And now it's time for who's smarted.
Ooh, that candy bar looks good.
Oh wait, it's got raisins in it.
Yuck, hard pass. Oh, that one looks good.
Let's see, it's got real peanut butter coated in white chocolate?
Okay, okay, white chocolate isn't my favorite.
Oh, hey smarty pants, don't mind me.
I'm just deciding what to get from this vending machine while I wait for my laundry to dry.
Ooh, those flaming hot funyuns look good.
Maybe I don't want sweet at all.
Maybe I'm feeling a little salty, spicy, oniony.
Then again, I have been craving chocolate.
Will you hurry up and decide?
You're picking a snack, not a new pet.
It's not that serious.
First of all, it is.
And second of all, who's talking to me?
It's me, Vinnie the vending machine.
And you're holding up the line.
Oh, sorry. Wait, there's no line.
I'm the only one who does laundry at four in the morning on a Tuesday.
Fine, I'm just a little impatient.
Usually people know what they want in under an hour.
Okay, okay, you're right.
I'll take C11, please.
That's not how it works.
You gotta press the button.
Oh, right. I assumed because you're a talking vending machine, maybe you were voice activated.
I'm not. I'm just a regular vending machine and I almost never talk.
Except when someone takes over an hour to decide between candy and chips, which has never happened until today.
Well, I am not your average customer.
I am the trusty narrator from Who's Smarted.
Congratulations, you want a medal?
Cause I don't have any in me.
All I got is snacks.
And an attitude. That too.
And buttons, coils, a keypad, a central computer, an electromagnetic weight sensor and - Whoa, whoa, hold on.
That sounds way more complicated than I thought.
Come to think of it, I guess I don't know much about vending machines.
So what do you want?
My whole life story?
Kind of, like who invented vending machines and when?
And how exactly do you well vent?
And what are all the different types of vending machines?
I see. So you want me to dispense knowledge as well as snacks?
Is that okay? Um, um - The name's Vinny The Vending Machine.
And sure, I'm happy to hook you up for another buck 50.
Oh, sure. Get ready as we dole out another whiff of science and history on - Who smarted?
Who smarted? Who smart?
Is it you? Is it me?
Is it science or history?
Listen up! Everyone, remake smarting.
Lots of fun. Who smarted?
Parents, let's be real.
The post -holiday sugar crash is no joke.
Christmas cookies had my family's kids bouncing off the walls one moment, crashing the next.
We needed a reset. But finding healthy snacks kids love, that is a struggle.
So I shared one of my favorite new who smarted sponsors, Thrive Market.
Thrive's healthy swap scanner is a lifesaver.
Just scan the package of your kids' favorite snacks like sugary cookies or salty chips, and the scanner suggests cleaner, healthier options instantly.
Now instead of sugar bombs, my extended family is loving simple meals, crackers, chomps, beef sticks, and lesser evil popcorn.
The kids are thrilled and the adults love that they're off the sugar roller coaster.
Whether it's low sugar, organic snacks for lunchboxes or after -school bites, Thrive has us covered.
Plus, everything gets delivered right to your door.
That is why I am so happy that Thrive sponsors Who Smarted, helping us keep making the show that you love.
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So Vinnie the vending machine, the first thing I'm wondering about is how are these chips so fresh?
Well, I tend to sell out pretty quickly.
But even if I don't, someone from the vending machine company comes and restocks me, usually once a week, unless I sell out quicker.
They also come to collect the money and restock the change.
Got it. But let's start from the beginning.
When was the vending machine invented?
That my indecisive friend depends on your definition of vending machine.
The first modern vending machine first appeared in England in the 1800s.
But if we go back to the first century, to Egypt during the Roman Empire, there was a fella by the name of Hero of Alexandria.
You could say he's responsible for what was likely the first vending machine.
Really? So what was Hero's vending machine like?
Well, it was a simple device that accepted a coin which would land onto a tray.
The weight of the coin would then push the tray down and the tray was connected to a lever.
And the lever would open a valve and then the item would just flow out.
Flow out? Was this guy vending sodas, not in a can or a puddle?
Close. Holy water. Wow, spiritual and refreshing.
But I'm thinking Hero's vending machine probably didn't look much like the ones we have today.
Not at all. Like I said, those came out about much later.
In 1883, to be exact, the modern vending machine was invented by Percival Everett and it made its big debut in London.
Hey smarty pants, what do you think the first vending machine dispensed?
Was it A, postcards, B, cups of tea, or C, napkins?
While none of them sound particularly exciting, if you guessed A, postcards, you're right.
Percival's machine was a hit at train stations all over England where folks could quickly grab a last minute postcard and send to their loved ones.
In fact, the concert was such a success that the machines started showing up in post offices too.
Makes sense, what better place to buy a postcard than a post office where you can mail it?
And it doesn't stop there.
Once vending machines were put in post offices, they began selling envelopes and paper too.
You put a few coins in the machine and boom, you got everything you need to write and mail a letter.
Efficient, I like it.
Yup, we vending machines exist to make life more convenient.
I guess once people realized how convenient vending machines were, they started thinking of what else they could fill them with.
Exactly, in fact, companies that already manufactured various products saw the benefit in putting their product in vending machines.
That way, they could make extra money selling stuff outside of stores.
Even better, they wouldn't have to hire any new staff since the vending machines were self -serve.
Brilliant, so when did people start putting snacks in vending machines?
I mean, that's kind of what they're mostly known for today.
That happened in 1893.
A German chocolate company called Stollwerk set up a whopping 15 ,000 vending machines to sell their chocolate.
And since the company had been in business for 54 years, people knew and liked the brand.
Chocolate in vending machines, now we're talking.
It was such a success, Stollwerk started setting up vending machines under different company names and began filling those vending machines with everything from matches to soap to cigarettes.
Oh, pretty sneaky, Stollwerk.
The first vending machine to come to the USA was in 1888, but it didn't sell postcards or chocolate or matches or any of the stuff I've mentioned.
Sperny pants, any idea what the first vending machines in the USA sold?
While you chew it over, I'll give you an audio hint.
Did you say gum? Great job if you got that, smarty pants.
But wait, an entire vending machine sold just gum?
Yep, just gum. In fact, the machine was built by the Thomas Adams Gum Company.
So what else were they gonna sell?
Socks? Yeah, chewing socks isn't as fun.
Ew. Pop quiz for you, smarty pants.
Where do you think the first vending machine in the USA was located?
Was it A, at the base of the Statue of Liberty, B, at the White House, or C, on a New York City train platform?
What do you say, smarties?
Nitti, wanna tell us the answer?
The answer is C on New York City train platforms.
Well, I guess that explains a longstanding New York tradition of having gum stuck to the bottom of your shoes.
Now, Vitti, most vending machines, like the ones we covered, sell things like chocolate, candy, and other snacks.
But are there other types of vending machines the smarty pants might not know about?
Sure, lots. Everything from books to phone charges can be sold in a vending machine.
In fact, any machine that dispenses something in exchange for money is technically a vending machine.
That means that ticket machines and photo booths are vending machines, too.
Wow, I've never thought of it that way.
Most people don't. You see, snack vending machines just dispense the item.
But something like a ticket machine or a photo booth need to do a lot more work.
They're producing something custom based on the information they're capturing, whether it's an image which becomes a photo or the details of what train you're taking which comes out as your personalized ticket.
Wow, those machines are doing a lot of work.
I don't envy them. I like my job.
You press a button, I give you a snack, bada bing bada boom.
But some guys I know dispense all sorts of wacky stuff, Trusty.
And we'll find out what?
Right after this quick break, end a word from our sponsors.
Hi guys, it's Trusty.
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Today's episode is brought to you by IXL Learning.
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Parents, let's be real.
The post -holiday sugar crash is no joke.
Christmas cookies had my family's kids bouncing off the walls one moment, crashing the next.
We needed a reset, but finding healthy snacks kids love, that is a struggle.
So I shared one of my favorite new who smarted sponsors, Thrive Market.
Thrive's healthy swap scanner is a lifesaver.
Just scan the package of your kids' favorite snacks like sugary cookies or salty chips and the scanner suggests cleaner, healthier options instantly.
Now, instead of sugar bombs, my extended family is loving simple meals, crackers, chomps, beef sticks, and lesser evil popcorn.
The kids are thrilled and the adults love that they're off the sugar roller coaster.
Whether it's low sugar organic snacks for lunch boxes or after school bites, Thrive has us covered.
Plus, everything gets delivered right to your door.
That is why I am so happy that Thrive sponsors Who Smarted, helping us keep making the show that you love.
Ready to reset with healthy snacks?
Go to thrivemarket .com slash smarted for 30 % off and a free $60 gift.
That's thrivemarket .com slash smarted.
Now back to Who Smarted.
You know, I think I'll try that candy bar with the raisins after all.
Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
Hmm, not bad. Okay, trusty, question for you.
Which of these do you think is a real vending machine?
A vending machine for cars?
A vending machine for live fishing bait?
Or a vending machine that sells life insurance?
Whoa, cars, bait, life insurance.
They're all pretty crazy.
What do you think, smarty pants?
The answer is all of the above, they're all real.
There are car vending machines in the United States and Singapore, and they can be as tall as apartment buildings.
Whoa. The one in Singapore is 15 stories tall.
That is one big vending machine.
As for life insurance vending machines, they're a thing of the past now.
But from the 1950s until the 1970s, vending machines in US airports sold life insurance policies to people worried their plane might crash.
That's pretty morbid.
No wonder they stopped doing that.
What about the bait vending machines, Vinnie?
Are they just full of worms?
They sure are, trusty.
They're found in areas where fishing is popular and some are so advanced, they actually simulate rain for the worms inside the vending machine.
That's amazing. But Vinnie, how do all these vending machines actually work?
Like between the time I put my money in and press the button to the time my snack comes out?
What's actually happening inside the machine?
That's pretty sophisticated stuff, trusty.
The first step is to put the money into the machine.
It could be coins, bills, or a credit card.
Remember before when I said I have an electromagnetic weight sensor?
Uh -huh. Well, if you pay with coins, the sensor inside me measures the weight, thickness, and size of the coin to determine if you put in the right one.
If you didn't, it spits it back out.
But if you did, it allows you to make your snack selection or your car selection if you brought lots and lots of coins.
And what if I pay with a credit card?
In that case, the card information is captured electronically.
Then, after the machine accepts the info, you press the button for what you want.
I'm programmed to know which button or series of buttons corresponds to which item.
That information is sent to the central computer inside me, which is connected to a motor.
And the motor controls those coil things that hold the snacks.
Exact the moon though.
When the information is received, the motor turns the correct coil and your snack drops down.
Of course, it's not always a coil.
Sometimes it's a spring and the spring gets released, pushing your chips out of the machine and into your hands.
Nom, nom, nom, nom, nom.
I definitely prefer the spring to the coil.
I hate it when the snack gets stuck in the coil and the vending machine has my money.
Then I gotta hit and shake the machine to try and get it out.
Yeah, about that. You should never, ever, ever shake the machine.
Never. It's dangerous because the machine could dip over and land on you.
Most good vending machines, like me, have a sensor that can tell you your snack never came out and you'll get your money back.
And if it's a bad machine?
Well, then you're out of a few bucks and no snacks for you.
Sorry. It's okay. There's a lot more to vending machines than I thought.
It makes sense that sometimes something goes wrong.
Oh. Say, where are vending machines most popular?
Smarty Pants, any guesses?
Call them out. In some parts of the world, vending machines are a really big deal.
For example, in Japan, vending machine culture is huge.
In fact, they have the highest ratio of vending machines per person anywhere in the world with about one vending machine for every 23 people.
That's over 5 million vending machines.
Whoa. Japan even has a vending machine museum called the Sagamihara Vending Machine Park where they've got over 100 vintage vending machines and every single one of them actually still works.
Wow. I gotta check that out one day.
But no matter how many vending machines there are in Japan or anywhere in the world for that matter, you're still my number one.
Ah, thanks, trusty.
And just for that, here's a bag of chips on me.
I just need to shake them loose.
Come on. Here we go.
Almost got it. And, uh, there you go, trusty.
Uh, thanks. Something wrong?
Any chance I could get a candy bar instead?
Vinny? Vinny? Vinny, you there?
Vinny? Uh, oh well.
Big shout out to our pal Dayton in Gilminton, New Hampshire.
We're glad you love laughing while learning, Dayton, and we love your suggestion for an episode on the invention of the high five.
A big high five to you, smarty pants.
This episode, Vending Machines, was written by Phil Funyuns -Germany and voiced by Mateo Pretzel's Perot.
And Jerry Colbert. Technical direction and sound designed by Josh Hershey -Barr -Hahn.
Who Smarted is recorded and mixed at the Ralek Room Studios.
Our associate producer is Max Kitkat Kamaski.
The theme song is by Bryan Sun Chips Suarez with lyrics written and performed by Adam Chex mix Davis.
Who Smarted was created and produced by Adam Tex Davis and Jerry Colbert.
This has been an Atomic Entertainment production.
Backstage Part one.
