mofmann
Zoltar
Josh Baskin had been humiliated earlier while trying to impress an older girl. Both had been at a local carnival but his attempts to dazzle this particular beauty had failed miserably. Now, Josh found himself feeling dispirited and frustrated. He felt angry, not at the girl, of course, but at the insurmountability of his problem.
You see, for young Josh Baskin, the culprit for his ignominy was clearly a lack of accumulated years. Had he been older, his attempt to make a lasting (and positive) impression on the young lady would have likely been a more successful endeavor.
Age is funny that way - too little of it and we want more, too much of it and we want less.
As fate (and Hollywood) would have it, even the most insuperable problem can be tackled, however. Thus, while wandering around the carnival grounds, Josh stumbles upon a Zoltar machine. Magically drawn by Zoltar - a mixture of an Indian Guru and an Ottoman Caliphe of yesteryear - Josh slowly approaches the mechanical fortuneteller and finds himself dropping a shiny Quarter into its coin slot.
Said Quarter quickly appears upon a small, mobile ramp that can be manipulated by Josh to aim at Zoltar's animated mouth. As the mouth opens and closes ever so slowly, Josh awaits the right moment to release the coin and, being successful, sees it disappear into the innards of the humanoid automaton. Thus, Josh Baskin, a mere 12 years old, is granted a wish - and there is only one wish that he has : "I wish I were big!"
And with that simple act, Zoltar fortuneteller machines entered the cultural mainstream in the year 1988 when the movie "BIG," starring Tom Hanks, was released.
I never forgot about them - although my memory slowly faded as the years went by. My surprise was both real and joyous when I spotted the magical Zoltar at Bayside in Miami...
Downtown Miami, Florida, USA.
Zoltar
Josh Baskin had been humiliated earlier while trying to impress an older girl. Both had been at a local carnival but his attempts to dazzle this particular beauty had failed miserably. Now, Josh found himself feeling dispirited and frustrated. He felt angry, not at the girl, of course, but at the insurmountability of his problem.
You see, for young Josh Baskin, the culprit for his ignominy was clearly a lack of accumulated years. Had he been older, his attempt to make a lasting (and positive) impression on the young lady would have likely been a more successful endeavor.
Age is funny that way - too little of it and we want more, too much of it and we want less.
As fate (and Hollywood) would have it, even the most insuperable problem can be tackled, however. Thus, while wandering around the carnival grounds, Josh stumbles upon a Zoltar machine. Magically drawn by Zoltar - a mixture of an Indian Guru and an Ottoman Caliphe of yesteryear - Josh slowly approaches the mechanical fortuneteller and finds himself dropping a shiny Quarter into its coin slot.
Said Quarter quickly appears upon a small, mobile ramp that can be manipulated by Josh to aim at Zoltar's animated mouth. As the mouth opens and closes ever so slowly, Josh awaits the right moment to release the coin and, being successful, sees it disappear into the innards of the humanoid automaton. Thus, Josh Baskin, a mere 12 years old, is granted a wish - and there is only one wish that he has : "I wish I were big!"
And with that simple act, Zoltar fortuneteller machines entered the cultural mainstream in the year 1988 when the movie "BIG," starring Tom Hanks, was released.
I never forgot about them - although my memory slowly faded as the years went by. My surprise was both real and joyous when I spotted the magical Zoltar at Bayside in Miami...
Downtown Miami, Florida, USA.