1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:02,920 Speaker 1: Hi, everybody, it's Chuck here on a Saturday. I'm not 2 00:00:02,920 --> 00:00:05,400 Speaker 1: gonna be weird this week, I promise you. I'm gonna 3 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: take you back in time though, to November, because this 4 00:00:08,600 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: is one of our episodes on famous toys. We love 5 00:00:12,360 --> 00:00:15,600 Speaker 1: doing these apps, their nostalgia bombs for everyone that listens. 6 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:18,760 Speaker 1: And this is all about the easy Bake Oven. That's 7 00:00:18,760 --> 00:00:26,160 Speaker 1: why it's called how Easy Bake Oven's work. Welcome to 8 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:35,520 Speaker 1: Stuff you Should Know, a production of I Heart Radio. Hey, 9 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:38,160 Speaker 1: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark, and there's 10 00:00:38,240 --> 00:00:42,160 Speaker 1: Charles W Chuck Bryant, there's Ramsey over there. The usual, 11 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:46,120 Speaker 1: which means it's time for Stuff you Should Know. A 12 00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:52,599 Speaker 1: nostalgia edition. Colen T. S Hodgman. Yeah, we've done a 13 00:00:52,600 --> 00:01:01,800 Speaker 1: few toys. Um plato Uh, slinkys right, what else? Well 14 00:01:02,120 --> 00:01:05,839 Speaker 1: does a boomerang count as a toy? Uh? It's away 15 00:01:05,880 --> 00:01:10,559 Speaker 1: alive mate. Um. We've done tons, we did silly putty, 16 00:01:10,640 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: silly putty, we did um uh you know a bunch 17 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:20,759 Speaker 1: that the balls. Yeah, the balls the balls episode How 18 00:01:20,840 --> 00:01:23,959 Speaker 1: Balls Work? They round and they bounced. We said balls 19 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:26,920 Speaker 1: like a million times in that episode. Uh. Yeah, this 20 00:01:26,959 --> 00:01:29,560 Speaker 1: one's kind of cool. Though, the easy bake oven, which 21 00:01:29,600 --> 00:01:31,240 Speaker 1: I never had one. Did you ever have one in 22 00:01:31,280 --> 00:01:33,959 Speaker 1: your home? I don't think so. No. I don't think 23 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:36,440 Speaker 1: my sister had one either, although I was a pretty 24 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,000 Speaker 1: tubby kid, so it's possible that my mom was like, 25 00:01:39,200 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: make sure your brother doesn't know you have one of those. 26 00:01:41,720 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: Do not feed your brother anything from there. But it's 27 00:01:45,160 --> 00:01:48,800 Speaker 1: interesting that this is one where uh, sort of a 28 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,640 Speaker 1: very simple idea and you never can tell what's gonna 29 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:56,880 Speaker 1: hit toy wise, nothing super complex about this other than 30 00:01:56,920 --> 00:02:01,360 Speaker 1: you could literally bake food and sort of pretend to 31 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:03,480 Speaker 1: be an adult in the kitchen. That's that was the 32 00:02:03,520 --> 00:02:06,880 Speaker 1: basis of it. Being an adult. That was kind of 33 00:02:07,720 --> 00:02:11,720 Speaker 1: Kenner's thing. And Kenner, the people who made Star Wars toys, 34 00:02:11,760 --> 00:02:15,679 Speaker 1: were the ones behind this, and they were very much 35 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:19,919 Speaker 1: into um toys that like let kids pretend they were 36 00:02:19,919 --> 00:02:22,720 Speaker 1: growing ups. Yeah, that was their bag. Yeah. I have 37 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:27,360 Speaker 1: a new neighbor. Actually, shout out to Rick Kathy. Hey, guys, 38 00:02:27,480 --> 00:02:30,880 Speaker 1: where they really got into your skin? Huh? What? Rick 39 00:02:30,919 --> 00:02:33,080 Speaker 1: and Cathy got a shout out on the podcast and 40 00:02:33,080 --> 00:02:36,560 Speaker 1: their new neighbors. Jeez. Yeah, because he worked for I 41 00:02:36,600 --> 00:02:38,560 Speaker 1: was talking to him and I was like, he seems 42 00:02:38,560 --> 00:02:39,800 Speaker 1: like a good guy. He was like, what you know, 43 00:02:39,800 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 1: what do you do? Ricky's retired? Now what did you do? 44 00:02:42,040 --> 00:02:44,800 Speaker 1: And He's like, I was a toy and action figure 45 00:02:44,840 --> 00:02:48,160 Speaker 1: designer for Kenner And I was like, wow, whoa what years? 46 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:51,600 Speaker 1: He came on after his first The first thing he 47 00:02:51,639 --> 00:02:55,280 Speaker 1: worked on was the Tim Burton Batman movies. Nice and 48 00:02:55,320 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 1: he stayed on for a long time, like his whole career, 49 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:00,640 Speaker 1: like after they were sold and everything pretty that is 50 00:03:00,760 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: very cool. Yeah, good for him. Yeah, so he still 51 00:03:04,560 --> 00:03:08,920 Speaker 1: does wonderful uh sculpture. So I'll bet just go after 52 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,799 Speaker 1: Rick Watkins art online and then check it out. I'm 53 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:14,840 Speaker 1: gonna I'm going to check it out. But I mean, 54 00:03:14,880 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: Kenneda is such a big deal to like two people 55 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:21,480 Speaker 1: our age and of many ages. But I didn't realize 56 00:03:21,560 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: that they didn't realize their origin as a company. Remember 57 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:28,480 Speaker 1: that we talked. We did a whole action figures episode, remember, 58 00:03:29,440 --> 00:03:31,400 Speaker 1: and we talked a lot about Kenner. Was that a 59 00:03:31,400 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 1: two part episode or was it just like an hour 60 00:03:33,480 --> 00:03:37,840 Speaker 1: and a half long? It was very long, but um, 61 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 1: Kenner almost didn't do the Star Wars ones if I remember, 62 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:44,920 Speaker 1: But for us at least that put Kenna on the map. 63 00:03:45,200 --> 00:03:47,400 Speaker 1: What I didn't realize is that Kenner was already on 64 00:03:47,480 --> 00:03:49,800 Speaker 1: the map as far as toys go. And one of 65 00:03:49,840 --> 00:03:51,760 Speaker 1: the ways that they got there was from the Easy 66 00:03:51,800 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: Bake Oven, which debuted in November of nineteen, right around 67 00:03:56,480 --> 00:04:00,280 Speaker 1: the time that John Kennedy was shot. Yeah, but Kenner 68 00:04:00,280 --> 00:04:03,120 Speaker 1: had been around since the nineteen forties. Um Albert Philip 69 00:04:03,160 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 1: and Joseph steiner Um formed the company after, as legend goes, 70 00:04:08,280 --> 00:04:13,360 Speaker 1: one of them saw a bubble you know, maker bubble 71 00:04:13,400 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: wand or whatever you call him, and it was like, hey, 72 00:04:16,520 --> 00:04:18,800 Speaker 1: if I could do a gun that shoots bubbles, we 73 00:04:18,920 --> 00:04:21,000 Speaker 1: might be onto something. And that was our very first product, 74 00:04:21,360 --> 00:04:24,919 Speaker 1: is the bubble Matic Gun, and then whatever, less than 75 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:28,080 Speaker 1: twenty years later, the Easy Bake Oven. Even though, as 76 00:04:28,279 --> 00:04:32,159 Speaker 1: we learned today and yesterday, there had been toy ovens 77 00:04:32,240 --> 00:04:36,599 Speaker 1: since like the Victorian days. Yes, like really really dangerous 78 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:40,599 Speaker 1: I know, like real real little ovens like wood burning 79 00:04:40,640 --> 00:04:44,960 Speaker 1: pellet solid fuel stoves made of cast iron that were 80 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:47,920 Speaker 1: sized down for little kids to you. Yeah, basically like 81 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:51,359 Speaker 1: here's the oven that can kill your parents. We'll just 82 00:04:51,400 --> 00:04:55,400 Speaker 1: make a smaller one they can kill you. Yeah. Um. Yeah, 83 00:04:55,520 --> 00:05:03,280 Speaker 1: So the children's play oven function play oven um history 84 00:05:03,440 --> 00:05:06,240 Speaker 1: very kind of closely tracks the real oven history, right 85 00:05:06,880 --> 00:05:10,479 Speaker 1: Like when there were cast iron, wood burning ovens, there 86 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,320 Speaker 1: were kids versions of them. As they as real ovens 87 00:05:13,360 --> 00:05:18,320 Speaker 1: moved into electric ovens, there were kids versions of them. Apparently, 88 00:05:18,480 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 1: UM Lionel the train the model trainmakers, they made some 89 00:05:22,440 --> 00:05:25,080 Speaker 1: in the thirties. Also, we want to give a shout 90 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:27,760 Speaker 1: out to Lisa Hicks and the people at Collectors Weekly 91 00:05:28,200 --> 00:05:31,920 Speaker 1: for a great article we also used for this episode two. 92 00:05:32,279 --> 00:05:36,640 Speaker 1: But um in the thirties there were electric ovens. By 93 00:05:36,680 --> 00:05:42,400 Speaker 1: the forties or fifties, I think there were fiberglass insulated ovens, 94 00:05:42,480 --> 00:05:45,520 Speaker 1: electric ovens. It was just like a small oven for kids, 95 00:05:46,200 --> 00:05:51,960 Speaker 1: but they were ovens. They were extremely dangerous. And Um 96 00:05:52,160 --> 00:05:55,359 Speaker 1: Kenner had this really great idea and the reason that 97 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:58,200 Speaker 1: this idea came about at Kenna to begin with, So 98 00:05:58,240 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 1: apparently Kenner was really big on having like ideas could 99 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,080 Speaker 1: come from anywhere. Anybody in the company float an idea 100 00:06:06,440 --> 00:06:08,920 Speaker 1: and people would listen. And they had like regular meetings 101 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,719 Speaker 1: where you know, there were bull sessions. Maybe they ordered 102 00:06:12,760 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: some like chow Maine or something like that. Everyone rolled 103 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:18,800 Speaker 1: up their sleeves and relaxed and and spat out ideas, 104 00:06:19,040 --> 00:06:22,159 Speaker 1: and one of the salesman from Kenner came back in 105 00:06:22,279 --> 00:06:24,640 Speaker 1: from the field and said, you know what, I saw something. 106 00:06:25,080 --> 00:06:28,400 Speaker 1: I saw some pretzel vendors keeping their pretzels warm on 107 00:06:28,440 --> 00:06:32,200 Speaker 1: the street using a lightbulb. What if we used a 108 00:06:32,320 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 1: light bulb to heat up an oven for the little 109 00:06:35,600 --> 00:06:41,320 Speaker 1: kiddies And somebody, I think Charles House, Ralph House, well, 110 00:06:41,400 --> 00:06:45,359 Speaker 1: Norman Shapiro was that gentleman, and then Ronald House. Ronald 111 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:50,680 Speaker 1: House was the big time inventor for Kinner, who had 112 00:06:50,720 --> 00:06:53,479 Speaker 1: a couple of like really big products under his belt, 113 00:06:54,040 --> 00:06:57,479 Speaker 1: and he was like that that's an ace's idea. That's 114 00:06:57,520 --> 00:07:01,359 Speaker 1: exactly how we talked. Probably everyone hated him for it, 115 00:07:01,839 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: but he was really good at inventing toy so they 116 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: had to put up with that. Yeah, but Kinner's deal, 117 00:07:05,800 --> 00:07:09,080 Speaker 1: like you were saying, was find things that mimic adult things. 118 00:07:09,320 --> 00:07:11,400 Speaker 1: And that's like kind of I bet like kids are 119 00:07:11,400 --> 00:07:13,840 Speaker 1: gonna dig that stuff. And they did from like and 120 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:18,440 Speaker 1: kids still do little toy lawnmowers and toy bulldozers. And 121 00:07:19,680 --> 00:07:21,960 Speaker 1: I mean, Ruby's got a little cleaning set with like 122 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 1: a duster and a dust pan and a mop and 123 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:28,240 Speaker 1: she she o C D no, But I mean all 124 00:07:28,280 --> 00:07:31,080 Speaker 1: the time she will say, you know, come on, daddy, 125 00:07:31,120 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: let's clean, and she'll hand me a mop. That's a 126 00:07:32,880 --> 00:07:35,440 Speaker 1: little low c D. Well, no, that's good then, yeah, 127 00:07:35,560 --> 00:07:37,240 Speaker 1: I like where she said it. Did you have one 128 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:40,400 Speaker 1: of those um plastic safety razors so you could shave 129 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:43,080 Speaker 1: next to your dad? No? I did, but I was 130 00:07:43,280 --> 00:07:45,280 Speaker 1: I think a lot of boys are pretty obsessed with 131 00:07:45,360 --> 00:07:49,760 Speaker 1: shaving before they have whiskers, and I think I heard 132 00:07:49,760 --> 00:07:52,040 Speaker 1: that they would actually stimulate hair growth. And I was 133 00:07:52,080 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: about to say, I remember being worried about that. Yeah, 134 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,600 Speaker 1: because I didn't have I had a pretty I mean, 135 00:07:57,920 --> 00:08:00,080 Speaker 1: looking at me now, you would never know, but I 136 00:08:00,120 --> 00:08:02,160 Speaker 1: didn't have a lot of facial hair going on until 137 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: well into college. Was it like lacking or did it 138 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: come in patchy just a little bit, sort of like 139 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:10,200 Speaker 1: my brother is now. He just stayed in that phase 140 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:13,640 Speaker 1: where your brother's got a perfect chiseled face. Well, I 141 00:08:13,720 --> 00:08:17,320 Speaker 1: know that's because he doesn't have a beard, but um, 142 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,960 Speaker 1: Scott can grow a pretty decent gotee now, but I don't. 143 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:22,800 Speaker 1: I don't think he could grow the full beard, but 144 00:08:22,920 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: his his was. We were both spotty like a little 145 00:08:25,840 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 1: bit above the lip, a little bit on the chin. 146 00:08:29,280 --> 00:08:31,760 Speaker 1: One part just kind of trace to line up to 147 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:34,920 Speaker 1: your eye from around from under your nose. Yeah, but 148 00:08:35,160 --> 00:08:36,559 Speaker 1: I mean it was sort of a family thing. We're 149 00:08:36,559 --> 00:08:38,840 Speaker 1: not Harry dudes. We don't have very hairy legs or 150 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,080 Speaker 1: it is odd that you have a full beard, like 151 00:08:41,120 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: I don't have hairy arms or anything like that. Your 152 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:47,200 Speaker 1: your beast. I don't know if beasts is the right word. 153 00:08:47,280 --> 00:08:49,320 Speaker 1: But yes, I'm a little hairy. You're a Harry guy. 154 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:53,200 Speaker 1: My chest hair definitely plucks out from under my shirt. 155 00:08:53,280 --> 00:08:55,160 Speaker 1: Have you ever done any like a laser or anything 156 00:08:55,200 --> 00:08:59,559 Speaker 1: like that? Yeah, good for you. No, I'm just I'm Harry. No, 157 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:01,760 Speaker 1: I mean your normal. It's not like you're Robin Williams. 158 00:09:02,240 --> 00:09:06,200 Speaker 1: Yeah he was airy, Yes he was, God rest his soul. Yes, indeed. 159 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:10,360 Speaker 1: So back to the ovens. So, um, the idea has 160 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:14,320 Speaker 1: been put out there now by Norman Shapiro, Yes, yeah, okay, so, 161 00:09:14,440 --> 00:09:18,079 Speaker 1: and it was taken up by Ronald House and this 162 00:09:18,160 --> 00:09:20,839 Speaker 1: was this was huge and groundbreaking because again there were 163 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,280 Speaker 1: safe there were um unsafe ovens for kids that have 164 00:09:24,360 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 1: been around since the nineteenth century. What these guys had 165 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:31,120 Speaker 1: just happened upon was the way to make another unsafe 166 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:35,800 Speaker 1: oven seems safe to parents. That was That was it. 167 00:09:35,880 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 1: That was the genius of this idea. That is what 168 00:09:38,480 --> 00:09:41,920 Speaker 1: made easy bake ovens take off. What they had figured 169 00:09:41,960 --> 00:09:44,640 Speaker 1: out was that if they used a light bulb as 170 00:09:44,640 --> 00:09:47,640 Speaker 1: the heating element, and believe me, a lightbulb can can 171 00:09:47,720 --> 00:09:52,720 Speaker 1: heat up an oven um Yeah, up to three fifty 172 00:09:52,800 --> 00:09:56,520 Speaker 1: which is a common baking jump. Yes, from a light bulb. 173 00:09:56,880 --> 00:09:58,720 Speaker 1: And actually at first as we'll see a pair of 174 00:09:58,800 --> 00:10:02,160 Speaker 1: light bulbs, but the fact is they're light bulbs and 175 00:10:02,280 --> 00:10:05,040 Speaker 1: parents are familiar with light bulbs. They don't seem weird 176 00:10:05,160 --> 00:10:07,520 Speaker 1: or scary. It's not a wood pellet. And the fact 177 00:10:07,520 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 1: that it's not like a heating element like in an 178 00:10:09,280 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 1: actual oven, it's just a light bulb. That is what 179 00:10:12,200 --> 00:10:14,440 Speaker 1: they used to convince parents that this was a safe 180 00:10:14,480 --> 00:10:16,640 Speaker 1: product that they could buy for their kids. It was 181 00:10:16,679 --> 00:10:20,079 Speaker 1: a genius idea, it really was. And like you tease 182 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:24,720 Speaker 1: a second ago, the very first model, and if you 183 00:10:24,760 --> 00:10:26,679 Speaker 1: look at that very first one, it doesn't really even 184 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:29,800 Speaker 1: look like an oven. Well certainly the new one doesn't either. No. 185 00:10:31,360 --> 00:10:32,839 Speaker 1: I did go online. I was like, maybe I should 186 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:36,120 Speaker 1: get one of those, But they're ugly now they I'm 187 00:10:36,160 --> 00:10:38,880 Speaker 1: sorry to the person who designed them. Yes, I'm glad 188 00:10:38,960 --> 00:10:41,720 Speaker 1: you said it. They're ugly little ovens. Yeah, they should 189 00:10:41,760 --> 00:10:43,839 Speaker 1: kind of go back to looking more classic. I think 190 00:10:44,160 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 1: it would be my advice. Um. But they used to 191 00:10:48,679 --> 00:10:53,840 Speaker 1: one incandescent bulbs at first, one over the top and 192 00:10:53,880 --> 00:10:56,520 Speaker 1: another under the bottom. Obviously they were trying to get 193 00:10:56,520 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 1: an even heat because you're baking things, right, and and 194 00:10:59,240 --> 00:11:03,760 Speaker 1: they very wisely designed this thing, um so that the 195 00:11:03,800 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 1: actual oven part was basically inaccessible to the kid on 196 00:11:08,520 --> 00:11:14,079 Speaker 1: either side. So just imagine a box. Um. Okay, oh man, 197 00:11:14,160 --> 00:11:17,719 Speaker 1: here's the way. It's my favorite thing when you try 198 00:11:17,760 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: to describe something. Let me see if I if I 199 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:24,240 Speaker 1: close my eyes, it works. Uh. Imagine a box and 200 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 1: then coming out from either side of the box or 201 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:31,559 Speaker 1: a couple of little little arms. But the arms are 202 00:11:31,559 --> 00:11:37,319 Speaker 1: half arms, and they're rectangular and hollow, and they're actually openings. 203 00:11:38,000 --> 00:11:41,480 Speaker 1: One opening, you slide in the uncooked thing that you 204 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: want to bake into the heating area of the oven, 205 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 1: let it bake, and you push it through the other 206 00:11:47,760 --> 00:11:50,839 Speaker 1: the other side, the cooling chamber, and then it comes 207 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 1: out the other arm. Everyone Josh has had his eyes 208 00:11:53,559 --> 00:11:56,559 Speaker 1: closed that entire time, and it worked. I really painted 209 00:11:56,559 --> 00:12:00,960 Speaker 1: a great picture in your mind's eye. M yes, uh yeah, 210 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:03,560 Speaker 1: so that's what what's going on. You had the two bulbs, 211 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:06,360 Speaker 1: um and in fact, let's go ahead and take a 212 00:12:06,360 --> 00:12:09,559 Speaker 1: break there. Okay, nice litt Cliffhanger. When we come back, 213 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:12,960 Speaker 1: I'll redescribe the easy bake oven again. It sounds good, 214 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:34,640 Speaker 1: all right. We were at one bulb, right, yeah, I'm sorry, No, 215 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:37,960 Speaker 1: we were at two bulbs so long ago I couldn't remember. 216 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:41,720 Speaker 1: I know there was a full ada. But then what 217 00:12:41,760 --> 00:12:45,160 Speaker 1: they did was they figured if they just engineered this 218 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:47,679 Speaker 1: thing to distribute heat and whole heat a little better, 219 00:12:48,080 --> 00:12:50,400 Speaker 1: almost like a convection of it. Yeah, exactly, like a 220 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 1: convection of him, that they could go down to one bulb. Yeah. 221 00:12:53,160 --> 00:12:59,360 Speaker 1: There was a dude named Charles hold On, I really 222 00:12:59,360 --> 00:13:02,280 Speaker 1: want to Yeah, Charles Cummings, Charles one bulb Cummings. Yeah, 223 00:13:02,400 --> 00:13:05,920 Speaker 1: that's what he was known as. Charles Cummings was a 224 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:10,120 Speaker 1: designer at Kenner and I think in the late seventies. 225 00:13:10,120 --> 00:13:13,880 Speaker 1: He designed the interior of the oven so that the 226 00:13:13,920 --> 00:13:17,560 Speaker 1: bulb one bulb created confection current, so it cooked just 227 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:19,680 Speaker 1: as well as two bold, but you just needed one. 228 00:13:20,320 --> 00:13:25,320 Speaker 1: Um and he owns the patent to that, which is 229 00:13:25,320 --> 00:13:27,960 Speaker 1: the way it should be. Yeah, he was the design 230 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:30,480 Speaker 1: He came up with this pretty rare to Kennor. Of course, 231 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:32,760 Speaker 1: I'm sure had an exclusive license to it, but I'm 232 00:13:32,800 --> 00:13:35,280 Speaker 1: sure he got like a decent amount of money from 233 00:13:35,320 --> 00:13:38,040 Speaker 1: that license agreement. That is the way it should be. 234 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:41,079 Speaker 1: He also created the patent um Or he held the 235 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:44,600 Speaker 1: patent for the add on popcorn maker that you could 236 00:13:44,640 --> 00:13:47,960 Speaker 1: put onto the easy bake oven. Too good for him, 237 00:13:48,040 --> 00:13:50,800 Speaker 1: good for you. Charles Cummings, Charles one bulb Cummings. He 238 00:13:50,840 --> 00:13:54,360 Speaker 1: probably lives on top of the mountain somewhere and on 239 00:13:54,400 --> 00:13:57,760 Speaker 1: a mountain of money. Uh so, all right, you're down 240 00:13:57,760 --> 00:14:01,960 Speaker 1: to one bulb thanks to Charlie Cummings. They initially wanted 241 00:14:02,000 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 1: to call this in nineteen sixty three when it was 242 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:07,199 Speaker 1: two bulbs within debut. Yeah, right out of the gate, 243 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:09,040 Speaker 1: they wanted to call it November of sixty three the 244 00:14:09,120 --> 00:14:11,840 Speaker 1: Safety Bake Oven, because they really wanted to drive this 245 00:14:11,920 --> 00:14:16,479 Speaker 1: home was that it was super safe, and the regulatory 246 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:19,200 Speaker 1: bodies were like you can't. You haven't even sold one yet, 247 00:14:19,280 --> 00:14:21,000 Speaker 1: Like we don't, We're not sure if this is going 248 00:14:21,040 --> 00:14:24,160 Speaker 1: to kill kids. You burned a dozen monkeys during the 249 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:27,720 Speaker 1: product testing trial. Oh that's so awful. Um, but you 250 00:14:27,720 --> 00:14:29,760 Speaker 1: can't call it that yet because we don't know yet 251 00:14:29,760 --> 00:14:32,280 Speaker 1: whether it's truly safe. Go ahead and sell them, but 252 00:14:32,440 --> 00:14:35,320 Speaker 1: just don't still call it safe the safety bake oven. 253 00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:37,960 Speaker 1: So they're like, well, what about easy? And they're like, 254 00:14:38,000 --> 00:14:39,920 Speaker 1: are we still talking about this, We're done with you, 255 00:14:39,960 --> 00:14:42,840 Speaker 1: go away and um they said. They were like, okay, fine, 256 00:14:42,880 --> 00:14:45,160 Speaker 1: we'll call it the easy Bake Oven then, and they 257 00:14:45,240 --> 00:14:47,480 Speaker 1: sold it as the Easy Bake Oven and it sold 258 00:14:47,480 --> 00:14:52,200 Speaker 1: out immediately. They sold it, so November is right before 259 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:55,320 Speaker 1: the Christmas season, actually in the Christmas season, I think 260 00:14:55,360 --> 00:14:58,600 Speaker 1: even back then, and they made a little more than 261 00:14:58,640 --> 00:15:02,000 Speaker 1: half a million units and told them all, like before Christmas, yeah, 262 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:05,840 Speaker 1: for which is expensive. That would be about a hundred 263 00:15:05,840 --> 00:15:08,720 Speaker 1: and thirty dollars today. No, yeah, that's a that's an 264 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:10,800 Speaker 1: expensive toy. Wow. And if you look at the thing. 265 00:15:11,000 --> 00:15:12,600 Speaker 1: I saw a picture of one that's for sale on 266 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:16,240 Speaker 1: eBay for really cheap. I think it was like thirty 267 00:15:16,240 --> 00:15:19,160 Speaker 1: bucks or something. Really it was unused in the box, 268 00:15:19,160 --> 00:15:21,880 Speaker 1: still needed to be assembled. But if you look at it, 269 00:15:21,920 --> 00:15:23,880 Speaker 1: You're like, that thing looks like a death trap. It 270 00:15:23,920 --> 00:15:27,320 Speaker 1: looks like the four pinto of children's toys from the sixties, 271 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:30,560 Speaker 1: you know, like the sharp metal edges. Yeah, you're like, like, 272 00:15:30,800 --> 00:15:33,240 Speaker 1: that's what it looks like, like like the baby strollers 273 00:15:33,280 --> 00:15:36,560 Speaker 1: we were pushed around. Yeah. Remember that that Dana Kroyd 274 00:15:36,680 --> 00:15:39,200 Speaker 1: SNLS get from years ago with the dangerous Christmas toys, 275 00:15:39,720 --> 00:15:45,600 Speaker 1: And there was one called the Bag of Glass so great, uh, 276 00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:47,640 Speaker 1: and that's all it was just a bag of shards 277 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:50,320 Speaker 1: of glass. So yeah, they sold a half a million 278 00:15:51,120 --> 00:15:53,480 Speaker 1: and then they're like, we gotta make a lot more 279 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:55,520 Speaker 1: of these for next year. Yeah, because this is back 280 00:15:55,520 --> 00:15:58,480 Speaker 1: at a time when toys didn't do that very often. 281 00:15:58,560 --> 00:16:01,240 Speaker 1: You know, it's like every Christmas now people are like, well, 282 00:16:01,240 --> 00:16:03,680 Speaker 1: what's the toy we should go fight other parents for 283 00:16:04,960 --> 00:16:07,080 Speaker 1: tell us? Yeah, because I'm training in the ring. This 284 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:09,400 Speaker 1: is when it right. This is when it happened organically, 285 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 1: when you put out a toy and if it became 286 00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:14,600 Speaker 1: like the fight worthy toy, that was a few and 287 00:16:14,640 --> 00:16:17,000 Speaker 1: far between things. The easy Bake oven was the fight 288 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,160 Speaker 1: worthy toy right out of the gate. Yeah. So in 289 00:16:19,280 --> 00:16:22,280 Speaker 1: year two, I think they made about one point five 290 00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:26,440 Speaker 1: million sold all those and here was here's the little 291 00:16:26,440 --> 00:16:30,440 Speaker 1: bit of genius from Kenner is Uh, anytime you can 292 00:16:30,480 --> 00:16:34,120 Speaker 1: sell a supplementary product to the big thing, then you're 293 00:16:34,160 --> 00:16:39,040 Speaker 1: really cooking with gasnically Gilette Razor model. I think it 294 00:16:39,080 --> 00:16:41,560 Speaker 1: was King Gilette who came up with that. Yeah, So 295 00:16:41,720 --> 00:16:45,040 Speaker 1: what they did was they sold uh mixes, you know, 296 00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: these little instant mixes that you would pour and it 297 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:49,640 Speaker 1: would make a little creddit cake. And they had twenty 298 00:16:49,680 --> 00:16:52,760 Speaker 1: five of these at first, And we're selling those like 299 00:16:53,080 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 1: crazy because if you're a kid. If if you're a kid, 300 00:16:57,520 --> 00:16:59,960 Speaker 1: you want all those, you're like, well, I haven't try 301 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:03,360 Speaker 1: the strawberry cake yet. Plus also, it's a it's not 302 00:17:03,480 --> 00:17:06,080 Speaker 1: like you're putting this in like a book like some 303 00:17:06,119 --> 00:17:07,840 Speaker 1: baseball cars, and you're like, well, I've got this one. 304 00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:10,640 Speaker 1: I don't need. You eat that thing and you need 305 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:13,080 Speaker 1: another thing to replace it, and you poop it out 306 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:16,440 Speaker 1: and you're not gonna eat the poop again. You're going 307 00:17:16,480 --> 00:17:19,480 Speaker 1: to go buy another one. And that was the genius 308 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:22,640 Speaker 1: of the other genius idea of this whole thing. There 309 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:25,440 Speaker 1: was a third genius idea to Kenna did this so right? 310 00:17:27,160 --> 00:17:31,560 Speaker 1: Not just no, the advertising. So remember this is kids 311 00:17:31,680 --> 00:17:37,320 Speaker 1: emulating grown ups. That was their thing, um it. They 312 00:17:37,400 --> 00:17:41,080 Speaker 1: advertised not just two kids through like archies comics, but 313 00:17:41,160 --> 00:17:45,639 Speaker 1: they advertised directly to their parents too. There were ads 314 00:17:45,640 --> 00:17:48,320 Speaker 1: for the easy Bake Oven on I Love Lucy and 315 00:17:48,320 --> 00:17:52,160 Speaker 1: on Hogan's Heroes. According to This This Collector's Weekly article, and 316 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:54,600 Speaker 1: in these ads, if you look at a lot of 317 00:17:54,600 --> 00:17:56,920 Speaker 1: old ads and even some of the newer ads too 318 00:17:56,920 --> 00:18:00,480 Speaker 1: for easy bake Oven, it's a mom and a daughter, right, 319 00:18:00,920 --> 00:18:03,320 Speaker 1: and the parent is like, oh, this is something we 320 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:06,840 Speaker 1: can do together. I love baking. It's basically my whole life. 321 00:18:06,880 --> 00:18:10,399 Speaker 1: I live in nine and I'm a woman, so I 322 00:18:10,440 --> 00:18:12,880 Speaker 1: would love to share that with my daughter. Maybe she's 323 00:18:12,880 --> 00:18:15,359 Speaker 1: old enough to have an easy bake oven herself. And 324 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:19,600 Speaker 1: that definitely helped propel sales for sure, because it's not 325 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,119 Speaker 1: just kids going on an easy bake Oven, it's the 326 00:18:22,240 --> 00:18:24,439 Speaker 1: parents going that'd be a great thing to do with 327 00:18:24,480 --> 00:18:27,800 Speaker 1: my kid. Yeah. And of course, as people evolved and 328 00:18:27,920 --> 00:18:30,480 Speaker 1: people became more woke over time, even though that word 329 00:18:30,520 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: wasn't used, um enlightened, maybe it became a bit of 330 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:37,119 Speaker 1: a problem with gender roles and like this is for 331 00:18:37,280 --> 00:18:41,160 Speaker 1: moms and daughters their pink and that's what you're supposed 332 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:44,480 Speaker 1: to do, is be in the kitchen baking for the men. Yeah, 333 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:47,600 Speaker 1: I mean very famously, the easy bake ovens always ended 334 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:50,760 Speaker 1: with the disclaimer like this toy is not for boys. Yeah, 335 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:54,560 Speaker 1: it didn't really, but essentially it was like that was this, 336 00:18:54,800 --> 00:18:57,120 Speaker 1: that was what was coming through. And the weird thing 337 00:18:57,240 --> 00:19:01,760 Speaker 1: is is far as as like legendary iconic a toy 338 00:19:01,840 --> 00:19:07,760 Speaker 1: as the easy bake oven was as gender roles and um, yeah, 339 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:10,840 Speaker 1: as gender roles evolved, I mean this was we're talking 340 00:19:10,880 --> 00:19:13,200 Speaker 1: like the early seventies when this really started to become 341 00:19:13,240 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 1: like a thing. The easy bake oven did not evolve 342 00:19:16,359 --> 00:19:19,119 Speaker 1: with it. As we will see. It wasn't until the 343 00:19:19,400 --> 00:19:22,760 Speaker 1: like early two thousand's that they started to like respond 344 00:19:22,760 --> 00:19:24,880 Speaker 1: to that kind of thing. And I saw an ad 345 00:19:24,920 --> 00:19:28,480 Speaker 1: for two thousand fourteen not a boy in sight, all 346 00:19:28,520 --> 00:19:33,399 Speaker 1: girls and um it just dancing around like the girliest 347 00:19:34,320 --> 00:19:37,439 Speaker 1: easy bake oven you could possibly imagine. They actually got 348 00:19:37,480 --> 00:19:41,919 Speaker 1: more girly as time went on and more girl focused. 349 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,320 Speaker 1: Um as gender roles went on, which is really weird 350 00:19:45,320 --> 00:19:50,240 Speaker 1: to me, not just non responsive but almost like no, 351 00:19:50,359 --> 00:19:52,760 Speaker 1: we're going the opposite way. Yeah, And then early two 352 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:55,879 Speaker 1: thousands Hasbro who uh you know, they bought out Kenner, 353 00:19:56,000 --> 00:20:00,199 Speaker 1: eventually makers of the classic Snoopye snowcob machine. I never 354 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:01,960 Speaker 1: had one of those. You have one of those? No 355 00:20:02,080 --> 00:20:05,280 Speaker 1: neighbor did, okay, um, but you got to eat some 356 00:20:05,320 --> 00:20:09,120 Speaker 1: of that sweet see sugar ice. There was nothing like 357 00:20:09,359 --> 00:20:13,000 Speaker 1: the taste of I think the cherry one, I can't remember, 358 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:15,680 Speaker 1: but it was just the greatest snow cone you could 359 00:20:15,680 --> 00:20:17,720 Speaker 1: possibly have. And that's until you had a shave ice 360 00:20:17,800 --> 00:20:19,920 Speaker 1: later and you're like, oh, this is a lot better still. 361 00:20:20,040 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: Number one raining champ really Number two is blue raspberry 362 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:26,119 Speaker 1: slush Puppy. Yeah. See what I would always do was 363 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:29,120 Speaker 1: um slurp that sweet liquid and that would be left 364 00:20:29,119 --> 00:20:32,840 Speaker 1: with just some faintly colored kind of just ice. Oh yeah, no, 365 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:34,880 Speaker 1: I know. It was the problem with it for sure, 366 00:20:35,480 --> 00:20:37,760 Speaker 1: But if you did it right and you just kind 367 00:20:37,760 --> 00:20:40,480 Speaker 1: of let it settle, you got you know, through the 368 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:44,000 Speaker 1: nasty stuff first when you got to the bottom, then 369 00:20:44,040 --> 00:20:46,960 Speaker 1: you got to the true like hyper hyper dense snow 370 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,880 Speaker 1: cone experience. Yeah. I could never do that. I'd still 371 00:20:49,920 --> 00:20:53,200 Speaker 1: have problems regulating my like hot fudged to ice cream 372 00:20:53,280 --> 00:20:55,560 Speaker 1: ratio when eating a Sunday. Oh yeah, I just won't 373 00:20:55,560 --> 00:20:57,480 Speaker 1: even do it anymore. So you do all the hot 374 00:20:57,480 --> 00:20:59,760 Speaker 1: fudge first, and then you're left to some crutty ice cream. Yep, 375 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:03,960 Speaker 1: that's I mean, that's standard creuddy delicious ice cream, right 376 00:21:05,720 --> 00:21:07,760 Speaker 1: this ice cream. That's some people around the world would 377 00:21:07,800 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: kill for his cud. He doesn't have any more fudge, dude. 378 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:14,679 Speaker 1: I've been on a fifteen year campaign to convince Emily 379 00:21:14,720 --> 00:21:18,119 Speaker 1: that vanilla ice cream is like a legit flavor. I 380 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:20,639 Speaker 1: think she's she still thinks that vanilla ice cream is 381 00:21:20,680 --> 00:21:23,240 Speaker 1: just like unflavored ice meal. Yeah, it's like it's the 382 00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:26,560 Speaker 1: one without the flavor added. Right now, vanilla is it 383 00:21:26,640 --> 00:21:30,240 Speaker 1: really delicious? It is? It is. It's subtle vanilla bean 384 00:21:30,280 --> 00:21:34,880 Speaker 1: ice cream like true flex so good. So in early 385 00:21:34,920 --> 00:21:38,000 Speaker 1: two thousand, they finally, like you said, tried in a 386 00:21:38,080 --> 00:21:41,880 Speaker 1: very ham fisted way to get boys involved with the 387 00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:46,280 Speaker 1: the que you easy bake queasy bake is that what 388 00:21:46,320 --> 00:21:48,680 Speaker 1: it is? Took me a second to because Q uses 389 00:21:48,720 --> 00:21:53,240 Speaker 1: separate word. So okay, now, so the queasy bake oven 390 00:21:53,680 --> 00:21:56,840 Speaker 1: and the mixer rader for you boys, you can make 391 00:21:57,040 --> 00:22:00,320 Speaker 1: mud and crud cakes and the lar delicious cocoon keys, 392 00:22:00,960 --> 00:22:04,320 Speaker 1: and you know, not like, hey, just bake something good 393 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:08,959 Speaker 1: because anyone can bake. Yeah, anyone can bake. And they 394 00:22:08,960 --> 00:22:12,040 Speaker 1: didn't like the girls don't don't use that one. Yeah, 395 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:14,159 Speaker 1: it was it was only boys that showed up in 396 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:16,840 Speaker 1: these ads. They're like, we really need to get boys involved. 397 00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 1: How can we do that? Oh, we'll make one specifically 398 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,719 Speaker 1: four boys. That's like they're making cruddy cakes. I mean, 399 00:22:22,760 --> 00:22:25,400 Speaker 1: I know they're just trying to sell stuff, but when 400 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:27,600 Speaker 1: in these meetings, in these marketing meetings that you just 401 00:22:27,640 --> 00:22:29,960 Speaker 1: can't help but think they're it's like a bunch of 402 00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:33,480 Speaker 1: like eighty five year old men. It's our it's our Senate. Yeah, 403 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,639 Speaker 1: it's in there right there, like screaming and pounding and 404 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:40,000 Speaker 1: yelling at each other about the idea of like selling 405 00:22:40,000 --> 00:22:43,480 Speaker 1: this to boys. Oh man, well after that, I feel 406 00:22:43,480 --> 00:22:45,080 Speaker 1: like we should probably take a break. Yeah, we'll go 407 00:22:45,119 --> 00:23:07,320 Speaker 1: to our senate chambers and regroup right after this. Alright. 408 00:23:07,359 --> 00:23:09,520 Speaker 1: So in N seven, the Easy Bake up and is 409 00:23:09,560 --> 00:23:15,200 Speaker 1: selling like uh hot cakes. Literally, General Mills buys Kinner 410 00:23:15,960 --> 00:23:18,800 Speaker 1: uh and they did a couple of genius things. They 411 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:21,919 Speaker 1: they partnered because they were General Mills. They had no 412 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:25,040 Speaker 1: problem because they owned Betty Crocker as well. I assume 413 00:23:25,840 --> 00:23:29,359 Speaker 1: um launching Betty Crocker branded mixes, and then later on 414 00:23:29,359 --> 00:23:32,640 Speaker 1: they got into licensing deals with McDonald's and Pizza Hut. 415 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 1: Because here's the thing. You can bake anything in an 416 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,000 Speaker 1: easy week oven because it's just a little oven. Yeah, 417 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:40,280 Speaker 1: you can make pizza and you can make you don't 418 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:44,200 Speaker 1: have to buy these mixes. You can just bake cookies 419 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:46,639 Speaker 1: that you made from scratch. Yeah, and there's like a 420 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:51,000 Speaker 1: lot of um recipes online easy bake oven recipes. Yeah. 421 00:23:51,000 --> 00:23:54,080 Speaker 1: They actually don't taste like garbage, so um. Yeah. They 422 00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:56,239 Speaker 1: did have a huge line of mixes though, and they 423 00:23:56,280 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: sold more than a hundred million of them over the 424 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:01,520 Speaker 1: over the year. That's how they get you. But I 425 00:24:01,520 --> 00:24:05,520 Speaker 1: mean they there there were recipes for mixes for candy bars, 426 00:24:06,480 --> 00:24:13,360 Speaker 1: pecanan brittle, popcorn, bubblegum. You can bake your own bubblegum. Interesting, 427 00:24:13,520 --> 00:24:15,600 Speaker 1: it is interesting. I would have tried that for sure. 428 00:24:15,720 --> 00:24:17,520 Speaker 1: I want to see bubblegum come out in like a 429 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:20,040 Speaker 1: brownie pan. Yeah, I'd be like, I want some of 430 00:24:20,080 --> 00:24:23,600 Speaker 1: that bubblegum, like amazing a cotton candy machine, now that 431 00:24:23,640 --> 00:24:27,000 Speaker 1: I remember what it would just spin sugar and you would, Oh, 432 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:30,239 Speaker 1: I know what they do. I wanted one. That thing 433 00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:34,080 Speaker 1: was probably dangerous, was probably like a nuclear centerfuge. What 434 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:37,359 Speaker 1: what was interesting about those are fascinating to me was 435 00:24:38,080 --> 00:24:42,240 Speaker 1: like the cotton candy. Um this, Oh it's not called 436 00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:46,480 Speaker 1: it's like not the web sugar or something like that. Um. Yeah, 437 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:48,720 Speaker 1: I want to say web, but that's not either. You 438 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:51,919 Speaker 1: it's not really visible in the machine, but when you 439 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:55,080 Speaker 1: stick in the little cone, it just builds up on 440 00:24:55,119 --> 00:24:57,439 Speaker 1: it like it's like it's just coming out of another 441 00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:00,000 Speaker 1: dimension into this one, like coming out of a spider. 442 00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: But it's awesome to see a pink and pink and 443 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:08,480 Speaker 1: blue spiders. But man, I had to go out yesterday two. Uh. 444 00:25:09,800 --> 00:25:11,520 Speaker 1: I still have my pickup truck then, because I just 445 00:25:11,560 --> 00:25:13,520 Speaker 1: kept it because it was paid for, and I still 446 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:16,560 Speaker 1: moved and hall stuff occasionally had to move. Something justified 447 00:25:16,640 --> 00:25:19,919 Speaker 1: to me. I had to move something yesterday and I 448 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:22,480 Speaker 1: went out and that was the most beautiful huge spider 449 00:25:22,480 --> 00:25:26,000 Speaker 1: web from a tree down attached to the rear tailgate 450 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:28,919 Speaker 1: of my truck like chuck with this big spider right 451 00:25:28,920 --> 00:25:31,600 Speaker 1: in the middle. And I was like, oh, man, I 452 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:33,720 Speaker 1: just felt so bad. I didn't know what to do, 453 00:25:34,000 --> 00:25:36,520 Speaker 1: so you just put in reverse and pretended nothing. He 454 00:25:36,560 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 1: didn't see anything. No, actually plucked it off a little 455 00:25:38,800 --> 00:25:41,960 Speaker 1: by little because I want to ensure his safety. And 456 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:46,480 Speaker 1: the web just goes crumbling down into a long, you know, 457 00:25:46,600 --> 00:25:48,840 Speaker 1: skinny string, and he climbs right up to the tree 458 00:25:48,840 --> 00:25:50,879 Speaker 1: and I was just like, I'm really sorry. He's like, oh, 459 00:25:50,920 --> 00:25:53,480 Speaker 1: I'm sure you are to see you. He tried to 460 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:56,879 Speaker 1: spit venom into my eyeball, Like what do you what 461 00:25:56,920 --> 00:25:58,440 Speaker 1: do you need your truck for? And You're like, I 462 00:25:58,520 --> 00:26:02,120 Speaker 1: gotta go get peanut butter. Is like, oh good, thank 463 00:26:02,119 --> 00:26:04,879 Speaker 1: you for ruining thirty hours of my work a giant 464 00:26:04,960 --> 00:26:09,280 Speaker 1: vat of peanut butter that would only fit in my truck. Um, 465 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:13,200 Speaker 1: all right, so let's let's fash forward here too, uh 466 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:17,400 Speaker 1: the modern times in two thousand seven, the Energy Independence 467 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:20,560 Speaker 1: and Security Act, when the government said, by two thousand 468 00:26:20,560 --> 00:26:25,320 Speaker 1: twelve light bulbs have to increase their efficiency by so 469 00:26:25,640 --> 00:26:29,680 Speaker 1: bye bye incandescent bulb. Yeah, so let me just say something. 470 00:26:29,760 --> 00:26:32,320 Speaker 1: Let me set that up to Over the years, the 471 00:26:32,359 --> 00:26:35,280 Speaker 1: easy bake oven had just remained a steady seller for 472 00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:38,480 Speaker 1: Kenner and then has Bro, and the design had been 473 00:26:38,520 --> 00:26:41,200 Speaker 1: basically the same and went from two bulbs to one bulb, 474 00:26:41,520 --> 00:26:44,720 Speaker 1: but it was this closed box where the heating element was, 475 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:47,520 Speaker 1: where there was a slot on the side. Remember I 476 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:49,320 Speaker 1: went through the whole thing, pushed it in and it 477 00:26:49,359 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 1: came out the cooling chamber on the other side. Um. 478 00:26:52,280 --> 00:26:54,360 Speaker 1: But really the design was the same. The outward look 479 00:26:54,520 --> 00:26:57,040 Speaker 1: changed like it went from the weird its own thing 480 00:26:57,160 --> 00:26:59,440 Speaker 1: to the late seventies and early eighties, it started to 481 00:26:59,480 --> 00:27:04,360 Speaker 1: resemble them microwave and then in in response to this 482 00:27:04,480 --> 00:27:08,920 Speaker 1: change in light bulb requirements, Easy Baked did a redesign 483 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:12,000 Speaker 1: in two thousand and six and for the first time ever, 484 00:27:12,480 --> 00:27:15,959 Speaker 1: the Easy Bake Oven actually looked like an oven, like 485 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:19,520 Speaker 1: a stove, had little like fake burners on the top. 486 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:21,760 Speaker 1: It looked like a stove. And it was actually a 487 00:27:21,800 --> 00:27:26,200 Speaker 1: front loader to where there was a like a slot 488 00:27:26,240 --> 00:27:28,320 Speaker 1: in the front of the Easy Bake oven and that's 489 00:27:28,320 --> 00:27:30,000 Speaker 1: where you put the thing in, and that's what you 490 00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:32,640 Speaker 1: actually pulled it out from, too, and it went right 491 00:27:32,680 --> 00:27:36,920 Speaker 1: into the heating element. UM and they replaced the light 492 00:27:36,960 --> 00:27:41,000 Speaker 1: bulb because again so long light bulb because of the 493 00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:45,600 Speaker 1: energy act um with an actual heating element, a ceramic 494 00:27:45,640 --> 00:27:49,960 Speaker 1: heating element like an oven. So they made an oven. 495 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:52,919 Speaker 1: But then when they made the oven, they redesigned this 496 00:27:53,080 --> 00:27:56,120 Speaker 1: thing so that you could put your fingers right into 497 00:27:56,119 --> 00:27:59,080 Speaker 1: the oven while it was baking at its hottest temperature. 498 00:27:59,320 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 1: And of course kids immediately started doing that. How did they? 499 00:28:03,480 --> 00:28:05,840 Speaker 1: How did that one slip past? No idea? I mean, 500 00:28:05,880 --> 00:28:08,159 Speaker 1: that just doesn't make any sense at all. So in 501 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:10,720 Speaker 1: the end, I think, what what close to two kids 502 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:14,480 Speaker 1: ended up with like second and third degree burns? One 503 00:28:14,560 --> 00:28:17,800 Speaker 1: partial amputation of a finger, yeah, because kids would get 504 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:21,080 Speaker 1: their fingers stuck in it, right, and it's just and 505 00:28:21,119 --> 00:28:23,240 Speaker 1: then some kids got their fingers stuck in it while 506 00:28:23,280 --> 00:28:27,639 Speaker 1: it was he hot, and yes, they were getting huge burns. 507 00:28:27,680 --> 00:28:31,000 Speaker 1: So um Hasbro was like, well, we'll do a recall, 508 00:28:31,080 --> 00:28:36,639 Speaker 1: and they recalled five thousand, I think ultimately a million 509 00:28:36,680 --> 00:28:39,200 Speaker 1: of these things they recalled. First they tried to say, 510 00:28:39,360 --> 00:28:42,280 Speaker 1: here's a little fixed Yeah, here's a retrofitted piece. It's 511 00:28:42,280 --> 00:28:44,479 Speaker 1: really easy to snap it on, and I'll solve them everything. 512 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:46,680 Speaker 1: And apparently it did solve everything. They're like, why didn't 513 00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:48,320 Speaker 1: you make it that way to begin with? Right, But 514 00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:52,080 Speaker 1: most parents were not, like they didn't have their ears 515 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:54,120 Speaker 1: out that there was a recall of their Easy Bake oven, 516 00:28:54,400 --> 00:28:57,040 Speaker 1: and so their kids, the kids that kept getting burned 517 00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:01,000 Speaker 1: and and finally Hasbro was like, just them back. So 518 00:29:01,080 --> 00:29:03,960 Speaker 1: there's a recall of a million Easy Bake ovens from 519 00:29:03,960 --> 00:29:06,800 Speaker 1: that two thousand and six redesigned. There's a huge toy 520 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,240 Speaker 1: for them, like too. If that would have ruined the 521 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:11,280 Speaker 1: Easy Bake Oven, that would have been a big, big deal. 522 00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:14,440 Speaker 1: So what they did was they temporarily went back to 523 00:29:14,800 --> 00:29:18,360 Speaker 1: an old design featuring a light bulb two while they 524 00:29:18,480 --> 00:29:22,480 Speaker 1: redesigned it to the new version. So, uh, then they 525 00:29:22,480 --> 00:29:25,440 Speaker 1: came out in two thousand and eleven with that that 526 00:29:25,600 --> 00:29:29,080 Speaker 1: really ugly designed what's called the Easy Bake Ultimate Oven. 527 00:29:29,360 --> 00:29:31,240 Speaker 1: I'm looking at it now and the things, Yeah, it does. 528 00:29:31,280 --> 00:29:33,760 Speaker 1: It looks terrible. It's horrible. It's super It looks like 529 00:29:33,800 --> 00:29:36,920 Speaker 1: it's on the go or something like that. I don't 530 00:29:36,960 --> 00:29:40,560 Speaker 1: like it. It looks like a weird toaster oven. Yeah, 531 00:29:40,600 --> 00:29:42,640 Speaker 1: but it's sort of. It looks like it's trying to 532 00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,680 Speaker 1: look futuristic and modern, which never ends up looking like that. No, 533 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:49,040 Speaker 1: it doesn't. But they also made it pink and purple, 534 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:53,680 Speaker 1: super girly that ads were girl targeted. Yet there's flowers 535 00:29:53,680 --> 00:29:56,520 Speaker 1: on it, and again they were like, Nope, this is 536 00:29:56,560 --> 00:30:00,520 Speaker 1: for girls. Boys don't play with this. So in two thousand, 537 00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:06,400 Speaker 1: I think two thousand thirteen, there was a girl named 538 00:30:06,680 --> 00:30:14,120 Speaker 1: Um McKenna Pope who is just a hero of hero 539 00:30:14,400 --> 00:30:16,920 Speaker 1: She's amazing. I saw an interview with her on CNN. 540 00:30:17,680 --> 00:30:21,520 Speaker 1: She's just so like self possessed and intelligent and like 541 00:30:21,920 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 1: well spoken, but also like a kid, no know where 542 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:26,720 Speaker 1: she's a kid. She's just amazing, one of those clearly 543 00:30:26,760 --> 00:30:32,200 Speaker 1: reincarnated um. And she went on. She started a petition 544 00:30:32,680 --> 00:30:36,040 Speaker 1: to get Hasbro to make a gender neutral version of 545 00:30:36,080 --> 00:30:39,400 Speaker 1: It's Easy Bake Oven because her little brother Um like 546 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:43,480 Speaker 1: to bake but realized that the Easy Bake Oven was 547 00:30:43,520 --> 00:30:46,280 Speaker 1: for girls. She wanted him to be able to bake, 548 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:48,280 Speaker 1: so she said, Hasbro, why don't you make one this 549 00:30:48,360 --> 00:30:51,640 Speaker 1: gender neutral and got something like fifty thousand signatures for 550 00:30:51,680 --> 00:30:55,040 Speaker 1: her petition, and Hasbro came out with a new version 551 00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:57,600 Speaker 1: of the Easy Bake Ultimate Oven, which was just a 552 00:30:57,640 --> 00:31:00,440 Speaker 1: black version of it black and I think Silver surprised 553 00:31:00,440 --> 00:31:05,760 Speaker 1: it wasn't like our brush stainless model to emulate, you know, kitchens. Yeah, 554 00:31:05,800 --> 00:31:08,520 Speaker 1: she's she's probably almost twenty years old. Now, yeah, one, 555 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:10,920 Speaker 1: what she's doing, mckinnipope or are you out there? She's 556 00:31:11,000 --> 00:31:13,480 Speaker 1: some sort of like consumer and protection lawyer all that 557 00:31:13,760 --> 00:31:17,880 Speaker 1: probably so, I hope. So. Uh. Two thousand six they 558 00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,720 Speaker 1: go into the National Toy Hall of Fame, the same 559 00:31:20,800 --> 00:31:25,720 Speaker 1: year that disastrous redesign. Yeah, they they got in just 560 00:31:25,840 --> 00:31:29,800 Speaker 1: under the wire. Yeah, we can't take it back. I'm 561 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:31,440 Speaker 1: trying to look here, and they're from their very on 562 00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:35,520 Speaker 1: website some of the landmark years. Uh. And it is 563 00:31:35,560 --> 00:31:37,640 Speaker 1: kind of funny that emulated the styles of the time, 564 00:31:38,200 --> 00:31:40,760 Speaker 1: unless they were just doing pink. Like in sixty nine 565 00:31:40,760 --> 00:31:43,920 Speaker 1: they premiered the Avocado Green. The very next year was 566 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:48,440 Speaker 1: Harvest Gold. It's very good metallic p We'd say that 567 00:31:48,480 --> 00:31:52,520 Speaker 1: a lot in our else. Um. Oh, they had a 568 00:31:52,560 --> 00:31:56,320 Speaker 1: potato chip maker. Do we mention that? No? Three, the 569 00:31:56,360 --> 00:32:01,400 Speaker 1: easy Baked Potato chip Maker. And then in seventy eight 570 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:05,120 Speaker 1: they finally started putting a fake digital clock on it 571 00:32:05,800 --> 00:32:10,880 Speaker 1: that always read twelve thirty Okay, not for twenty. You 572 00:32:10,920 --> 00:32:13,880 Speaker 1: see that a lot in as a joke, and like 573 00:32:14,040 --> 00:32:17,560 Speaker 1: the pothead joke. Yeah, but like you'll see an alarm 574 00:32:17,640 --> 00:32:21,120 Speaker 1: clock ad and like uh, skymall or something and I'll 575 00:32:21,160 --> 00:32:24,040 Speaker 1: say four twenty because the publishers aren't paying attention to 576 00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:29,400 Speaker 1: it or they don't care. Sure. I remember years ago 577 00:32:30,120 --> 00:32:32,520 Speaker 1: when we used to have a lot of illustrations on 578 00:32:32,560 --> 00:32:34,840 Speaker 1: how stuff works and had two in the house illustrators 579 00:32:34,880 --> 00:32:37,880 Speaker 1: that I won't name, and remember one of them drew 580 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:40,240 Speaker 1: a like a park scene for me and the tree 581 00:32:40,440 --> 00:32:43,960 Speaker 1: clearly had a marijuana leaf like embedded in it. And 582 00:32:44,080 --> 00:32:46,120 Speaker 1: I was like, hey, man, you can't do that, and 583 00:32:46,160 --> 00:32:48,600 Speaker 1: he was like, oh, I was completely an accident. I 584 00:32:48,680 --> 00:32:53,000 Speaker 1: was like, man, I wasn't born yesterday. I've seen a 585 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:54,880 Speaker 1: pot leaf before. I mean, I thought it was funny, 586 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:58,720 Speaker 1: but like, you know, yeah, I couldn't do that. Do 587 00:32:58,720 --> 00:33:02,160 Speaker 1: you got anything else? I don't think so. Easy bake oven, 588 00:33:02,920 --> 00:33:04,959 Speaker 1: mac and cheese you can bake. Oh. In two thousand 589 00:33:05,000 --> 00:33:10,360 Speaker 1: three they they introduced the real meal oven and you 590 00:33:10,400 --> 00:33:12,280 Speaker 1: could That's when you could do like French fries and 591 00:33:12,400 --> 00:33:14,360 Speaker 1: pizza and mac and cheese and stuff. I think that 592 00:33:14,480 --> 00:33:17,400 Speaker 1: was the predecessor to the ceramic heating element that they 593 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:22,520 Speaker 1: eventually reads the easy Bacon in two thousands six. Good stuff, 594 00:33:23,400 --> 00:33:26,520 Speaker 1: Good stuff. If you want a nice blast from the past, 595 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:29,680 Speaker 1: just type in like easy bake oven commercials. There's one 596 00:33:29,720 --> 00:33:33,800 Speaker 1: from that was just perfect. Was it rad? No, it 597 00:33:33,880 --> 00:33:37,080 Speaker 1: was pretty rad. Okay, it was like Carpenter's era Gotcha, 598 00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:40,320 Speaker 1: which is not rad but still lovely. Yes, I love 599 00:33:40,360 --> 00:33:44,400 Speaker 1: the Carpenters, me too. Um. Well, if you want to 600 00:33:44,400 --> 00:33:46,880 Speaker 1: know more about easy bake ovens, or the Carpenters or 601 00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:49,520 Speaker 1: the snoopy snowcomb machine, just go onto the internet. It's 602 00:33:49,560 --> 00:33:52,200 Speaker 1: a vast repository of stuff like that. And since I 603 00:33:52,240 --> 00:33:57,200 Speaker 1: said that, it's time for listener mail. Hey guys. UM 604 00:33:57,200 --> 00:33:59,960 Speaker 1: a freelance writer who works remotely. So I've been writing 605 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:01,640 Speaker 1: and traveling the world for the past year and a half. 606 00:34:01,720 --> 00:34:04,080 Speaker 1: It's been wild. Since I've been traveling alone, it can 607 00:34:04,080 --> 00:34:07,920 Speaker 1: get lonely, but from Mexico City to Bali to Tokyo, 608 00:34:08,040 --> 00:34:09,960 Speaker 1: you guys have been with me, keeping me company, making 609 00:34:09,960 --> 00:34:12,759 Speaker 1: me laugh, teach me all kinds of cool facts. As 610 00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:15,319 Speaker 1: a content writer, also feel a connection to y'all. We 611 00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:20,400 Speaker 1: both have to research seemingly mundane topics sometimes and discovered 612 00:34:20,440 --> 00:34:22,600 Speaker 1: the cool, interesting things about them, present them in a 613 00:34:22,640 --> 00:34:25,759 Speaker 1: palatable way. People sometimes laugh when I'm telling that I'm 614 00:34:25,760 --> 00:34:28,279 Speaker 1: writing something like the history of the egg McMuffin or 615 00:34:28,280 --> 00:34:31,520 Speaker 1: the best month to buy a mattress. But I just 616 00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:34,440 Speaker 1: point to your podcast is a sterling example of how 617 00:34:34,520 --> 00:34:39,040 Speaker 1: gyms and surprises lie within even the most unassuming topics. Yeah, 618 00:34:39,080 --> 00:34:41,400 Speaker 1: I have you guys ever considered doing a show on 619 00:34:41,480 --> 00:34:45,560 Speaker 1: digital nomadding. I know it's becoming increasingly popular as more 620 00:34:45,600 --> 00:34:52,400 Speaker 1: companies race remote working. I'm in a cafe and medellin Medaine, 621 00:34:52,600 --> 00:34:56,680 Speaker 1: Columbia right now, and there are five digital nomads tapping 622 00:34:56,680 --> 00:34:59,359 Speaker 1: away in their laptops as we speak. They would beat 623 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:01,160 Speaker 1: me up if they new I just referred to them 624 00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:04,759 Speaker 1: as digital nomad. The future is location independent. I say 625 00:35:04,800 --> 00:35:07,319 Speaker 1: thanks again for being so awesome. It's a short term 626 00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:09,360 Speaker 1: dream of mine to digital nomad over to a country 627 00:35:09,360 --> 00:35:11,239 Speaker 1: where you're doing a live show by you guys a 628 00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:13,719 Speaker 1: drink awesome. If you do read this on the air, 629 00:35:13,800 --> 00:35:16,520 Speaker 1: please give a shout out to Mark Alexander, who insisted 630 00:35:16,560 --> 00:35:18,640 Speaker 1: that I keep listening to you guys, even even after 631 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:21,680 Speaker 1: I was initially slightly turned off by all of your 632 00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:24,160 Speaker 1: sides and off tracking happens to a lot of people, 633 00:35:24,239 --> 00:35:26,120 Speaker 1: And that's funny because we had a lot of those today. 634 00:35:26,239 --> 00:35:32,160 Speaker 1: You know that reminds me of a a totally unrelated story. Uh, he, 635 00:35:32,440 --> 00:35:34,680 Speaker 1: she says, now I very much learned to appreciate those 636 00:35:35,120 --> 00:35:37,200 Speaker 1: He would burst into tears and I would too. So 637 00:35:37,280 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 1: thank you Mark Alexander for turning on your friend. Maria 638 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:46,120 Speaker 1: Christina Ladonde. Thanks a lot, beautiful name. Yeah, I'm sorry, 639 00:35:46,200 --> 00:35:53,439 Speaker 1: laalone day, Maria Christina Laonda um and I hope that 640 00:35:53,800 --> 00:35:56,400 Speaker 1: your buddy did just purst out into tears. That'd be amazing. 641 00:35:56,440 --> 00:35:59,480 Speaker 1: It's pretty neat. Thanks for that email. If you want 642 00:35:59,520 --> 00:36:02,440 Speaker 1: to get into touch of this, you can find us 643 00:36:02,440 --> 00:36:04,640 Speaker 1: on the webit Stuff you Should Know dot com. Check 644 00:36:04,640 --> 00:36:07,359 Speaker 1: out our social links there, and if you like, send 645 00:36:07,360 --> 00:36:13,600 Speaker 1: an email to Stuff Podcast at how Stuff Works dot com. 646 00:36:13,680 --> 00:36:16,000 Speaker 1: Stuff you Should Know is a production of I Heart Radio. 647 00:36:16,480 --> 00:36:19,000 Speaker 1: For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the i heart 648 00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:22,000 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 649 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:22,760 Speaker 1: favorite shows.