Easy Bake Oven

Thirty-five years ago this date, my daughter Windy was born. After three boys, her parents were thrilled to have a girl. But no one was more thrilled than the trio of brothers. One of their first reactions was “Now we can get an Easy Bake Oven!”

Okay, okay. Those were still the days of divided sex roles and boys did not ask for “girl toys” or dolls. But oh my…the advertising on TV made the oven look like so much fun. The boys just coveted that cooking appliance and daydreamed of the ability to produce a teeny tiny chocolate cake using a light bulb.

The following December they could hardly wait to write “Dear Santa…My sister wants an Easy Bake Oven.” Santa may have puzzled over a ten-month old’s ability to communicate this wish, but, being Santa, he decided to acquiesce. What a thrill on Christmas morning to find the pint-sized kitchen under the tree complete with the Easy Bake Oven.

For about a week, the family was treated to chewy flat cupcakes of indeterminate flavor that were decorated with pudding and paste and whatever else came to hand. Oh the chefs were so proud. What a shame we didn’t have digital cameras back then.

When Windy was finally old enough to use the oven, it had seen better days and long ago shorted out the battery powered bulb unit that provided the heat. She made do in the backyard with mud and sand and sticks and twigs, baked in a cardboard box. Received, I might add with the same amount of pride and astonishment the family had shown the earlier cakes.

I understand the Easy Bake Oven is back in favor again after all these years. What a relief that the boys did not want to give Windy one for her birthday this year. She will be much happier with the Spa Gift Certificate.