Classic Toys, Part III – Barbie edition
(Third in a series …)
Girls enjoy classic toys as well. And while many girls can play with Legos, Tinker Toys, Lincoln Logs and the like (and we encourage such creativity), in terms of classic toys, one thinks of two stand outs. Barbies and Easy Bake Ovens.
Barbie is iconic. The classic girl doll. Perfect in beauty, form, and always fashionably dressed. Barbie is modeled after Soap Queens, Rock Stars, Race Car Drivers, and androgynous boyfriends who are comfortable in a supporting role. And although the design of Barbie has become controversial of late thanks to a politically correct crowd who thinks her image evoke negative and unreachable stereotypes that influence young women, they are still a classic toy that has given little girls hours of fun playing with.
The Easy Bake Oven, has also enjoyed a decades long relationship with kids who are just becoming interested in cooking. Originally designed as an oven which got it’s heat source from a high watt light bulb, the oven could bake cookies, cakes and cupcakes from premade mixes that kids just added water to. Originally, the mixes weren’t very good, but as time went on, the Easy Bake Oven began to put out some rather tasty kids cuisine. It now has a heating element which has taken over the baking duties from the faithful light bulb.
The new design, looking more like a microwave, allows kids to open the front door to place their concoctions for cooking. However, design defects prompted a recall of nearly one million Easy Bake Ovens in 2007. So a redesign was in order and now, the EBO is only large enough to cook one small yummy at a time.
Originally released by Kenner, the current Easy Bake Oven is made by Hasbro and has sold more than 16 Million copies. That’s a lot of cupcakes.
Next Time – Viewmasters and the Etch a Sketch
Tags: Classic Toys