Prompt Cast
The History and Appeal of Mold-A-Rama Machines
TLDR Mold-A-Rama machines, which create plastic toys on-demand, were a popular attraction at World's Fairs in the 1960s and are still in use today. These machines use injection blow molding to create hollow objects and offer a nostalgic experience for customers.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
A Mold-A-Rama is a machine that creates plastic toys on-demand by injecting and molding melted plastic.
05:14
A Mold-A-Rama is a machine that creates plastic toys on-demand by injecting and molding melted plastic, and it evokes nostalgia for a bygone era.
09:17
The founder of Mold-A-Rama, Tike Miller, started making plaster replacement nativity figures and eventually transitioned to plastic toys, including the popular Purple People Eater, before going bankrupt in 1959 and coming up with the idea for a vending machine that could make the toys on demand.
13:39
Mold-A-Rama machines were a huge hit at the Seattle and New York World's Fairs in the 1960s, with as many as 150 machines at the New York fair and the ability for companies to license and brand their own machines.
18:33
Mold-A-Rama machines were expensive to manufacture and required constant maintenance, leading to Aramark eventually selling off their machines in the 70s, but they are still in use today at various locations.
23:18
Mold-A-Rama machines use injection blow molding to create hollow objects, and the excess plastic is reused, making them fragile but cost-effective, and despite being built in the 1960s, many of these machines are still in use today.
27:36
The Mold-A-Rama machines do not have different figures for each machine, but you can change the color of the figure by changing the mold, and the process of watching the machine create the figure is a big part of the appeal.
32:01
There are approximately 300 different designs for Mold-A-Rama figures, including ones for specific events and locations, and some of the newer figures are made by a skilled sculptor who takes great care in creating detailed and high-quality molds.
36:40
Mold-A-Rama machines have supported three generations of the family that operates them, with some locations making up to 130,000 figurines a year and grossing around $260,000.
41:21
The Golden Goat machine was a cool invention that allowed customers to exchange their used aluminum cans for money and compacted the cans for recycling, years before the green movement.
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Society & Culture
