Peppy The Clown Lives!

I was so delighted to find another one of the coin operated machines that made such an impact on my as a little kid. When I was a youngin' I loved me some puppets. I was obsessed with puppets and hoped to one day become a professional puppetter. Well, that didn't happen - but I've always had a special place in my heart for puppets. One of my favorite things to stumble upon in an arcade back in my youth was a machine that let you push buttons and opperate a marionette. Marionettes were like the cadalac of puppets to a kid with no money. It wasn't until I was in the fourth grade that I ever laid my hands on a marionette, but before then the coin-op puppet machine was just about the next best thing.

The machine consisted of a puppet on a stage, his mouth was controlled automatically to lip synch with a song, but through four buttons you could control the left and right hands and feet. I found one of these machines recently in my off-beat travels. I was thrilled that it still worked. My kids thought I was crazy for being so obsessed with such a simple concept, but 15 seconds after I dropped the quarter in the slot, the kids were pushing me out of the way to have a go at it. I was glad to see it brought good old fashioned smiles to their faces.

One of the feet didn't work but it was still great to see the machine again, Here's a video I took:


There were several different versions of this idea floating around arcades back in the day. I remember this one most vividly along with one only found at Walt Disney World (and I assume Disneyland) which featured a marionette of one of the bears from The Country Bear Jamboree. Good times!

Herbie Coin-Op Ride

spotted in Rehoboth Beach, DE

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Do You Have Change For a Dollar?

If I worked anywhere near a Pizza Vending Machine I would probably single-handedly empty out the entire machine within a week. It's one thing to get a Coke or a bag of chips out of a vending machine, but to be delivered fresh hot pizza - right to your kneecaps - that's something special! The other day while I was researching another post, I came across some vending machines that were either awesome or strange. I've assembled some photos here for your approval.


One of my favorite vending machines has always been the one with the different rotating shelves of food. The top shelves always have some bigger food items like burgers or a little tray of meatloaf and potatoes. Then, there's usually a small matching microwave nearby where you can heat up your vend-o meal in under a minute! That's all good eatin' right there. This pizza machine cooks and dispenses your pie in under two minutes. I'm serious, I would really like to see one of these machines in action...especially around lunch time!



I would also totally flip out if I ever cross paths with one of these hot dog machines. I'd imagine opening that little door and having the aroma of a warm, delicious hot dog grilled by a robot hitting your nose would be one of the top 5 scents of all time! I wonder if you can get chili and cheese on those dogs?

How many times have you been out and about and suddenly found yourself needing some Legos. I'd say it's safe to say that most people are in the habit of walking out the front door without a pack of Legos. I guess that's where this machine comes in!? Actually, this photo was taken in an airport overseas. I suppose it is kind of nice to be able to grab some Legos for your kids before a long flight, but really you should have thought about that before you got to the airport.

This is an iPod machine. It sells iPods. How strange is that?

...not as strange as a machine where you can grab your own lobster! I've actually seen one of these machines in a restaurant in Florida. If you can manage to pick up one of those pinchy suckers and deposit it in the hole, the restaurant will cook it up and serve it to ya at no extra charge. I'm sure this game was invented by someone who really has something against PETA.

And last but not least, I bring you - all the way from California - the marijuana vending machine! As you may know, in good ol' CA you can actually get a prescription from your doctor to legally smoke the ganja. There are places where you can go to buy your stash, but these vending machines have been popping up recently to serve the need. You have to get a prescription code from your doctor to be able to purchase the weed, your average Joe Schmoe can purchase the other tobacco products in the machine with no problem. The actual machine has an extra metal case around it. You can't see any of the products and it helps protect against theft. Either way, it's probably not a bad idea to put a Dorittos machine right next to every one of these pot machines.