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Aston Villa handed Manchester City a crushing 2-1 defeat at Villa Park, condemning Pep Guardiola's team to their third loss in a row and their ninth defeat in the last 12 matches in all competitions. This result allowed Villa to leapfrog City into fifth place in the Premier League standings, continuing City's recent struggles. Unai Emery’s Aston Villa came out strong from the start, with Jhon Duran opening the scoring in the 15th minute after converting a brilliant pass from Youri Tielemans. Villa continued to dominate, and Morgan Rogers , who struck against his former club, sealed the victory with a goal on the hour mark. City were unable to respond, with key players like Erling Haaland and Jack Grealish failing to make an impact. Also Read : Luigi Mangione attains cult figure-like status, gets 54 emails, 87 letters and 163 financial deposits in Pennsylvania jail; sparks massive fan following Despite a late goal from Phil Foden in the dying seconds, Manchester City had no answer to Villa's solid defense and energetic play. The loss marks a further setback for Guardiola's team as they struggle to regain form. Meanwhile, Villa’s performance and victory serve as a much-needed boost for their ambitions in the league. This defeat has left Manchester City in a precarious position, dropping to sixth in the Premier League table. Fans and pundits alike will be questioning Guardiola's tactics as City's poor form continues. 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FAQs: Who scored the goals for Aston Villa? Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers scored for Villa. What does this defeat mean for Manchester City’s season? The defeat highlights City’s ongoing struggles and the difficulties faced by Pep Guardiola’s team this season. (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel )PM, US Official Discuss Gaza, SyriaCHATHAM, N.J. (AP) — That buzzing coming out of New Jersey? It's unclear if it's drones or something else, but for sure the nighttime sightings are producing tons of talk, a raft of conspiracy theories and craned necks looking skyward. Cropping up on local news and social media sites around Thanksgiving, the saga of the drones reported over New Jersey has reached incredible heights. This week seems to have begun a new, higher-profile chapter: Lawmakers are demanding (but so far not getting) explanations from federal and state authorities about what's behind them. Gov. Phil Murphy wrote to President Joe Biden asking for answers. New Jersey's new senator, Andy Kim, spent Thursday night on a drone hunt in rural northern New Jersey, and posted about it on X. But perhaps the most fantastic development is the dizzying proliferation of conspiracies — none of which has been confirmed or suggested by federal and state officials who say they're looking into what's happening. It has become shorthand to refer to the flying machines as drones, but there are questions about whether what people are seeing are unmanned aircraft or something else. Some theorize the drones came from an Iranian mothership. Others think they are the Secret Service making sure President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster property is secure. Others worry about China. The deep state. And on. In the face of uncertainty, people have done what they do in 2024: Create a social media group. The Facebook page, New Jersey Mystery Drones — let’s solve it , has nearly 44,000 members, up from 39,000 late Thursday. People are posting their photo and video sightings, and the online commenters take it from there. One video shows a whitish light flying in a darkened sky, and one commenter concludes it’s otherworldly. “Straight up orbs,” the person says. Others weigh in to say it’s a plane or maybe a satellite. Another group called for hunting the drones literally, shooting them down like turkeys. (Do not shoot at anything in the sky, experts warn.) Trisha Bushey, 48, of Lebanon Township, New Jersey, lives near Round Valley Reservoir where there have been numerous sightings. She said she first posted photos online last month wondering what the objects were and became convinced they were drones when she saw how they moved and when her son showed her on a flight tracking site that no planes were around. Now she's glued to the Mystery Drones page, she said. “I find myself — instead of Christmas shopping or cleaning my house — checking it,” she said. She doesn't buy what the governor said, that the drones aren't a risk to public safety. Murphy told Biden on Friday that residents need answers. The federal Homeland Security Department and FBI also said in a joint statement they have no evidence that the sightings pose “a national security or public safety threat or have a foreign nexus.” “How can you say it’s not posing a threat if you don’t know what it is?” she said. “I think that’s why so many people are uneasy.” Then there's the notion that people could misunderstand what they're seeing. William Austin is the president of Warren County Community College, which has a drone technology degree program, and is coincidentally located in one of the sighting hotspots. Austin says he has looked at videos of purported drones and that airplanes are being misidentified as drones. He cited an optical effect called parallax, which is the apparent shift of an object when viewed from different perspectives. Austin encouraged people to download flight and drone tracker apps so they can better understand what they're looking at. Nonetheless, people continue to come up with their own theories. “It represents the United States of America in 2024,” Austin said. “We’ve lost trust in our institutions, and we need it.” Federal officials echo Austin's view that many of the sightings are piloted aircraft such as planes and helicopters being mistaken for drones, according to lawmakers and Murphy. That's not really convincing for many, though, who are homing in on the sightings beyond just New Jersey and the East Coast, where others have reported seeing the objects. For Seph Divine, 34, another member of the drone hunting group who lives in Eugene, Oregon, it feels as if it’s up to citizen sleuths to solve the mystery. He said he tries to be a voice of reason, encouraging people to fact check their information, while also asking probing questions. “My main goal is I don’t want people to be caught up in the hysteria and I also want people to not just ignore it at the same time,” he said. “Whether or not it’s foreign military or some secret access program or something otherworldly, whatever it is, all I’m saying is it’s alarming that this is happening so suddenly and so consistently for hours at a time,” he added. Golden reported form Seattle.None

NoneSyria latest: Syrians celebrate in the streets as Russian media says Assad has arrived in MoscowBest TV of 2024: A modestly better lineup than usual, but why didn’t it feel that way?

Syria latest: Syrians celebrate in the streets as Russian media says Assad has arrived in MoscowThe midseason four-game winning streak that lifted the Arizona Cardinals into the playoff picture seemed as though it happened fast. Their subsequent free fall has been even more jarring. The Cardinals could have moved into a tie for first place in the NFC West with a home win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. Instead, they were thoroughly outplayed in a 30-18 loss and are now tied for last in the tightly packed division. Arizona has lost three straight and will face an uphill battle to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. The Seahawks (8-5) are in first place, followed by the Rams (7-6), Cardinals (6-7) and 49ers (6-7). Even more daunting for their playoff hopes, the Cardinals lost both of their games against the Seahawks this season, meaning a tiebreaker would go to Seattle. Four games remain. “I just told them we put ourselves in a little bit of a hole now, but all you can do is attack tomorrow, learn tomorrow and have a good week of practice,” second-year coach Jonathan Gannon said. There are plenty of reasons the Cardinals lost to the Seahawks, including Kyler Murray's two interceptions, a handful of holding penalties, a porous run defense and a brutal missed field goal. It all adds up to the fact Arizona is playing its worst football of the season at a time when it needed its best. “I’m sure we’ll stick to our process, but we have to tweak some things,” Gannon said. "I have to tweak some things.” It's probably faint praise, but the Cardinals did make the game interesting in the second half while trying to fight back from a 27-10 deficit. Murray's shovel pass to James Conner for a 2-yard touchdown and subsequent 2-point conversion cut the margin to 27-18. The Cardinals had a chance to make it a one-score contest early in the fourth quarter, but Chad Ryland's 40-yard field goal attempt bounced off the left upright. “I thought we spotted them a lot of points there, but then we battled back,” Gannon said. “I appreciate their effort. That was good. We battled back there, had a couple chances to even cut the lead a little more, but ultimately didn’t get it done." Murray's in a bit of a mini-slump after throwing two interceptions in back-to-back games for the first time in his career. He also didn't do much in the run game against the Seahawks, with 16 yards on three carries. The quarterback's decision-making was nearly flawless for much of the season and the Cardinals need that good judgment to return. “I’m not looking at it like I have to try to be Superman,” Murray said. “I don’t think that’s the answer. I just need to play within the offense like we’ve done for the majority of the season. Today, I didn’t. Like I said, throwing two picks puts yourself behind the eight ball.” Said Gannon: “I thought he stuck in there and made some big time throws, though, but he has to protect the ball a little bit better. That’s not just him, that’s all 11. So there’ll be a lot of corrections off those plays." The defense didn't have its best day, but it's not Budda Baker's fault. The two-time All-Pro safety is having another phenomenal season and was all over the field against the Seahawks, finishing with 18 tackles. Baker's energy is relentless and he's the unquestioned leader of a group that has been better than expected this season, even with Sunday's mediocre performance. Left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. had a tough day, getting flagged for holding three times, though one of those penalties was declined by the Seahawks. The second-year player moved from right tackle to the left side during the offseason and the transition has gone well, but Sunday was a step backward. The Cardinals remain fairly healthy. DL Roy Lopez (ankle) and P Blake Gillikin (ankle) left Sunday's game, but neither injury is expected to be long term. 9 — It looks as if the Cardinals will go a ninth straight season without winning the NFC West. The last time they won the division was 2015 with coach Bruce Arians and a core offense of quarterback Carson Palmer, running back David Johnson and receiver Larry Fitzgerald. The Cardinals are in must-win territory now for any chance at the playoffs. They'll host the New England Patriots on Sunday. AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

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The Ducks have made a short, dense road trip feel long and grueling, extracting a solitary point from their opportunities to accumulate six more in the standings ahead of this journey’s fourth and final game in Columbus on Saturday against the Blue Jackets. They would love a high note on which to conclude a stammering staccato that earned them a point from a toss-up game in Montreal before it got them bombarded at Ottawa and then kept at arm’s length by Toronto, all in the span of just four days. While the theme of opposing individual dominance carried over – Ottawa’s Drake Batherson had four points in a 5-1 drilling before Toronto veteran Max Pacioretty turned in three during a 3-2 victory – the Ducks’ back-to-back efforts varied immensely in quality. “Ottawa was skating 100 miles an hour and we were skating about 60, (whereas in Toronto) we had a lot of pace and urgency,” Ducks coach Greg Cronin told reporters in Toronto. That was consistent with his harsh assessment of the outing in Ottawa, which saw 10 power plays split evenly between the two teams but all three man-advantage markers in the match being scored by the Senators. “We didn’t have good special teams, but we weren’t good five-on-five either,” Cronin told reporters in Kanata. “I mean, I don’t remember the last game we played that was that bad.” Their struggles endured despite the fact that the Ducks have gotten reinforcements all along the way. Trade acquisition Jacob Trouba debuted in Montreal, Leo Carlsson returned from an upper-body injury against Ottawa and Robby Fabbri made his way back from knee surgery versus Toronto. They also got relatively good news on Trevor Zegras’ left knee, as a torn meniscus will cause him to miss six weeks rather than the lengthier period once feared. Prior to those reappearances, veteran defender Cam Fowler hopped back aboard, but in his five games since returning from an upper-body injury, the Ducks have been winless (0-4-1) after they had gone 2-2-1 in their previous five and 4-0-1 before that. With Fowler in the lineup this season, the Ducks have meandered to a 4-10-3 mark, posting a 6-4-1 record without him in their mix. Fowler, who is in the penultimate season of a contract that pays him $6.5 million annually against the salary cap and carries heavy trade protection (he submitted a four-team trade list before the season, narrowing suitors considerably), is the Ducks’ longest-tenured player. He recently surpassed Corey Perry for the second-most games played in franchise history. Yet now his presence has signified undesired evenings in the pressbox for promising young blue-liners like Pavel Mintyukov, Jackson LaCombe and Olen Zellweger. Related Articles LaCombe and Carlsson were among the four goal-scorers in a victory over Columbus at Honda Center on Nov. 10, which snapped a four-game losing winless slump for the Ducks while condemning Columbus to its fifth of six straight losses. Columbus sat in last place in the Metropolitan Division entering Friday’s schedule, but was an eyelash below .500. Zach Werenski is one of just three defensemen who lead their respective clubs in scoring – he’s in illustrious company with Nashville’s Roman Josi and Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes – while Sean Monahan and Kirill Marchenko each anchor a forward line presently. When: Saturday, 4 p.m. PT Where: Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio TV: KCOP (Ch. 13), Victory+

Syrians poured into streets in celebration on Sunday after a stunning rebel advance reached the capital, ending the Assad family’s 50 years of iron rule . Russian state news agencies were reporting that President Bashar Assad and his family had arrived in Moscow and were given asylum. Russia said Assad left the country after negotiations with rebel groups and that he had given instructions to transfer power peacefully. Joyful crowds gathered in central squares in Damascus, waving the Syrian revolutionary flag. Others ransacked the presidential palace and residence. Abu Mohammed al-Golani , a former al-Qaida commander who cut ties with the group years ago leads the biggest rebel faction in Syria and is poised to chart the country’s future. He made his first public appearance since fighters entered the Damascus suburbs Saturday, at the capital’s sprawling Umayyad Mosque, and called himself by his given name, Ahmad al-Sharaa. He said Assad’s fall was “a victory to the Islamic nation.” The rapidly developing events have shaken the region. Lebanon said it was closing all its land border crossings with Syria except for one that links Beirut with Damascus. Jordan closed a border crossing with Syria, too. Israel has issued warnings to villages in southern Syria and its forces seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights. Here's the Latest: The Israeli military said on Sunday it was reinforcing a barrier along its border with Syria as part of its “enhanced preparedness” in the area following the fall of the Assad regime. Israel released images of the construction, which showed bulldozers digging what appeared to be a trench. The army said in a statement that the barrier was named “New East.” Satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press show that as early as September, Israel began building what could be a new road right along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria . The United Nations confirmed that Israeli troops entered the demilitarized zone during the work. Over the weekend, the Israeli military sent additional troops to the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights to bolster Israel’s presence along the border with Syria. Russian state news agencies reported that ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad has arrived in Moscow with his family and been given asylum. The agencies, Tass and RIA, cited an unidentified Kremlin source. The Associated Press was not immediately able to verify the reports but had contacted the Kremlin for comment. CAIRO — The Arab League on Sunday condemned Israel for taking advantage of Syrian President Bashar Assad's downfall by moving into more Syrian territory. Hours after Assad’s overthrow, Israel announced it had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights that was established by a cease-fire agreement with Syria in 1974. In a statement, the Arab League said Israel illegally sought to occupy more territories. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the 50-year-old agreement regarding Syrian territory had collapsed and that Syrian troops had abandoned their positions, necessitating Israel taking over as a “temporary defensive position.” UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations secretary-general is marking the “fall of the dictatorial regime” in Syria and says the future of the country is “is a matter for the Syrians to determine.” A statement by Antonio Guterres also called for calm and the protection of the rights of all Syrians as well as of diplomatic and consular facilities in Syria. He said there is much work ahead to ensure an “orderly political transition to renewed institutions,” and he called on the international community to ensure that “any political transition is inclusive and comprehensive and that it meets the legitimate aspirations of the people of Syria, in all their diversity.” KYIV, Ukraine - Ukraine’s top diplomat on Sunday responded to Assad’s ouster by describing him as a “dictator” who relied on Russia to prop up his rule - a reference to the military campaign Moscow has waged in Syria since September 2015, teaming up with Iran to allow Assad’s government to fight armed opposition groups and reclaim control over most of the country. "Assad has fallen. This has always been and will be the case with all dictators who bet on Putin. He always betrays those who rely on him,” foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said in a post on X. In a separate update on the social network, Sybiha said Kyiv was ready to take steps towards restoring relations with Syria, severed months into Russia’s full-scale invasion of the neighboring state. Kyiv broke off diplomatic ties after Damascus in June 2022 recognized Kremlin-occupied parts of eastern Ukraine as independent territories, in a move welcomed by Moscow and decried by the West as a clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty. JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has issued a warning to residents of five villages and towns in southern Syria to stay inside their homes for their safety. “The fighting in your area is forcing the IDF to act,” the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman said on X. The military didn’t respond to questions. Earlier, Israel said its troops had seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established in 1974, saying it was to protect Israeli residents after Syrian troops abandoned their positions. Defense Minister Israel Katz said on X that the IDF has been instructed to “seize the buffer zone and control points to ensure the protection of all Israeli communities in the Golan Heights – Jewish and Druze – so that they are not exposed to threats from the other side.” Israel captured the Golan in the 1967 Mideast war and later annexed it. The international community, except for the United States, views it as occupied. BEIRUT - The leader of the largest insurgent group in Syria visited the Syrian capital’s sprawling Umayyad Mosque and declared that the victory against President Bashar Assad “is a victory to the Islamic nation.” Ahmad al-Sharaa, who was formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani, made his first public appearance and remarks since fighters entered Damascus. He told hundreds of people at the historic mosque that Assad had made Syria “a farm for Iran’s greed.” He added that Assad made Syria a base for the illegal amphetamine Captagon that brought cash to Assad’s circles. Al-Sharaa, the leader of the jihadi Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, said Sunday that the victory was achieved because of “God and the blood of martyrs.” He said that he left Syria 20 years ago and since then his heart has longed for this movement. AMMAN, Jordan — The vast majority of the Jordanian people are welcoming the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime and the success of the Syrian revolution. “There is no doubt that I felt overwhelming joy at the fall of the Assad regime," said Badi Al-Rafaia, Engineer, union activist and member of the Islamic Action Front. "There is no doubt that we are happy with what happened in Syria, happy with the success of the revolution, happy with the Syrian people getting rid of an oppressor and criminal who treated the Syrian people and made the Syrian state a failed state.” Al-Rafaia said that Jordan is benefiting from what happened in Syria, and "we hope that Jordan will help the revolution succeed and not work against it.” Amman resident Muhab al-Majali said the fall of the Assad regime is “The end of every unjust and tyrannical rule, and more than that, it mortgaged the country and its people to the Iranians, who abandoned it in minutes... I believe that the future is beautiful and prosperous for the Syrians.” BERLIN — The International Committee of the Red Cross is calling for safe humanitarian access and protection of civilians in Syria after the fall of Bashir Assad’s government. “Our teams in Syria, including in Damascus, have been closely monitoring the fast-evolving security and humanitarian situation in coordination with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent,” the ICRC’s head of delegation in Syria, Stephan Sakalian, said in a written statement Sunday. The ICRC is “responding wherever possible, with further efforts underway, as hundreds of thousands of people need care and humanitarian assistance,” he said. Sakalian called “on all parties to urgently enable safe and unhindered access for medical and humanitarian workers to reach those in need, to protect civilians, and to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law.” BAGHDAD — The Iraqi government said in a statement Sunday that it “supports all international and regional efforts seeking to open a dialogue” for Syria “leading to the adoption of a pluralistic constitution that preserves the human and civil rights of Syrians, and supports cultural, ethnic and religious diversity.” The statement from government spokesperson Bassem al-Awadi, said that Iraq understands “the necessity of respecting the free will of all Syrians, and stresses that the security of Syria, the unity of its territories, and the preservation of its independence are of utmost importance, not only for Iraq but also for its connection to the security and stability of the region.” It cautioned against “interfering in Syria’s internal affairs, or supporting one party for the benefit of another.” Iraq, which has a close relationship with Iran - once a strong ally of former Syrian President Bashar Assad - has taken in some 2,000 Syrian army soldiers who fled the country amid the advance of armed opposition groups. CAIRO — The head of Yemen’s internationally recognized government welcomed the fall of the government of President Bashar Assad of Syria. “It’s a historic moment,” Rashad al-Alimi, who chairs the ruling presidential council, wrote on X platform of Assad’s downfall. “It’s time for the Iranian regime to stop meddling in Yemen, respect its sovereignty and identity.” Al-Alimi, who is backed by Saudi Arabia, was referring to Iran’s support of Houthi rebels who are at war with Yemen’s internationally recognized government for a decade. DAMASCUS — Families wandered through the high-ceilinged halls of the presidential palace in Damascus on Sunday, along with some armed men. Some paused to take family portraits or selfies on the few remaining couches against the backdrop of mosaiced walls, while others walked out with chairs and other items under their arms. On the massive parking lot out front, cars drove in circles honking ecstatically. In central Damascus’ Umayyad Square, drivers passing by also honked jubilantly, while young men piled onto a tank abandoned in the square. But for some the celebration was bittersweet. “I am very happy, but this happiness will not be completed until I can see my son out of the prison and know where is he is,” said Damascus resident Bassam Masr. “I have been searching for him for two hours - he has been detained for 13 years.” TEL AVIV, Israel – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israeli forces have seized a buffer zone in the Golan Heights established by a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria. He spoke from an overlook near the border between Syria and the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, after Syrian rebels tore through the country and dramatically ended Assad’s rule on Sunday morning. Netanyahu said the 50-year-old agreement had collapsed and that Syrian troops had abandoned their positions, necessitating the Israeli takeover as a “temporary defensive position.” Israel captured the Golan Heights in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it. The international community, except for the United States, views it as occupied Syrian territory. Satellite images analyzed by the Associated Press show that as early as September, Israel began construction of what could possibly be a new road right along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria . The United Nations confirmed that Israeli troops entered the demilitarized zone during the work. The United Nations maintains a peacekeeping force in the demilitarized zone called the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, or UNDOF, with around 1,100 peacekeepers from Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Nepal, and Uruguay. After the 1973 Mideast war, the U.N. Secretary Council voted to create UNDOF to patrol a roughly 400 square kilometer (155 square mile) demilitarized zone and maintain the peace there. DAMASCUS, Syria — An Associated Press journalist in Damascus reported airstrikes in the area of the Mezzeh military airport, southwest of the capital Sunday. The airport has previously been targeted in Israeli airstrikes, but it was not immediately clear who launched Sunday's strike. The Israeli military refused to comment on the airport strike. Israel often does not publicly claim responsibility for attacks in Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported that Israeli warplanes also targeted warehouses belonging to the Syrian army’s Fourth Division and another former military site outside of Damascus Sunday. On Saturday and Sunday, the Israeli military sent additional troops to the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights to bolster Israel’s presence along the border between Israel and Syria. Agricultural areas along the border were declared closed military zones and some schools shifted to online classes in anticipation of unrest.

Credit Card Interest Rate: New rule issued regarding credit card bill, you may have to pay up to 50% interestAs a boy, Bruce Pascal reveled in testing the limits of his Hot Wheels. He might squeeze a firecracker into one of the miniature metal cars and set it off or flatten one with a hammer to see whether it still rolled. Now 63, he wouldn’t dare rough up his toys. His collection is so extensive that it fills a warehouse in suburban Washington and includes the Pink Rear-Loading Beach Bomb prototype, the rarest Hot Wheels car ever made. Though Pascal’s 8,000-car fleet is unique, he is part of a growing group of enthusiasts fueling Hot Wheels' dominance - it’s the best-selling toy in the world, according to market research firm Circana. While most purchases are still for children, adults are buying them at a faster rate, said Roberto Stanichi, who oversees Hot Wheels at Mattel. He estimates that adult collectors drive about one-third of global revenue. Investors have been bracing for an eventual drop in sales, said Arpiné Kocharyan, an analyst with UBS Investment Bank. “And yet it still grows.” “The demographic capture is incomparable,” Kocharyan said. “You can target a kid that’s 3 years old all the way to a collector that’s 60 years old. ... It is almost like a universal play pattern that does not recognize borders and cultural barriers.” The 56-year-old toy’s enduring appeal makes it an outlier in an industry with a shrinking audience. While children today quickly shift from traditional toys to screens, interest in Hot Wheels has only increased. It has been one of Mattel’s steadiest lines of business. In 2023, gross sales climbed 14%, to $1.43 billion, year over year, the company said. Starting at $1.25 each, the price is a draw, especially for cost-conscious families cutting back on holiday gifts to afford inflation-hit essentials. In fact, the toys cost less than they did in 1968, when they retailed for 69 to 89 cents - roughly $6 to $8 in today’s dollars. Mattel can hold that price point partly because of volume: Mattel makes and sells 22.5 Hot Wheels cars per second, Stanichi said. That’s about 709 million cars a year. Mattel, which has a market cap of nearly $6.5 billion, also produces another legacy brand: Barbie. The connection is almost serendipitous; the late Hot Wheels creator Elliot Handler was married to Barbie creator Ruth Handler. Hot Wheels has more room to grow its cross-generational appeal. While car culture has transformed it into a lifestyle and media brand, the toy also evokes warm nostalgia, said James Zahn, editor in chief of the trade publication the Toy Book and senior editor at the Toy Insider. Hot Wheels has been one of Mattel’s steadiest lines of business. It was the only one of the company’s “Power 3 Brands” - which include Barbie and Fisher-Price - to post double-digit growth last year in gross billings, with the 14% increase. “What I think really makes Hot Wheels special is that it’s an affordable toy for kids that many generations have grown up on now,” Zahn said. And it continues into adulthood as the brand “makes this jump from the toy department into the real world.” A vehicle for car culture Hot Wheels’ connection to car culture dates back to its inception, Zahn said. The toy debuted on the heels of a hot-rodding renaissance, when car enthusiasts and gearheads gathered at expos and roadshows to showcase their rides, he said. “If you’re a person that loves cars today, chances are that the first car you ever owned was a Hot Wheel,” Stanichi said. That’s how Pascal’s fixation began. Enthusiasm for cars ran in his family, he said during a recent tour of the 4,000-square-foot warehouse-turned-personal museum in a Maryland suburb of D.C., which houses 10,000 cars and pieces of memorabilia. The collection includes curated Hot Wheels displays, comic books, artwork, original blueprints, hand-carved wood molds and patents. Inside is a 1913 Ford Model T Roadster - a real one, in lavender - and dozens of the 1968 Hot Heap Hot Wheels it inspired. His collection is valued at more than $2 million. Pascal has also interviewed nearly 400 former Mattel employees and co-wrote Hot Wheels Prototypes, a history of the toy, with Michael Zarnock. “I grew up with oil in my blood,” said Pascal, a commercial real estate agent. His grandfather oversaw the history of transportation at the National Archives, and his father collected antique cars. “It’s a lot cheaper for me to buy - for $1.19 - a Tesla X and have it sitting on my desk than to buy a real Tesla X and put it in my garage.” The earliest Hot Wheels cars were 1:64-scale versions of such muscle cars as the Camaro, Firebird and Mustang. Since then, Mattel has introduced everything from Honda Civics to the Batmobile and the vehicles in Ghostbusters, The Simpsons and Scooby-Doo. The company recently announced a partnership with Formula 1, the world’s most popular auto racing circuit. “They’ve done a really smart job of evolving the brand,” said Chris Byrne, a toy expert and consultant. “They’ve stayed true to the speed, performance and collectibility and just adapted the decoration to reflect more of today’s culture so it’s still relevant to kids.” Stanichi sees adult car enthusiasts as potential customers. So, Mattel seeks any opportunity to bring the two together: live events like the Hot Wheels Legends Tour and Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live, video games and collaborations with fashion brands, artists, athletes and musicians. A Hot Wheels movie is in development with Warner Bros. and J.J. Abrams’s Bad Robot production company. Pascal has seen how the partnerships create “a reason for a different adult segment to be excited about Hot Wheels.” Stanichi hopes the movie will extend that, tapping into consumers’ latent nostalgia and goodwill toward the brand. It also reaches customers by licensing its intellectual property for products like board games, video games, apparel and furniture. Many popular brands - Barbie, Frozen and Star Wars, for example - use this tactic because it’s an inexpensive and low-effort moneymaker, Kocharyan said. Barbie sales surged 16% in the quarter after the movie’s release in summer 2023. “It’s a golden goose - it’s going to keep giving,” she said. “You’re getting paid for (licensing your IP) with almost no cost associated with it.” The company also feeds collectors’ appetite for new and exclusive cars. Members of the Red Line Club get access to special collections. Mattel releases dozens of such collections annually, with 10,000 to 50,000 cars per collection. They sell out within minutes, Stanichi said. Many are later resold on eBay at a premium. Pascal pays $99 for a yearly plan under which he can have a car automatically sent and billed to him. There are also treasure hunts, where enthusiasts search for Hot Wheels cars with rubber wheels randomly included among traditional cars with plastic wheels. Pascal says nothing compares to finding a box of Hot Wheels cars at an estate sale and uncovering a high-value surprise inside. “It’s hard to describe the feeling to non-collectors,” he said, noting it’s like a chemical release when he “fills a hole” in his collection. There’s also a community in collecting, whether it’s baseball cards, coins or Squishmallows. It’s a way to connect with people, Byrne said. There are Hot Wheels-trading Facebook groups and in-person gatherings. Pascal attends two collectors conventions a year, where enthusiasts bring Hot Wheels cars to sell, setting up what look like mini markets in their hotel rooms and trading through the night, he said. Cross-generational nostalgia Nostalgia has been a big draw in the toy industry in recent years, with insiders calling it “kidulting.” Millennial and Gen X consumers, in particular, are reengaging with toys, Zahn said. “They want to get those warm feelings of nostalgia that remind them of simpler times,” he said. They’re also rediscovering Lego and coloring books. Many brands have adapted: Mattel’s American Girl stores now serve cocktails and sell adult-size merchandise and costumes; Build-A-Bear has an “after dark” line with risqué outfits. While it had been more than two decades since Colby D’Anieri had zoomed a Hot Wheels car around a racetrack, he couldn’t help but browse the toy aisle every time he was in a Target. “It takes me back to when I was a kid,” said the 33-year-old of Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. He finally caved a few years ago and added some die-cast cars to his shopping cart. Now he has hundreds, including his first car, a Ford Focus ZX3, which was released at 1:64 scale in 2003. Though he indulges in the hobby partly because he enjoys studying the cars’ details, he also collects for his future children. “Being able to hand them down to my kids and have them play with them is a cool thought,” he said.