The iconic Easy-Bake Oven is back and selling like hotcakes
Easy Bake Ultimate Oven gifts on display during the Nouveau Bar & Grill Winter Wonderland Experience Holiday Toy Drive With Offset at Gateway Center Arena on December 16, 2024 in College Park, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
The Easy Bake Oven, a classic childhood toy, has made a triumphant return just before the holidays.
However, finding it will be difficult as the item has already been sold out at Walmart and Sam's Club.
The toy oven that lets kids bake small treats like cakes and cookies safely at home. It originally used a light bulb as a heat source, but newer versions use a built-in heating element. Designed for children around 8 and older, it comes with small pans and baking mixes, allowing kids to learn basic baking in a fun, hands-on way.
RELATED: A brief history of the Easy-Bake Oven
What you can do:
Sam's Club lists the price of the oven for $34.98, although prices may vary based on location.
A look back at the Easy-Bake Oven
The Easy-Bake Oven has countless fans around the world, and many of them went on to become accomplished chefs, as this WNYW report from February 2, 2003 explains.
What they're saying:
"Few brands hold the iconic status and enduring appeal of EASY-BAKE" Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of Global Licensed Toy and Games at Hasbro, said in an online news release. "These brands are centerpieces in Hasbro’s portfolio—true cultural touchstones that have inspired imagination, creativity, and joyful play for generations."
"We’re excited to reintroduce them alongside Just Play with fresh, imaginative twists that speak to today’s families."
How does an Easy-Bake Oven work?
Dig deeper:
The Easy-Bake has two distinctive features: the push pans and its light bulbs.
The treats are mixed in a small baking pan, and then pushed into the oven with a special, elongated tool. When the treats are fully baked, the pan is pushed out of the oven.
Over time, some Easy-Bake Oven models have switched from cooking by light bulb to using a heating element.
Easy-Bake Oven history
The backstory:
The idea for the Easy-Bake Oven was born from seeing pretzel vendors on the streets of New York City in the early 1960s.
Anticipating parents’ safety concerns, then-maker Kenner substituted two 100-watt light bulbs for a heating element to minimize the possibility of burnt fingers.
In 1963, the original Kenner model, a turquoise range with a carrying handle and pretend stovetop, retailed for $15.95, according to Hasbro.
Five years later, the ovens were a household name and another household name joined the mix: Betty Crocker. The food brand began offering a line of miniature boxed Easy-Bake mixes, from Devil’s food cake to Bisquick pancakes.
Various colors and models were offered throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, to reflect design trends. For example, an avocado green model was the rage in 1971 and the oven entered the ‘80s with a sleek, orange, white and brown design.
In 1991, the Kenner Easy-Bake became the Hasbro Easy-Bake Oven when the two companies merged.
Throughout the ‘90s, more and more snack items were added to the mix, such as nachos and Pop-Tarts, along with decorating accessories.
In 2006, the Easy-Bake Oven was inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame.
The Source: The information in this story comes from Hasbro’s official news release announcing the Easy-Bake Oven’s return, along with product listings from Sam’s Club and Walmart that detail current pricing and availability. Megan Ziegler contributed to this report. This story was reported from Los Angeles.