Exhibit Celebrates Nostalgia of Mold-A-Rama
WDCB’s Gary Zidek visits the Museum of Science and Industry’s Mold-A-Rama exhibition.
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Mention the name Mold-A-Rama to anyone who grew up in the Chicago-area and chances are they will know instantaneously what you’re referring to. Mold-a-rama machines have been providing on-demand souvenirs and immediate joy to customers for 60 years. Most locals have encountered the space-age looking vending machines at one of a few Chicago museums or thhe Brookfield Zoo. The concept is pretty simple: put your money … you’ll hear some noises, melted plastic is being injected into a mold and then is cooled between two metal plates. In about a minute … you have a colorful plastic figurine that usually ties in with whatever exhibition or display you’re near.
Mold-A-Rama machine on display at the Museum of Science and Industry.
A new exhibition at the Museum of Science and Industry is celebrating the souvenir-making nostalgia that is Mold-A-Rama. The very first plastic molding vending machine made its debut at the Seattle World’s Fair in 1962. A number of machines were produced and placed in museums and tourist attractions, but by the end of the decade, production of new Mold-A-Rama machines shut down. Over the decades there have been some ownership changes, today, the Mold-A-Rama company is owned by the Jones family and is based in suburban Brookfield.
One of the first-ever Mold-A-Rama molds of Seattle monorail.
MOLD-A-RAMA: MOLDED FOR THE FUTURE will be on display through late 2023. You can find more information at msichicago.org
Case displaying many of the Mold-A-Rama molds from over the decades.
