Toy skillet and knife having simulated sound-producing capabilities

Abstract

A battery powered toy in the form of a skillet has a simulated cooking surface of dielectric material containing thereon a grid of electrically conductive strips which are normally electrically insulated from each other by reason of the dielectric cooking surface that exists between the strips. When a deformable material, such as Play-Doh.RTM. brand modeling compound, having a sufficiently low electrical conductivity is kneaded or cut into the shape of an article of food and is manually placed on the cooking surface so as to bridge or span portions of the electrically conductive strips constituting the grid, the deformable material completes a circuit that activates a noise signal generator which produces through the agency of a small speaker a sizzling sound resembling that of frying food. Provision is made for a realistic build-up of the frying sound when the deformable material is first placed on the cooking surface, and also a realistic decaying or fading of the frying sound is provided when the 'food' is removed from the cooking surface. The noise signal generator, speaker and other electronic components are contained in the handle of a toy knife. The knife has a blade formed of a central strip of dielectric material which is sandwiched between adjacent metal foil contacts or strips. When the knife is removed from the skillet and the blade pressed against some of the electrically conductive deformable material, a circuit is completed which causes the speaker to emit a sound resembling that of an electric slicing knife. Undue drain on the battery is prevented until the circuit is completed through the deformable material and the skillet grid or through the deformable material and the knife blade.