Question: The Easy-Bake Oven was introduced by a toy company founded in what year?
Context: Shindana Toys, a division of Operation Bootstrap, Inc., was a South Central Los Angeles, California cooperative toy company formed in 1968, one of many Operation Bootstrap initiatives undertaken following the 1965 Watts Riots.  Company proceeds supported businesses in the Watts area.  Shindana (a Swahili word roughly meaning "to compete") Toys was community-owned and founded by Louis S. Smith, II and Robert Hall.  The latter was the company's first CEO and President; though he was succeeded in both posts by Smith.  The Chase Manhattan Bank, the Mattel Toy Company, Sears Roebuck & Co., and Equitable Life Assurance helped finance portions of the Shindana Toys operations. The Easy-Bake Oven is a working toy oven which Kenner introduced in 1963, and which Hasbro still manufactured as of late April 2016.  The original toy used an ordinary incandescent light bulb as a heat source; current versions use a true heating element.  Kenner sold 500,000 Easy-Bake Ovens in the first year of production.  By 1997, more than 16 million Easy-Bake Ovens (in 11 models) had been sold. Kenner Products was an American toy company founded in 1946.  Throughout its history the Kenner brand produced several highly recognizable toys and merchandise lines, including action figures like the original series of "Star Wars" and "Jurassic Park", as well as die cast models.  The company was closed by its corporate parent and merger Hasbro in 2000. Lionel Corporation was an American toy manufacturer and retailer that was in business from 1900 to 1995.  Founded as an electrical novelties company, Lionel specialized in various products throughout its existence, but toy trains and model railroads were its main claim to fame.  Lionel trains, produced from 1900 to 1969, drew admiration from model railroaders around the world for the solidity of their construction and the authenticity of their detail.  During its peak years in the 1950s, the company sold $25 million worth of trains per year.  In 2006, Lionel's electric train, along with the Easy-Bake Oven, became the first electric toy inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Corgi Toys (trademark) is the name of a range of die-cast toy vehicles produced by Mettoy Playcraft Ltd. in the United Kingdom.  The Mettoy (Metal Toy) company was founded in 1933 by German émigré Philip Ullmann in Northampton, England, where he was later joined by South African-born German Arthur Katz, who had previously worked for Ulmann at his toy company Tipp and Co of Nuremberg.  They decided to market a range of toy vehicles as competition to Meccano's Dinky Toys model vehicles, which had dominated the British market for many years.  Corgi Toys were introduced in the UK in July 1956 and were manufactured in Swansea, Wales, for twenty seven years before the company went into liquidation.  A management buy-out re-formed the company as Corgi Toys Limited in March 1984.  In 1989, the management sold the Corgi brand to Mattel and the factory was retained under the name of Microlink Industries Ltd.  In 1995, Corgi regained its independence as a new company, Corgi Classics Limited, and moved to new premises in Leicester. Ronald B. Howes (May 22, 1926 – February 16, 2010) was the American toy inventor, best known for his invention of the Easy-Bake Oven, which was introduced to consumers in 1963. Toyfinity is an independent toy company and artist collective.  They focus on three daily aspects: an archive; a toy production company; and a concept of toy interrelation and development.  They produce figure kits compatible with Onell Design's Glyos System Series featuring the characters from Robo Force, Mordles, Manglors, Zeroids/S.T.A.R. Team, and more.  Several are former lines previously released by Ideal Toy Company.  The toys are made of interchangeable parts, and hearken back to the durable, small-scale action figures of the 1980s.  The figures can be described as a cross between an Action figure and a Lego set.  Toyfinity toy figures are primarily sold directly by the manufacturer, although on occasion a release may be made available where a specially decorated figure is available elsewhere.  They offer two yearly fan clubs which feature exclusive figures and news. Ideal Toy Company was an American toy company founded by Morris and Rose Michtom.  During the post–World War II baby boom era, Ideal became the largest doll-making company in the United States.  Their most popular dolls included Betsy Wetsy, Toni, Saucy Walker, Shirley Temple, Miss Revlon, Patti Playpal, Tammy, Thumbelina, Tiny Thumbelina, and Crissy.  Their last big hit was the Rubik's Cube. Johnny Lightning is a brand of model cars originally produced by Topper Toys, similar to the hugely successful Mattel Hot Wheels die cast racing cars.  Their claim to fame at that time was that they were extremely fast compared to other brands of die-cast cars.  Their most important technology was to mold in a small hook under the front axle so that they could be propelled by a lever-driven catapult, far faster than could be obtained by either gravity, or battery powered "supercharger" devices.  Topper closed in 1971 and production of Johnny Lightning cars ceased for 23 years.  In 2003 Thomas Lowe secured the trademark rights to the Johnny Lightning name for his Playing Mantis company.  Playing Mantis produced toy cars under the Johnny Lightning brand name from 1994 to June 2004.  At that time Playing Mantis (including the Johnny Lightning brand) was bought by RC2 Corp. which in turn was bought by the Japanese toy company TOMY in 2011.  TOMY discontinued the Johnny Lightning line of diecast cars in 2013.  The brand continued to maintain a following by a loyal group of collectors.  In early 2016 Round 2 LLC, a toy company owned by Thomas Lowe (who also owned Playing Mantis), revived and reintroduced Johnny Lightning vehicles to the toy market for a second time. Eldon Industries, Inc. was a toy company located in Hawthorne, California (the hometown of the Mattel toy company), that also in its heyday operated factories in Canada, England, Japan, and the Netherlands.  The company is best known for items and brands that repackaged Japanese toys and distributed them worldwide - an example is the Billy Blastoff astronaut toy produced by Tomy.  Slot cars and plastic toys were common Eldon offerings.
Answer: 1946