Press Release
Hot Wheels Monster Truck RC Toy Controller by Adam Miller - Hot Wheels RC Design Team Is Granted the Silver A' Design Award in Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design
Adam Miller - Hot Wheels RC Design Team of Mattel, Inc. honored for toys, games and hobby products design by the international grand jury of the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
COMO, Italy, April 18, 2025 /DesignNewswire/ Hot Wheels Monster Truck RC Toy Controller by Adam Miller - Hot Wheels RC Design Team of Mattel, Inc., designed for Mattel Inc., has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The result belongs to the 2024 - 2025 A' Design Award & Competition and was determined through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who evaluated anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.
About the Silver A' Design Award
The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.
About Hot Wheels Monster Truck RC Toy Controller
Hot Wheels Monster Truck RC is a remote controller for toy vehicles. The controller is made for existing fans of radio control play and for users with a range of mobility and dexterity needs. A single large button activates the stunt feature. The directional controls are large and marked with clear arrows. The controller can be held in the hand, attached with a lanyard, or placed against a flat surface. Development followed human centered design methods, expert interviews and repeated testing with children.
About Mattel, Inc.
Mattel is a leading global toy and family entertainment company and owner of one of the most iconic brand portfolios in the world. We engage consumers and fans through our franchise brands, including Barbie, Hot Wheels, Fisher-Price, American Girl, Thomas
Award Record
This recognition makes Adam Miller - Hot Wheels RC Design Team of Mattel, Inc. a winner of 1 A' Design Award.
About the A' Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design Award
The A' Toy Design Award is an international toy design competition recognizing good toy designs by best toy designers, manufacturers and brands worldwide. The competition is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to toy designers, game studios, industrial designers and hobby product manufacturers from all countries. Entries typically include dolls, action figures, board games, puzzles, plush toys and educational toys. Awarded toy designs are published at https://designers.org/design-category/toy
About A' Design Award & Competition
A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade organized annually since 2008. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The A' Design Award has a philanthropic mission to advance society through good design by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Entries are peer reviewed and anonymously evaluated by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. The A' Design Prize granted to eligible laureates includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, the upload of a work and the preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. Further information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com
Press Resources
- Winner Page: https://designers.org/170982
- A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/170982
- Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!170982
- Laureate Profile: https://designers.org/d/366629
- Further Information from the Laureate: https://shop.mattel.com/products/hot-wheels-monster-trucks-r
Media Contact
Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953
###
Fact Sheet
The Work
- Project
- Hot Wheels Monster Truck RC Toy Controller
- Function
- Toy Controller
- Category
- Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design
- Discipline
- Industrial Design
- Industry
- Kids
- Colors
- Dark Slate Blue, Dark Slate Gray, Dark Gray, Firebrick and Slate Gray
- Images
- 5
- Client
- Mattel Inc.
The Recognition
- Laureate
- Adam Miller - Hot Wheels RC Design Team
- Country
- United States of America
- Brand
- Mattel, Inc.
- Recognition
- Silver A' Design Award
- Edition
- 2024 - 2025
- Design ID
- #170982
Credits
- Team
- Hot Wheels RC Design Team, Gerry Cody, Adam Miller, Sam Tsui, Melissa Scanlan and Amanda Verzini
- Image Credits
- Photographer Adam Miller, Hero Shot, 2025.; Photographer Adam Miller, Activation Shot, 2025.; Photographer Adam Miller, Supplemental Shot, 2025. Video credits: Videographer Adam Miller, Accessible Controller, 2025.
Design Details
- Unique Properties
- The new Hot Wheels Monster Truck RC Controller delivers the excitement of RC play to core fans, yet is inclusive of new users who may have a variety of unique mobility and dexterity needs.
- Inspiration
- Mattel is celebrating its 80th Anniversary as the world’s most trusted toy and entertainment company, home to the world's biggest brands, like Hot Wheels, Barbie, Uno, and more. Mattel is driven to create innovative products and experiences that inspire fans, entertain audiences, and develop children through play. Understanding that not everyone plays the same way, Hot Wheels design and development teams have embarked on a mission to reimagine existing toys with inclusivity at the core, so the company can deliver on its purpose: empowering generations to explore the wonder of childhood and reach their full potential, for all.
- Research
- The Accessible Play Challenge was launched across Mattel Design teams and was judged by Design leadership. Winning concepts, like the HW Monster Truck RC Controller, then entered into a Design Sprint phase, which required divergent brainstorming, interviews with subject matter experts, (in this case, special needs educators), and iterative testing with children with a variety of mobility and dexterity needs to refine and validate the design.
- Challenge
- The challenge was to deliver exciting RC play that is easy and fun for all abilities. This meant maintaining fun and intuitive RC controls for existing Hot Wheels RC audiences while expanding usability to fans with a variety of mobility and dexterity needs. Understanding that not everyone plays the same way presents the challenge of identifying core barriers to play that exist for a wide range of users, and addressing them all inclusively. Challenge Accepted.
- Realization and Technology
- Human Centered Design methodologies were employed to put Hot Wheels RC’s target users at the center of the design work. Extensive user-testing, idea iteration and additional validation practices were followed to ensure exciting RC play can be delivered to both existing audiences and users with special needs.
- Operation and Interaction
- The inclusive Hot Wheels Monster Truck RC controller was designed to increase access to the joy of RC play to users with special needs. The stunt feature can be activated by pushing a single large button, the directional controls are large and with clearly indicated directional arrows. The controller can be attached by a lanyard and operated in hand, or placed against a flat surface, allowing for greater play accessibility.
- Project Duration and Location
- The project started in 2023 as an accessible toy design challenge. As a finalist in that challenge, the Accessible RC Controller concept then entered a robust design sprint and user testing phase to challenge assumptions, unlock innovation, and deliver play for ALL. The finished product will launch Fall 2025.
- Specifications
- 95mm x 42mm x 68mm (measured from the controller battery door to the thumbsticks). The vehicle dimensions that will work with this controller vary, but will be included with models ~ 350mm long x 200mm wide x 200mm tall.
- Keywords
- accessibility, inclusivity, play, design, inclusive design, user centered design, human centered design, special needs, empower, fun
