It’s been way too long since we got a good “kid trapped in a claw machine” story, but thankfully 2017 came through in the clutch.
Well, another kid got trapped in a toy claw machine
What a time to be alive.
James Dator has been covering a wide range of sports for SB Nation for over a decade, with a special focus on the NFL.
It’s been three years since “Year of the Claw,” which gave us not one, but two stories of kids climbing up the toy chute and becoming trapped — only needing to be freed by the fire department.
I know what you’re thinking: Surely someone at the business had a key to open the thing up? I thought the same, until I did some digging. The vast majority of claw games in the United States are owned by third-party amusement companies, or small franchisees. Unless you’re at a dedicated arcade or amusement park, then the only person with the key to open the claw machine is an operator who might stop by one a week or so to empty out the cash and re-stock it.
Which means this happens.
This is a late-year claw trapping, so it’s my fervent hope that we’re about to witness another Year of the Claw for 2018. I’d like to see it happen once every four years, like the Olympics.
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