Joe Cypher has Hot Wheels monster trucks on both ends of the size spectrum.
He professionally drives a Hot Wheels monster truck, but also has a collection of 800 of the miniature versions.
That collection began in 2001 when Hot Wheels issued his monster truck Airborne Ranger as an official model.
“That’s actually when I started collecting the monster truck versions, because, you know, I was a Hot Wheel!” Cypher said in a phone interview ahead of the upcoming Hot Wheels tour stop in San Diego. “I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, I gotta have these.’”
He had a Hot Wheels collection as a child too. The very first year Hot Wheels was introduced in 1968, Cyper received them as a Christmas present. He was 4 years old.
“I would get two Hot Wheels almost every Christmas,” he recalled. “I never quit playing with them, seems like.”
His other favorite childhood toy, army men, inspired his first career. Cypher served as an Airborne Ranger (thus the monster truck name) in the U.S. Army.
That career ended prematurely in 1989. While on leave, a car accident paralyzed him from the waist down. After his initial rehabilitation and recovery, he craved the same excitement he experienced in the Army.
“We’re always full of energy, full of adrenaline, and the things we do: Jumping from planes and missions and what we’re taught,” Cypher said.
He looked into motorsports, wanting to find something that included jumps in the air. He found monster trucks in 1993.
“Once I drove one, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, this is for me,’” he said.
By 1995, he joined the professional circuit with a truck he modified to use hand controls because he could not use pedals. He was the first person ever to do so.
Cypher has broken multiple records as the world’s only paraplegic monster truck driver. After 33 years performing stunts, he now has a new goal of becoming the oldest or longest working professional monster truck driver.
He decorated his original monster truck, Airborne Ranger, with camouflage or American flags. He replaced the truck three times, but keeps the chassis name, even as the body is now based on popular Hot Wheels models. His current body is 5 Alarm, which looks like a fire truck.
“Five Alarm is cool. The kids love fire trucks. Their eyes light up when they see that monster fire truck in monster realm, monster life,” Cypher said. “Instead of just having a toy, they get to see the real thing.”
That life-size “toy” is playful in the arena. Hot Wheels, unlike competitor Monster Jam, which focuses on demolition, has four events showcasing all the trucks are capable of, with competitions for long jumping, wheelies, donuts and freestyle.
In the middle of the show, freestyle motocross (FMX) riders do flips and stunts.
“Monster Jam, we call it a smash-up derby, but if you want to see a family show, we say come to Hot Wheels,” Cypher said. “It’s really a good stimulation for the kids, a positive stimulation.”
It’s the fans, whether that be little kids who love Hot Wheels like he once did or the big kids who love monster trucks (also like him), that keep him going rather than retiring.
In his downtime, what little there is while he tours 35 cities per year, he builds hotrods. He has a Chevrolet Apache to rebuild in storage. That project is on hold for now, with the tour making its way to San Diego.
Joe Cypher and 5 Alarm, along with other drivers, bring Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live: Glow-N-Fire to Pechanga Arena on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., and Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1:30 p.m. Find tickets at hotwheelsmonstertruckslive.com.
