Why Kids Don't Play With Slot Cars

[BIG E]

In reference to my earlier post about Darlington Hobbies in Rhode Island:

I tried to call Paul at the store a few days after writing that post, and am unhappy to report that the store shows permanent closed status. The phone number is no longer valid and I don't have a cell number to contact Paul directly. Anyone know what happened there? Disappointing to find this out, but at least I still have the memories from when my old friend Dan DeLude was alive and running the store. Sorry if I gave any false expectations to anyone in the area, but I hope you enjoyed my story about Dan just the same. Unfortunately, another cool little hobby shop is gone... Ernie :>(

[Ky.Slot Racer]

I think they do to a degree, not every child played with slot cars when I was young either. But there was definitely more exposure to the public then, and not as much competition for a child's time. I can remember going to my uncle's house which was very seldom. He was in a dart throwing club, and had a large(to me) dart board on wheels in his basement. That was the only thing on my mind when I went there was going straight to the basement with him and pitching darts at the huge board. However when it wasn't in my face I didn't think about it. Kinda the same with my grandchildren, when they come to grandpas, all the think about is heading to the basement, and running whatever cars they can until someone tells them it`s time to come up. The interest is there, I believe, but
there are just so many other options that it's not stuck in their brain non stop. We have to remember things have changed since we were kids, more PC, safer games, no sun, plastic sliding boards. Geez how did we survive..... I seen a "jarts" game at Meijers the other day, Damm things don`t have points, but they do beep when they hit inside the ring. Hell we hardly ever even threw them oversize darts toward the ring...... :o

[proxieken]

Interesting thing happened this year at our Christmas party. We have not hosted for years due to my brother in laws cat allergy. But this year we did host, and I had the track ready for anyone to use. 6 Carrera street muscle cars programed to their respective controllers and Yingling software running on the wall.

As expected the track was always busy. The party was held in the basement and the track is just though a door in to the area that is unfinished so it made it convenient for me to help out between mixing drinks and calling bingo.

One of the guys my age remembered having a track and now plans to dig it back out and set it up. His 13 year old daughter loved it. His son, who is maybe 25, had a blast also. The son went home and immediately ordered a D132 Carrera set.

They are coming back for some tips and I plan to help them both get set up.

So looks like that one party has the dad getting his old track back out and he son (who is married and has his own place0 also setting up a track. I have already directed them to places online to buy cars. Seems they are pretty excited.

I think I have one side pipe to glue back on to a car. Small price to pay for seeing so many smiles and watching people have so much fun.

[Modlerbob]

The quick answer is that they don't think they have the time. A game on an I-phone can be suspended and restarted on a whim. It can be played at most any time. Racing slot cars, even when everything is already set up and ready to go needs one to be in one location for a period of time along with everyone else who is participating. And for multiple events it requires them to be at either the same location or another one set up in a similar fashion. All an electronic game requires is the device itself and the battery power to run it. It can be played in one's bedroom or a public restroom most anywhere. I prefer slot car racing for the reasons I listed that kids today see as a weakness. All I can hope is that at least a few of every generation will appreciate the uniqueness of slot racing and pay it forward.

[BRS Hobbies]

Hey guys still plenty of hope. I was able to get together with my Uncle over the holidays who I haven't seen for several years. It turns out that he is getting heavy into slot cars. I asked him how the new interest in slot cars came about. He said that he went over a friends house who had an HO scale dragstrip set up and after that he's been hooked and buying a lot of slot car stuff.

I think sometimes something as simple as sharing our track with others can make a big difference in keeping the slot car hobby alive and may also give us a few more racers to race with.

Keep it in the slot.

Brian

[Rastas]

I know people of my age like to walk in to a shop to see the item to be perch este to look, feel ,a maybe measure to make sure it's going to fit or could be adjusted to fit! Children learn, pick up interest the same way after a few time's going to a place with a track set up ,its in stored in their subconscious and that's the start of a hobby. With over head's like rent,electricity,stock sitting on the shelf, the small business man just can't afford to do it any more and kid's don't get to see it any more it all Boil's down to the aconemy.

[Jim Norton]

Years back, I tended to blame the manufacturers. Case in point: When NASCAR was at its peak in the early 1990s, I thought it a missed opportunity that TOMY, TYCO or Life Like did not produce any meaningful NASCAR sets. By that, I mean a nice size 4 lane track with banked turns and accurate NASCAR racers. Maybe historical sets recreating famous races like the 1979 Daytona 500 with Petty, Waltrip, Yarborough and Allison's cars. (Infield fight on the last lap optional) You could have brought many to the hobby, both young and old, through sizable track options and realistic race scenarios. The 2 lane NASCAR figure eights with 9" radius curves just didn't do it.

Speaking of the discount stores. I visited a Toys R Us last Christmas before all closed . For a minute, I imagined what a Toys R Us store would have been like in the 1960s. There would have been a huge department for model kits, a counter for Lionel Trains, an isle of HO trains, toy guns, GI Joes and a department for HO, 1/32 and 1/24 slot cars and tracks. But as I looked around none of this was present. How could this be?

Recently, one of wife's friends visited with her 9 year old boy. I took him down in the basement to see my slot cars and trains. When I was 9 I would have not believed what I was being shown! I would want to see things, ask questions and watch something run. This kid could have cared less! Didn't even touch anything.

I don't put much hope in boys of today. No doubt that a group of my friends from 1968 could whip a group of today's boys! Video games has ruined them.

Jim Norton
Huntsville, Alabama

[rolo9th]

One other thing at play is a cultural shift away from cars and things automotive. Though I did not live through the 50's and 60's, I do know from my research and love of cars about how the new lineup announcements for the major manufacturers was a big deal during those times. "Come see the all new '61's at your Buick Dealer" type announcements. From what I know, it used to be quite the event, as the family would make an outing to the dealership to see new models unveiled and "ohh" and "ahh" at them. Sure, simpler days back then, no question, but certainly, the car was more of a novelty in many ways too...fresh and exciting and a symbol of American prowess and trend setting.

That type of emphasis is just not there for cars these days...part of it is that so many cars look so similar, its hard to tell them apart, and so many manufacturers have skewed the release timelines of cars, its hard to figure it all out. Case in point, I bought my 2016 Kia Sorrento in Jan. 2015.

The only big releases I seem to know of these days are those related to electronics, and phones mostly, where folks will wait in line for days to snag the latest iPrison (sorry, I have strong negative feelings against cell phones, despite having one myself, but that rant is for another time) or Gulagaxy or such.

Despite the penetration rate, and our reliance upon them, cars are just not as big a priority/factor in American life as they were 50-70 years ago, and I think this lack of emphasis also factors into the youth of today not having the same passion for cars that perhaps us older folks did and still have.

[strangebrew]

..................I still think a trip to the local short track with a couple of 9 yr. olds would stir up some automobile interest.....................

[rolo9th]

You'd think so, right? But I think it depends on the kid...they either have it in them or they don't.

I make it a point to support my local track, probably visiting 12 times a year or so for the last 8 years I have lived here. Most of the kids ages 8-18 I see dragged there by their parents are on their phones 90% of the time. A few are into the action, but they are a minority. Once those darn phones become a part of their lives, its like they become zombies to them. Oh, they look up when they hear everyone react to something on the track, but by and large, they have their noses buried in InstaChatFaceGram or whatever it is that is so important to them.

[HomeRacingWorld]

All of my kids grew up with slot cars and racing.
With this site going almost 20 years, they have been "exposed". More than most.
My grandkids have been as well. I have built tracks with them, race with them...

My oldest Christopher dabbles in it with me from time to time when work allows.

The rest do not. They think it is cool, but have their own interests. Our youngest latest hobby is the US NAVY and a new wife. (Remember girls?) He also models miniature figures.

Exposure is always a good thing...but like it was just stated, that doesn't mean it translates to a future enthusiast.
We will all like what we like. Regardless.

It's just a smaller hobby. And different.

Like Pigeon racing, (I know a guy). :D

[Pepsi62]

Pigeon racing Harry!!, now there is a sport you don't often hear much about that is also in "crisis" with dwindling numbers as members get older and fewer young people getting into it. It's very similar to slot cars as you need space for a loft, time to take your birds on training flights, plus time spent cleaning lofts, feeding, rearing youngsters ,etc, etc. Loved the excitement of sitting and waiting for the birds to arrive from a race, sometimes hours just watching the sky, then spot one come in and land, then racing in to get the countermark off and into the clock, now they just have to walk over the scanner pad at loft entry and they are clocked, so at least you don't miss one nowdays

[HomeRacingWorld]

Our own Strangebrew here is a Pigeon racer. He has quite the operation from what I hear.

Another guy down the street collects bottle caps. Someone at my 1:1 job does paper dolls. Another collects Atari/Intellivision games and even has the old T.V.'s to go with them. (Man they are heavy)

Oddly, not a person I know simply builds static model kits. I see some collecting kits, but to build them? Gosh no! :)

There are all sorts of different hobbies. Asking why a person does not play with slot cars is like asking why they don't like liver and onions. Or the color blue.

With this internet, our hobby is advertised and promoted heavily. This IS the new marketplace.
As we complain about the younger generation with their faces stuck in a phone...remember they might be shopping and reading about slot cars. :)

[HomeRacingWorld]

And with that I will add...

Exposure? How many of YOU are out there on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/Youtube?

I am.

And how many of the HRW members that are out there ever SHARE the link to here? To an article? A review video?

Almost never.

We have a Facebook group, Youtube channel....and all the rest. If you are out there and not sharing the fun and the sites that talk about it, then YOU really cannot complain about why others are not seeing it.
Do your best given the modern tools we have to tell others about our hobby. SCI, Slotforum...I don't care.

Share and show them what your passion is. :)

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Very eloquent, Sir Crashalot of Wyze.

I can only comment that liver and onions tastes terrible, smells terrible, and looks awful.

I likes me some blue...