Science & Technology,History,CuriositiesJAN 20, 2023

50 Vending Machines That Were Designed For Some Very Specific Things (New Pics)

Akvile Petraityte 🇺🇦 and Jonas Grinevičius

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There’s nothing quite like sneaking out to a vending machine for a cheeky snack during a break. Whether you’re finishing up your extracurriculars at school, doing research late at night at university, or burning the midnight oil at the office, there is something mundanely magical about feeding bits of metal into a robot that spits out food. It feels like something that you’d find in an old sci-fi novel.

Vending machines are incredibly cool and convenient inventions that still blow our minds every time we start thinking about how weirdly retrofuturistic a concept they are. However, they have become so ubiquitous in our lives that many of us barely ever notice them anymore. Fortunately, it’s possible to change that in a heartbeat—all you need is a uniquely-designed machine that sells something unexpected! There are far more interesting things than just candy bars and cans of soda for sale, after all.

Our team at Bored Panda has collected photos of some of the coolest, most unusual, and downright bizarre vending machines from around the globe. We’d love to share them with you, so scroll down and upvote your fave pics, dear Pandas. [Ting, Whrrrrrr, Clunk.] When you’ve enjoyed this list to the fullest, check out Bored Panda’s previous collection of awesome vending machines right over here.

Bored Panda was interested to learn about customer convenience, automation, and the importance of the 'human factor,' so we got in touch with Matt Johnson, Ph.D., the host of the Neuroscience of Branding blog and the Human Nature blog. Johnson is a professor of consumer psychology at Hult International Business School and Harvard University, and the author of 'Branding that Means Business.' Read on for his insights about the trade-off that vending machines provide consumers, and why human interactions while buying things are still important to us, no matter how much we might love convenience.

This post may include affiliate links.

#21 At The Cemetery In My Neighborhood There Is A Vending Machine Selling Grave Lanterns And Candles

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“While inventors tinkered with everything from machines that sold banned books to machines that offered stamps, the modern vending craze really took off when Englishman Percival Everitt introduced a machine for selling postcards in 1883—and when the Sweetmeat Automatic Delivery Company was founded just 4 years later to install and maintain such machines!” Yaszek explained to our colleague during an earlier interview.

“The first American and Japanese vending machines (for gum and tobacco, respectively) were introduced in 1888, the first French machines (for beer, wine, and liquor) appeared in 1890, and the first German vending machine (for chocolate) debuted in 1893,” she said.

#22 Japanese Vending Machines Adapted To The Surroundings

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#23 So Cool, Forget A Birthday Late At Night? A Date? Flowers Always Ready

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#24 This Butcher Has A Vending Machine For After Hours

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“Business people loved vending machines because they could sell bulk goods efficiently, without having to train and depend on another human, and consumers enjoyed the ability to purchase everyday necessities and small, trendy luxuries at their convenience and often at a reasonable price point.”

As time marched on, more and more varied items were sold in vending machines. “I think the strangest vending machines were those that sold life insurance in airports from the 1950s to the 1970s—it really takes the glamour out of flying to worry about your possible death while doing so! But maybe that felt glamorous in its own strange way…” the expert said.

#25 This Bakery In Japan Puts Their Leftover Bread In A Vending Machine To Sell After Hours

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#26 I Stumbled Upon A Cupcake ATM

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#27 Succulent Vending Machine In A Nearby Mall

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Niche items were begun to be sold, from dog toys to pet owners to bait supplies for fishing enthusiasts, and even original art and stories for people who loved culture. Meanwhile, digital vending machines started tracking purchases and began offering individuals targeted goods.

“And of course, vending machines can be a tool for public health and creativity as well! Vending machines in schools, public bathrooms, and outside pharmacies empower customers to acquire food and medicine when they need it, even if shops are not open, and they enable people to anonymously purchase items that they might be too embarrassed to buy from another human being,” Yaszek told Bored Panda about the upsides of vending machines.