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Toddler gets stuck in vending machine
I think that getting stuck in a vending machine piled with googly-eyed stuffed animals might be my own personal version of hell. Scratch that. It would be worse if I was looking after someone else's kid and he got trapped inside a machine full of cheap stuffed toys. The horror! Terrifyingly, that's exactly what happened to this poor grandmother when she turned her back for two minutes. Her grandson, three year old Robert Moore, went fishing for a Sponge Bob toy after his grandma gave him a loonie to put in to the machine. When the plastic piece of junk "crane" failed to work (as always), Robert decided he would go in and retrieve Bob without the crane.
Now, this is where the story gets tricky. The story notes that Robert "squeezed through an opening in the machine" and "landed in the stuffed animal cube". How does that happen? I have closely inspected those machines in servicing my addiction for gum balls, and I've never noticed a substantial opening of any sort. Anyway, he was stuck in stuffed animal land with no chance of escape.
Firefighters eventually arrived on site to remove Robert from the machine. Robert's grandmother says he was happy as a clam in there, but that she almost had a heart attack.
The most awesome part of the story is that Robert left without Sponge Bob.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
10-25-2006 @ 6:26PM
Anji said...Is it evil of me to have laughed out loud at this story? :o)
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10-25-2006 @ 7:44PM
Ginny said...This is the third time in recent memory that I've seen a story about a kid in a vending machine. WHERE ARE THEIR MOTHERS? If they are small enough to fit in one of those holes, they are too small to be left unattended.
Reply
10-25-2006 @ 7:09PM
Lynne said...This isn't the first time it has happened...http://www.chippewa.com/articles/2004/01/04/news/news3.txt and http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=nation_world&id=3096369
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10-25-2006 @ 7:34PM
Chris said...I also heard in order to get him out the firefighters had to pass the child a screwdriver and he had to get himself out from the inside...... give that kid a spongebob
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10-26-2006 @ 1:02AM
Belinda said...It is "heart attack" not "hard attack" and I agree with Ginny.
When I saw this, I said "ANOTHER one??"
I also agree with the writer, I have NEVER seen one that has a hole big enough for a child to climb in.
Also what is a "loonie"??
Reply
10-25-2006 @ 9:40PM
stace said...Also what is a "loonie"??
In Canada we don't have dollar bills we have a coin called a Loonie.
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10-25-2006 @ 10:45PM
Kimberly said...Give the kid a Spongebob???? Why? Are we supposed to *reward* this type of behaviour? This isn't some heroic kid who kept his head in a crisis and saved the day. This is a willful child who, when he didn't get his own way, decided to circumvent the rules to satisfy his impulses. I'm with Nadine; the most awesome part of the story is the fact that he went home toyless.
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10-25-2006 @ 11:02PM
Chris said...I meant it as a joke... I never expected it would piss anyone of but hey
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10-25-2006 @ 11:13PM
Mae said...HAHAHAHA. Oh god. I am with you Anji. I can't stop laughing. I hope, when my kids do something this stupid, I have a camera ready.
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10-26-2006 @ 7:55AM
Jennine said...Firefighters broke one lock but then spotted two latches inside the plastic cube. They passed a screwdriver to Robert.
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10-26-2006 @ 9:34AM
Jonathon said...Grandma's worst nightmare = child's dream come true.
Reply
10-26-2006 @ 1:28PM
wallaby said...I personally hope that I would be vigilent enough to stop my kids doing something like this - but you know what, even if you watch your kids all the time they are going to get into some kind of trouble at some point. Children's brains are wired up to be curious and they do silly stuff sometimes. No, I would not reward dangerous behaviour, but when I see other people's kids in a dangerous sitution my first thought is to be even MORE vigilent with my own, not to point the finger at them.
Also, this is the third time in the past year I have seen a story like this (complete with pictures) - shouldn't the manufacturers of the machines be looking into how this keeps happening? I would think there would be a recall by now...
Reply
10-26-2006 @ 11:40AM
Jessica said...I can see my child doing just this. You guys, why is everyone getting all up in arms about this? You know, if you are a mother, that kids are wily and that accidents happen. You also know that it is physically impossible to keep your eye on them every single second of the day.
Has you child ever:
fallen off the couch?
walked into the street?
had a bump or bruise at all?
eaten a piece of dog food?
gotten a limb stuck in a toy?
torn the front off a speaker?
I mean, COME ON, you are going to have accidents. Obviously, if this wasn't the first time this happened, it must be very easy for the kids to get into the machines in just a second's time. Relax, everyone was ok.
Poor Grandma!
Reply
10-26-2006 @ 2:30PM
jennifer said...i took a friends child to my neices birthday party at chucky cheese (quite a few years ago) and he was running around with the all of the kids when i lost track of him for a few minutes. i found him inside one of the machines that is similar to a crane machine but thankfully a little easier to get out of. almost everyone in the place stood around and watched this three year old kid shimmy back out of this game. people in my family still talk about it.
he just wanted his prize he said
Reply
10-26-2006 @ 4:24PM
Kira said...I must be one of those negligent parents, because my youngest son did the same thing when he was three. We got him out without calling 911, thank God. The machine had oversized stuffed animals, that's why he fit in it.
Hey, stuff happens, especially with small, active people around.
Here's my account of my son's adventure.
http://kiwords.blogs.com/kiwords/2004/12/another_day_ano.html
Reply
10-26-2006 @ 5:04PM
ann adams said...A loonie is probably just that. The writer of the Post is Canadian.
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10-27-2006 @ 3:25PM
Ginny said...Jessica...it is NOT an accident to take your eye off your child in public for even one minute.
Jennifer and Kira...you took your eyes off your children in public for HOW LONG?
Either I am overprotective, or some of you aren't protective enough. Unless you have one of these machines in your home, the time it takes for one of these children to get in one of these machines is too long not to have them in your sight. Is it that important to take your children places where you won't be able to keep your eye on them at all times?
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1-18-2007 @ 8:56AM
Jessica M said...Ginny:
Kids can be quick - I had my 2 1/2 year old son at McDonald's PlayPlace (not a place we've ever been as I don't care for the food OR the playplace) last Sunday to visit with family he's not seen in a year and a half. Unfortunately, we also don't get to any climbing playground equipment all that often either. Not only did my son have no trouble/delay figuring out exactly what to do, but I was absolutely astounded at how quickly he climbed, moved, ran, came down the slide, and just generally moved from one side to the other. I lost track of the number of times I lost sight of him even though I was working VERY VERY hard to maintain knowledge of his precise location (playplaces make me nervous with the areas that can't be seen - I'm definitely anxious when it comes to allowing other children access to my child - who knows what could happen to them, right?
The point is this: a person CAN'T keep their eyes on a child every single second. It's physically impossible. That doesn't mean we shouldn't try - because we should definitely be not only trying but doing the best we can. BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN ANYONE IS A TERRIBLE MOTHER/FATHER/GRANDPARENT when something not-so-good happens. Kids move quick.
If I were a bad mother for every time my son has hurt himself right in front of me and/or while I'm helping with something, I would have to turn myself over to child protective services. Good thing they would probably come in for a visit, see there's nothing wrong, and tell me to get some classes in parenting confidence!
:)
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