UNIS has unveiled a new family-focused kiddie game called Super Big Rig which is hauling itself into game rooms around the world now. The game offers kids a chance to drive a big rig with their parent at their side. The company says that this attention-grabbing piece is perfect as a centerpiece and has been pulling in super earnings. The steering wheel, loud truck horn, 32″ monitor and an innovative microphone (that allows players to give vocal commands to the big rig) makes for a unique and fun game. At a location in the Northeast, the factory said the game’s…
Author: Casey Minter
An article in The New Yorker published on August 9 beautifully laments the decreasing popularity of air hockey, the “delightful amalgamation of billiards and ice hockey.” The author, Amanda Petrusich, dives into the history, the competitive side and the fun of the game in her 1,000+ word memorandum, in which Mark Robbins (Gold Standard Games/Shelti supremo and two-time USAA world champion) is mentioned. Robbins (who’s known for reinvigorating the sport with a competitive focus) had a response to the piece that lauded it for its effort, but pointed out a few misconceptions. And if anyone knows air hockey, it’s Mark.…
Bowlmor AMF recently contracted Creative Works to design and install laser tag attractions in three of its locations across the Southeast: AMF Western Branch Lanes in Virginia, Bowlmor Lanes Strike Miami in Florida and Bowlero Columbus in Georgia. Creative Works transformed the laser tag arenas at the Georgia and Florida locations into urban battle zones, with broken concrete walls reaching toward the sky, steel girders lying across barriers and murals showing a smoke-filled city skyline covering the perimeter. AMF Western Branch Lanes was treated to a completely different style: a military outpost creeps into a luminescent forest, with fluorescent plants…
Under the headline “Health scare of the week,” an item in the Aug. 19 edition of the national news magazine “The Week” says there’s been an uptick in visits to the nation’s emergency wards due to trampoline mishaps. The item declared that “Trendy trampoline parks are proliferating across the continent – five or six new ones open each month – and so are serious injuries among children who visit them to flip into foam pits, bounce their way to a slam dunk, or play dodgeball.” The item went on to claim that 6,932 trips to the ER in 2014 resulted…
Intercard has added Amber Collier to its U.S. domestic sales team. She will focus on U.S.-based business opportunities in a newly created position, expecting to continue what Intercard says has been double-digit growth year-to-year for the past three years. Collier started in the FEC world in 2009 as the president and owner of The Zone Family Fun Center, an independent FEC in Kalispell, Mont. She developed and built the location from the ground up, and later worked for Apex Parks Group as a general manager at Boomers in Fresno, Calif. Collier also served on IAAPA’s FEC Committee, its FEC Education…
Stern Pinball, Inc. has pulled back the plunger and is ready to send the pinball flying at a celebration of their 30th year in business, Oct. 14, at a limited-access anniversary party to take place at Viper Alley in Lincolnshire, Ill. The world’s oldest and largest pingame producer is pulling out all the stops for this one-of-a-kind event, which will feature a wide variety of special treats and inspired performances. Ed Robertson, pinball aficionado and lead singer of Barenaked Ladies, will be at the event, along with up and coming Chicago rocker Aly Jaydos and the infamous sword swallower Sally…
Remember the old joke where a guy walks into an ice cream parlor, peruses the long list of available flavors listed on the wall, and says to the kid behind the counter: “You folks got a lot of choices.” Kid replies: “Anything you want, we got!” Guy says: “Okay. . . gorilla!” Well, folks, one of those serve-it-yourself chains called Yogurt Land is selling something close at their stores right now. Called Donkey Kong Banana Cream, it’s really pretty good. Seems like they made a deal with Nintendo to market a line of flavors based on the famous characters, including…
On Saturday, Aug. 20, Edison’s Entertainment Complex in Edwardsville, Ill. will host a free event called “Kids, Cars And Trucks” from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. The event is presented by Edison’s Lil’ Inventors Kids Club which is sponsored by the Bank of Edwardsville, and the highlight attraction will be interactive vehicles kids can sit in and use for photo ops. “If other kids love cars as much as my son, we should have an awesome event,” said Tom Rezabeck, Edison’s Marketing Manager. “This free event is a great way for us to strengthen our relationships in the community and deliver another…
The National Automatic Merchandising Association has announced the three recipients of their annual scholarship program: Ashilyn Sunderman (Manager, Smith Vending), Jack Brown (President/CEO, Eagle U.S.A.) and Duncan Smith (VP/COO, All Star Services). These recipients are awarded full scholarships and a travel stipend to attend the 2016 NAMA Executive Development Program at Michigan State University from October 23-27. Each scholarship is valued at $3,875. “We continue to raise the bar with the caliber of candidates that apply for these scholarships,” said Lindsey Nelson, Exec. Director of the NAMA Foundation. “This year, we saw more candidates who were engaged on NAMA committees and…
Last month, on July 20, Apple Industries held another edition of its day-long Distributor Certification Program, which focuses on the finer points of marketing, financial and technological capabilities of the company’s Face Place photo booths and other products. In attendance were Rick Murphy from Betson Southeast (Marietta, Ga.), Steven Lamoreaux from Betson Utah (Salt Lake City), Bob Hansen from Betson Midwest (Decatur, Ill.), Sergio Santoy from Betson Texas (Dallas) and Jeff Lane from Betson Florida (Orlando). Apple topper Allen Weisberg kicked off the day with a reintroduction of the photo booth concept. “The classic photo booth has entered American popular culture…