# Will Easy-Bake ovens disappear soon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 8, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917 "2011-01-08T21:30:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/1 "2011-01-08T21:30:00Z")
Or undergo major change? My friend posted that in 2012, incandescent bulbs will be illegal to sell in the US and that the last incandescent bulb factory closed in in September 2010. Is he right or nutty? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/2 "2011-01-08T21:36:33Z")
Humm- good question. With no incandescent bulb there won’t be anyway to bake the mini-cake. How depressing. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![TimeWinder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@TimeWinder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TimeWinder)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/3 "2011-01-08T21:48:22Z")
The bulb was a convenient heat source, I’m sure now they’ll just build in a toaster-like heating element…which is basically what the bulb was providing, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![postcards](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8e8cbc/32.png) [@postcards](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/postcards)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/4 "2011-01-08T21:48:30Z")
According to [Wiki](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easy-Bake_Oven#Hasbro_versions), they began using a heating element in 2006. Also, according to Wiki, they weren’t [too safe](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easy-Bake_Oven#Recalls). ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/5 "2011-01-08T21:48:54Z")
Change the name of “incandescent bulb” to “incandescent heating element” and nothing changes. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/6 "2011-01-08T21:51:58Z")
The last incandescent light bulb factory **in the U.S.** closed last year. General use incandescent bulbs are being phased out; special use bulbs not so much so. That said, Easy-Bake ovens are on their way out for lack of interest, really. Analog toys appeal to kids too young to safely use them; by the time an Easy-Bake is an acceptable toy, they’re considered passe. ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/7 "2011-01-08T21:52:10Z")
[Some bulb types are exempt,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Independence_and_Security_Act_of_2007) but the current Easy Bake Oven [doesn’t seem to include an incandescent bulb anymore anyway.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easy-Bake_Oven) Edited: Beaten to the punch. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/8 "2011-01-08T22:59:43Z")
According to [this](http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/energy/blogs/skirting-eu-law-the-rebranding-of-incandescent-bulbs-as-heat-balls), some German entrepreneur is selling “heat globes” to get around the EU ban in incandescents. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2011, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/9 "2011-01-08T23:51:30Z")
> [@tumbleddown](#): > > That said, Easy-Bake ovens are on their way out for lack of interest, really. Analog toys appeal to kids too young to safely use them; by the time an Easy-Bake is an acceptable toy, they’re considered passe. Wow, my niece(8 years old) just got one for Christmas and seems to love it. I didn’t see how it was powered, but I assume it is brand new and not with an incandescent bulb. How exactly does the new heating mechanism work? ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/10 "2011-01-09T01:32:01Z")
If light bulbs follow freon on the endangered products list they will be around long after the deadline. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/11 "2011-01-09T03:14:30Z")
My friend has told me he just bought his Easy Bake Over brand new in November 2010 and it uses an incandescent bulb. Is he wrong? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/12 "2011-01-09T04:13:23Z")
The bulb thing just seems so weird. When analog TV was being phased out, at least half the people I knew were using digital. But I’ve yet to see a single person replace their incandescent bulbs. I keep wondering if the ban won’t just be delayed, like the digital TV thing was. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/13 "2011-01-09T04:44:00Z")
Did anyone else have the original Creepy Crawlers Bug Maker oven when they were a kid? The one depicted [here?](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Toymax_Creepy_Crawlers.jpg) I made about a billion bugs with that thing. Man it was fun! There is a new version out now that uses a different mechanism and apparently has nothing but bad reviews. The old one was probably discontinued for safety reasons; it was very easy to burn your hand on the metal molds. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/14 "2011-01-09T13:53:49Z")
> [@](#): > > original Creepy Crawlers Bug Maker oven That is NOT the Original Creepy Crawlers maker, [THIS](http://www.samstoybox.com/toys/Thingmaker.html) is. The Toymax version was a remake of the Mattel version, which could and did inflict nasty burns on careless users. The Toymax oven might still have been dangerous, but believe me, it was safer than the original version. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/15 "2011-01-09T14:32:55Z")
Canada is doing likewise and we are stocking up on incandescents. I tried a CF bulb once and it just didn’t provide the amount of light it claimed. I would actually want a 150 watt bulb for my bedside. But right now I have 100 watt. When I tried a CF bulb that advertised giving the same light as a 100 watt incandescent, it just didn’t. In fact, I did an “oil-spot” test on it and it gave well under half the light of an incandescent. Also, I would have to change most of my lamps. Are they really going to go through with this? Among other things, for at least 8 months of the year, I am heating my house with electricity and burning bulbs just keeps the place warmer. I almost believe the tea partiers who claim the government can’t do anything right. Look at the ethanol from corn fiasco. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/16 "2011-01-09T14:50:21Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > That is NOT the Original Creepy Crawlers maker, [THIS](http://www.samstoybox.com/toys/Thingmaker.html) is. The Toymax version was a remake of the Mattel version, which could and did inflict nasty burns on careless users. The Toymax oven might still have been dangerous, but believe me, it was safer than the original version. **YES!!** This is the exact one I had! LOVED the thing! And yes, I got burned with it. I had an EasyBake about the same time, but Creepy Crawlers got WAT more use… I was a tom-boy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Sigmagirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c89c15/32.png) [@Sigmagirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigmagirl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/17 "2011-01-09T15:03:00Z")
I had one too! I didn’t burn myself, but I was none too proficient at making attractive bugs. I was much better at making pretzels with my Pretzel Jetzel: [http://www.slashfood.com/2008/05/28/retro-cookery-the-pretzel-jetzel/](http://www.slashfood.com/2008/05/28/retro-cookery-the-pretzel-jetzel/) ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/18 "2011-01-09T15:28:57Z")
Feh on your Easy Bake Oven and your Creepy Crawlers! You guys have no idea what is [a real fun toy](http://www.orau.org/ptp/collection/atomictoys/GilbertU238Lab.htm)! Mom! Billy’s mutating again! I had the trifecta: Creepy Crawlers, This, and Lawn Darts. ---
**Author:** ![Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5fc32e/32.png) [@Bad\_News\_Baboon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bad_News_Baboon)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/19 "2011-01-09T16:23:17Z")
Easy bake mixes are 5 bucks a pop! This is what will kill the oven, not the bulb. I thought everyone was like me and improvised using regular mixes. I heard a lady at Target thinking the mixes were special for the oven. ---
**Author:** ![Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@Romeo\_and\_Whatsherface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Romeo_and_Whatsherface)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/20 "2011-01-09T16:41:18Z")
If the over-priced mixes and burn potential haven’t killed the EBO yet, I doubt they will now. The appeal for kids seems to come from the fact it’s their very own oven, it really works (albeit slowly), and all the food is in miniature. The mixes have always been overpriced. They used to have a bigger variety; my friend’s EBO in the late Sixties came with a package of biscuit mix. The biscuits were the size of buttons. I proudly took some home to my family for dinner, and they did a pretty good job of smothering their laughter. But I’m sad to see the incandescents go. The CF’s drive me nuts: it takes a good five minutes for them to get to full brilliance, and in the meantime, I’m stumbling around in near-twilight. How much of a scientific advance is that? I’d like to stockpile some incandescents, but I can’t find them any more at WalMart or KMart. Where can I still get some? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917.md?page=2)