“Butts Are the New Ducks,” Alan-1 Says
Unique Brand Delivering Results for the Game Maker, Smiles for Guests
Ten years ago, Butts on Things began as a simple creative habit. Every Friday, one small drawing was posted online. There was no marketing plan and no attempt to follow trends. Creator Brian Cook was simply exploring an idea that made him laugh.
The idea was intentionally simple. Take an ordinary, inanimate object and place a human butt on it where it clearly does not belong. Pineapples. Cupcakes. Donuts. Coffee cups. The humor required no explanation. You saw it, and you understood it immediately.
“It was never about being shocking or inappropriate,” Cook said. “The drawings are always on objects, never people. They are meant to be cute and absurd, not crude. The goal has always been to make people smile.”
That distinction is key. He explained that Butts on Things is playful and family-friendly. “The illustrations are soft, rounded and harmless. Kids laugh. Adults laugh, often harder. Parents share them with their children. Grandparents laugh right along with them.”
Every Friday, without exception, another doodle appeared. One became 10 and 10 became hundreds. “I never missed a Friday,” Cook said. “That consistency built trust. People looked forward to it. That is why it is still around 10 years later.”
With more than 520 Friday BOT Doodles behind it, Butts on Things has proven it is not a fad. It is an enduring form of visual humor that continues to bring joy across generations.
From Screens to Physical Spaces
As the audience for Butts on Things grew, people wanted to take them home. Prints, stickers, pins and small collectibles followed. When the drawings moved from screens into physical form, the reaction did not change.
“Watching people laugh at the physical versions was when it really clicked,” Cook said. “Kids and adults reacted exactly the same way. That is when I knew it had staying power.” That same reaction seemed to make arcades a natural fit. “Arcades are built on shared moments. Surprise. Laughter. Discovery. Those values have always been at the heart of Butts on Things.”
The brand’s partnership with Alan-1 began with a simple question – what happens when you place a joke people already love inside one of the most familiar machines in an arcade? The answer was immediate.
The Butts on Things crane needs no instructions. Its makers say the experience begins the moment players see the prizes inside. As soon as the joke clicks, the machine has already succeeded.
“That laugh happens before the first play,” Cook noted. “Winning is fun, but honestly, people are happy with any butt they pull out.”
Inside the crane are 2” rubberized Butts on Things figurines designed specifically for arcade play. Durable, tactile and collectible, they occupy the same emotional space that rubber ducks have held for decades, the company says.
“We see these as the modern evolution of duck prizes,” said Alan-1 CEO James Anderson. “They are instantly funny. They are never inappropriate. And they make people of all ages smile. We are confident they will earn more plays and generate more revenue.”
A Company Built by Arcade People
Alan-1 has been around for nearly a decade itself, founded in 2017 by James Anderson and his son Luke Anderson as a parts company focused on keeping classic Atari and Sega arcade games from the 1980s alive. They found that operators around the world were struggling to find reliable replacement parts and filled that gap by engineering modern components that respected the original games.
Today, Alan-1 serves thousands of customers worldwide and ships products globally. The company operates its own U.S.-based manufacturing facility near Salt Lake City and partners with manufacturers including Fun Company and UNIS to meet growing demand.
“We built Alan-1 by solving real problems for operators,” Anderson said. “That mindset has never changed.”
The crane machine is only the beginning for Alan-1. The company is expanding Butts on Things into a broader arcade ecosystem that includes collectible trading cards, sticker packs and redemption items. A new Butts on Things redemption video game will debut at Amusement Expo in March, ensuring every play delivers a tangible reward.
Modern Redemption for Today’s FECs
While Alan-1 is deeply rooted in classic arcade games, they are equally focused on building modern redemption experiences. Recent releases include licensed redemption titles like Dr Pepper Soda Slam and the Liquid Death arcade game, both designed specifically for high-traffic FEC environments. These games combine recognizable brands with approachable gameplay, fast throughput and strong visual appeal, they said.
“Our goal with redemption is the same as everything else we build,” Anderson explained. “Make it intuitive. Make it fun. Make people want to play again.”
Rather than relying on complexity, Alan-1 focuses on games that explain themselves the moment players walk up – clear objectives, satisfying physical interaction and immediate feedback help these titles perform consistently across a wide range of locations.
Redemption is also an area where Alan-1 sees significant opportunity for continued innovation. They have multiple new concepts already in development, with additional redemption games planned for release in 2026.
Games that Complete the Game Room
With their roots firmly planted in classic arcade games, the company says their history shapes how they build today’s video games.
Alan-1’s arcade versions of Avian Knights, Asteroids Recharged, Missile Command Recharged and Gravitar Recharged are built exclusively for arcades. They are not available on consoles. Atari provided Alan-1 access to original code and worked closely with the team so these games could be designed as true on-location experiences.
“These games are meant to feel like arcade games,” Anderson said. “You cannot get this experience at home. They are not meant to be the highest earners. They complete the room. While kids play ticket redemption games, parents finally have something they want to play. Operators consistently see families stay longer when dads are engaged.”
New releases debuting at the Amusement Expo include Breakout Recharged, Caverns of Mars Recharged and Yars Recharged.
Major League Esports Brings Competition & Community
Another arcade staple is competition and Alan-1 brings that to the table with their Major League Esports platform, a free global league built directly into every Alan-1 video game that’s connected by default.
Players create a free profile and automatically participate whenever they play. There are no subscriptions, no fees and nothing extra required from operators. Unlike traditional arcade competitions, Alan-1 said Major League Esports is designed around top casual players, not just world record holders.
Players earn league points every time they play, not only when they set a high score. The more often they play, the more points they earn. Consistency matters as much as skill.
That’s why one of the league’s most common taglines is “Every Game Counts.” A short game still matters and a casual visit still matters. Whether a player is chasing a personal best or just playing for fun, each credit contributes to their standing in the league.
“The leaders are not always the people with the single highest score,” Anderson added. “They are the players who keep coming back. That is exactly the behavior operators want.”
Major League Esports extends competition beyond a single visit. If another player beats your score, you receive a notification through the league app and an invitation to return to the exact arcade location where you originally played. That invitation can arrive days, weeks or even months later.
Next month at Amusement Expo, Alan-1 will host the 3rd Annual Major League Esports World Championship, broadcasting live from its booth. The top eight players from around the world, determined by league points earned throughout the year, will be flown in to compete for a $5,000 dollar grand prize, global bragging rights and a live audience.
Guests attending the show are encouraged to stop by the Alan-1 booth to watch the competition live, meet the players, and experience competitive arcade play up close.
“The best part is putting faces to the scores,” Anderson said. “These are real people who love arcades. Meeting them reminds everyone why this works.”
This combination of competition, community and continuity has helped Major League Esports quietly drive repeat visits on location, earning Alan-1 a Brass Ring Award from IAAPA in 2024.
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Ten years in, Butts on Things remains exactly what it set out to be. Their shared vision with Alan-1 has made a perfect partnership.
“I am always trying to find new ways to surprise people and make them smile,” Cook said. “Fun does not have to be complicated. In arcades, where happiness is the product and shared moments matter most, that philosophy feels right at home.”
To learn more about all of Alan-1’s products and to test out for yourself if “butts can become the new ducks,” visit www.alan-1.com.