“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…
Author: RePlay Editor
Big Success for Electric Bat Arcade’s Pinball Leagues, Tournaments Pop-A-Shot Elite Now Part of the Magic at Tempe Game Room by Matt Harding Electric Bat Arcade opened in Tempe, Arizona, more than seven years ago as part of the historic Yucca Tap Room. The bar has been around for more than 50 years, and the owners approached pinball aficionado Rachel Bess with the idea for a small arcade. Yucca Tap Room and Electric Bat Arcade have been attached ever since. As her husband and Electric Bat’s marketing manager Cale Hernandez explained: “The guys at Yucca Tap Room had the vision…
Elaut Debuts E-Claw 2.0 & Wonka Claw Two new Elaut cranes – E-Claw 2.0 and Wonka Claw – were unveiled at IAAPA Expo 2025 in a private, covered booth. The company’s global marketing lead Laura Verstraeten said it gave operators an “exclusive experience with a more personalized, detailed explanation of the games.” They apparently liked what they heard, because Elaut Group started writing orders for both machines at the show. The updated E-Claw 2.0 modernizes a long-time hit crane for the company. They call it “the smartest claw machine of the industry.” “What we’ve done is we’ve taken the original…
Play Beyond the Ordinary Inside the Next Wave of Immersive Social Fun by Barry Zelickson Whether it’s puzzle-solving adrenaline in the desert or hospitality-driven play in Georgia’s booming entertainment scene, today’s attractions are going far beyond arcade games and billiards. From Bam Kazam in Scottsdale to Fairway Social, Pickle & Social and Roaring Social across Georgia, Fun Across America went behind the scenes to explore venues where guests don’t just visit – they discover, compete, laugh and return again and again. These spots blend storytelling, sport and social connection, proving that fun is evolving … and the future is…
Don’t Fear the Fall Changes Propel Columnist into an Exciting 2026 Owner of Planet Novak & The Novak Network If you’ve spent any time in the industry lately, you’ve seen the explosion of the boutique crane arcade. They are popping up in malls and storefronts across the country, characterized by bright neon, rows of identical white machines, and bags filled with high-end plush. For my first Novak’s Notes column of 2026, I wanted to take you inside the journey of my newest venture: Planet Novak. Opening a new location is always a humbling experience, regardless of how many years you’ve…
How’s Your Party Business? By Beth Standlee, CEO, TrainerTainment Group events and birthday party business is something this industry can count on. Even when times are hard, people desire social connection. Hoping for enough walk in traffic to provide your business all the profit you need may not be the best strategy these days. Marketing Alone Is Not Enough Discounts, marketing promotions, social likes or clicks can be an iffy way to generate enough revenue to cover payroll. Soooooo, maybe it’s time to break out your party shoes and work on inviting people to hold their next group event or…
Setting the Stage for Q1 Understanding Timing, Cash Flow, Consumer Psychology & Buy Now Pay Later Trends by Nick DiMatteo, Pinnacle Entertainment Group Q1can feel mysterious. It’s the quarter where operators can feel totally opposite forces at the same time. On one hand, guests may walk in with a little financial hangover from the holidays. On the other, the calendar quietly starts loading your building with reasons to celebrate again. If you plan for the timing of cash flow, the psychology of deal season and the reality that more households are working extra hours, Q1 can be less of…
How Are You Doing? Just Ask Customers by Jack Guarnieri, Jersey Jack Pinball & PinballSales.com I’ve been flying Continental – now United Airlines – for 25 years. I would say about 90% of my yearly flights are on United. They have a mileage rewards plan that seems to change every year and the bar gets higher. The rewards are not based only on the miles you fly, but the money you spend on a ticket is calculated as well. I have heard that the airlines make all their profit from the front of the plane. One thing I know about…
Like many, if not most, Americans today, almost every “cash transaction” I make is done with a credit or debit card. So, it was unusual for me to spend $5 at a donut shop recently and get change back. I keep an old olive jar on my kitchen table for change and as the years go by, it takes longer and longer to fill it up. The change I got at that shop included a red quarter which brought back the memory of those days when quarters with a dab of red nail polish were the number one way the…
Fun Company Going Strong for 35 Years For three-and-a-half decades and counting, Fun Company has served the in-home and out-of-home entertainment industry with its own proprietary products as well as growing into the industry’s largest contract manufacturing company. 2026 marks the 35th anniversary of Fun Company, which started building bare cabinets for redemption companies in Tennessee, Alabama and other southern states out of a 6,000-sq.-ft. building that housed the wood shop, assembly, warehouse, shipping and receiving and office space. In 1997, they jumped on the opportunity for kit-ready cabinets in the coin-operated amusement sector as many of the game manufacturers…