# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/21 "2011-01-09T16:44:44Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 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? 🙂 We can still buy them in Canada, and smuggle them in across the border. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/22 "2011-01-09T17:17:15Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > 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. When my analog tv needs to be replaced, I’ll use the spare in the attic. When that too breaks down, that’s when I’ll spend a few hundred bucks on a digital. But for now, I have no need to spend so much money on a picture which is admittedly better, but has no practical value. I’m not “replacing” my bulbs either, if what you mean is to take out a perfectly good incandescent bulb just to put a CFL in. But I do buy the CFLs when I see them on sale, and I install them as the incandescents burn out. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/23 "2011-01-09T18:23:05Z")
use CFLs where you could wait the minute for them to come to brightness and where you will leave them on 30 minutes or more. for room or stair navigation you can use 40W incandescent bulbs or LED (direct replacements are getting less expensive). clear LED christmas tree strings or ropes make good room navigation, hallway, stair and closet illuminations and are inexpensive now. ---
**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, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/24 "2011-01-09T18:38:15Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 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? Seriously, does anyone know about this? ---
**Author:** ![dre2xl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@dre2xl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dre2xl)\ **Post date:** [January 9, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/25 "2011-01-09T21:18:55Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Seriously, does anyone know about this? [http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Bake-35230-Oven/dp/B001DI4VN0/ref=sr\_1\_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294607868&sr=8-1](http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Bake-35230-Oven/dp/B001DI4VN0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294607868&sr=8-1) uses a light bulb ---
**Author:** ![ChrisBooth12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@ChrisBooth12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChrisBooth12)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/26 "2011-01-10T00:24:14Z")
Easy bake ovens just prove how inefficient our light bulbs are ---
**Author:** ![muttrox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a8b319/32.png) [@muttrox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muttrox)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/27 "2011-01-10T14:33:27Z")
We bought our first one for this Xmas, it used a standard lightbulb. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/28 "2011-01-10T16:57:06Z")
Ah, yes, Fox and their Friends have been pushing the “Light Bulb Ban” lately… [http://mediamatters.org/research/201101040005](http://mediamatters.org/research/201101040005) [Quote=Media Matters] Since the Energy Independence and Security Act was passed in 2007, right-wing media have claimed that it will outlaw incandescent light bulbs. In fact, the bill, signed by President Bush, only sets standards for light bulbs and does not ban all incandescent bulbs, only inefficient ones. [/quote] Though, unfortunately, any incandescent bulb that meets the standard probably isn’t much use in an Easy-Bake oven. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/29 "2011-01-10T17:11:10Z")
> [@](#): > > That is NOT the Original Creepy Crawlers maker, THIS is. Even before the Creepy Crawlers toys were sold (and their edible version, Incredible Edibles), Mattel manufactured the **Vac-U-Form** , a toy for vacuforming plastic sheets. It used the _exact same heater element_ that the Creepy Crawlers Thingmaker would later on. I know, because I had one, and the Creepy Crawler molds fir perfectly into the Vac-U-Form heating element. > **[Vac-U-Form by Mattel and Toymax - Sam's Toybox](http://www.samstoybox.com/toys/Vac-U-Form.html)** > > The Vac-U-Form plastic molding toy by Mattel > **[Vac-U-Form Instructions - Page 1 of 12](https://www.samstoybox.com/toys/instruct/vac-u-form/vacuform01.html)** > **[Vac-U-Form](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vac-u-form)** > > The Vac-u-form, was a toy invented by Eddy Goldfarb and released by Mattel in the 1960s around 1961 with the trademark filed on October 8, 1962. > Based on the industrial process of vacuum forming, a rectangular piece of plastic was clamped in a holder and heated over a metal plate. When the plastic was soft, the holder was swung to the other side, over a mold of the object to be formed. Then quickly and repeatedly pressing down on a spring-loaded handle on the side of the unit created a vacuum, s... ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/30 "2011-01-10T17:12:33Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > But I’ve yet to see a single person replace their incandescent bulbs. We switched most of ours to CFLs a couple of years ago. While it does take a few seconds for some of them to get to full intensity, the only place it’s proven to be an issue has been in our outdoor porch lights. There, in the wintertime, it’d take several minutes for them to get much above a candle in brightness. I swapped those back out for incandescent bulbs. ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/31 "2011-01-10T17:48:08Z")
> [@](#): > > I’m not “replacing” my bulbs either, if what you mean is to take out a perfectly good incandescent bulb just to put a CFL in. But I do buy the CFLs when I see them on sale, and I install them as the incandescents burn out. I don’t buy incandescent bulbs anymore, but no way in hell am I going to “replace” (ie, throw away) a perfectly good bulb. I’m replacing the incandescents as they burn out. ---
**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 10, 2011, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/32 "2011-01-10T18:11:33Z")
We had a VacUForm, too, and I was completely underwhelmed with it. Or possibly the next door neighbor boy had one. The Thingmaker was a heck of a lot more fun, and I had both the Creepy Crawlers and the Fun Flowers molds. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/33 "2011-01-10T18:26:37Z")
> [@fiddlesticks](#): > > Ah, yes, Fox and their Friends have been pushing the “Light Bulb Ban” lately… > > [http://mediamatters.org/research/201101040005](http://mediamatters.org/research/201101040005) > > Though, unfortunately, any incandescent bulb that meets the standard probably isn’t much use in an Easy-Bake oven. I don’t think it matters. Since the lightbulb in the oven is used for heat rather than light, it should easily qualify for an exemption from the ban. I do not know the specifics, but I’m certain that there are exemptions. For one thing, I can’t imagine using a CFL for light in a conventional oven due to the potential for mercury to contaminate your food. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/34 "2011-01-10T19:29:39Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > I don’t think it matters. Since the lightbulb in the oven is used for heat rather than light, it should easily qualify for an exemption from the ban. I do not know the specifics, but I’m certain that there are exemptions. For one thing, I can’t imagine using a CFL for light in a conventional oven due to the potential for mercury to contaminate your food. it depends on what country you are in. sensible regulations allow for uses where only incandescent bulbs are suitable. there are exceptions for low power, high power (where there are not substitutes) and other special situations. appliance bulbs would be such a case. poor media or fear spreading political groups spread confusion or untruths. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/35 "2011-01-10T21:06:27Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > But I’ve yet to see a single person replace their incandescent bulbs. We are also replacing incandescents with CFs, as they burn out, and other than the ones outside, there really isn’t an issue. Actually, the light in the dining room has 9 bulbs in it. That one we did replace the bulbs (the old will be used elsewhere). Instead of 9 bulbs_60watts each, we now have 9 bulbs_14watts each. > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > 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. We keep our house pretty cool, but the computer room, where many dark winter evenings are spend, used to be much warmer, between 2 people, 2 computers, 2 CRT monitors and a halogen light. Just switching the 2 monitors to LCD and the light to CF means that I may have to buy a heater for that room. Boo!! ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/36 "2011-01-10T21:07:01Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Seriously, does anyone know about this? They’re right- my wife and I bought our niece an Easy-Bake oven for Xmas this year- it was purchased from Target on or around Dec 5th, and big as life on the box, it says that it requires a 100 watt incandescent bulb. ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/37 "2011-01-10T21:12:36Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > 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? “Wrong” isn’t quite the word for a grown man who just bought an Easy Bake oven. ---
**Author:** ![antonio107](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ea924/32.png) [@antonio107](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/antonio107)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/38 "2011-01-10T21:12:54Z")
> [@Susanann](#): > > We can still buy them in Canada, and smuggle them in across the border. Ontario’s phasing them out too. Wonder where the last bastion of light bulb freedom will be? ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/39 "2011-01-10T23:23:55Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > Ontario’s phasing them out too. Wonder where the last bastion of light bulb freedom will be? One of whats his faces quantranes mentions that “the freedom of heat and light will fade last in a place of heat and sweetness” My guess is that means Cuba. ---
**Author:** ![Susanann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ab992/32.png) [@Susanann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Susanann)\ **Post date:** [January 10, 2011, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917/40 "2011-01-10T23:33:47Z")
> [@antonio107](#): > > Ontario’s phasing them out too. Wonder where the last bastion of light bulb freedom will be? How about smuggling light bulbs in from Mexico? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-easy-bake-ovens-disappear-soon/566917.md?page=1)