Hasbro Contest Celebrates Easy Bake Oven Anniversary

Hasbro, Inc. is toasting the 45th anniversary of its Easy-Bake Oven and its Snack Center toy with a nationwide search to find the next “Baker of the Year.”

The Easy-Bake 2009 “Baker of the Year” contest invites kids to enter with their parents, grandparents, aunts, or uncles for a chance to compete for the title next May at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, FL.

To enter, people submit original recipes to www.easybake.com using one or more Easy-Bake mixes through February. Entrants must also upload a photo that features their creation, themselves and their partner.

Entries will be judged on creative use of ingredients, presentation, ease of preparation and taste.

Hasbro will select seven finalists in May to fly to Disney World to compete for the “Baker of the Year” title. Each will have his or her recipe and photo of their creation appear on the Easy-Bake Web site, the company said.

The top winner will receive a culinary-inspired trip for four to San Francisco, CA, to visit local food-related sites and attractions. Six runners-up will each receive a $500 gift card and a one-year supply of Easy-Bake Brand mixes.

The Easy-Bake Oven includes a side-loading oven that bakes cakes, brownies and cookies with a light bulb. The toy debuted in 1963. Hasbro will honor the brand’s 45th anniversary this fall with a new look in its original aqua color. The oven will come with three mixes, two baking pans, two utensils, a pan pusher, two warming cups and recipes.