Toy stove

Miniature cast-iron stoves first appeared in the 1840s, modeled after full-sized cook stoves used in American kitchens, and later resembled range stoves that became popular in the 1880s. Two different types of manufacturers produced these child-sized stoves, making it difficult to determine their intended purpose. Toy makers made many of the miniature cast-iron stoves of the 19th century, and these companies most likely considered the stoves as playthings. However, manufacturers of full-sized stoves also produced exact, miniature replicas of their real stoves, possibly as "salesmen samples" used to demonstrate the features of a particular stove to potential buyers. Even stove manufacturers, however, may have envisioned these small stoves as toys. The 1916 Hughes Electric Company catalog, for instance, contained 80 pages of full-sized stoves, and a two-page spread dedicated to a 15-inch stove, touted as the "Idol of a Million Little Girls, a Real Electric Range," and "a gift that makes the child love to cook." This advertisement suggests that, though some manufacturers may have made stoves for salesmen, many manufacturers intended these stoves as children's playthings.