Vending machine facts for kids

A vending machine is a cool, automatic machine that gives you things like snacks, beverages, or even lottery tickets! You just put in money, use a credit card, or pay in other ways, and out comes your item. The first modern vending machines appeared in England in the early 1880s and gave out postcards. Today, you can find vending machines in many countries, and some even sell really unusual products!

A snack food vending machine from 1952.

Gashapon vending machines, popular in Japan.

Newspaper vending machines in Munich, Germany.

A parking ticket machine in the Czech Republic.

History of Vending Machines

The idea of vending machines is very old! The earliest known one was described by Hero of Alexandria, a smart engineer and mathematician in ancient Roman Egypt. His machine would give out wine or holy water when a coin was put in. The coin would land on a pan, which was connected to a lever. This lever would open a valve, letting water flow out until the coin fell off, closing the valve again.

Coin-operated machines that gave out tobacco were used in English pubs as early as 1615. These machines were small and made of brass. Later, in 1822, an English bookseller named Richard Carlile created a machine to give out newspapers. The first fully automatic vending machine was patented in 1867 by Simon Denham; it dispensed stamps.

Modern Vending Machines Begin

The first modern coin-operated vending machines showed up in London, England, in the early 1880s. They sold postcards. Percival Everitt invented this machine in 1883. Soon, these machines were everywhere in railway stations and post offices, selling envelopes, postcards, and notepaper.

An automatic stamp and postcard vending machine from Japan, made in 1904.

In 1887, the Sweetmeat Automatic Delivery Company started in England. It was the first company mainly focused on setting up and taking care of vending machines. Around the same time, a German chocolate maker called Stollwerck was selling its chocolate in 15,000 vending machines by 1893! They even created separate companies to make machines that sold not just chocolate, but also cigarettes, matches, chewing gum, and soap.

The first vending machine in the U.S. was made in 1888 by the Thomas Adams Gum Company. It sold gum on train platforms in New York City. In 1897, the Pulver Manufacturing Company added small moving figures to their gum machines. This made buying gum more fun and led to new types of mechanical games.

How Vending Machines Work

When you pay for something in a vending machine, the product becomes available in a few ways:

• The machine might just drop the item into an open space at the bottom.
• It might unlock a door, drawer, or knob for you to open.

A vending machine being refilled with freshly-cooked Udon noodles in Japan.

Some machines even prepare the product on the spot! For example, ticket machines print tickets, and coffee machines make fresh coffee. Many snack machines use a metal coil that spins to push your snack out when you order it.

A special type of vending machine, mostly found in the U.S. and Canada, is the newspaper vending machine. It holds a stack of newspapers. After you pay for one, the door unlocks, and you can take a paper. The idea is that you'll be honest and only take one copy. This is why they are sometimes called "honor boxes."

Common Types of Vending Machines

There are many different kinds of vending machines that you see every day!

Change Machines

A change machine takes larger money, like a dollar bill, and gives you back smaller money, like quarters or dimes. These are often called "bill changers" and are super helpful if you need coins for other machines.

Cigarette Vending Machines

A cigarette machine in South Korea.

In the past, cigarettes were often sold in vending machines. However, this is much less common now because of worries about young people buying them. In some places, you need to show proof of age, like an ID card, before you can buy from these machines. Some countries, like Germany and Japan, still have them, but strict age checks are always in place.

Food and Snack Vending Machines

A snack food vending machine in Hong Kong.

A Coca-Cola vending machine in a hospital in La Louvière, Belgium.

These are probably the most common vending machines you see! They sell things like chips, cookies, cakes, and other yummy snacks. Some food machines are cold for drinks or ice cream, and some can even give you hot food.

There are also some really unique food vending machines, like ones that make hot French frys or fresh pizza! Imagine getting a hot pizza from a machine in just a few minutes.

Bulk Candy and Gumball Machines

Bulk vending: a machine with M&M's, Skittles, and Runts.

These machines sell small items like gumballs or candies in bulk. The profit from these can be quite high. For example, gumballs might cost only 2 cents each but sell for 25 cents! Gumballs and candy last a long time, which is good for the people who own these machines. Also, these machines are usually cheaper than drink or snack machines, which often need electricity or refrigeration.

Many people who run these machines give some of their profits to charity. This helps them get permission to place their machines in different locations for free. Modern bulk vending machines can sell many different things, from traditional gumballs to toy capsules and bouncy balls.

Full-Line Vending

A row of vending machines in a hospital cafeteria, selling drinks, snacks, and microwaveable foods.

A "full-line" vending company sets up many different types of machines that sell a huge variety of products. This can include candy, chips, fresh fruit, milk, cold food, coffee, hot drinks, sodas, and even frozen treats like ice cream.

In the United States, most of these machines take dollar bills, and more and more are accepting credit cards or mobile payments. This is great because it means you don't always need exact change! Big companies with cafeterias often use full-line vending to offer more food choices.

Newspaper Vending Machines

A newspaper vending machine, also called a newspaper rack, is made to give out newspapers. These machines are used all over the world. However, in recent years, fewer newspapers are sold this way, as more people read news online.

Photo Booths

A photo booth at a hotel.

A photo booth is like a small room with an automatic camera. You put in money, sit down, and it takes a series of pictures. Then, it prints them out for you! Most modern photo booths are digital, but older ones used to develop film with liquid chemicals.

Stamp Vending Machines

A stamp vending machine is a device that automatically sells postage stamps when you put in the correct amount of money, usually coins.

Ticket Machines

Ticket machines at a railway station in Canada.

A ticket machine is a vending machine that gives you tickets. You often see them at train stations, metro stations, or tram stops. You choose the type and number of tickets you want on a screen, pay with cash, a credit card, or a smartcard, and then your tickets are printed and given to you.

Specialized Vending Machines

Since the early 2000s, vending machines have become much more specialized. Now, you can find machines selling everything from electronics to artwork! These new types of machines are often called automated retail kiosks. You usually pick what you want on a touchscreen, pay with a card, and a robotic arm inside the machine might even get your product for you. This trend is especially big in Japan, where there's one vending machine for every 23 people!

Automobile Vending Machines

Yes, you can even buy cars from a vending machine! In 2013, a company called Carvana opened the first car vending machine in the U.S., selling used cars. In Singapore, a dealership opened a 15-story luxury car vending machine that holds 60 cars, including Ferraris and Lamborghinis!

Bait Vending Machines

For fishing fans, a bait machine sells live fishing bait, like worms and crickets.

Book Vending Machines

The Biblio-Mat book vending machine.

Book vending machines give out books, sometimes even full-sized ones. Some libraries use them to lend out books. The Biblio-Mat is a cool machine that gives out random old books!

Burger Vending Machines

In 2022, RoboBurger introduced a machine that can cook and sell a fresh hamburger!

Cotton Candy Vending Machines

This machine makes and gives out freshly spun cotton candy.

French Fry Vending Machines

A French fry vending machine gives you hot French fries. The first one was developed in Australia around 1982. Some companies have created these machines, and there's even a prototype from a university in the Netherlands.

Pizza Vending Machines

A vending machine in Carpi, Italy that sells hot pizza.

Let's Pizza is a vending machine that makes fresh pizza from scratch! It was created in Italy in 2009. The machine mixes water, flour, tomato sauce, and fresh ingredients to make a pizza in about three minutes. You can even watch it being made through a window! The pizza is cooked in a special oven.

Mold-A-Rama Machines

The Mold-A-Rama is a special vending machine that makes plastic figurines. These machines first appeared in 1962 and became very popular at the 1964 New York World's Fair. You can still find them working in many museums and zoos today!

Fresh-Squeezed Orange Juice Machines

An orange juice vending machine.

This type of machine holds fresh oranges and has a way to cut and squeeze them right there to make fresh juice for you.

Prize Vending Machines

A prize vending machine in Haikou, China.

These machines sell a container that might have a prize inside. Some machines even show you the cool prizes you could win, like smart phones, vacation packages, or toys!

Social-Networked Vending Machines

With the rise of social networks, some vending machines now connect to social media! You can link your social account to the machine, and in return, you might get a free gift from the machine. It's a fun way to interact with the machine and get a reward.

Make-Up Vending Machines

Vending machines are also being used to sell cosmetics to people who are on the go. It's a super easy way to grab make-up when you need it!

Vending Machines in Japan

Vending machines are a very common sight in Japan, and they are incredibly popular! There are over 5.5 million machines across the country. Japan has the most machines per person of any country, with one machine for every twenty-three people.

Japanese vending machines use advanced technology and offer many different products. You can find food, smartphones, SIM cards, and even clothing in these machines. While drink machines are the most popular, Japanese vending machines also sell specific products depending on where they are. For example, you might find sanitary napkins and tampons in vending machines in female restrooms.

The main reasons for Japan's love for vending machines are convenience, low running costs, security, and reliability.

The first patent for an "automatic goods vending machine" in Japan was filed in 1888. Early machines from around the 1900s sold stamps, postcards, and even sake. Candy machines became popular in the 1920s, and juice machines in the 1950s and 60s. By 2000, Japan had 5.6 million vending machines! However, the number has slightly decreased since then, partly because of new digital technology and competition. Recently, older, vintage vending machines have become popular, like the collection at the Sagamihara Vending Machine Park.

In 2024, many vending machines in Japan needed updates to accept the new designs for the Japanese yen banknotes.

Smart Vending Machines

Just like how regular mobile phones became smartphones, vending machines are also becoming "smart." Newer technologies like big digital touch displays, internet connections, cameras, and different sensors have helped this happen. These smart machines offer a more fun experience for you. They also help the people who run them by letting them manage the machines from far away and understand what people are buying.

A Swiss roll vending machine in a Taipei train station. You order on a touchscreen and pay with contactless payment cards.

Sensors and cameras in smart vending machines can even gather information like who is buying what and when. This helps brands connect better with customers through interactive videos and social media. Experts predict that smart vending machines will become much more common in the next few years!

Images for kids

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  A vending machine with wooden cover at Iwami Ginzan Silver Mine in Ōda, Shimane, Japan.

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  A vending machine selling packaged curries at Asakusa, Japan.

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  A line of vintage vending machines at the Sagamihara Vending Machine Park, Kanagawa, Japan.