Toy manufacturers struggle to attract girls.

In a recent article, Margaret Webb Pressler pointed out that the toy industry is seriously lacking good ideas when it comes to creating toys for girls.

Part of the problem is the fact that girls are pickier when it comes to toys.

While boys stick with their fast toy cars and construction sets, girls go through 2-3 more cycles of toys.

Boys play with toys till the age of twelve. By that time, girls already buy makeup.

Meanwhile, K’Nex Industries Inc. and the Lego group have taken building systems to new heights, giving boys nifty new interlocking technologies to build not just planes and bridges but also characters and games they can then play with.

Cool spy gear has unleashed the inner 007 in legions of boys. And the once-lowly water gun has become the must-have new accessory each summer, with ever more ways to splash, surprise, soak and scare your opponents.

---