The Easy Bake World Will Never Be The Same

True story: For an embarrassingly huge chunk of my life I wanted an Easy-Bake Oven.

In fact, from the time I was able to make requests from the Sears Wishbook at Christmas time and pretty much until I moved away from home, I asked for an Easy-Bake Oven as a gift. I never got one.

I'm not sure why. My parents were very generous at the holidays and they did buy me a Ouija board one year which seemed pretty risqué, not least because my parents are devoutly Catholic. So why not spend another fifteen bucks on an oven that wouldn't summon the dead but instead create marvellous baked goods all from the magic of a lightbulb?

I suspect that my Mom thought they glorified the idea that a woman's place is in the kitchen and that my Dad thought it was a fire-hazard. I'm going to send my parents a link to this post so they can confirm my suspicions or clear the air about why I was so hideously deprived as a child.

Anyway. Possession of this tiny tandoor was not my lot. Until, that is, this past Christmas when I ranted online about not every having one and then I found multiple Easy-Bake Ovens under the tree. Well that only took about thirty-five years. Where were you Internet, when I needed you most?

So why all this talk about Easy-Bake Ovens? Because the creator of this popular toy, Ronald Howes, passed away this weekend at the age of 83.

And to honor Ronald Howes and his incredible invention - the invention that certainly did not cause this girl to think for even a minute her place was in the kitchen (despite how much she coveted and monopolized her friend's Easy Bake Ovens) - I will bake a yummy two-bite cake in my living room using only the magic of a non-frosted light bulb.

Thank you, Mr. Howes. This cake is for you.

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Comments

[angelsandurchinsblog]

This is the first I've heard of an easy-bake oven (Ronald Howes' invention didn't trip across the Atlantic), but I would have totally wanted one. Then I could have had a tea party with my Sindy gang (our sturdy version of the Barbie), and the disembodied head that is Girls World. If there were a reason to only have sons (and I have three), I think my worrying reaction to the nursery oven is that reason. Now off to buy them some ruffled aprons to prove that I don't stereotype by gender.

[Marilyn @ A Lot of Loves]

I was always desperate for an Easy-Bake oven. I never really understood why I was never allowed to have one. Now I have two kids and dammit one of them is going to get an Easy-Bake oven! I thought about buying one for my son but I'm a bit distressed by the pinkness of the ovens. Not sure why they can't be a little more unisex-looking.

RIP Mr Howes.

[MBonn]

R.I.P. Dude, you invented something pretty sweet. I always wanted one too. So did my mother in law. In fact, she wanted one really bad when she was little and asked Santa and didn't get one but her best friend did. Because of that she decided to never do Santa with her kids. I told her if she tries ruining Santa for my kids I'll throw down. My sister in law and I have considered getting her one but didn't know if she'd take it well or not. I've decided when I have kids I'll have them give her one so she can't get upset about it.

[ame i.]

My parents wouldn't buy me one either!
But, flash-forward 28 years and what did they do? Yep, bought them for each of my 2 daughters! I was very self-satisfied when that recall was issued. Take that Mom and Dad!
They did buy me the Sunshine Family Farm (u could milk the cow, the chicken laid eggs!), the Sunshine Family Country Store (so fun to make tiny bowls with the tiny pottery wheel!) and the Bionic Woman's classroom among many other things.