According to an article published in “USA Today,” by Whitney Matheson, “Fifty years after its introduction, more than 30 million Easy Bake Ovens have been sold.” (Matheson) The shear amount of Easy Bake Oven’s sold is a clear reflection of how cultural myths and gender stereotypes regarding women’s roles in society is propagated through children and parents alike falling prey to the gender roles shown in: television ads, magazines, newspapers, etc… The question regarding how gender roles influence the marketing of toys between girls and boys has come up time and again throughout Easy-Bake Oven’s history. When the product was launched in 1963, American women were expected to take on the majority of the household chores. In the past the female…show more content… Generally, blue has been for boys and pink for girls. In advertising much of the emphasis is placed on gender. This unfortunately influences the way children think and act. When young boys are growing up they are constantly seeing the way society expects them to act. Boys find out early in life that it is not very masculine to play with dolls or dresses. Unfortunately this is strengthened by the parents and these lessons are deep-rooted in the children which enforce gender roles. They are also being taught, through television shows, advertisements, and even their parents what is acceptable for them to play with, boys play with trucks and dinosaurs while girls play with dolls and Easy Bake Ovens. In the book “Signs of Life in the USA,” Steve Craig’s article, “Men’s Men and Women’s Women”, Steve writes, “large advertisers and their agencies have evolved the pseudo-scientific method of time purchasing based on demographic, with the age and sex of the consumer generally considered to be the most important predictors of purchasing behavior.” (Craig) This is clearly demonstrated in the ads produced for the EBO and even the company’s web-site. According to Todd Coopee, who published a book called Light Bulb Baking, “Kenner products made the Easy-Bake Oven its top advertising priority, placing ads with taglines like "just like Mom's—bake your cake and eat it, too!" in…show more content… Around the late 1970’s the household countertop microwave was all the rage. It was affordable and in many American homes. The EBO saw this as an opportunity and elected to capitalize on the fact that children tend to want items similar to those of their parents. If mommy has a new Microwave, I want one too. In the 1980’s, “The Easy Bake Oven” transitioned its appearance from that of a kitchen oven or stove to that of a countertop