The original design for "Hot Rod" was drawn by Caleb, age 6, of North Branch Area Library, a branch of East Central Regional Library. Caleb wrote, "I drew a picture of a hot rod. I like to draw cars. I hope people like the sculpture." The sculpture is part of the East Central Regional Library's Kids Design Glass project. Funded with money from Minnesota's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, the project started with a Summer Reading Program art contest for kids 5-10 years old. One child's drawing was chosen from each of East Central Library's fourteen branches. Sculptor Anthony Michaud-Scorza, of Cambridge, Minnesota, then turned each drawing into a kid-inspired blown-glass sculpture.