A nine-year-old girl Saw Jane Harn from Penang has been named the winner of the Hot Wheels x Proton Kids Design Competition at the 2023 Art of Speed show at MAEPS Serdang on July 29.
Saw won the cash prize of RM500, Hot Wheels products and limited-edition Hot Wheels merchandise for her winning design which featured a range of Malaysia’s natural features and achievements such as the rhinoceros hornbill and hibiscus which are the country’s national bird and flower, as well as the National Monument.
Saw’s design will be the first to be printed on the special edition Hot Wheels Proton Saga die-cast packaging that will be available for purchase nationwide in 2024.
She is the first kid in the world to have her artwork featured on Hot Wheels packaging.
“For over 50 years, Hot Wheels has been known for igniting and nurturing the challenger spirit that lives within every kid to help them reach their true potential,” said Mattel South Asia general manager Murat Ariksoy.
He added, “Our team aspires to bring new and thrilling experiences to develop kids’ skills and confidence to take on the world by combining competition, experimentation and creativity. We are happy to collaborate with Proton to design this competition that empowers the next generation to dare to say ‘Challenge Accepted’.”
Proton deputy chief executive officer Roslan Abdullah said the Hot Wheels Proton Saga is an apt way to celebrate the company’s milestone 40th anniversary in May, as well as the Saga’s 38th anniversary this year.
“Going forward, we will seek more collaborations with partners such as Mattel Malaysia who, like Proton, have played a central role in inspiring Malaysia’s car culture and our love for cars,” he said.
Proton chief designer Azlan Othman, who was one of the judges for the design competition, said, “The Malaysian elements Jane Harn chose for her design are a quintessential summation of our beautiful country. We thought that her artful execution of these undeniably Malaysian icons would set a wonderful backdrop for the Hot Wheels Proton Saga.”
The winning design will undergo a pre-production review to identify any regulatory or other approvals that may be required, and the Mattel/Proton team will endeavour to secure such approvals.
The team hopes to keep as much as possible the original design elements and plans to launch the product in 2024.
The Hot Wheels x Proton Kids Design Competition attracted over 386 hopefuls aged 4-12 years old from across the nation to get involved in this historic effort with a blister card design that captured the essence of “A Malaysian National Car” that will be featured in a special edition of the product.
While Saw was named the grand prize winner, Ezra Rehan Pal, 11; and Austin Goh Zi Hao, 11, were announced the first and second runners-up respectively.
The top three winners and three other consolation prize winners had a meet and greet experience opportunity with Hot Wheels lead packaging designer Matt Gabe, who was visiting from El Segundo.
“At Hot Wheels, we’re always designing with kids in mind,” said Matt. “This competition has been a great way to see first-hand what impact car culture has had on participants and get a glimpse into their creative minds.”
