Mater is the tow truck and best friend of Lightning McQueen in the Disney Pixar Cars film franchise, voiced by Larry the Cable Guy. The character is a 1957 International Harvester tow truck, first appearing in the 2006 Pixar Cars movie. Mattel has released Mater as a die-cast collectible across multiple film eras and product lines since 2006.
Across the Pixar Cars die-cast line, Mattel has released 292 distinct Mater variants from 2006 through 2026. The collection covers all major film releases plus retailer exclusives and series-specific packaging. Pixar Cars Garage tracks every confirmed Mater variant with year, Mattel number, and series details.
Mater releases break down across 5 distinct Pixar Cars film eras: Cars (2006 film): 82 variants; Cars 2 era (2011-2016): 86 variants; Cars 3 era (2017-2021): 43 variants; Modern releases (2022+): 60 variants; Cars on the Road (2022+): 21 variants. Each era brought new sculpts, paint variations, and packaging treatments. Collectors building the full Mater subset typically work era by era to track which variants they own and which are still missing.
Among the most collectible Mater die-cast variants are Holiday Whee-Hoo Winter Mater (2010), Lightning McQueen & Mater (2010), and El Materdor (2014). These releases command higher collector value due to limited production, exclusive retailer status, or strong demand from collectors completing the Pixar Cars set. Click any Mater on this page to see its current rarity score and 10-year collector value projection.
Whether Mater Pixar Cars toys hold collector value depends heavily on the specific variant. Mainline Mater releases from active production years stay near retail. Discontinued, exclusive, and Chase variants trade above retail on the secondary market — sometimes substantially. Each Mater variant tracked on Pixar Cars Garage includes its current collector value estimate and a 10-year value projection.
Track your Mater collection on Pixar Cars Garage. The platform lists every confirmed Mater die-cast variant — all 292 of them — with year, Mattel number, packaging type, and current collector value. Free members add the variants they own, see which are missing, and avoid buying duplicates. Sign-up is free.
