Tinplate kitchen stove toy

A double hotplate stove and oven toy (22 x12 x 17 cm).
Painted white, with a backboard and kitchen timer.
Part of the Children's Literature Research Collection.

This charming toy stove belonged originally to the donor's sister in the mid to late 1950s.  As a young girl she had several role-play toys relating to household arts - a toy iron, toy broom and dustpan, a toy rolling pin, a beautiful miniature Singer sewing machine, and an Alice in Wonderland tea-set. These toys later devolved to the donor, as did the majority of the toys of both his older siblings.

The stove originally had a little frying pan and aluminium saucepans with lids. The timer on the backboard of the stove had a tiny knob at the back to move the hand around the dial. In the run of play the accessories have disappeared and the timer no longer works. The oven door is held closed with a pipe-cleaner to prevent further damage.

Permission to use this item for any purpose, including publishing, is not required from the State Library under these conditions of use.

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