looked like custom show cars.
A Few More Heavy Hitters:
- Rodger Dodger: That classic 1974 muscle car with the giant triple-carb engine sticking out of the hood.
- Tri-Baby: His very first design for Mattel, a turbine-powered racer that looked like it belonged in the year 2000.
- Twin Mill: Though originally designed by Ira Gilford, Larry was the one who kept the legend alive and helped oversee its transition into a real, twin-engine functional car.
Why Collectors Still Obsess Over His Work
You can’t talk about Larry without talking about "Larry’s Garage." This was a special series released for his 50th anniversary where he got to pick his favorite castings and give them the "premium" treatment—metal bases, Real Riders (rubber tires), and his initials "LW" hidden somewhere on the car.
If you find a car with "LW" on the chassis or the license plate, you're holding a piece of history.
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Collectors hunt for his stuff because it’s authentic. He didn't just "squash" a car to fit the box; he understood the proportions. He once explained that since every Hot Wheels has to fit the same size blister pack, a Volkswagen Beetle and a Peterbilt truck are technically the same "size." Larry was a master at "cheating" the dimensions so the truck still looked huge and the Beetle still looked small, even when they were sitting right next to each other.
How to Start Your Own Larry Wood Collection
If you're looking to get into this, don't just buy everything you see. Start with the "Wood" era basics. Look for the Bone Shaker, the '49 Merc, and the Pass'n Gasser. These are the "soul" of his design philosophy.
Check the bases. Later in his career, especially around 2009, many of his designs featured his signature or initials. These aren't always expensive, but they’re the ones that hold their value because they represent the man himself.
Also, keep an eye out for the Red Line Club (RLC) exclusives. Larry worked closely with the RLC to create ultra-detailed versions of his classic hot rods. They’re harder to find and will cost you more than a buck, but they’re the gold standard of die-cast.
Next Steps for the Budding Collector:
- Search for "Larry's Garage" series: These were released around 2009-2010 and are the most direct representation of his personal taste.
- Inspect your old bins: Look for the 1975 Ramblin' Wrecker. If it has a phone number on the side, you might be sitting on a few hundred dollars.
- Follow the "LW" mark: Start identifying his signature style—usually big engines, clean lines, and a "low and slow" stance.
- Visit the Automotive Hall of Fame: Larry was inducted in 2023. It’s one of the few places where "toy" design is treated with the same respect as real automotive engineering.
Larry Wood retired from full-time design in 2009, but he stayed on as a consultant until 2019. Even now, in his 80s, he’s still sketching. He’s still building. He’s still the guy at the party who just happens to be the most talented person in the room.