Michael Zarnock

Michael Zarnock
Michael Zarnock

Michael Zarnock with his Guinness World Record Hot Wheels Collection.
Born April 21, 1958 (1958-04-21) (age 53)
Utica, New York, U.S.

Michael Zarnock (born April 21, 1958 in Utica, New York) is an American writer of collector guides and articles about Hot Wheels toy cars and accessories. Zarnock is known for a massive Hot Wheels collection that earned him a Guinness World Record title in 2003[1] and 2007[2] for owning the largest collection of different model cars (8,128) and is featured in the 2008 "Ripley's Believe It or Not!" book Prepare to Be Shocked.[3] And the 2011 "Ripley's Believe It Or Not!" book "Utterly Crazy!" By his own account he has collected more than 20,000 toy cars; since 2004 some have been on display at the Children's Museum of Utica, New York.[4] The local Utica newspaper reported Zarnock as saying: "I’ve been in love with Hot Wheels since 1968."[5]

In February 2009 Zarnock was inducted into the "Diecast Hall of Fame" and later that year Mattel Hot Wheels reproduced his altered roadster racing car as part of their nostalgic "Drag Strip Demons" series.

Life and work

Born into a working-class family, Zarnock worked 45 hours a week as an auto mechanic while attending John F. Kennedy High School in Utica, New York, where he graduated in 1976. As a teenager he raced Motocross; while still in high school he built and drove show cars and drag cars. Some of the drag cars were used by other people for illegal street races; Zarnock claims that at one such unsanctioned street race he was kidnapped for a time. This story made its way all the way out to Los Angeles where he was asked to write it as a screenplay for actor–producer Christopher Titus. Zarnock later rewrote the script for publication as a novel.[6]

Zarnock lives in Deerfield, New York with his wife Tina and youngest son Cody. His grown son, Christopher, lives in Mount Airy, Maryland and is also a Hot Wheels collector.

Zarnock's obsession with toy car collecting prompted him to write the book Ultimate Guide to Hot Wheels Variations (Krause), now out of print after two printings (2002 and 2003).[7] He has subsequently written 10 more books and contributed chapters on Hot Wheels collecting for the Standard Catalog of Die-Cast Vehicles II & III and six editions of Toys & Prices.

From 2002 through 2008 Zarnock wrote a monthly column for Toy Cars & Models.[8] He wrote a monthly column in Car Room.[9] until its closing in mid 2011. Mike is also a member of the ToyPedia Advisory Board. [10]

Zarnock has appeared at schools, conventions, toy shows and Hot Wheels club functions across the United States and Canada, and has also appeared in movies. He made his screen debut playing Artie, a sleazy comic book publisher, in the film Detour. He later portrayed talk show host Freddy Grecko in The Death of Daniel Whately[11] and Chester Greenfield, the wealthy father of the main character in Anchor Eddy's.

Notes

  1. ^ Guinness Book of World Records, 2006 Edition - p. 65. ISBN 978-8408061496.
  2. ^ Guinness Book of World Records, 2009 Edition - p. 120. ISBN 978-1904994374
  3. ^ Ripley's Believe It or Not: Prepare to be Shocked, 2008 - book 5, p. 210. ISBN 978-1-893951-31-0
  4. ^ Children's Museum, Utica, New York; November 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
  5. ^ Elizabeth Cooper, "Santa collects wish lists at Holiday on Main Street", Utica Observer-Dispatch, 28 November 2009. Retrieved 2010-01-13.
  6. ^ "Interview with Michael Zarnock" in Toy Collector magazine.
  7. ^ Ultimate Guide to Hot Wheels Variations. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  8. ^ Article archive, Toy Cars & Models. Retrieved 2010-01-12.
  9. ^ Sample pages, Car Room Magazine Retrieved 2010-01-12
  10. ^ "ToyPedia Advisory Board"
  11. ^ The Death of Daniel Whately, DVD. Retrieved 2010-01-12.

External links


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