From the "If It Ain't Broke" File

Attention, parents everywhere - after four decades on the shelves, Hasbro's Easy-Bake Oven has gotten a little too much like the real thing for the Consumer Product Safety Commission's liking.

This year Hasbro has now had to recall a batch of Easy-Bake ovens not once, but twice.

It all started in February, when Hasbro recalled just under a million of the toys because kiddies were getting their fingers trapped in the front opening, and some were burned. Hasbro issued a free repair kit to protect the little tots from harm.

But, apparently the do-it-yourself fix didn't take care of the problem. Since February, Easy-Bake has received 249 more reports of children getting their hands or fingers caught in the oven's opening, including 77 reports of burns. One 5-year old girl was burned so badly, a partial finger amputation was required.

The models being recalled were made in China and sold between May 2006 and July 2007 at Target, Wal-mart, Toys R Us, and other retailers. According to the Easy-Bake web site, Hasbro introduced its first version of the oven with a heating element other than a light bulb in 2006.

Still, it's a mystery how Hasbro managed to morph the Easy-Bake from an iconic toy to a household hazard - or why the nightmare scenario of one of their toys maiming children didn't prompt a more effective response the first time around.

But let's hope Hasbro can pull things together and put the Easy-Bake back on track, so the next generation of children can experience the joy of slow-cooking a cake with a light bulb, like the rest of us did.

by Liz Gunnison

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