The Rollicking Roly Toaster

By Eric Norcross
Copyright © 1998

Okay, a toaster made in 1977 may not yet have the eye-appeal of the old Machine Age models, but the Roly Toaster is certainly indicative of a design period -- from the typeface used on its front to the imitation wood grain base, this is a toaster that would fit in well in the Brady household (as in The Brady Bunch television show).

Manufactured for just one year by Munsey Products of Little Rock, Arkansas, a company still making toaster ovens and other products -- and, according to spokesman Bill Priest, the company that introduced the original Oven Toaster in the 1950s.

Mr. Priest speculated that the Roly Toaster's failure to catch on might have been because "it was a little ahead of its time."

However, even though it is a wonderfully engineered appliance and on a par with the Toast-O-Lator in adding fun to the breakfast table, it is impractical for toasting just a couple of slices of bread due to its warm up time. So, unless you were "Alice" making toast for Marcia, Greg, Jan, Peter, Cindy and Bobby (another Brady Bunch reference), it's understandable that consumers opted for the standard pop-up model.

This is one of the few toasters that truly requires the reading of the instruction booklet. The following is some of the text from the Roly Toaster's manual:

Congratulations on purchasing the most revolutionary electric toaster that has been invented in the last quarter century. Your Munsey Roly Toaster is so versatile, you can prepare buttered toast, cheese sandwiches, rolls, bagels, french bread, frozen waffles, english muffins, and sandwiches of all types. All of these "toastables" and more can be prepared to perfection in minutes. The Roly Toaster is powered by two energy saving heating elements with total combined wattage of only 700 watts. (Most conventional pop-up toasters have wattage factors ranging from 1000 to 1700 watts.)

The Roly Toaster has a solid state timer "brain" that insures your getting the exact degree of doneness you select on the variable cooking control, time after time. The Roly Toaster is so advanced, it has an automatic unloading device that slides the finished toast right onto your plate. We think you will thoroughly enjoy the versatility the Roly Toaster gives you by allowing you to put butter, topping, or spread on before toasting, for that delicious melted-in flavor.

After you have familiarized yourself with the different parts and controls of the Roly Toaster, you are ready to use your Roly Toaster.

1. Plug the cord into any 110/120 volt outlet. Allow the unit to warm up for approximately 2 to 3 minutes, or until the heating elements are a nice cherry red color.

2. Select the desired setting of light, medium, or dark, or any of the selections between 1 through 6. (See recommended times for various preparations you plan to cook.)

3. Load your bread, or other "toastables" on the toasting rack when it stops at the front of the unit. Place the bread or other "toastables" as close to the center of the rackšs end as possible. When the toasting rack rotates, it will stop under the heating elements just long enough to cook. When the cooking is done, the rack will rotate clockwise and automatically unload your toast onto your plate. Place your plate in front of the toaster and approximately 3 or 4 inches to the right of center for the toast to be unloaded directly onto plate.

4. During the cooking cycle of your first piece of toast, prepare your next "toastable", place on rack, and continue this procedure until finished.