Phil is correct. I had a friend who worked at these fairs and said they DO hire people to walk around with their prizes to draw gullible people to come thinking they could win their games. The fact is very few got lucky or truly skilled. I don’t get why they kept their prizes tightly to their chests…they are intended to be won? My friend said these prizes are expensive and they try to keep them through the season without reordering or tapping into the stored supply and to ensure keeping their prizes is to make the games hard to win. Geez. They just want your money. Folks, don’t be tricked. Just skip those games. Go to the booths, rides, food trucks, crafts show, etc.
I once knew a guy that was a wiz at the games. According to him, they are all winnable but you have to know the trick. He knew all the tricks and one enough giant stuffed animals he was giving them away.
Many years ago my older brother, at one of those carnival pop-gun booths where you had to knock over milk bottles or some such, asked the guy if there were any rules about how you had to hold the rifle. The guy said no, as long as you stayed behind the counter. Not realizing my brother was really tall and had really long arms. My brother proceeded to use the rifle as a pistol – that is, at full arm’s length – which put the muzzle close enough to the targets that he could barely miss. Plus the round (I think they were cork?) had enough energy to really knock the targets over. If memory serves, my brother won just about everything he and his girlfriend wanted, and they closed the booth until he went away!
These drawings were done with all of the sounds, sights, rides and disappointment I could remember. The only thing I ever won at an arcade was a big box of chocolates. Crazy with excitement, my friend Marian and I opened them up on the bus on the way home. Inside we found the dusty, grey, broken remains of what must have been the oldest chocolates in the world. Oh well, we did get a story out of it, which in the end, is better than a first prize after all!
At the Michigan State Fair many years ago, my mother tossed her last quarter onto a saucer at one of these games and won a giant pink stuffed elephant that I had to carry all of the rest of the day!
I’m sorry to hear that the guys walking around the midways with the stuffed animals are shills. It is much more fun to admire them for their luck or skill, even if I know I can’t win those games.
In the 1950’s I could usually pull a prize out of the “skill crane” or “Erie Digger” machines. The ones you see now in restaurant lobbies are designed so that the forks will slip off anything in the prize bin. I have an antique skill crane in my family room and the grandkids love it. The youngest actually pulled out the pocket knife with the dollar bill. Anybody else remember?
I’d never thought of that! I’ll bet that’s true! Not to say I haven’t won things, but never a gigantic stuffed animal. But that’s because when I do win, it’s at a game that isn’t too hard to win. I’ve won at “I Got It!” a few times. And there’s the one where the guy will guess age, weight, or birth month and I’ve won that a couple times too.
Those claw machines are rigged, too. I found this out from someone who worked at a supermarket that had one of these machines next to the exit.
The vendor who serviced it explained that the claw is programmed to fully clamp down on the prize only intermittently. It can be set to do this every fifth, tenth, or for however many attempts they wish to program it. That is the reason why you can hook a stuffed animal only to have it slip out when the claw picks it up. The claw is deliberately not closing completely. More quarters for the vending company!
howtheduck over 6 years ago
Maybe in order to win a prize, you have to wear odd clothing:
Panel 1 guy has studded pants and a vest over no shirt, with his pants pulled up to his belly button.
Panel 4 guy has shorts with strange designs on them and bright yellow shoes.
capricorn9th over 6 years ago
Phil is correct. I had a friend who worked at these fairs and said they DO hire people to walk around with their prizes to draw gullible people to come thinking they could win their games. The fact is very few got lucky or truly skilled. I don’t get why they kept their prizes tightly to their chests…they are intended to be won? My friend said these prizes are expensive and they try to keep them through the season without reordering or tapping into the stored supply and to ensure keeping their prizes is to make the games hard to win. Geez. They just want your money. Folks, don’t be tricked. Just skip those games. Go to the booths, rides, food trucks, crafts show, etc.
jpayne4040 over 6 years ago
Uh-no; he’s on to us!
NeedaChuckle Premium Member over 6 years ago
I play them for giggles. Yeah, I know they are fixed but so are lotto and slot machines, but that doesn’t stop anyone.
Red Phantom over 6 years ago
I once knew a guy that was a wiz at the games. According to him, they are all winnable but you have to know the trick. He knew all the tricks and one enough giant stuffed animals he was giving them away.
WestofthePecan Premium Member over 6 years ago
Many years ago my older brother, at one of those carnival pop-gun booths where you had to knock over milk bottles or some such, asked the guy if there were any rules about how you had to hold the rifle. The guy said no, as long as you stayed behind the counter. Not realizing my brother was really tall and had really long arms. My brother proceeded to use the rifle as a pistol – that is, at full arm’s length – which put the muzzle close enough to the targets that he could barely miss. Plus the round (I think they were cork?) had enough energy to really knock the targets over. If memory serves, my brother won just about everything he and his girlfriend wanted, and they closed the booth until he went away!
Mumblix Premium Member over 6 years ago
Lynn’s Notes:
These drawings were done with all of the sounds, sights, rides and disappointment I could remember. The only thing I ever won at an arcade was a big box of chocolates. Crazy with excitement, my friend Marian and I opened them up on the bus on the way home. Inside we found the dusty, grey, broken remains of what must have been the oldest chocolates in the world. Oh well, we did get a story out of it, which in the end, is better than a first prize after all!
birdface over 6 years ago
At the Michigan State Fair many years ago, my mother tossed her last quarter onto a saucer at one of these games and won a giant pink stuffed elephant that I had to carry all of the rest of the day!
agrozlinagy over 6 years ago
Can someone explain to me what this game with the coin and the upturned glasses about? Not familiar with US midways, I’m afraid…
Jan C over 6 years ago
I’m sorry to hear that the guys walking around the midways with the stuffed animals are shills. It is much more fun to admire them for their luck or skill, even if I know I can’t win those games.
summerdog86 over 6 years ago
My faith in mankind has gone down a notch or two. I knew the games were ridged…I did not know those people carrying the huge prizes didn’t win them.
ms-ss over 6 years ago
In the 1950’s I could usually pull a prize out of the “skill crane” or “Erie Digger” machines. The ones you see now in restaurant lobbies are designed so that the forks will slip off anything in the prize bin. I have an antique skill crane in my family room and the grandkids love it. The youngest actually pulled out the pocket knife with the dollar bill. Anybody else remember?
bookworm0812 over 6 years ago
I’d never thought of that! I’ll bet that’s true! Not to say I haven’t won things, but never a gigantic stuffed animal. But that’s because when I do win, it’s at a game that isn’t too hard to win. I’ve won at “I Got It!” a few times. And there’s the one where the guy will guess age, weight, or birth month and I’ve won that a couple times too.
Jonathan K. and the Elusive Dream Girl over 6 years ago
Those claw machines are rigged, too. I found this out from someone who worked at a supermarket that had one of these machines next to the exit.
The vendor who serviced it explained that the claw is programmed to fully clamp down on the prize only intermittently. It can be set to do this every fifth, tenth, or for however many attempts they wish to program it. That is the reason why you can hook a stuffed animal only to have it slip out when the claw picks it up. The claw is deliberately not closing completely. More quarters for the vending company!
tuslog1964 over 6 years ago
And what do you win? A dustcatcher that’ll be tossed months later!
Asharah over 6 years ago
I won a stuffed bear at Whack-a-Mole at Hershey Park