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Light Bulb Baking

A History of the Easy-Bake Oven

The award-winning definitive retrospective of the Easy-Bake Oven that celebrates its journey from children’s toy to pop culture icon.

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Available in hardcover and softcover

“Bake your cake and eat it too!”

There’s good reason that the Easy-Bake Oven has remained popular for over 50 years. Right from the start, it did what every great toy does: it allowed kids to “play” at having an adult experience. And adults love it, too, for making a day-to-day experience more playful.

Did you know?

Did you know?

Kenner sold 500,000 Easy-Bake Ovens in the first year.

Did you know?

Did you know?

Three Easy-Bake Oven models have swapped out the incandescent light bulb for a heating element.

Did you know?

Did you know?

The Easy-Bake Oven was co-branded with the Betty Crocker brand for 18 years.

Look Inside

Click for samples of the book’s beautiful pages.

A Definitive History

Across seven chapters and 166 pages, the book explores the innovation, history, economics, commerce, advertising, and marketing behind the toy’s 50-year history.

Chapter 1: Author’s Note

Chapter 1: Author’s Note

The author outlines the historical and cultural significance of the Easy-Bake® Oven, “a microcosm of post-war America.”

Chapter 2: Brilliant Thinking

Chapter 2: Brilliant Thinking

Discover the collaborative creative environment that emerged in post-war America and fostered new ideas, technologies, and products.

Chapter 3: It’s Kenner, It’s Fun!

Chapter 3: It’s Kenner, It’s Fun!

Learn about Kenner, the driving force behind the Easy-Bake® Oven, including its geographical, historical, and cultural context.

Chapter 4: A Visual History

Chapter 4: A Visual History

Browse a visual chronology of the toy’s various models in a series of beautiful photographs, classic color palettes, and fun facts.

Chapter 5: Million-Dollar Baby

Chapter 5: Million-Dollar Baby

Discover the collaborative creative environment that emerged in post-war America and fostered new ideas, technologies, and products.

Chapter 6: Pop Culture Icon

Chapter 6: Pop Culture Icon

Find out why the Easy-Bake® Oven became enmeshed in popular culture and has endured for adults and children even today.

Chapter 7: Recipe Box

Chapter 7: Recipe Box

Enjoy some of the best Easy-Bake® Oven recipes over time, including some created by Easy-Bake® Chef-of-the-Year contest winners.

Light Bulb Baking Media

View press coverage and other media about the book and the Easy-Bake Oven.

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The Author

Todd Coopee is an award-winning author, toy historian, and entrepreneur. He is founder and editor-in-chief of ToyTales.ca, an online publication that covers toys and games past and present. His research and writing centers on “toy nostalgia” — the objects that inspired curiosity, thought, and experimentation during the formative years of popular culture in North America, through to the present day. /You can reach Todd via email at todd@toytales.ca.

Celebrate National Easy-Bake Oven Day
in November!

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