Easy Bake Oven Bakes No More (For Now)

Some things don't get better with time. While I'm on the toy beat, here's a story about a recall of Hasbro's Easy Bake Oven for the second time this year. The 40-year-old kiddie oven has been a hit with a few generations, but its latest front-loading version has caused problems for some young bakers.

Hasbro recalled 985,000 of the ovens in February after reports that young children were getting their hands and fingers stuck in the front part of the oven, and some were burned. The company then offered free repair kits to make the oven safer. The AP reports that since the February recall of the ovens, which have been on the market since May 2006, there have been 249 more reports of children getting their hands and fingers caught in the oven. But the company does not know how many incidents occurred with or without the kits.

Lots of little hands (and their parents') have made little cakes by the light of an Easy Bake oven light bulb. The toy oven is a member of the National Toy Hall of Fame, which accepts toys based on longevity, innovation, and iconic status. With all of that going for it, the Easy Bake Oven is not gone forever. Hasbro says it is working on a new model, which it hopes to market soon.

The final recall is to ensure that no more Easy Bake ovens are on store shelves. Hasbro is encouraging oven owners to exchange their ovens for Hasbro product vouchers. If you've got the newest generation Easy Bake oven, you can call 800-601-8418, or visit easybake.com or the U.S. Consumer Product Safety web site for more information.

LINK: Easy Bake toy ovens recalled again [AP via Yahoo! News]