Gumball machine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A gumball machine is a toy or commercial device, a specific type of vending machine, which dispenses gumballs, usually for a small fee paid in coins.
Originally one penny, the current standard cost of one gumball in the United States is one quarter.
Although there were vending machines for stick or block shaped gum as early as 1888, the first machines to carry actual gumballs were not seen until 1907 (probably released first by the Thomas Adams Gum Co. in the United States).
Generally, a gumball machine consists of a clear sphere (originally glass, now most often plastic) which is filled with gumballs, sitting on top of a metal base. It has a metal top on top of it with a keyhole in top of it so that the top can be removed and gumballs can be put in. The coin is inserted into the base and a handle is turned around clockwise about 45 degrees, depositing the coin and allowing a gumball to be dispensed into a container at the bottom of the machine that is closed off by a little metal door. Then the handle is turned counter-clockwise about 45 degrees so that another coin can be deposited.
Most gumball machines have a simple mechanism for dispensing the gumball, to the point of the actual dispensation being largely invisible (after turning the handle the gumball is deposited behind the door). However, some gumball machines have more elaborate methods. Most of them utilize the potential energy of the gumball's location above the base, by, for instance, causing it to roll down a spiral ramp, or a set of diagonal disks (each one is tilted in an opposite) with holes in lowest point. The most elaborate mechanisms also use electricity to power various forms of transit for the gumball on its way to dispensation (e.g. lifts and pulleys), as well as numerous ramps, drops and paths.
Gumball machines are usually seen in rows of 3 or more.
"Gumball machine" is also a popular term for a kind of warning light used on emergency vehicles and a slang term for a police cruiser, especially older cruisers that used this kind of light.
A gumball machine was used as the head of Mystery Science Theater 3000 character Tom Servo.
