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Hot Wheels Stars & Stripes: The Patriotic Series Collectors Still Want Back

4 July, 2026

Hot Wheels Stars & Stripes: The Patriotic Series Collectors Still Want Back

Happy 4th of July, and happy 250th birthday to America!

There is no better time to look back at one of the most patriotic Hot Wheels series ever released: the Hot Wheels Stars & Stripes series.

For collectors, this series is not just about red, white, and blue cars. It is also about the card art. Across multiple releases, Hot Wheels used the packaging as part of the collectible experience. When the cards are lined up together, they form one larger patriotic image, turning the full set into a display piece for carded collectors.

That is what makes Stars & Stripes so fun. You are not just chasing individual cars. You are completing the full picture.

2016 Hot Wheels Stars & Stripes

The modern Stars & Stripes run kicked off in 2016 as a 10-car Walmart series. The card art was a huge part of the appeal. When all 10 blister cards were placed together, they formed an American flag mural with bald eagles, making the full set look great displayed carded.

The 2016 lineup included:

  1. ’70 Ford Torino
  2. Fire-Eater
  3. ’68 Mustang
  4. Custom ’77 Dodge Van
  5. Camaro Z28
  6. ’71 Plymouth Satellite
  7. Hiway Hauler 2
  8. 8 Crate
  9. ’67 Chevy C10
  10. Rodger Dodger

This first release set the tone for what Stars & Stripes would become. It mixed American muscle, trucks, emergency-style castings, and collector favorites with bold patriotic graphics.

2018 Hot Wheels Stars & Stripes 50th Anniversary

In 2018, Hot Wheels brought the series back for the brand’s 50th Anniversary, and this may be the most memorable version of Stars & Stripes for carded collectors.

The set once again included 10 vehicles, but the card art had a special anniversary twist. When arranged correctly, the blister cards spelled out “HOT 50th WHEELS,” tying the patriotic theme directly into the Hot Wheels 50th Anniversary celebration.

This is one of the best display versions of the series because the card art was not just decorative. It became the whole reason to complete the set.

The 2018 lineup included:

  1. Chevy El Camino
  2. ’67 Chevy C-10
  3. ’66 Chevy Nova
  4. ’65 Mustang 2+2 Fastback
  5. Custom ’56 Ford Truck
  6. ’67 Pontiac GTO
  7. ’69 Corvette
  8. ’69 Dodge Charger
  9. ’69 Dodge Coronet Super Bee
  10. ’77 Pontiac Firebird

For collectors who like muscle cars and carded displays, the 2018 Stars & Stripes set is one of the strongest releases in the series.

2020 Hot Wheels Stars & Stripes

The Stars & Stripes series returned again in 2020 with another 10-car lineup.

This release went back to a bold American flag-style presentation. The cars featured red, white, and blue patriotic designs, and the card art once again made the set feel like something that was meant to be collected together rather than one car at a time.

The 2020 lineup included:

  1. AMC Javelin AMX
  2. ’71 Plymouth Hemi ’Cuda
  3. ’64 Pontiac GTO
  4. ’68 Hemi Barracuda
  5. Chevy Blazer 4x4
  6. ’68 El Camino
  7. ’70 Chevy Camaro RS
  8. Plymouth Duster Thruster
  9. ’68 Plymouth Barracuda Super Stock Hemi
  10. ’68 Mercury Cougar

For many collectors, this is exactly what a Stars & Stripes set should be: American cars, patriotic colors, and a full carded display that looks great together.

2022 Hot Wheels Stars & Stripes

In 2022, Hot Wheels changed the format. Instead of a 10-car set, Stars & Stripes dropped to 8 cars.

The card art still carried the patriotic theme, but the smaller set made it feel a little more compact and easier to complete. The design used stars, stripes, and red, white, and blue graphics to keep the full-set display feel alive.

The 2022 lineup included:

  1. ’65 Ford Ranchero
  2. ’67 Pontiac GTO
  3. ’71 Dodge Challenger
  4. ’84 Corvette
  5. ’84 Pontiac Firebird
  6. ’18 Ford Mustang GT
  7. Custom ’56 Ford Truck
  8. Muscle Speeder

This set had a nice mix of older American castings and newer muscle. The ’67 Pontiac GTO, ’71 Dodge Challenger, ’84 Corvette, ’84 Pontiac Firebird, and ’18 Mustang GT gave the set a strong collector-friendly feel.

2024 Hot Wheels Stars & Stripes

The most recent Stars & Stripes release came in 2024, and Hot Wheels changed the format again.

This time, the set was reduced to just 5 cars. Each vehicle had red, white, and blue patriotic graphics, and the blister cards could still be lined up to form one larger image.

The 2024 lineup included:

  1. ’13 SRT Viper
  2. ’13 COPO Camaro
  3. ’18 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon
  4. ’20 Ford Shelby GT500
  5. ’20 Corvette

This was a more modern muscle-focused version of Stars & Stripes. Instead of a 10-car mix of classics, trucks, and fantasy castings, the 2024 release kept things tight with five performance cars.

It may not have had the same size as the earlier sets, but the concept was still there: patriotic cars, matching card art, and a full-set display for collectors who like keeping cars carded.

Why Collectors Like the Stars & Stripes Series

The Hot Wheels Stars & Stripes series works because it checks a few boxes at the same time.

First, the cars are easy to understand. Red, white, and blue American-themed Hot Wheels will always have seasonal appeal, especially around the Fourth of July.

Second, the castings are collector-friendly. Across the different years, the series has included Mustangs, Camaros, Chargers, Corvettes, GTOs, C10s, Vipers, Firebirds, and other American classics.

Third, the card art gives collectors a reason to complete the whole set. A single car looks good, but the full lineup tells the complete story. That is a big part of what makes Stars & Stripes different from a regular themed assortment.

No 2026 Hot Wheels Stars & Stripes Set

Unfortunately, for America’s 250th birthday, there does not appear to be a 2026 Hot Wheels Stars & Stripes set.

As of now, Stars & Stripes does not appear to be listed among the known 2026 Hot Wheels lines or assortments.

That feels like a missed opportunity.

With 2026 marking such a major patriotic milestone, a new Stars & Stripes release would have made a lot of sense. Hot Wheels already has the history, the theme, and the card art concept to make it work.

Will Hot Wheels Bring Stars & Stripes Back?

The big question is, will Hot Wheels bring Stars & Stripes back again?

And if they do, which casting would you want to see in the next patriotic lineup?

A new set could go in a lot of different directions. Hot Wheels could bring back classic muscle, focus on modern American performance, add more trucks, or even make it a larger anniversary-style card art set like the 2018 release.

For now, collectors will have to look back at the 2016, 2018, 2020, 2022, and 2024 releases.

But hopefully, Stars & Stripes is not gone for good.

Because when it comes to patriotic Hot Wheels sets, this is still one of the best concepts Mattel has done.

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