Thursday, February 09, 2006

Gumball Machines.....


I have a small gumball machine collection. My Dad is now displaying them in his den...aka the dungeon. What is it about these stupid machines that will send kids in to convolutions if they are not allowed to put a nickel, dime or quarter into it, turn the dial and get a hand full of crappy candy? As a kid, you would run to the machines when you entered the Grocery store, or the gas station, you would eye it with anticipation. Could you really behave well enough during that visit to receive a coin for your farewell? MAN, that meant you couldn't beg for all those sugary treats and cereals, you couldn't touch every box, bottle and can in the store. You had to stay out of the way so the little old ladies didn't get annoyed that you were blocking their way down the aisle. That was a lot to ask.
I was a fan of the bouncy balls. Back when I was a kid they were ten cents. If you were lucky, you could get a bouncy ball...but you would still turn all the cranks on the candy machines, you would lift the flaps to see if you got lucky and someone had missed a gumball. Usually you would just find peanut....blah, who wanted that. If you were lucky you would have gotten the bouncy ball with the swirled colors or better yet the clear ball with the glitter inside it. MAN, that was the bomb!
The pathetic thing is that I still get excited when I walk into a store and see those machines. I have to scan them to see if there is anything worth wasting a quarter on. Usually there isn't.
You will be happy to know, that after 35 years, I have finally given up on getting the ring out of the machine. I always get something stupid instead, like tattoos.

14 comments:

cityman05 said...

I love the gumball machines, too. You can still get some cool stuff out of them. Oh, like the sticky hand. It's a very good tool for getting yourself in trouble with an angry spouse who just got whapped upside the head with it. LOL.

Netter said...

LOL, the sticky hands, who forget the streachy sticky hand. You know Kip, one day your wife will beat you in your sleep...just keep it up and see what happens.

Anonymous said...

Gumballs! Who wants about 850 of the stupid things.. I cleaned out all the old gumballs and was going to refill it with some of the 850 that I got in a big box from Sam's Club,, well, guess what, the friggin things are to big and won't fit thru the holes... so Now I have 850 balls of double bubble gum... I think the kids in our room at school will be getting a baggie of gumballs for Valentines day treats.. Will still have a slug of them left though.. I have been chewing them, but after a while they make my jaw hurt, so I have to lay off of them for a while. Maybe I'll see if Tisha wants a bunch... Any ideas, what to do with a whole bunch of them.. I don't want to throw them away...I kept the old ones, so I guess I will have to take a few along next time I look for gumballs
maybe then I can get the right size.. The side of the box has a bunch of different things you can use in those machines, but How the heck do you know the size when they are listed like .968 or .563?? Why couldn't they say 1/2 inch or 3/4 inch or whatever the heck they are???!!!!!! I'm open to suggestions here!!!!

Netter said...

Hahahahah...oh Man! I have an idea of how you can get rid of the rest of them. I'll call you with my plan. lol.

Anonymous said...

Sorry Millie about your ball problems. I know I beat Netter to the punch line. 850 balls theirs got to be someone out there that can handle all of them. By the way are they sugerless.

Netter said...

They better be sugarless ifshe is chewing them....OR she is going to be in trouble.

Anonymous said...

No, unfortunenally (boy, that doesn't look right, but I don't feel like looking it up) they are not sugarfree. I limit myself on them, so I'm o.k. I'm holding steady between 90 and 100, so I'm not to afraid of 1 gumball a day...

Anonymous said...

No, unfortunenally (boy, that doesn't look right, but I don't feel like looking it up) they are not sugarfree. I limit myself on them, so I'm o.k. I'm holding steady between 90 and 100, so I'm not to afraid of 1 gumball a day...

Anonymous said...

sorry about the duplicate comment. It showed as not going the first time and gave me a different set of verification letters...Oh, technology crap!!!

Netter said...

What duplicate? Check your blood sugar, Mom...I think you are losing it. LOL, I thought you were saying that you keep your in take of gumballs to 90-100 a day....but that was just your sugar level.

Anonymous said...

The gumball fairy is going to make a deposit of a couple of bags of gumballs on someones doorstep this week-end.. Surprise!! They do fit in the jaw breaker machine, but you have to wiggle the coin slot lever in order to get it to slide, so I didn't put very many in it, because I didn't think the weight of the gumballs would help the process of getting the gumballs out.!! I'll still deliver to the doorstep, just to get rid of some of them...

Anonymous said...

Jeez, girl, get you eyes checked.. I see two comments with unfortunenally spelled wrong (not counting this one) Both are just above your last comment...

Netter said...

Unfortunatley you are wrong, that is how we dyslexics spell that word. Stop harassing the handicapped!

Netter said...

OH!!! you spelled it wrong.....lol, well, I just figured it sounded like something I would do.