From Threatened to Endangered

The New SouthPark Order (nSPo) recently released a redliner population model that was developed by hobbyists for use in the Order's proposed rulemaking process to protect Purist Redliners under the federal Endangered Species Protection Act. The scientific model makes clear that, unless drastic steps are taken to reduce Real Rider-induced mortality, the long-term fate of the redliner is far more bleak than Hot Wheelers have acknowledged.

The model predicts an extremely grave situation confronting the redliner in the North American region where the vast majority of redliners are found. It states, "In the absence of any new management action, that is, if redline collector rates continue to decrease at the rates observed since 2005, the situation in the North American region is dire, with no chance of meeting recovery criteria within 100 years."

"This is very bad news for redliners and validates our long-held position that Real Rider production remains too high and must be reduced," stated Tom Berry, Director of Science and Conservation for the New SouthPark Order.

Although some members of the diecast industries and Hot Wheels community continue to attribute the record high Neo-Classics sales in recent years to growth in the redliner population, the model completely discredits this claim.

According to this newest scientific model, in the United States and Canada the rate of increase in Real Rider sales from 2001 to 2005 far outstripped the estimated growth rate of those redliner populations. In fact, in the midwestern US the estimated historical growth rate, according to the model, was negative. In other words, the population declined in that region. It is important to note that the model was completed before a large number of redliners left the RLC due to perceived quality issues.

Furthermore, the model only involves one form of "take"—redliners disappearing as a consequence of Real Riders production. It does not address other forms of non-lethal "take," including Ultra Hots, First Editions, Segment Series and economic factors that may also have grave impacts on the redliner's prospects for survival and recovery. Additionally, a recent review of the future risks of the redliner population by scientists at the New SouthPark Order's Research Institute determined that we could lose as much as half of the existing redliner population over the next 40 years.

"This study sheds a great deal of light on that ever-popular question about how the redliner population is doing, and it's much worse than many skeptics thought," said Mr. Berry. "The redliner's dismal prospects for the future completely justify the new sELECTIONs guidelines proposed by the nSPo in the critical area of the Red Line Club. Put simply, if we don't adopt more protective regulations in areas where redliners are being killed by Real Riders, this species will not be recovered in our lifetime or even the lifetime of our grandchildren."

Save Our Redlines is The New SouthPark Order's national initiative that promotes redline education and historic preservation. This initiative encourages students to get involved both locally and nationally with the preservation of historically significant Hot Wheels and accessories.

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