2,051
edits
Crane Game Gag: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
Looney Toons (talk | contribs) (corrected subtrope to sister trope) |
No edit summary |
||
Line 3:
{{tropestub}}
We have all seen them, either at arcades or children's entertainment centers. You see the machine with toys, often with a coin slot or a card to swipe for arcade credits. All you have to do is fork over a quarter. Just point the claw, press the button, and get a toy. Easy, right?
Wrong.
The '''Crane Game Gag''' is when a character has drama ensuing from engaging with an arcade game. It's fifty-fifty if you either get the toy or not. Only a specialist or someone who rigs the game can win. If the person wins, they usually have a system or a method. If they lose, [[Hilarity Ensues]]. They may become addicted to trying to win a toy. In the extreme case, they may either attack the machine or break the bank trying to win a particular toy.
This trope is very [[Truth in Television]], as many crane or claw games are rigged to encourage people to put in as much money as possible.
This is a [[Sister Trope]] to [[Collectible Cloney Babies]].
Line 87 ⟶ 89:
* In ''[[Bluey]]'', [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQFacjXE8IM Bluey and Bingo get frustrated after failing to get a toy from a claw machine]. Their parents cheer them up by replicating the machine at home, using chopsticks, their toys, and sound effects.
* In ''[[Clarence]]'', the titular character pretend to get trapped in a claw machine. He "helps" his friend Voo win a toy dinosaur while saying he is trapped forever.
* ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' has an episode called "Skill Crane" where Squidward becomes addicted to a crane game that his boss Mr. Krabs installs. Mr. Krabs further enables the addiction so he can get more quarters from his employee. Ironically, Spongebob keeps winning toys without even trying. In the climax, Squidward gets so addicted that he hijacks a ''real'' crane that rapidly goes out of control.
== [[Other Media]] ==
== [[Real Life]] ==
* This trope is very much [[Truth In Television]]. Anyone who has tried to master a crane game will more than likely use their quarters or arcade credits long before they can even win a toy.
* It was because of this trope that some countries strictly regulate or ban claw or crane games altogether. Alberta, Canada bans claw machines unless the player can win a prize no matter how many times they play.
* Some versions of crane games have candy in them instead, so that you get a prize regardless of how many times that you try. The candy tends to be cheap.
| |||