Easy-Bake Oven
Encyclopedia
The Easy-Bake Oven is a working toy
oven
introduced by Kenner
in 1963, and currently manufactured by Hasbro
. The original toy used an ordinary incandescent light bulb
as a heat source; current versions use a true heating element
. By 1997, more than 16 million Easy-Bake Ovens (in 11 models) had been sold.
The oven comes with packets of cake mix and small round pans. (Additional mixes can be purchased separately.) After water is added to the mix in the pan, it is pushed into the oven through a slot. After cooking, the cake
is pushed out through a slot in the other end.
Products, a Cincinnati
, Ohio
based toy company. The original Kenner Easy-Bake Oven was heated by two 100 watt incandescent lightbulbs, came in a pale yellow or turquoise, and was designed to resemble a conventional oven. The design changed many times over the years. A more recent model resembles a microwave oven
.
The Easy-Bake Oven was invented by Ronald Howes
, a prolific toy inventor known for working with Kenner Products. He said he was inspired to make the oven after hearing Kenner salesman report how chestnut
s were roasted by street vendors in New York City
. In addition to his creation of the Easy-Bake Oven, Howes also was involved in the creation of or refinement to a number of other Kenner Toy products, including Spirograph
, Give-a-Show Projector, and Close-and-Play Record Player. Howes died on February 16, 2010 at the age of 83.
In 2002, a version for boys was introduced, the "Queasy Bake Cookerator".
A decade after the Easy-Bake Oven and Snack Center was introduced, the Real Meal Oven was released. It won the 2003 Best Toy Parenting
magazine Toy of the Year Award. Unlike previous versions, this oven could bake two pans at once. The neutral colors were more accepted across gender
s. The pans were bigger, and it could bake both desserts and meals. Also, this model featured a heating element and did not require a light bulb.
In 2006, a different version of the Easy-Bake was released, featuring a stove-top warmer, and a heating element. Like the first version by Hasbro, it had smaller pans and only could bake one pan at a time.
The new front-loading Hasbro design, a substantial departure from the traditional push-through arrangement, was apparently ill-conceived, as all (approx. 985,000) such units were recalled over safety concerns and reported injuries.
The oven was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame
in 2006.
In 2011, the last version which used a 100 Watt incandescent light bulb was replaced by a new version with a dedicated heating element. The replacement was due to a greener lighting policy by the US Federal Government, which would eliminate incandescent light bulbs that put out sufficient heat to bake goods inside the Easy-Bake Oven. This rendered all models that used a light bulb as the heating element obsolete, without being able to replace the part once the existing bulbs burned out. However some critics of the redesign have indicated that halogen light bulbs put out sufficient heat to replace incandescent bulbs.
and the Consumer Product Safety Commission
recalled 985,000 Easy-Bake toy ovens after finding that children's hands and fingers can get caught in the oven's opening, thereby posing serious risk of burns. Since the recall, there were at least 249 reports of children getting their hands or fingers caught in the ovens, including 16 reports of second- and third-degree burns, and finger amputation. As a result, Hasbro recalled all front-loading Easy Bake ovens sold since May 2006, even those that were repaired with the free kit distributed after the February 2007 recall.
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
oven
Oven
An oven is a thermally insulated chamber used for the heating, baking or drying of a substance. It is most commonly used for cooking. Kilns, and furnaces are special-purpose ovens...
introduced by Kenner
Kenner
Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal.Kenner introduced its...
in 1963, and currently manufactured by Hasbro
Hasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
. The original toy used an ordinary incandescent light bulb
Incandescent light bulb
The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. The hot filament is protected from air by a glass bulb that is filled with inert gas or evacuated. In a halogen lamp, a chemical process...
as a heat source; current versions use a true heating element
Heating element
A heating element converts electricity into heat through the process of Joule heating. Electric current through the element encounters resistance, resulting in heating of the element....
. By 1997, more than 16 million Easy-Bake Ovens (in 11 models) had been sold.
The oven comes with packets of cake mix and small round pans. (Additional mixes can be purchased separately.) After water is added to the mix in the pan, it is pushed into the oven through a slot. After cooking, the cake
Cake
Cake is a form of bread or bread-like food. In its modern forms, it is typically a sweet and enriched baked dessert. In its oldest forms, cakes were normally fried breads or cheesecakes, and normally had a disk shape...
is pushed out through a slot in the other end.
Kenner versions
The Easy-Bake Oven was introduced in 1963 by KennerKenner
Kenner Products was a toy company founded in 1947 by three brothers, Albert, Phillip, and Joseph L. Steiner, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, and was named after the street where the original corporate offices were located, which is just north of Cincinnati's Union Terminal.Kenner introduced its...
Products, a Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
based toy company. The original Kenner Easy-Bake Oven was heated by two 100 watt incandescent lightbulbs, came in a pale yellow or turquoise, and was designed to resemble a conventional oven. The design changed many times over the years. A more recent model resembles a microwave oven
Microwave oven
A microwave oven is a kitchen appliance that heats food by dielectric heating, using microwave radiation to heat polarized molecules within the food...
.
The Easy-Bake Oven was invented by Ronald Howes
Ronald Howes
Ronald B. Howes was the American toy inventor, best known for his invention of the Easy-Bake Oven, which was introduced to consumers in 1963.-Early life:...
, a prolific toy inventor known for working with Kenner Products. He said he was inspired to make the oven after hearing Kenner salesman report how chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
s were roasted by street vendors in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. In addition to his creation of the Easy-Bake Oven, Howes also was involved in the creation of or refinement to a number of other Kenner Toy products, including Spirograph
Spirograph
Spirograph is a geometric drawing toy that produces mathematical curves of the variety technically known as hypotrochoids and epitrochoids. The term has also been used to describe a variety of software applications that display similar curves, and applied to the class of curves that can be produced...
, Give-a-Show Projector, and Close-and-Play Record Player. Howes died on February 16, 2010 at the age of 83.
Hasbro versions
Kenner became a division of Hasbro, and Hasbro continued to produce the oven. The Easy-Bake Oven and Snack Center was introduced in 1993; as of 2008 due to product recalls, it is the sole model offered on the manufacturer's website. It is powered by a 100 watt light bulb that was sold separately from the oven. Another, sleeker design was introduced later.In 2002, a version for boys was introduced, the "Queasy Bake Cookerator".
A decade after the Easy-Bake Oven and Snack Center was introduced, the Real Meal Oven was released. It won the 2003 Best Toy Parenting
Parenting (magazine)
Launched in 1987 by Time Inc., Parenting is a magazine for families published in the United States. In February 2009, the magazine became two separate, age-targeted editions: Parenting Early Years, for moms of infants, toddlers and preschoolers; and Parenting School Years, for moms with kids in...
magazine Toy of the Year Award. Unlike previous versions, this oven could bake two pans at once. The neutral colors were more accepted across gender
Gender identity
A gender identity is the way in which an individual self-identifies with a gender category, for example, as being either a man or a woman, or in some cases being neither, which can be distinct from biological sex. Basic gender identity is usually formed by age three and is extremely difficult to...
s. The pans were bigger, and it could bake both desserts and meals. Also, this model featured a heating element and did not require a light bulb.
In 2006, a different version of the Easy-Bake was released, featuring a stove-top warmer, and a heating element. Like the first version by Hasbro, it had smaller pans and only could bake one pan at a time.
The new front-loading Hasbro design, a substantial departure from the traditional push-through arrangement, was apparently ill-conceived, as all (approx. 985,000) such units were recalled over safety concerns and reported injuries.
The oven was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame
National Toy Hall of Fame
The National Toy Hall of Fame is an American hall of fame that recognizes the contributions of toys and games that have sustained their popularity for many years...
in 2006.
In 2011, the last version which used a 100 Watt incandescent light bulb was replaced by a new version with a dedicated heating element. The replacement was due to a greener lighting policy by the US Federal Government, which would eliminate incandescent light bulbs that put out sufficient heat to bake goods inside the Easy-Bake Oven. This rendered all models that used a light bulb as the heating element obsolete, without being able to replace the part once the existing bulbs burned out. However some critics of the redesign have indicated that halogen light bulbs put out sufficient heat to replace incandescent bulbs.
Recalls
In February 2007, HasbroHasbro
Hasbro is a multinational toy and boardgame company from the United States of America. It is one of the largest toy makers in the world. The corporate headquarters is located in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, United States...
and the Consumer Product Safety Commission
Consumer Product Safety Commission
The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is an independent agency of the United States government created in 1972 through the Consumer Product Safety Act to protect "against unreasonable risks of injuries associated with consumer products." The CPSC is an independent agency that does...
recalled 985,000 Easy-Bake toy ovens after finding that children's hands and fingers can get caught in the oven's opening, thereby posing serious risk of burns. Since the recall, there were at least 249 reports of children getting their hands or fingers caught in the ovens, including 16 reports of second- and third-degree burns, and finger amputation. As a result, Hasbro recalled all front-loading Easy Bake ovens sold since May 2006, even those that were repaired with the free kit distributed after the February 2007 recall.