Penny Press #1 - Dallas Zoo

It's about time this blog had a recurring feature and I can think of no machine more deserving than the Penny Press a.k.a. the Penny Smasher a.k.a. the Penny Crusher. This works out well for me since any time I see one (and I have the right amount of change) I tend to use one. So here we go!

Our first Penny Squasher Machine is at the Dallas Zoo:

The choices at this machine are Tiger, Parrot, Elephant and Chimps. There is at least one other machine at the zoo (near their monorail) but I didn't get to look at that one so I don't know if they had different choices.

So I picked the elephant and even afterward I can confidently say that I made the best choice. I mean, come on, it's an elephant!

More penny squashers coming soon (as soon as I see another one)!

Vintage Gum Vending Machines

Found these amongst some of the roadside highlights of Tyler, TX. They were in the "Country Store" portion of Brookshire's World of Wildlife Museum and Country Store.

Looks like the staff had to add some "For Display Only" signs. I guess that at one cent, the gum was too temping to resist.

Restoration Project: Kotex Dispenser

Here's an awesome vending restoration project. It was done by Randy Davis and sent to us by the great Uncle Frank from The Hot Dog Hall of Fame. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

Before:

After:

Tribble Claw Machine

If you've got the Claw Machine skills then you could be the proud owner of your very own Tribble! This was spotted at Comicpalooza in Houston, TX and is owned by these guys.

Jitterbeans!

If you need to stay awake on that next long haul, then try a handful of Jitterbeans! Looks like these are chocolate covered coffee beans and are meant as an energy supplement. I found this at a truck stop (of course) in Terrell, TX (birthplace of Jamie Foxx, by the way).

Spider-Mobile

Spider-Man doesn't really need a Spider-Mobile but it sure is cool nonetheless. Found this in a Toys 'R' US in Dallas, TX:


As you can se by his dashboard view screen, he is in hot pursuit of the Hobgoblin:

56 Foot Tall Vending Machine

To celebrate some new, horrible flavor, Doritos built what may be the world's largest vending machine at SXSW in Austin, TX:


Here's video of it going up:

JACKED Stage Time Lapse Video from MagicBullet Media, Inc. on Vimeo.

Ask Zultan

Got a question? Just Ask Zultan! This little beauty was found in the Museum of the Weird in Austin, TX:



Here's a little video of Zultan in action for your viewing pleasure:

Elephant Ride

Elephant ride spotted in Mineola, TX