Hot wheels farbs
Hot Wheels Farbs were made and distributed by Mattel in 1972. They were branded as fantastic car kooks and had they're own blister packaging (see to the right). Note the lack of Hot Wheels logos. The cars also came in bags with "Forget Me Nots" with the face of a boy and a girl and "Farbs" on the header card, as well as in three different track sets.
Collectors in the 70's/80's and 90's really did not run up the prices much and they truly were not pursued like the rest of redlines, so back in that timeframe they could be found at pretty reasonable prices.. As the 2000's and heavy speculation collecting took hold, clean examples started to rise, especially packaged versions, which have started in 2010's rising above $200 a piece, but can still be hunted down under $100 with some patience. Loose clean cars run between $25-$60, depending on the current market. Some collector tips...The examples with the goggles in place (they are rubber and are typically missing from kiddo collections) command a lot more, usually doubling the value of ones without the goggles. This applies to the Red Ketchup and Hot Rodney models. They also can easily be wheel upgraded, as they have the press on redline wheels that the 1972 Hot Wheels had. Watch for broken pipes on the engines and, on the Hy Gear model, missing shifter arm or shifter (like the one in the picture). The heads are removable and so are the feet on the Hy Gear and Hot Rodney models. Because of this interchange-ability, even parts cars get bids on auction sites. One Farbs track set Mattel produced with the cars was actually a Kellogg's Cereal promotion featuring the Hy Gear model and a short piece of Hot Wheels track, along with a green plastic boot that would "kick" the car down the track. It was called the "Booter Booster Set". These are still readily available on the secondary market in new unused shape. Another track set was "The Human Race" (pretty clever, actually). This set came with two cars that raced each other. There was also a third Farbs set called "Farbs Head Over Heels" that just had one car in the set. |
Farbs packaged example!
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