Happy 50th birthday, Hot Wheels: Here’s a primetime special

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Thursday, July 12. All times are Eastern. Vroom vroom.

Top pick

Hot Wheels: 50th Anniversary Special (History, 8 p.m.): In 1968, Mattel introduced Hot Wheels, the toy that brought the joy of zipping down a single-lane, orange-plastic highway into millions of living rooms. Yes, it’s been half a century of growing up under the assumption that some day you’ll be able to race a full-scale automobile through a full-scale Daredevil Loop, a dream tempered only by the disappointment of the afternoon you spent combing the playground for your little brother’s favorite set of Hot Wheels, which went speeding around the curves of a twisty slide and zoomed its way over the edge, lost forever in the ankle-deep pea gravel. These buried memories and more can be yours with the Hot Wheels: 50th Anniversary Special, available wherever History programming is sold. (Batteries not included; some assembly required. Toxic Nostalgia Playset and The Realization That The Nicest Car You’ve Ever Owned Fit In The Palm Of Your Hand sold separately.)

Wild card

The Toys That Made Us (Netflix): Back in May, Netflix released the second line in this documentary series, looking back on the toy box histories of Star Trek, Transformers, Lego, and Hello Kitty.