Kids, today’s my birthday.
Now, a lady doesn’t tell her age (bats eyelashes, smiles coyly…) but I can reminisce over past birthdays and what wonderful times I’ve had. I’m fortunate to not really need or want anything but when I was a kid, there was always one thing that made the list up until my 21st birthday.
An Easy Bake Oven.
image: Shazam791
Yes friends, the Easy Bake Oven, the queen of all vintage food toys (with the Snoopy Snow Cone machine in a gracious second place.)
I remember telling my parents—don’t think of this as much as a present for me, but an investment in my future as a bakery tycoon. With this one machine, I had not only culinary dreams to live out, but an ability to turn this plastic encased light-bulb into my own baking empire. Watch our Mrs. Fields, Miss Dottie will take the helm! Every chat with Santa, every birthday–heck, I’d even hit up the tooth fairy if need be–the wish was always for an Easy Bake Oven. But did I get it as a kid? Sadly no. Boxed sets of Nancy Drew mysteries, yes. New pajamas, yes. But Easy Bake oven? No.
For some reason my parents didn’t buy me any fun cooking toys. I do remember the toy ironing set they gave me (?), but no cooking toys, which is weird since I loved making mud pies galore as a child and was desperate to help my mom in the kitchen but was normally relegated to setting the dining room table. FIE!
This little lady knows she’s THE LUCKIEST GIRL IN THE WORLD with her sweet Easy Bake Oven. Awww yeah!
image: Homemakers.com Dana McCauley
This is the version I lusted after in my younger days, the groovy plaid seventies version. How rad would a plaid oven be today?
image: Squidoo
Oh—check this out—remember that pushing thingy? Awww yeah! And I love the cover of instruction manual for the EBO (Easy Bake Oven). Could it be possible for that little girl to crank out all those baked goods from her old skool EBO in the aqua. Wait a sec–are those pretzels? And is that a red velvet cake up front?
image: MirandaCeleste
To be fair, the actually baked goods that came out of the EBO weren’t all that good. Let’s just say in a world where Magnolia Bakery set the bar for cupcakes, I fear the EBO creations wouldn’t score that high. I wonder how many Dad’s gagged down those little cakes out of pure love for their daughters? I love this lucky little girl rocking not only the EBO but the sassy red tights and dress combo!
image: ScorpionsBB
Oh what love I had for that Easy Bake Oven. The dreams. The wonder. I wonder what the Peach will love? Perhaps something like this:
Happy Monday!