In my house, you didn’t enter the kitchen when mom was cooking. Our meddlesome kiddy fingers were always getting into the wrong things. So, we turned our curious culinary minds to the Easy-Bake Oven. Practically everyone today has an Easy-Baken Oven horror story, and it’s this universal experience that makes them so popular. But not each one was built the same, and these vintage Easy-Bake Ovens had a special kind of secret sauce.
Vintage Easy-Bake Ovens That Set Collectors Ablaze
Easy-Bake Ovens broke onto the scene in the early 60s and hypnotized young kids with their tabletop baking capabilities. You know you had a great time when you walked away with a tiny pan of uniced cake mix and black spots in your eyes from watching your confection cook. The Easy-Bake Ovens from my youth left a lot to be desired, but these valuable vintage Easy-Bake Ovens never go out of style.
| Vintage Easy-Bake Oven Model | Approximate Value |
|---|---|
| 1960s Easy-Bake Oven | $20-$300 |
| 1970s Easy-Bake Oven | $20-$100 |
| 1980s Easy-Bake Oven | $15-$30 |
| 1990s Easy-Bake Oven | $10-$45 |
1960s Easy Bake Oven
Kenner produced the first Easy-Bake Oven in 1963. This mini oven replica (with under storage and a stovetop to boot) let kids experiment in the kitchen in a controlled way. Equipped with two 100-watt incandescent light bulbs, this oven could cook all sorts of simple foods. But in true 60s fashion, it was a right of passage to give yourself 3rd degree burns by pulling out a Betty Crocker cake mix.
Toy collectors love a vintage Easy-Bake Oven, especially the earliest models. Early 60s Easy-Bake Ovens came in yellow and turquoise, but the turquoise is way more valuable today than the yellow. While these usually sell for around $50-$70, sometimes a buyer comes out of the woodwork and pulls out all the stops. Like this one who bought a complete 64 turquoise oven with the original box for $349.99.
1970s Easy Bake Oven
By the 1970s, the Easy-Bake Oven was a staple kids' toy. While the oven design didn’t change much from the 64 one, it did get an updated color scheme. The more streamlined oven lost its stovetop eyes and gained the iconic muted 70s color palette of avocado green and burnt orange. Today, avocado reigns supreme with vintage toy collectors spending anywhere from $20-$100 on them. Someone recently bought an opened and boxed complete 1973 avocado green set for $75 on eBay.
Related: 11 Dangerous Toys From the 70s That We're Surprised We Survived
Early 80s Easy-Bake Oven
As the 70s melted into the early 80s, Easy-Bake Oven went through a complete makeover. Long gone was the simulated oven experience. The future was here, and it looked like a microwave. Microwaves really became a household staple in the 1980s, and Easy-Bake Oven capitalized on that shift.
Without all the bells and whistles, these vintage Easy-Bake Ovens just don’t compare. People are only willing to fork over about $15-$30 for them, like this creamsicle 80s oven, which sold for $30 online.
1990s Easy Bake Oven
Nineties Easy-Bake Ovens are surprisingly valuable for how clunky they are. They don’t suffer the same curse as their immediate predecessor, probably due to the huge uptick in millennial nostalgia bait surrounding all things 90s. They might not be able to afford a shoebox apartment, but they’ll spend $50 on their childhood Easy-Bake Oven just for a sweet dopamine hit.
Of course, not every one of these that are listed gets sold for close to $50. In fact, most of them don’t sell for more than $10-$20. But don’t lose hope; yours might do as well as this seller’s did when someone bought it for $43.
3 Things That Make Vintage Easy Bake Ovens More Valuable
It can be really disheartening to see your thrift store flips not selling as well as other people’s online. But there are a few secrets to know when you’re selling vintage Easy-Bake Ovens.
- The oven’s been tested and is in working condition. A working Easy-Bake Oven is much more desirable than a broken one.
- It comes in the original box. Toys in their original packaging sell for significantly more than those without them.
- It comes with multiple accessories. Original accessories can be the cherry on top of an Easy-Bake Oven listing.
There’s a Chef in All of Us
The best kind of cooks are the ones who enjoy it. Bring a little playtime magic to your meal prep by getting reacquainted with a vintage Easy-Bake Oven. Whether turquoise or avocado green is more your speed, you’ll have loads of fun reliving your childhood dreams with a retro Easy-Bake Oven.
