Magic Chef -- script logo

Magic Chef logo.
Uploaded by Andrew Raimist.

Magic Chef was the flagship brand of the American Stove Company which was created as a conglomerate of many different stove manufacturing companies. This logo is one of many images created to represent the brand to the public.

There's a fundamental break in the psychology and marketing of these two names. The script logo seems as if it were made to appeal to the residential market for stoves. The American Stove Company logo of all capital, sans-serif lettering seems as if it were more directed toward commercial kitchens and institutions.

American Stove Co. Plate.
Uploaded by Andrew Raimist.

Eventually, the company changed its name to "Magic Chef, Inc." but its sales of natural gas ranges was already in a downward trend. In the postwar residential market, it seems the "all electric" house was the winner in the majority of homes constructed. Perhaps builders felt the savings from not having to run gas lines offset any sentimental or actual value in cooking via flame vs. radiant electric coils. Perhaps safety, fire, odor, and carbon monoxide poisoning were also factors in the general turn away from natural gas. Magic Chef stuck with gas as the fuel source for their stoves and the company was eventually sold off and its assets divided.