Construction sets marketed specifically to girls have been appearing all over this holiday season.

Mattel Inc. recently acquired Mega Brands, which makes construction sets. However, Lego was first to try to recapture the girl demographic it had lost over the years.

"Giant toy maker Lego has retooled its classic building kits with a splash of purple and themes such as pet salon and beauty shop," according to a recent Los Angeles Times article. Start-up toy companies are also trying to compete in the space.

Jaime Katz, an equity analyst at Morningstar, said that "it's baffling that it took this long for toy makers to get on board."

"If you aren't catering to the girls' side you are leaving half of the market on the table," Katz said.

Although building sets were flat last year, the NPD Group said, "the category climbed 22% to $2 billion in 2012, up from $1.6 billion in 2011."

Action figures, the article said, "dropped by 2.1 percent and plush toys slid by 5.4 percent."

"This is an untapped opportunity," said Michael Swartz, research analyst at SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. "The hot product begets copycats."

Lego, according to Michael McNally, senior director of brand relations for Lego Systems, said the company, "spent four years researching the female market after realizing that girls weren't demanding its toys as much as boys were."

"It changed the perception that Lego is for boys," McNally said. "It's been a gateway for girls."

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Article by Kassondra Granata, Education World Contributor