[Scuderia_Turini]

Dave is definitely correct on the dumbing-down aspects and the attractions of "complete world" type marketing. 

The snag with all toys is the affordability.
The vast majority of parents are wary of spending a lot of cash on items that may only have a short life usage. Not sure who started the concept of "My First ..." (Sony ?) which gives people an entry level product alongside the availability of more costly and desirable packages, and that seems sensible and all of the toy-market slot car systems have these. If parents see that their purchase is being well used they can then confidently spend more.  

Specialist slot-racing companies don't need to attract low-budget buyers although Slot.It seem to be doing that with the Policar system and it will be very interesting to see how that product fares in the coming years. 

Leo