It has been one of the iconic toys for girls for decades, usually mentioned as an archetypal Christmas gift for the pre-pre-teen young girl in your life--The Easy-Bake oven. Just as G.I. Joe is often mentioned as the stereotypical toy for boys, the Easy-Bake is usually given the same association for girls.

However, that may not be the case any more.

We have written in the past how toys marketed to girls overwhelmingly reinforce gender roles (i.e. a woman's place is in the kitchen). Well, there has been a unique development in the world of toy gender marketing.

The iconic Easy-Bake oven is no longer the girly toy of choice. Now, boys who enjoy cooking, but don't want to be ostracized for having a girl's toy, can ply their craft with the unisex version of an Easy-Bake oven. The story behind the new product is the most remarkable part of this tale.

McKenna Pope, a 13 year-old girl, petitioned the oven's maker, Hasbro, to consider the gender-neutral Easy-Bake because she wanted to buy one for her younger brother. However, the only colors the oven came in were pink and purple. So, she set out to change that by posting a petition on Change.org, which got more than 40,000 signatures, and imploring the leadership at the company to consider marketing its toy to boys. She even got the support of celebrity chef Bobby Flay.

The result? In 2013, blue, silver and black Easy-Bake ovens will be available in 2013, and boys will be featured in advertisements for the product. Bravo, Mckenna on a job well done!

FletcherPR is a national communications firm that specializes in reaching women through the power of media. Headquartered in Knoxville, TN with staff in Nashville & Los Angeles, we are a full-service agency providing strategic public relations, social media and marketing communications services to our clients throughout the U.S.