# The Bizarre Story of the Seattle Mystery Vending Machine **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 4, 2019, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488 "2019-07-04T00:39:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2019, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488/21 "2019-07-06T02:23:22Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > Are there any businesses in Seattle that specialize in the sale of craft sodas and pop from regions outside the Pacific Northwest? If so, that could be the source of both the vending machine and the hard-to-find sodas. There’s actually a Rocket Fizz franchise just a block away from where the vending machine was. I doubt it’s them though since Rocket Fizz’s stock is almost entirely glass bottles. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2019, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488/22 "2019-07-06T14:54:02Z")
The machine is (or was) plugged to an electrical outlet. Surely someone in Seattle’s electrical utility keeps records of who is in charge of paying the bill for the juice that goes through every outlet in the city. Find out who owns the outlet where the machine is plugged into, and you now know who owns the machine. ---
**Author:** ![Shakester](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shakester/32/437_2.png) [@Shakester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shakester)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2019, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488/23 "2019-07-06T15:05:12Z")
How would leftover soft drink cans from decades ago still be drinkable? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2019, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488/24 "2019-07-06T20:04:06Z")
> [@Shakester](#): > > How would leftover soft drink cans from decades ago still be drinkable? There’s people out there with cans of Billy Beer. You can buy a single can on eBay for ~$30 including shipping. Not everything is for consumption. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2019, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488/25 "2019-07-06T20:28:31Z")
> **[What Strange Force Tends the World’s Most Mysterious Soda Machine?](https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/mystery-soda-machine)** > > An old vending machine serves up unpredictable beverages from its seemingly magical insides. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2019, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488/26 "2019-07-06T20:49:25Z")
In the video a still pic is used of a hand inserting a coin into the machine. But it’s a UK coin. Couldn’t he find a still that shows a US coin? ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2019, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488/27 "2019-07-06T21:56:52Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > The machine is (or was) plugged to an electrical outlet. Surely someone in Seattle’s electrical utility keeps records of who is in charge of paying the bill for the juice that goes through every outlet in the city. Find out who owns the outlet where the machine is plugged into, and you now know who owns the machine. Did you watch the video? They know who owns the outlet where the machine was plugged in; outlet owner has denied having anything to do with the machine. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2019, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488/28 "2019-07-06T22:23:04Z")
> [@Encinitas](#): > > Am I the only one who thought this tread was about a vending machine that dispensed mystery novels? Well, it doesn’t necessarily dispense mystery novels (though it could, who knows?), but you might be interested in the[Biblio-Mat machine in Toronto](http://www.craigsmall.com/portfolio/the-biblio-mat/). As it says right on the machine, “Every book a surprise. No two alike. Collect all 112 million titles.” ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2019, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488/29 "2019-07-07T03:17:39Z")
It is not there right now. (Walked by this evening) I know I’ve seen it before, I just never gave any thought to it one way or another (or put any money in.) huh. ---
**Author:** ![MacSpon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@MacSpon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacSpon)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2019, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488/30 "2019-07-08T23:16:52Z")
This is my favourite [mystery vending machine](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2007/10/20/world/20japan.xlarge1.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2019, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488/31 "2019-07-09T03:21:32Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > Well, it doesn’t necessarily dispense mystery novels (though it could, who knows?), but you might be interested in the[Biblio-Mat machine in Toronto](http://www.craigsmall.com/portfolio/the-biblio-mat/). > > As it says right on the machine, “Every book a surprise. No two alike. Collect all 112 million titles.” There are also [Art-o-Mats](https://www.artomat.org/) all over the US. There’s a few in my area and I have actually purchased art from them as stocking stuffer type gifts. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-bizarre-story-of-the-seattle-mystery-vending-machine/836488.md?page=1)