(CNN) Maybe you noticed that some Target stores have signs in the toy department for "Building Sets" and "Girls' Building Sets."

Perhaps, like Abi Bechtel, you questioned the need for the distinction. The Ohio mother tweeted a picture of the signs in a Green, Ohio, store with the caption, "Don't do this, Target." She found that many people agreed marketing toys by gender is "regressive and harmful." The picture was retweeted more than 2,000 times and prompted dozens of supportive responses.

But toymakers and distributors like Target say consumer demand is the reason for the labeling, reviving the old chicken and egg argument about who's to blame for gendered toys -- toymakers or consumers.

Stores organize products and market them based on consumer feedback, said toy trends specialist Adrienne Appell.

"They're categorized in a way that's easier for the general population to find," said Appell, a spokeswoman for the Toy Industry Association, a trade group that represents toymakers.

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