I have always enjoyed baking and decorating, and when I think back on it, this started at a very young age. Do any of you remember the toy that came out in the 80s called "Buzzy the Cookie Crafter"? It was a gingerbread man shaped cookie router for kids. I know, sounds dangerous, but the router bit was just a vibrating bit. Anyway, when I was kid, this was all I wanted for Christmas. (Ironically, I never asked for an easy bake oven, nor did I ever get one.) When I got one that year (I don't remember how old I was at the time.) I was so excited to have this new tool because I could craft my own cookie shapes out of graham crackers and decorate to my heart's content. This was long before my parents would let me near an oven. I still love to bake and decorate cookies and would love to someday come across one of those old toys. (I have looked on ebay with no success.) Does anyone else have a toy from their childhood that was a precursor to your modern day baking obsession? I would love to hear your nostalgic moments in baking...
I haven't heard of it either. But, I do have vivid memories of growing up (in the 70's) as a young kid watching my dad (who loved all things relating to cooking and baking) play with his decorating bags (no disposable ones them) and his tips. I remember he would have me look through cake magazines (I'm guessing they were Wilton) and he'd tell me to pick a cake that I liked for my birthday party. I remember the doll cakes (where the cake is the dress and you stick the doll head and torso in it) was my favorite. He made me one for my 7th birthday.
Ever since then, whenever I saw those decorator's tools, I'd think of my dad.
So, last April, when I saw that Michael's offered cake decorating classes, I was in! Started Wilton 1 in May, and went straight through all three courses with my husband. So glad I did!
I wonder if my dad (who passed away 10 years ago) looks down on me with pride when I'm decorating cakes. 
I got a Sweet Cookie Doll for Christmas 73 or 74 and I still have it. All the women in my family cooked and baked and a few of my aunts took classes with chefs, so there was always new stuff to learn.
Check out this side:
http://cgi.ebay.com/1973-Hasbro-Sweet-Cookie-Doll-Beautiful-Aimee-Trade-Ad_W0QQitemZ200033362647QQcmdZViewItem
I would make all kinds of stuff, but I think it came with pudding boxes. The mixer worked it was great. She sat there holding the mixer and making it go around and around! It was facinating. I am going to have to take it out for my boys to try out, when we are all well rested and they are being extra good!
That should be fun!
Thanks for posting this, I had totally forgotten about her!
Good Luck
Becky,
I'm sure your Dad watches you and remembers all the fun memories as well.
I feel the same way about my Grandma. I always loved baking cookies with her. Grandpa was always there sticking his fingers in there as well. Whenever I bake with my kids or for the fun of it I always think of her.
No fun toys, just loving memories!
Bambuf-
I had a Buzzy the cookie crafter!!!!! I loved that thing! I think we had graham cracker crums in the kitchen for months! I actually think my parents sent me to the basement to "buzz" my cookies cause I was making a mess (things havent changed haha). I wonder if its still lurking in the basement of my parents house?!?! That was such a great toy! I had my own mini cake decorating kit, buzzy, the easy bake oven, and tupperware baking set; complete with pie crust mat, rolling pin, measuring cups, etc. Funny that I never ever thought of baking as a profession until 20 odd years later! The writing was on the wall.
Oh----bambuf- if you were a child of the 80s check out my popple cake in my photos. Thats definitely a cool toy that was a blast from the past!
Thanks everyone for replying. I now have two kids (with another one on the way) and I think about the toys that influence them now and how different they are from when I was a kid. It is still neat to see that they have still kept some of those fun toys like the Easy Bake Oven and Snow Cone makers.
rlsaxe- I bet your dad is smiling from ear to ear knowing that you have connected to his passion after all of these years. I learned everything I know about cooking from my dad. When I went to college, he even sent me with a book "Where's Dad When I Need Him" that had recipes, etc.
Gateaux- That Sweet Cookie Doll looks so cool. It makes me wish I had one now! My daughter would probably flip over it. She is always dying to help me decorate cookies and cakes.
suzmazza- I am glad to find a Buzzy pal. I have been looking for that toy for years and was beginning to wonder if it was a figment of my imagination! And your Popple cake is too cute. Do you remember the Moncheechee (sp?) dolls? Wouldn't that be a cute cake too!
Ok bambuf-you are officially my new best friend!! hahaha
I was a Monchichi for halloween one year!!!! I was the little girl monchichi with the pink flowered bonnet and apron. The monchichis are still very popular in Japan, and I have ordered christmas ornaments from there, cause I loved them so much! My mom is the greatest ever mom ever. We always had the greatest b-day cakes, and the BEST halloween costumes. To this day, I still have a halloween party every year, and my mom and I make my costume together (I'm 28 now).
I hope that you and your children can share such great traditions. Its truly something that I will cherish for as long as I live!!!
suzmazza-
Okay, we are both up at late hours, both love Buzzy, both love Monchichi, we must be kindred spirits! And yeah, my mom was pretty awesome too. She made the coolest Halloween costumes and threw a great party. Of course, now I am the party woman in the family and so I get to plan all of the birthdays, despite the fact that we don't even live in the same state with the rest of the family anymore. It is really very cool how both of my parents influenced who I am as a mom. My dad was (and is) an amazing cook. My mom is an amazing seamstress and artist. Now, I didn't really get much in the artistic department, but I think both of my parents gave me a lot to work with otherwise. Now, my kids come to me with their birthday party ideas and Halloween Costume wishes and I do what I can to accomodate. I have yet to have an unsatisfied customer!
I had a miniature rolling pin complete with red handles just like my mom's. 
I also had tiny cookie cutters to use with it.
When I was about 10 I got a bunch of real decorating tips and stuff for my birthday.
What I really want to find again is the Cabbage Patch candy mold I had.
Anne of Green Gables - didn't see the movies but loved the books!
Always wanted an EasyBake - never got it. So when my son was old enough I bought him a QUEASY Bake oven (not kidding) It makes gross moldy looking cakes, "dog bone" cookies with "frothing drool" frosting and gummi bugs!
My favorite "toys" at that age were my Wilton cake pan kits. The kind that came with the foil pan, plastic bag and tips, little tubes of color. I found the clown face on eBay, unopened - it was the first pan I ever had and I had to buy it! I also had Holly Hobbie, Darth Vader, R2D2, the Van, the T-Shirt, Panda Bear - whatever kits they made back then I think I owned! So I guess that's why I never got an EasyBake oven, now that I think of it - none of my pans would have fit in it! 
Loved Anne of Green Gables, but I was a big time reader back then. After I had kids of my own, I went through a "dumbening" process and don't read much. I also loved Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Tolkien and C.S. Lewis Books..
I forgot all about the cute little rolling pin and cookie cutter sets. I had one of those too...In fact, I got my daughter one a few years ago for Christmas cuz it reminded me of my childhood. I also bought her an Easy Bake oven, but we only used it once, because she stuffed it full of cheese that melted all over the inside...yuck!
I grew up in the 80's and had the "Now You're Cooking" stuff. Plastic measuring cup and spoon, 9x9 plastic pan, plastic mixing bowl, and a (plastic of course) rolling pin. The rolling pin had a sleave that you could put on to cut out cookies or you could pull the one handle off and fill the rolling pin to decorate cakes. I still use the measuring cup and mixing bowl. 
I just found it on ebay! I didn't have the ice cream stuff (sundae dish and scoop), but the rest of it was definitely part of my kit.
http://tinyurl.com/2dmxup
Boy did they have all that stuff? I grew up in the 60's. I learned to bake in a real oven. I had a farmer's daughter for a mom. So I learned at a early age to cook in the kitchen. Now I feel negleted (sp). Boy I am soo sad about what they have out for kids learning to cook/bake.
Aww, I love this thread! I'm like doescakestoo, although I grew up in the 80's, I didn't have any of the cooking toys either! But, I was ALWAYS in the kitchen helping my mom cook and bake. That's where I get my love for both now! Now, when I look at all of our old birthday pictures with the cake she made us, it makes me feel good that I got that from her. She passed away 12 1/2 years ago, but I often think about how fun it would be if she were still here, and we could bake together. Sweet memories! Now, though, I don't know if it's bad. But, I try and get my son to help me w/ my baking any chance I get. I just try and convince myself that he'll like it (which he does) and we'll have that bond like my mom and I did.
Actually when I was a wee tot visiting my grandma, she had an old fashioned tiny black cast iron stove complete with frying pans, dutch oven and the like. I LOVED playing with that thing! Funny too, my oven is my FAVORITE kitchen appliance -- and mine (while not black cast iron) also has frying pans and a dutch oven...
I remember finding an old Easy Bake oven of my sister's in the attic one summer when I was about 6 or 7 years old. "Jackpot!" was my first thought as I had no idea that it was up there so you can imagine the joy I felt.
Well, then my friend, Suzie Baker (her real name!), and I decided we would make multi-colored crayons out of the little broken pieces of crayons by melting them in the little cake pan. Of course we did this covert operation in my bedroom of our new house while my grandmother was babysitting because no one knew we had found it. That was a great idea except we forgot about the whole potholder thing and when we pulled the hot pan out of the oven, we dropped it on the new carpet in my bedroom and I had a huge multi-colored wax spot right in the middle of my room. Not good. In fact, I think it scared Suzie so bad, she never came to my house again! Come to think of it, I never saw that oven again. The carpet was easily repaired with some extra carpet we had to replace that spot, but it sure left an indelible (sp?) image in my head!
Actually when I was a wee tot visiting my grandma, she had an old fashioned tiny black cast iron stove complete with frying pans, dutch oven and the like. I LOVED playing with that thing! Funny too, my oven is my FAVORITE kitchen appliance -- and mine (while not black cast iron) also has frying pans and a dutch oven...
My grandmother had the same oven! I had completely forgotten about it until your post! Awww...thanks for the memory of someone who has long passed.
Actually when I was a wee tot visiting my grandma, she had an old fashioned tiny black cast iron stove complete with frying pans, dutch oven and the like. I LOVED playing with that thing! Funny too, my oven is my FAVORITE kitchen appliance -- and mine (while not black cast iron) also has frying pans and a dutch oven...
My grandmother had the same oven! I had completely forgotten about it until your post! Awww...thanks for the memory of someone who has long passed.
You're quite welcome! 
I did hear the story of how those little ovens came into being -- back in the day of the door to door salesmen, one oven company (whose name escapes me) specialized in those super huge black cast iron stoves (lifesize.) My mother in law had one up until a couple years ago in fact! Well, needless to say, it was more than a little inconvenient to lug around a lifesize oven made from cast iron 
so they made these little bitty ones and gave those to the housewives so they could order the one they wanted. This is why many of the grandmas in the world (at least in my day) had those tiny ovens to play with. Funny thing too, I was on Ebay the other day looking for one and they are now ranging from the three to four figure range!! In light of that, I'll just cherish the memories!...
I remember finding an old Easy Bake oven of my sister's in the attic one summer when I was about 6 or 7 years old. "Jackpot!" was my first thought as I had no idea that it was up there so you can imagine the joy I felt.
You know it's funny, I had an easy-bake oven when I was about 7 years old and I couldn't stand it -- the cakes were always underbaked!! 
That should have been my first clue... 
My dil said she and her sister had one when she was little. So now my gd has one now. Boy do I feel bad. I had to wait for mom to come home and show me how to use it. Boy grandchildren loved working with it. Love watching them eat thier chocolate cake with icing. Never did get a bite.
You can get replica versions of the tiny cast iron ovens at Cracker Barrel. The last time I saw them there I think they were only $20.
The newer version of the Anne of Green Gables movies were always my stay home from school sick movies. I would watch them in a giant all day in bed movie marathon!
I remember Buzzy! That was the coolest thing. I wanted one but never got it, but I think a friend might have, not sure. I did grow up with some little baking sets and such, but my absolute favorite toy was my cotton candy machine. I still have that and pulled it out not long ago. My mom told my nephew that I had one and he called me to see if I could find it for him. We had a blast making some of the fluffy stuff together.
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%