Thinkerbell has helped Hot Wheels – the world’s most popular toy – appear “On the Menu” of some of Melbourne’s finest hatted restaurants. Why? To teach parents that there’s a better way to reward your kids for good table behaviour than via screen time.
Hot Wheels ‘On the Menu’ was created after new research by the global toy brand reveals of the 98 per cent of parents regularly eating out with their kids in Australia, only five per cent feel comfortable eating at finer venues. Not only that, 65 per cent of Australian parents would love to experience fine dining with their kids but are just a little unsure on how they’ll behave!
Starting today, Melbourne chef Charlie Carrington of Atlas Dining will offer a unique kid degustation menu, with a $3.50 Hot Wheels at the bottom. This will last for two weeks, before Coskun Uysal of Tulum will adopt the initiative. After Tulum’s two weeks, the toys will race to Guy Stanaway’s Rare Hare of Jackalope Hotel. The idea is, kids can order a Hot Wheels from each venue and unlock a beautifully designed Kat Chadwick placemat unique to each setting. Together, the Hot Wheels toy car and racetrack (table mat) will become a fun way kids can keep on track as they make their way through an entire restaurant sitting.
Jacinta Whitehead, marketing director of Mattel ANZ says: “For over 50 years Hot Wheels have been encouraging kids to ignite their challenger spirit through imaginative play. This year, Hot Wheels want to challenge parents to reward their kids with Hot Wheels instead of screens or other treats. As we are always challenging the norm, we wanted to do something completely out of the box. So, partnering with renowned chefs and putting Hot Wheels on unexpected menus was the perfect pairing.”
Ben Couzens, creative tinker at Thinkerbell said of the project “Hot Wheels have always been great fun to play with and are also a great way to reward the kids. It’s much more fun and interactive watching them play with a car than a screen. We hope Hot Wheels ‘On the Menu’ helps parents realise that there is an alternative to shoving a screen in their kids face.”
Hot Wheels ‘On the Menu’ will run in Atlas Dining between March 3rd – March 17th, Tulum from March 17th – March 31st and Rare Hare from March 31st until Easter. The idea will continue to be amplified via a strong PR campaign (see Qantas Travel Insider, Herald Sun, The Advertiser, 9Honey), as well as via radio spots and social activity – all to come.
