select-o-vend: chiclet mini boxes too big

As part of my "ack/nak/art" project I'm sizing boxes that will fit in the 1940s era first generation Select-o-Vend and Mills Automatic gum machines.

Here's a tip - if you've got one of these machines and you're considering filling them with candy, do not load them up with Adams Mini Chiclet boxes.

The dimensions of these boxes are 1 1/2 inches by 13/16 inches by 5/16 inches.

Which is exactly 1/16 inch too tall.  The boxes slide beautifully into the wider columns, but when you put a penny in and pull the plunger to vend the item, they stick.

By comparison, a small stick of Bazooka bubble gum vends perfectly.  It is exactly 1/4 inch tall.

And for those of you who are curious what distinguishes a first generation Select-o-Vend from the second, it is the way the labels are attached.  First generation machines have the labels painted directly on to the machine.  Second generation machines have the labels printed on metal panels which are then screwed on to the machine.  

The machine shown above is a first generation one.

Nail polish remover works very well for removing the painted-on labels, by the way.

about: folding cartons and sharing

I've been asking around to learn more about packaging design, specifically the creation of folding cartons for my ack/nak/art project.

I've encountered people who are unwilling (or unable) to share any insights with me.

Which leads me to wonder. . . why?

Do you have a policy of not sharing sources or your infinite wisdom with strangers?

Or do you point beginners in the right direction and let them find their way from there?

If you know anything about this field, let me know.

In the meantime, I'll post what I discover. Because I believe in pointing beginners in the right direction.

FWIW - The link above is to Pro Carton Nordica, which offers not only the excellent primer I reference, but a variety of templates and a comprehensive glossary.

concept: vending machine art

At one point in our recent 13-hour deathmarch trip out east over the holiday break someone in the car opened a box of Cracker Jack.

"What's the prize?" I asked after I heard the box open.

"It doesn't matter, the prizes are always junk," was the reply.

For that matter, most so-called "prizes" are junk these days, especially in cereal boxes. Unless you're pumping cash into a gashapon machine, you're not getting anything good. And that's only true if you're in Japan.

You can also give up any prayer of finding something truly interesting, or whimsical, or surprising from your typical USD$0.25 gumball machine capsule dispenser. It's either little figurines of neighborhood figures, rubber balls, water-slide tattoos or Small Portions of Goo.

The folks at Art-o-Mat have come close to getting it right, but who wants to plunk down five bucks (or so), sight unseen, on "art"?

I want to have an experience of discovery, not regret, when I drop a few coins into a machine. This is likely not something that will be possible through a traditional vending machine, it's going to have to be created. Think of it as "vending performance art".

It's an idea I've got. More to follow.