The Easy-Bake Oven has become one of the most beloved household items since it hit the market in 1963. More than 30 million units and 150 million mixture refills have been sold, making it one of the most popular dolls of all time. A dependable crowd-pleaser during the holidays, the Easy-Bake Ovenis now a member of the National Toy Hall of Fame, but its cultural relevance isn’t limited to mere nostalgia. Millions of people still watch Easy-Bake Over recipe videos on YouTube.
Lets take a look back at the sweet history of the Easy-Bake Oven.
10 things you didn’t know about the Easy-Bake Oven
1) The first Easy-Bake Oven was very expensive
Todays versions of the toy oven can be purchased at major retail stores or online at a reasonable $45.00, but the original 1963 version was much more expensive. In fact, it expensed a hefty $15.95.
That might not sound like a lot, but adjusting for inflation, it amounts to $127. Despite the cost, the Easy-Bake Oven sold half a million units in its first year on the market.
2) Operating toy ovens werearound for decades before the Easy-Bake
It might sound like an impressive accomplishment for Kenner to have created a mini oven back in the 1960 s, but other corporations had already liberated similar dolls decades earlier. Model train manufacturer Lionel generated a gorgeous porcelain electric stove and oven combo in 1930 that featured a cook surface the perfect altitude for children, aged 6 to 9. The gadget, which the company claimed was constructed as substantially as the one Mother uses, selling off $29.50 ($ 430.00 today ), according to anad in a 1930 Playthings publication.
The company ceased its production after just one year due to poor marketings caused by the Great Depression.
Other name brands like Little Lady, Little Chef, and Suzy Homemaker sold toy ovens before Kenner, but none were able to capture the hearts and minds of children like the Easy-Bake Oven.
3) The oven’s creator changed action figures eternally
Kenner Products started making Easy-Bake Ovens as an independent corporation in 1963. It was purchased by General Mills a few years later, then by Tonka( the folks with the trucks) in 1987, and finally Hasbro in 1991.
Some of Kenners most successful times were under General Millswhen it was granted the rights to make action figures for the Star Wars trilogy. More than 100 unique Star Wars action figures were produced and at least 300 million were sold between 1978 to 1985. Kenner is oftens credited for popularise the 3.75 -inch action figure( 1:18 scale) during that interval. The size became the industry standard for more than 20 times before 5- to 6-inch figures took over in the’ 90 s.
The action figure scale has learnt a resurgence in recent years with new lines fromDC, G.I. Joe, and Star Wars .
4) Kenner originally wanted to name it the’ Safety-Bake Oven ‘
Electric ovens made prior to the Easy-Bake Oven had a reputation for being unsafe. Kenner solved that problem by using a standard incandescent light bulb, a product already acquired throughout homes, as the primary heat source. The corporation wanted to further persuade parents its product was safe by naming it the Safety-Bake Oven, but regulatory bodies in charge of publish and radio advertising reportedly shot down the relevant recommendations because the oven didnt yet have a track record for being safe, accordingto Todd Coopee, author Light Bulb Baking .
Photo by Bradross6 3/ Wikipedia( CC BY-SA 4.0 )~ ATAGEND
The first three versions of Easy-Bake oven( l-r ): Regular model # 1600( 1963 ), Premier model # 1500( 1969 ), and Mod model # 1360( 1971 ).
5) A 100 -watt light bulb ban forced radical redesign amid rumors of the oven’s demise
A ban on conventional inefficient incandescent light bulbs phased in between 2012 and 2014 made some people question the future of the Easy-Bake Oven. While the rules and didnt banning any specific bulb kinds, it did necessitate new fixtures to be 25 percentage most efficient, which entailed they would no longer give off enough heat to power the workable toy. Decided to keep one of its best-sellers alive, Hasbro liberated the Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven, which use a heating source similar to a conventional oven. The Ultimate Oven edition can still be purchased today for around $45.
6) Hasbro initiated a massive recall after ignites necessitated a 5-year-old girl to get her thumb amputated
In February 2007, Hasbro recollected 985,000 Easy-Bake Ovens after receiving 29 reports of children getting their fingers stuck in the door. By July, the number of reports had reached 249, forcing Hasbro to issue two seconds recollect for another 1million units. One 5-year-old infant prolonged ignites so severe that part of her thumb had to be amputated.
The recall affected Easy-Bake Ovens sold between May 2006 and July 2007. The model that was recollected was made of purple-and-pink plastic, and it resembled a kitchen range with four burners on top and a front-loading oven. Hasbro made affected patrons a container to ship the oven back in, and a $32 voucher for another Hasbro product( the recollected unit retailed at $25 ).
7) The oven became a television hotshot and pop culture icon
Hasbros immensely popular toy gadget is likewise an actor with a pretty impressive resume. It made appearances in How I Fulfilled Your Mother , MadTV , and Seinfeld . In season 4 of Fringe , Dr. Walter Bishop makes a lemon cake with his Easy-Bake to help solve a mystery. It is likewise referenced by Monica in the third largest season of Friends who says becoming a real cook has been, like, my dreaming, since I got my first Easy-Bake Oven and opened Easy Monica’s Bakery .”
8) Former First Lady Michelle Obama had some gripes with the oven
Yes, even the First Lady couldnt resist the appeal of a working miniature oven. In a special Christmas visit to the White House, Oprah asked Michelle Obama if she remembers what her favorite Christmas endowment was as a child.
The First Lady mentioned a metal doll home with plastic furniture before remembering her Easy-Bake Oven. But she didnt seem all too impressed with the toy, Oh, I did have an Easy-Bake Oven. But you know, once you run out of the mixyoure done with it. Her problem-solving husband then would like to know whether you could just purchase new concoctions, to which his wife replied, When we were little, what you got is what you got. When its over, it’s over.
9) Hasbro failed miserably at creating an Easy-Bake Overn for sons
In 2002, Hasbro liberated a more masculine version of its toy oven called the Queasy-Bake Cookerator. The regrettably named machine allowed kids to make undeniably appetizing recipes like Mud n Crud Cakes and Drip and Drool Dog Bones.
It wasnt much more than an Easy-Bake Oven with a paint occupation and what Hasbro foolishly belief wererecipe names boys would appreciate. Powered by a single 100 -watt light bulb, the ill-fated Queasy-Bake Cookerator was unable to convince boys that toy ovens werent merely for girls and was discontinued soon after its release.
10) A teenage daughter successfully petitioned fora gender-neutraledition
A Change.org petition created by a teenage daughter in 2012 led Hasbro to create a gender-neutral version for its Easy-Bake Oven. McKenna Pope, 13 at the time, received more than 40,000 signatures and the purposes of celebrity chefs. Hasbro responded by releasing a black, silver, and blue toy oven after meeting with the New Jersey teen. At the time, the Easy-Bake Oven was only available in pink and purple, though previous publications did come in a number of less gendered colorings, like green, yellow, and blue.
Pope generated the petition after she was unable to find a gender appropriate Easy-Bake Oven for her four-year-old brother, we soon saw it quite appalling thatboys are not featured in packaging or promotional materials for Easy-Bake Ovensthis toy my brother’s always dreamed about. And the oven be coming back gender-specific hues: purple and pink. I feel that this sends a clear message: women cook, boys run .”
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