John had (still has?) a minor claw machine addiction. When we were little kids, I always thought they were a waste of money and didn't understand how he could just throw his money away just to get ripped off and frustrated. Apparently I was cynical and jaded even at the ripe old age of ten.
Korea takes claw machines...not to another level, but down an interesting detour. They are all over the place, more than I remember seeing wandering around pretty much anywhere in the US.
"Touch Crain"
"Love Push"
Now the tables have turned and I find myself dumping 500 to 1000 won in these things daily. But my efforts are not in vain! I have a small collection of prizes,and it continues to grow—the machines here are not designed to rip you off quite so much: tighter grips, rubber tips on the claws, etc. Here's my little family so far:
Not all of the prizes are this cute, though. The standards for "claw machine prize" are different here than back home:
In addition to flashlights, "mp4 players," and 3-way USB gadgets, I've also seen lighters, matching bra/underwear sets, t-shirts, and a cordless drill. I'm staying away from power tools, though, and sticking strictly with Chinese-imported, probably-toxic bobbleheads.
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so, is one of your little treasures "Stitch" from Lilo & Stitch (or is it lilo .....); remember the claw machines that would grab a handful of penny candy? a winner every time!!
ReplyDeleteThat one's Stitch, yes (though I haven't seen the movie).
ReplyDeleteNo "winner every time" machines here, though.
I hope u r not dumping all of your moaney into these machines
ReplyDeleteThe baby Mario World-esque toadstool is just about the cutest thing ever and I want to steal it.
ReplyDeleteoh god, you've become mark.
ReplyDelete(though, his collection is beating yours...)
fyi i won a gameboy out of a claw machine on a band trip like 4 years ago.
ReplyDeleteCall me when you win a cordless powerdrill and then we'll talk.
ReplyDelete(I knew you won something ridiculous, though...but I couldn't remember what.)
so, is it a sad commentary that your posting with the most 'comments' is associated with a claw machine, when most of your other posts are full of 'real' information about cultures, people, etc....
ReplyDelete