MOLD-A-RAMA
 
 

AND NOW THE MACHINE IN ALL OF ITS BRAND NEW GLORY!!!
 
 

The photo is MUCH more impressive in person, but I think YOU WILL agree it is still breathtaking huh?  Just look at the gleam of the sun on it's dome.  It's almost as if it where smiling back at you!

    The rest of this page will be for the sharing of some irrelevant memories, paperwork/documentation, and other various info that I have been very fortunate to have come by.
 

I, like many others, have very fond memories of these machines.  A trip to Como Zoo (the local standard zoo of 25-30 years ago) just wasn't complete unless I BEGGED to make one of these.  Just like something out of The Simpsons, "Can I get one! Can I get one! Can I get one! Can I get one! Can I....".  Also included in this little tirade would be, "I promise I'll be good from now on!" or "I won't ask for anything else!",  "Pleeeeeeeease!".

Sometimes I would luck out and other times not.  Then I could only hope some other lucky kid would make one while I was standing there.  The best part for me was just watching the machine make the "toy".  Just to watch this mechanical thing with working gauges and lights was worth the price.

Even as a child (not that I've grown up much) and well before I ever thought I could OWN a Pinball machine ("People can own them?") or arcade game I would think, "Someday I would buy a Mold-A-Rama machine!"  Even though my allowance was somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty-five or fifty cents a week.  Yes, I had "chores" to do to earn that!

I even had some similar childhood toys like the Creepy Crawlers or Wiggly Weridies, but they just didn't have the cool mechanics thing going on. 
Not to mention "that" smell!

So for many years I have always wondered the what's and how's involved in the operation of a Mold-A-Rama machine.  I did a little research into the whereabouts of the childhood machines only to find that a longtime employee thought one of the maintenance persons had taken them.  I have heard they may also be the machines that are now in Chicago's museum of Science and Industry.

As a side note, and thanks to Paul Jones (more on him and his family's Mold-A-Rama business below), I found that machines operated in the Twin Cities in the seventies were done so by a local gentleman.  I'm not sure if there were other locations with in the Twin Cites but I believe according to Paul he did operate others with in the five state area (MN).  My understanding is that much like other coin-op routes of the time, states or multiple states were divided into different operator territories.  I've waited so long to update this information from Paul that I've misplaced my notes.  But I do believe that when the gentleman passed away his machines where sold to the family who operated MAR in Chicago back in the late seventies or early eighties.

Well thanks to e-Bay, I at least got to find out how they work.  I was fortunate enough to find an auction that included a operation/service manual, a company sales letter with business card from 1962, and the COOLEST item of all.  A large and beautiful custom color promotional photograph taken just to go along with the letter (pictured at the top of the page).

You can see the rest of these items below.
 
 
 

The salesman's business card.

This is the actual size of the card.
 
 
 
 
 

The letter.

Yes the card and letter are embossed with a big "M".
Cool, huh?
 

You'll also get the idea from the letter that the salesman is pitching the machine to a now defunct amusement park for operation.

Here's a link to the Defunct Amusement Parks page about that particular park.
  Frontier Village Amusement Park (defunct) in San Jose, CA

Also there is now a very cool and in-depth site on the park.  They have a large amount of info, even an invoice from one of the purchased rides for the park back in 1976!
  Frontier Village Main Gate

I however have yet to find out if there was ever a machine placed at Frontier Village.  I have head rumor of a Cowboy MAR labeled Frontier Village but have yet to see one.

I come across one of the above rumored Frontier Village MAR's a while back, but after doing a few minutes of web research I believe there to have actually been a park in San Francisco called Fun-Tier town.  So I'm guessing this is what the above rumor referred to and not Frontier Village.

Below you will find a link to an original Mold-A-Rama operation and service manual.
Please feel free to download it and find out what make these cool machines "tick"!
(Do take note that there was originally a tape player included with the operation of the machine!!!)
 Mold-A-Rama Service/Operation manual!
Incidentally, the above file is 1.6MB.
 

Also as long as we are speaking of zoo's and Mold-A-Rama's, the Brookfield Zoo has been operating them since 1966!
Do you have a picture of them from back then?
Shopping at Brookfield Zoo

This link will lead to a letter from Greg who got to chat with a gentleman who operates the Mold-A-Rama's at the Brookfield Zoo.
  Info about Mold-A-Rama at the Brookfield Zoo

As we've covered zoos, Mold-A-Ramas, and the Brookfield Zoo, I would also like to pass on a flyer with information about the William A. Jones Company.  They are the company that still operates Mold-A-Rama at the Brookfield Zoo (Of course they have other locations as well.)  They keep their machines as close as they can to the original design (minor changes for functionality and reliability) and they still use the WONDERFUL and original Mold-A-Rama name/logo!
William A. Jones Company Flyer  

I would also like to thank Paul Jones for taking some time to meet with me, he's a really great guy!  He was also able to answer a number of my questions about origins and other misc. items from the Mold-A-Rama company and its history. One interesting item of note, Paul believes that all the original MAR machines to have been produced in a two or three year period of the early sixties!  I will try and get around to posting more here in the near future when I find my notes.  His family is DEFINITELY very dedicated to the continued operation of these great machines!  My personal feeling and understanding is that they spend A LOT of time keeping their machines in tip-top shape.  They are very concerned that every figure is properly made and dispensed!
Thanks again, Paul

I would also like to say a BIG thanks to Jim Irwin of Replication Devices for the wealth of information he's provided for this site as well!  Not to mention "reinvesting" in the future of the Mold-A-Rama concept too.  He's spent time and money developing the new machines known as Replication Stations.  Yes, what old is often new again but not to all.  By creating a new theme on the old machines there will hopefully be a new generation of little plastic molded toy collectors along with the all important MEMORIES!

Both of the above individuals and their respective families have done quite a bit to keep these machines "alive", and this appears to be no easy feat.  So maybe send them a thanks if you have some great memories too!

There's a new version of Mold-A-Rama being produced!
  The following link will lead to some new information on the all new Mold-A-Rama machines called Replication Devices. 
Jim Irwin ( repdev@tampabay.rr.com ) president of Replication Devices also took some time to answer a few questions about the History of Mold-A-Rama.
 The dawn of a new Mold-A-Rama machine!

Thanks to Jim Irwin, I again have a REALLY COOL newspaper clipping to share.
L.A. Times Article from 1962 about Mold-A-Rama

Hey, did you know that there are two different versions of the original Mold-A-Rama machine?
Click here to see the two different versions of Mold-A-Rama

Here's a link to a "OLD" photo of no less than three, but possibly four, Mold-A-Rama's all "gussied" up with some Disney artwork and apparently featuring Disney molds!!!
Song of the South Memorabilia
The main site that supplies the above photo is found at http://www.songofthesouth.net/memorabilia/toys/figurines/mold-a-rama.html and they feature a bit of info on the Brer Rabbit mold figure.

Thanks yet again go to Jim Irwin for supplying a really cool photo of a Mold-A-Rama / Disneyland backglass.  It even makes a suggestion, "and you can color them too".  I guess that why I've seen a few MAR's show up on ebay painted.
Disneyland Mold-A-Rama backglass

So you say you're tired of all my rambling, irritating lack of writing ability, and not to mention the poorly/no coded website site!
Well then, let's check out some
Links! 
(The featured links are in no particular order, and if I've missed your MAR page please let me know.)

 
Replication Devices (The official website of the newly updated machines!)  
If you are so inclined you may also purchase an classic Mold-A-Rama machine through them too!

Replication Devices Mold-A-Rama information site
A site put up by Jim Irwin of Replication Devices to showcase some classic Mold-A-Rama items and his museum!

http://www.moldaramaville.com
This is another site you have to check out to see a picture of that once precious "one of a kind, but yet not one of a kind", piece of plastic you used to own!
There were more mold produced that I would have ever guess, some really neat ones to check out as well!

Moldarama Menagerie with Frames
This was the first Mold-A-Rama site that I came across on the net many years ago now!
For added Mold-A-Rama machine history stop by Mark's history page found at this site!

Mold-A-Rama Road Trip  
This site features almost all of the known Mold-A-Rama's still currently being operated!
WOO HOO, as of this update they feature 19 locations with 107 different molds to be made!!!!!
Can you help contribute any?

Mold-A-Rama Gallery
The Mold-A-Rama Gallery is compiling a list of current machines in operation, former known locations of operation, as well as all known MAR molds!
Do you know of one you could add to the list?
He also features some cool different photo's of MAR machines!

MOLD-A-RAMA@THEPETE.COM!!!
This site features some good quality pictures of the original Mold-A-Rama machines that can still be found on location in Chicago.

This one's really cool, you can see one in action!!!!
  Day 45 of Mr. Beimers road trip (movie clip is two thirds of the way down the left hand side of page)
I posted the above link because it's the only place that I know of that you can watch a Mold-A-Rama in operation on the web.  I find the function of the machine most interesting, so I felt it important that others might see this, even though this particular time the machine didn't dispense the item correctly in the clip (very rare.)  There was some concern that people might get the wrong idea of the machine, so here are some more links dealing with the clip.
Day 186 : Route One, California (scroll half way down the page)
And a Happy ending!
Week 6 : Wetter Than Water Rats

www.moldarama.com
As the site states it's not the Mold-A-Rama company, but it's definitely a Mold-A-Rama site.

MOLD-A-RAMA - Yesterdayland
Appears to now be gone.  There is an archive of the site found at;
http://web.archive.org/web/20020915163858/http://www.yesterdayland.com
More specifically for the Mold-A-Rama pages at;
http://web.archive.org/web/20021015002605/www.yesterdayland.com/popopedia/shows/arcade/ag1295.php

Just a couple more quick things if your still reading down this far:

I'm always looking for more information and historical items, documents and the like to share, on these machines as there really isn't a whole lot.
So if you know of anyone who has been affiliated with the or related to the original "Mold-A-Rama" company, "Automatic Retailers Association", Tike Miller, Jack B. Heskett, or Ben A. O'Dorisio would you mind exchanging any possible information.  I realize most of these people and company's are more than likely long gone but it can't hurt to ask.

On a personal collection level I'm interested in a mold of the Hollywood Bowl which is featured on the above machine, both the metal mold itself or a Mold-A-Rama "toy".
Also In the off chance you know of a Mold-A-Rama in need of a good home and careful restoration I may be interested.