This Abandoned Hot Wheels Escaped the Landfill, so Now It Lives on My Desk

I pulled my trusty Honda Civic out of the garage, turned right onto my street, and there it was. A blue Hot Wheels pickup truck sat right in the middle of the road, all alone, a good 30 feet from any nearby house. I couldn't stop to check it out at the time, but I also couldn't help but think about the poor little truck as I drove away to my appointment earlier this afternoon. Why was it there, did someone abandon it, or did a kid just drop it by accident while getting off the school bus?

I returned home about an hour later and I figured it'd be gone by then. Surely one of the many people out jogging or walking around with baby strollers would see it and pick it up. Turns out that nope, it was still there, gleaming in the sunlight with its blue paint and chromed bits. I figured enough was enough so I parked my car and got out to investigate.

As I looked around to see what could've happened, it dawned on me that it was trash pick-up day. Lo and behold, the closest thing to the little truck was indeed two trash cans belonging to a house with multiple kids. It's likely that the Hot Wheels was thrown away but somehow got ejected from the bin when it was picked up by the truck, and that's how it ended up on the road.

As the pictures show, the Hot Wheels in question is a blue truck seemingly powered by a turbine. Said turbine is mounted under the hood and can be seen peeking through the grille, while the exhaust (and other turbine stuff?) sits in the back of the truck. The doors have two logos, each one reading "HW Tires & Tubes." A quick Google search turned up other examples of my orphan truck, though these were in much better condition and reportedly worth around $3.00.

According to my research, Hot Wheels calls this specific model the "Turbine Time Truck Tires and Tubes." That's a lot of Ts, but who am I to judge? The model dates back to 2014, so it's possible that it's spent the last nine years or so in a home, only to be thrown away today. Well, not so fast, because I will be keeping the truck and giving it a new place to live in my home office.

I can't say that I don't often throw things away without giving them much thought, but I do try to consider multiple options like recycling, re-homing, or donating. I know no one really wants to think twice about disposing of something as tiny as a Hot Wheels, but it's not hard to put it into a dedicated tote that you can take to a shelter once it's full of toys your kids no longer want. I know this because I'm a dad.

This might just be the first time I bring a new Hot Wheels home that my wife won't give me "the look." If you're in a relationship, you certainly know what I'm talking about.

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