Some kids who play in the imaginary realm of firefighters, astronauts and doctors grow up to pursue their passion in a real-life career. For Joe Cypher, space helmets and stethoscopes were nothing in comparison to the oversized rear tires, superchargers, and sharp exteriors of Hot Wheels.
“I got four Hot Wheels cars, with the track with the little loopty loop and the jump, the first Christmas that they came out in ’68,” Cypher said in a phone interview. “I played with Hot Wheels and army men ever since. My mom had to throw the rest of my toys away because I wouldn’t play with anything else.”
Cypher, 61, isn’t just one of many fans of the Mattel toy manufacturing cars; he is also the first and only paralyzed monster truck driver. He’ll be behind the wheel of the 5 Alarm truck, which will be featured in the Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow-N-Fire show coming to the Toyota Arena in Ontario on Aug. 30 and 31. His truck will drive alongside fans’ favorite Hot Wheels Monster Trucks, including Mega Wrex, Tiger Shark, Bone Shaker, Gunkster, and the new fossil furious Skelesaurus.
The show will also celebrate the 50th birthday of Bigfoot, the first-ever monster truck, which will also be featured at the event. Fans can celebrate the birthday festivities by bringing homemade birthday cards and making homemade birthday signs for a chance to win prizes during the show.
“This show is family-oriented, and the kids just light up watching the seven different character Hot Wheels monster trucks come to life from a toy form,” Cypher said.
While Cypher was a fan of Hot Wheels as a kid, he was also a fan of toy army men, which first led him to his career as an Airborne Ranger in the U.S Army. He served until ’88, when he was injured in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors told him he’d never walk again.
After some time in recovery, Cypher decided to get into motorsports and was excited to know that he could get paid to show up and entertain a crowd while driving monster trucks.
Cypher purchased his first monster truck in 1995 and called it Airborne Ranger, sporting red, white and blue paint as well as camouflage print as an homage to his time in the army. He adapted it to make it drivable with hand controls, making it the world’s first hand-controlled truck. With his left hand, Cypher controls the brake. The throttle on the handle is a switch to turn the truck left or right, and his right hand controls the front wheels. He takes his hand off the steering wheel to shift gears.
Throughout the years, he performed at several different nationwide monster truck shows in his truck and earned the attention of Hot Wheels, which produced several toy versions of the Airborne Ranger monster truck from 2001 to 2012. Three years ago, they tapped Cypher to drive the 5 Alarm truck, which was also adapted for him to showcase at a Hot Wheels live event.
“It was a full circle moment,” Cypher said. “I played with these as a kid, and I’m still a fan, and then ‘Oh my God,’ now my truck is a Hot Wheels.”
Another monster truck fanatic who will be driving at the event is Caleb Janezich, who will operate the Bigfoot monster truck, which is celebrating a milestone of 50 years and is the vehicle that kicked off the monster truck industry the world has come to know.
In 1975, Bob Chandler, a former Missouri construction worker and off-roading enthusiast, modified a Ford F-250 pickup truck by adding massive 48-inch tires and a beefed-up suspension. For the most part, Chandler used the car as an off-roading vehicle, but one day he decided to place two dilapidated cars in a field and videotaped himself crushing the cars as a joke.
When Chandler played the tape in his auto shop in the early ’80s, a man promoting motorsports events asked him if he would do it publicly for an upcoming show, and Chandler agreed. The motorsports event was considered the first public car crush, catalyzing the monster truck spectacle and attracting the likes of ESPN and others around the world.
Janezich grew up in Indianapolis, where monster truck shows were a frequent family event. He had always dreamed of being part of the shows, but never thought it was within reach. That changed a few years ago when he proposed to the team working on Bigfoot as a crew member, and then was tapped as a driver.
“It’s always an honor driving that Bigfoot, but definitely this year with the 50th anniversary,” Janezich said. “We’re going to kick things up a notch and make sure it’s a lot of fun for crowds.”
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow-N-Fire
When: 12:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30 and Sunday, Aug. 31.
Where: Toyota Arena, 4000 Ontario Center, Ontario.
Admission: Tickets are $36.30-$82.60 at Ticketmaster.com. VIP and pre-party packages are also available at hotwheelsmonstertruckslive.com.