Aaron Fotheringham Unveils Hot Wheels’ New Remote-Controlled WCMX Wheelchair
May 16, 2022
Ian Ruder
In 2018, Hot Wheels introduced its first-ever wheelchair, a slickly-packaged, matchbox-sized WCMX chair. Now, Hot Wheels is releasing a remote-controlled wheelchair toy modeled on WCMX icon Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham.
The RC Aaron Wheelz Wheelie Chair can do wheelies while traveling up to 6 miles per hour and comes with a ramp, allowing users to replicate Fotheringham’s high-flying jumps and death-defying tricks.
Fotheringham says he grew up playing with Hot Wheels and remembers their impact on him as a child. Now he’s been able to relive those moments with a toy modeled on him. “It’s honestly been unreal,” he says. “Out of everything I’ve been able to do, the partnership with Hot Wheels has repeatedly blown my mind.”
As much fun as he’s had driving the remote-controlled Wheelz off ramps, Fotheringham is most excited about the toy’s potential impact on expanding representation and changing the way people think about disability.
“It’s been cool to be able to bring a different light to the wheelchair and disabilities in general,” he says. “It’s cool to see the way people play with the toy and then something clicks in their head and changes their perspective.”
Representation aside, any RC toy intended to emulate Fotheringham had to be able to go fast, jump high, take a beating and keep on going. Fotheringham is happy to report his new toy checks all the boxes. “It honestly takes some abuse,” he says. “I’ve been jumping this thing off everything, and it really just tumbles and gets back up.”
The ability to get back up comes from a tab on the back of the toy that allows the user to self-right the chair if it ends up on its side after a trick. For Fotheringham — who proudly says “crashing is what I’m best at” — the self-righting mechanism is key. “I think that’s pretty cool,” he says. “It shows if you fall, get back up.”
The Hot Wheels RC Aaron Wheelz Wheelie Chair is sold exclusively on Amazon. It’s currently available on pre-order for $42.99 with a Nov. 1 release date.
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I’ve got my matchbox-sized WCMX chair. Wheelz seems like a good guy and a good rep. for those of us with a disability.
Are you a Challenged Athlete with a disability? Check out my adaptive sports videos on my YouTube channel – Active Quad Steve Campbell. Get involved in adaptive sports. Exercise is medicine.
That RC wheelchair is pretty rad. It’s always good to have SOME sort of representation for PWD. My only concern is that it reinforces the notion that, and this goes for ALL forms of adaptive sports, the most valuable thing that people with disabilities have to offer involves some sort of physical feat. As though, by completing this impressive physical performance, the person has managed to “overcome” the disability. I’ve spent the last 20 years with a spinal cord injury, and I can assure you that I could learn to do a backflip in a wheelchair faster than I could find a job or a romantic relationship.
I’m not trying to take anything away from what “Wheelz” has accomplished. His jumps are bonkers. I just hope that stunts and athletic achievements don’t continue to be the things most values when it comes to people with disabilities. Individuals in underdeveloped countries will be living in abject poverty, and they will be sent basketball wheelchairs and handcycles. Such equipment is amazing, but it will never help lift people out of a state of poverty. The same is true here in the U.S. Finding grants for adaptive sports equipment is easy. It’s been said that 50% of PWD who are working are self-employed. Yet, finding grants that will help someone start a small business is incredibly difficult.
I’m glad that an RC wheelchair is on the market. I’ll probably buy one for my nephew! I just hope the message it sends isn’t reinforcing the notion that physical feats are the most important accomplishment that PWD have to offer.
I agree Seth. But I also think that what “Wheels” is doing is not something almost any PWD would (or could) do. He is a unicorn. As opposed to doing a backflip in a mono ski. Once someone did it..others followed but now you can practice in a foam pit etc..
In 1995 I did an ad for Jay Medical and they had me sitting in my chair at the edge of a huge rock cliff in Moab UT. Many PWD were appalled that I (and the company) would put me in such a dangerous situation and was not “realistic” or a good representation of PWD.
My how things have changed..
Too bad he’s a quad now after landing on his head so hard…. j/k
I have preordered the remote control set (two of them!) and also ordered the hot wheels green chair that is already on the market. But where do I find a figure that fits in it?