Hot Wheels has teamed up with Lewis Hamilton’s Mission 44 to launch a new initiative aimed at fostering resilience and a growth mindset in children.
Hot Wheels, a brand owned by Mattel, Inc., aligns with Mission 44’s purpose of providing education and empowerment opportunities to youth in every community. The birth of this joint initiative, the Challenger Spirit Fund, is part of a joint effort to inspire new generations through creative play and education.
A recent study conducted by Hot Wheel in collaboration with Mindset Works reveals how parental involvement can impact child development. The study found that 71% of parents often intervene when their children face small challenges, which can hinder the development of a growth mindset. Mindset Works was founded by leading researchers like Carol Dweck and is known for its growth mindset education and research efforts.
The Challenge Accepted initiative builds resilience by encouraging children to accept failure and persevere. Designed to teach children to “Try, Fail, Repeat and Grow,” the platform is a key part of Hot Wheels’ broader mission to instill a challenger spirit in young people.
Hot Wheels Challenge Accepted / Hot Wheels
Mission 44 was founded by seven-time F1 champion Hamilton and aims to remove barriers and promote social justice and equality, particularly in education and STEM. Hamilton’s personal experience as the only black F1 driver is the driving force behind his commitment to fostering inclusivity. Mission 44 focuses on strengthening the education system and supporting underrepresented communities.
Mission 44 CEO Jason Arthur commented on the new partnership in a press release:
“When Sir Lewis Hamilton launched Mission 44, it was with the ambition to create a fairer and more inclusive future for young people around the world.Hot Wheels and its Challenger Spirit Fund By working together, we will be able to unlock the power and potential of young people, regardless of their background.
“We are excited to launch our partnership and work immediately at the U.S. Grand Prix, bringing young people from underrepresented backgrounds to the track to explore the world of STEM, motorsports and Hot Wheels.”
Dr Lisa Blackwell of Mindset Works also commented:
“Very young children typically exhibit behavior based on a growth mindset, but by the age of five, they are entering school, forming a more complex concept of themselves, and starting to deal with a variety of problems. They are more likely to develop fixed ideas about their abilities as they are exposed to new expectations and evaluations from adults and peers.
“All of these factors can cause children to develop a fixed mindset and prevent them from demonstrating a challenger spirit.As adults, we can help children develop a growth mindset through things like playing with toys. They can play an important role.”
Hot Wheels Executive Vice President Roberto Stanich highlighted the potential impact of this partnership, saying:
“Hot Wheels has always been focused on ‘igniting the challenger spirit’ in every child, and we create meaningful partnerships to further our mission while making a real impact through play.” I am trying to do so.
“We are honored to work with partners like Mission 44 to help Sir Lewis Hamilton’s organization become the first Challenger Spirit Fund recipient and launch the new Challenge Accepted platform. Together, we will inspire and encourage children to take on new challenges on and off the track.”
This comes after Hot Wheels announced a partnership with F1. Commenting on the partnership, F1 Chief Commercial Officer Emily Prather said:
“Our exciting collaboration with Mattel combines the adrenaline of auto racing with the excitement of toy cars, giving us the opportunity to see every detail that goes into a Formula 1 car in the palm of our hands.”
