My Childhood Memories of Gumball Machines

Did you know the very first gumball machine was invented in 1907? Since then, there have been many incarnations of the machines that house some of America’s favorite colorful treats. When I was a child, the gas station next to my father’s office had a gumball machine very similar to this one, and I used to beg my dad for “just one quarter.” I loved the anticipation of waiting to see what color would land in my hand after I stuck the quarter in and turned the knob. The gumball was often larger than my mouth.

Gumball machines and candy machines are now found just about everywhere and have become quite sophisticated. But there is something about the old-fashioned kind that immediately take me back to my childhood.

Do you have a favorite memory of a gumball machine? Where was it located? Share!