Enterprising youngster gets himself stuck in a claw machine
By Paul Miller 
posted Apr 18th 2008 12:04PM
posted Apr 18th 2008 12:04PM
[Via Tech Digest]
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Even if the kid could have fit through the prize hole, I doubt anyone could have won him, because of the damn slippery claw
but he would have thought he was the chosen one...
Yes, the fact that he squeezed through the hole, but still managed to bring his hat with him, and keep it on his head!
Is a claw-machine considered a gadget now?
BTW: this is not the first, fifth, or ninth time this has happened. http://consumerist.com/consumer/claw-machines/hey-look-theres-a-kid-in-this-claw-machine-163638.php
I hear Pedobear always keeps a bag full of quarters handy exactly for moments like this.
Knowing i was stuck in one of these things, i would have crouched down under the glass, so nobody could see me, then wait for some lucky winner to "win" the machene, and then after it falls down the prize chute, toss it back up. or if that fails, grab the person's hand as it comes to get a lucky suprize, half the tank of stuffed animals.
To stupidity and beyond!
I'm an arcade game tech and I actually see this kinda thing happen alot.
Depending on the style of crane, such as this one, its really pretty easy to get inside, so long as the door doesn't shut completely after the last win.
The only thing they would have needed to do to get him out was play the game at all. His being in the prize box would have tripped the opto and they game would essentially dispense him as a prize, and unlock the door.
I hope they press charges on his parents. I never let them get away with it, as its treated as theft. ^^
Maybe it's been said, but I can imagine the claw grabbing the kids head, lifting him up and dropping him just before getting to the chute.
Talk about getting your hand caught in the cookie jar...
I mean caught with your hand in the cookie jar.
Both, really...
I think your first post fits better
Sure he wasn't just trying to be the Pope?
Best...post...ever
I didn't see any white smoke.
But on that note, I guess he couldn't be classified as a pedophile, am I right?
BAUAHAHAHAH GG WOW WOWOWOWOW OWN3D!!!! OMG POPE FTW... WTF FTW!
@ jperry, mostly:
I prefer to avoid that angle, and instead think that it would be hilarious if, while the Pope (or this kid) was in that glass booth, a bunch of $100 bills start flying up.
Thats a very sad short lookin pope, he probobly made up a new game, popemobile, first on to look like the pope in his mobile wins!
God this coment is drenched in failsauce.
Nah, the kid was Muslim.
I wonder if they gave him a toy to keep.
You tried to rob us.
Here, have a toy.
lol good point.
Still he attempted something every kid has thought of. That has to earn him some credit.
He gets the credit of having this video dug up during his wedding to completely and utterly embarrass the dumbass!
@lonecow
When I was in elementary school there was a kid that got his arm stuck in a coke machine while trying to reach up and steal one. Fire department had to come out and cut a hole in the side of the machine to free his arm.
Have we all thought about doing that? Yes.
Did we give him credit? No, we laughed at him for, well, years. He is in college now and I graduated and when i saw him last year we still brought it up.
At my HS no one got caught with their hand in the vending machine, but the vending people lost a lot of soda and candy!
yeah even if he did steal, the guys would look bad not giving him something.
hate this onscreen keyboard
I think every Walmart should have at least 40 of these new brat catchers.
Yet another case where childhood obesity would have prevented an unfortunate occurrence...
poor little guy!
Since when did we start rewarding stupidity with kindness? Hopefully the kid is traumatized every time his parents take him to Chuck E Cheese!
Khris...
I submit that one must have a fully developed brain to qualify for the label of "stupid".
How about a little perspective lest you risk being stuck with your own label?
Derbeste
You've managed to insert your head so far up your ass that your Dentist can examine your hemorrhoids! Congratulations on that, but remember just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
@Khris
Wow, man . . you are posting a lot of comments on this one. Methinks thou dost project too much. What vending machine did you get stuck in when you were a kid, Einstein?
I'm posting comments because I find it hysterical that some little rug muncher got himself stuck in a toy dispenser.
IMO, this is the perfect way to have children. They're quiet (assuming the glass is sound proof), they've got toys to play with, and when you're annoyed you can pump some quarters in and prod at them with the mechanical claw!
Save us a Columbine and don't create, please.
I didn't realize we were trying to show off how ignorant we could be now.
Ok, you win.
I apologize for insinuating you are stupid.
Clearly you don't have a fully developed brain.
My bad.
The stuffed toys couldn't Rick Roll him for losing,
So they trapped him inside!
That's just evil.
It's the Orphan-O-Matic 3000!
The question no one was asking was "Where was the frickin kids parents when he was attempting his robbery stunt???" Serves the kid right for getting trapped, though they'll probably try and sue the company due to the simple fact he was able to get in but couldn't get out! The joy of this is that he will forever be remembered as the dumb*ss kid to get stuck in a prize-catcher machine; that's going to be priceless.
I'd say the kid was very smart to just go in there to grab the toy. Too many times I've played those games and the claw drops the toy just before it reaches the hole. Depriving me from the sheer joy that I beat the system.
They could use this to catch child molesters.
That's what chris hansen is for "what are you doing here?"
Survival of the fittest, and this kid doesn't have a chance!!
This isn't the 1st time it has happened http://www.buzzlife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=27943
It seems to happen once or twice a year.
I wonder how many quarters it took to get him out?!
The machine was empty.....no one wanted the brat back!
It's Australian so prob a dollar or so with those machines
You get about 5 goes for a dollar... definitely too much to attempt a rescue.
Give Michael Jackson a crack at it, I bet he'll get the kid out.
DFA 1979, FTW.
you know this lady she's my baby, she's my baby, baby
Bad taste! But the funny outweighs the taste :)
And this is why you only use little kids to get prizes at skee ball, no chance to get stuck in the machine.
"These are my awards from army, mother. The seal is for marksmanship."
are we now resorting to OLD news? REPOST!!!!!!!!!!!!
If it's old news to you, move on and shut the hell up!
Haven't they figured out a better way to find homes for the children from the Polygamist's compound?
Well....the state of TX did say they were providing toys for the kids.
This seems like something TX would do.
Though if that is the case, I'm surprised he doesn't have a gun.
"Mother pays 20.000 dollars in quarters to free her son" would have been a much better headline =)
This is Australia, we don't have quarters here!
I didn't know this was an Australian story. Said that nowhere in the text. Nevermind.
"Mom pays 20.000 AU$ in to free her son" would have been a much better headline. XD
You ruined my joke stupid less than sign. :/
test
I'm no professor but it looks to me like you've failed this test.
thanks...i did that because i replied once but it did not show up.
Perhaps Engadget is filtering out stupid comments.
-icicle's
@Khris: yet your comments keep on coming through.
@retro77
They sure are! Guess that tells you the filter is working properly.
I finally found my troll match. grats.
In evolutionary terms, it's a technological tar pit. Should have let nature take its course.
That is so funny, but I still feel for the kid, he was really scared.
shoulda left him in there! just insert food and waste tubes. As he grows he will take the shape of the machine and become bonsai boy!
Another fine example of 21st century parenting skills. My mother would have left me in there for several hours to learn my lesson.
The upshot is now that woman will probably sue the arcade and maybe even the maker of the machine for "pain and suffering".
No, only in the US can you get away with such upside-down lawsuits. I'm sure we'll have some kind of Congressional repercussions in the States, where they use statistics on kids caught in vending machines to force safety regulations.
Unlucky dip indeed.
In soviet russia, toy machine picks you!!
Maybe he looks up to Lenin and wanted to be just like him (Glass Coffin).
I did this when I was a kid. It seemed like a good idea at the time: play with all the toys you want! It didn't work out quite so well. They had to call the company that run the machine and get a rep to come out with a key.
I don't remember whether they gave me a toy or not, but I do remember climbing into the prize door.
BAH! Writing ability: FAIL! that should have read "...company that ran..."
Says the guy with no vowels in his name.
i'd like to buy a vowel, Pat
Yes, is there an "E?"
I hope he never finds out about chimneys...
Toy Designer: "I need you to design a new claw machine."
Wicked Witch: "As you desire."
--
Seriously, though, if you were ever looking for a non-lethal "mousetrap" for small children, I think we have a winner here.
Litter these throughout the free world, and put sweet, sweet candy inside. Before long, all the annoying unattended children will be trapped inside. Then we'll only need to find someone willing to empty the traps.
Don't worry. We'll set them free in the forest. I did say "non-lethal", didn't I?
Didn't you guys get the memo: children are to be born without responsible parents.
Derbeste
You've managed to insert your head so far up your ass that your Dentist can examine your hemorrhoids! Congratulations on that, but remember just because you can, doesn't mean you should.
Clearly
If that was my daughter, I'd leave her there for a few hours to teach her a lesson.
that's swell. what's your name and address? i'm calling child services.
lesson learned, please let me out
@phan:
"Hello? Child services? Yeah, some guy on the Intarwebs said he would discipline his child by making her learn from her mistakes. We can't have that kind of responsible parenting! It's unethical! DO SOMETHING!!!1!"
*click*
"Hello? HELLO?! IS ANYONE THERE?!"
The boy knew the Pope and his bishops were coming to America so he wanted to be first in the glory hole line.
Why didn't they just use the claw to get him out?
WTF???
..slow news Friday???
oh piss off this was a really funny story, it's nice to see a break from gadgets once in a while
I broke the law and the claw won.
For the Australians... No mention of "Fully Sick!!" or "Subwoofers"