Ever think the day would come when you will make a joke about cooking with a lightbulb, and someone wouldn’t know what you were talking about? Unfortunately that day is approaching fast. Kenner’s classic Easy-Bake Oven is about to become an unlikely casualty in the political war against incandescent light bulbs. Starting next year, manufacturers will no longer be able to produce the 100 watt light bulb, the power plant that fuels the Easy-Bake Oven. The bulbs are being phased out as part of a 2007 federal law designed to get rid of the less efficient bulbs. Hard to argue about the efficiency though, when you can cook a cake over it!
First introduced in 1963, and inducted in the National Toy Hall of Fame in 2006, the Easy-Bake Oven has been a long standing favorite among children and adults. It’s heart breaking to think that such a classic part of our popular culture could be gone in a flash. Before you start waving your tiny little spatulas in the air in anger though, know that Hasbro is trying to salvage our favorite oven.
Hasbro plans to revive the oven as the Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven and released the following statement:
“We are aware that the 100-watt incandescent light bulb will no longer be available beginning in 2012. In fall 2011, Hasbro will launch the Easy-Bake Ultimate Oven, introducing a new way to bake for the next generation of chefs. This new oven features a heating element that does not use a light bulb and offers an extensive assortment of mixes reflective of the hottest baking trends for today.”
While not the ideal solution for fans of the original concept, it is at least some consolation to know that Kenner’s famous little oven will continue to live on.
Below is a nice history of the Easy-Bake Oven from Hasbro’s website:
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Also available in PDF format:
Kenner Easy-Bake Oven History (206K PDF)
Hello, I really like this article. I had an easy bake oven as a child. I have a question about the advertisement at the top of the article, the large one with the girl using the oven. Do you know if the image is copyrighted? I would like to use it in a modified version for a software product, and I cannot seem to find anywhere that indicates if I will be in violation of copyright laws. Thank you for reading my comment.
I have found the easy bake oven that resembles a microwave, but no clock is on it.
It needs to have the replacement bulb, but I have no instructions for how to replace it.
Could you please tell me where and how to access the instruction book that would have come
with the toy. The back has Kenner Products, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 No 15710
Thank you for your help.