According to One-Toy-Fits-All: How Industry Learned to Love the Global Kid, the same toys are popular with kids around the world; they don’t need to be “localized” for varying tastes:
For years, Barbie dolls sold in Japan looked different from their U.S. counterparts. They had Asian facial features, black hair and Japanese-inspired fashions.Then, about three years ago, Mattel Inc. conducted consumer research around the world and learned something surprising: The original Barbie, with her yellow hair and blue eyes, played as well in Hong Kong as it did in Hollywood. Girls didn’t care if Barbie didn’t look like them.
“It’s all about fantasies and hair,” says Peter Broegger, general manager of Mattel’s Asian operations. “Blond Barbie sells just as well in Asia as in the U.S.”
It’s all about fantasies and hair. I would say that little boy’s toys are all about fantasies and weapons, but German kids rarely play with action figures (1% of their toy market, versus 5% of ours), and I suspect Old Europe’s kids aren’t allowed to play with guns. At least they play with cars — Formula One though, not Nascar.