While waiting for my in-laws to finish shopping my little niece requested a Sponge Bob capsule figure. Capsule figure vending machines are very popular in Asia, but are getting popular here also. There was an assortment of Nickelodeon figures inside (Cat-dog, Tornberries, etc, but no Ren and Stimpy. :sigh: )
I was resigned to spend at least ten dollars in quarters to get a Sponge Bob . . . Sure enough: At the first try, I got Sponge Bob! YES!!!
I am simply in awe!
Once, at one of the claw machines that you can win Land Of Misfit Toys from, I gave my four year two quarters with directions. He got a stuffed animal on the first try. Naturally, he was hooked and he begged for another hit. I obliged. * He got another stuffed animal. * ( Just as hideous as the first, I might add.)
It hasn’t happened since, but it is not from the lack of trying.
Everyone once in the while the planets align for me. The rest of the time, they are spinning wildly out of control. Feh.
I put 50c in a vending machine for a bag of Doritos, and got TWO bags! Woohoo! Makes up for one of the times the bag got stuck dangling from the dispenser coil and I got nothing.
Not a victory for me, but:
We’re out shopping for birthday/xmas presents for the little one a couple weeks ago.* We’re in Toys’R’Us, and I just casually glance over to my right as we’re walking through, and my eyes spy…
Land of Misfit Toys toys! There they are, Charlie in the Box, the train with square wheels, and the whole rest of that gang. Real Toys. The circle is now complete. I had a moment of total disconnection from reality. There was also an electronic Abominable Snowman I’d have killed to get back around age 6 or so, too. He was huge, and loud, and presumably battery powered. So, they finally made it, after all.
[sub]*I find it impossible to shop for toys without constantly muttering, “Where were these kind of toys when I was 12? This stuff is so cool!” Drives Mrs. Skeezix up a wall, some days.[/sub]
Shirley Ujest, That reminded me of another good small victory I had a long time ago in Six flags:
I found I had a knack for the water balloon pistols and I was winning all the time. 5 times in total, to get a 12-inch shark plush toy!
I was proud to show it to my family, when my cousin approached and sarcastically said “oh what a cute little sharkie!! Check what I got!!" He got a life size George Jetson plush doll and an almost life-size white Bison by winning at the ring toss to the bottle (don’t know the name of that)!!!
I got a talker thrown out of the theate, during Harry Potter. The loudmoutrh was talking loudly and using profanity, so I went to the theatre manager (making me miss the Aragog scene) and had the miscreant evicted. Huzzah!
My wife and I got 90% of our Christmas shopping done (we buy for 15+ people) in 2 hours, in only 2 stores. And we got this done a week before Thanksgiving…that’s got to be a record.
