A fortune teller machine (also known as a genie machine or mechanical genie) is a type of amusement automaton, which upon receiving credit gives out a card with a prediction of the reader's future. This is typically given by an

automaton An automaton (; plural: automata or automatons) is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions.Automaton – Definition and More ...

. They could be found in

penny arcade ''Penny Arcade'' is a webcomic focused on video games and video game culture, written by Jerry Holkins and illustrated by Mike Krahulik. The comic debuted in 1998 on the website ''loonygames.com''. Since then, Holkins and Krahulik have establ ...

s, and can be seen in modern

video arcade An amusement arcade (often referred to as a video arcade, amusements or simply arcade) is a venue where people play arcade games, including arcade video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers (such a ...

s and

amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

Notable examples

*Verbal Fortune Teller - Mills Novelty Co, c. 1904 - One unique machine, perhaps the only extant version in the world, survives in a museum in

Virginia City, Montana Virginia City is a town in and the county seat of Madison County, Montana, United States. In 1961 the town and the surrounding area were designated a National Historic Landmark District, the Virginia City Historic District. The population was 2 ...

. It features a recorded voice and eerie

animatronics Animatronics refers to mechatronic puppets. They are a modern variant of the automaton and are often used for the portrayal of characters in films and in theme park attractions. It is a multidisciplinary field integrating puppetry, anatomy ...

. "The 100-year-old fortune teller was an extremely rare find. Instead of dispensing a card like Zoltar, the Gypsy would actually speak your fortune from a hidden record player. When you dropped a penny in the slot, her eyes would flash, her teeth would chatter and her voice would come floating from a tube extending out of the eight-foot-tall box. This machine also provided fortunes for males and females separately". Reportedly, magician

David Copperfield ''David Copperfield'' Dickens invented over 14 variations of the title for this work, see is a novel in the bildungsroman genre by Charles Dickens, narrated by the eponymous David Copperfield, detailing his adventures in his journey from inf ...

tried to buy the machine from the Montana State Historical Commission for two million dollars. Fortune Teller Machines are a rare artifact surviving from the era of penny arcade, boardwalk and amusement parks. Listed are a few of the notable varieties: *Madame Zita - A richly attired fortune teller in Gypsy style. The electric version was manufactured around 1905 by the Roover Brothers. *Grandmothers Predictions (Cleveland Grandma) - William Gent Mfg, c. 1929 - The wise old grandmother passes her hands over the fortune telling cards and stops at the proper fortune. The card falls into the tray below. *Princess Doraldina - Doraldina Corp, c. 1928 - Her youth and beauty attract the arcade customer. The machine's lifelike movements when granting fortunes make the process appear to be alive. *Genco Gypsy Grandma Fortune Teller - Genco Mfg., New York. NY c. 1940s-1950s - The central attraction of the original boardwalk and arcades was the "Gypsy Grandma" that comes to life after depositing a coin into a slot. Once a selection is made using a rotary dial that illuminates the player's astrological sign of choice, the animated Gypsy fortune teller moves her head above a lighted crystal ball while holding a fan of playing cards in her right hand and magic wand in her left hand. Featured sophisticated movements (nods, turns her head, breathes). Her right hand picks-up a fortune card from the enclosure that she opens with her left hand. She brings the card in front of her, turns her head, and then moves the card over the cauldron and drops it (which delivers the card to the patron). *Mike Munves Grandma's Prophesies Grandma Predicts Fortune Tellers. - Mike Munves Corp., New York, c. 1930s - One hand moves over the cards while the hand moves over the crystal ball, head turns from side to side, eyes move, and the chest "breathes", crystal ball glows as the machine dispenses a fortune card. *Mike Munves Deco “Ask Grandma” Fortune Teller. - Mike Munves Corp., New York - Ask Grandma Fortune Teller, Deco. Full size Grandma, life size with human movements (chest, both hands, eyes, head). The crystal ball glows once coin is inserted. She will scan the cards for a peek into your future, and then a fortune card will drop for the patron. *Estrella's Prophecies Fortune Teller - A coin-operated Gypsy-style fortune teller machine. A full size enclosed figure in elaborate oak cabinet. Her head moves from side to side, hand moves across the cards, while her left hand raises and then she slowly dispenses a fortune card through the ornate card slot. *Zoltan Fortune Teller - Deposit 25 cent coin, put receiver in your ear, press one of twelve zodiac sign button on the front of the machine (corresponds to the 12 signs of the zodiac). The crystal ball is lit by an eerie, red mystic light when Zoltan predicts fortune. Offers 1 to 12 Zoltan's fortunes in a heavily Hungarian accent. Zoltan usually begins his fortune telling with "This is Zoltan speaking" or "Greetings from Zoltan". The predictions, which last around one minute, include things about your future, lucky numbers, and favorable colors.Zoltan Fortune TellerGameroom Show

Gallery

Various fortune teller machines at

Musée Mécanique The Musée Mécanique (, "Mechanical Museum") is a for-profit interactive museum of 20th-century penny arcade games and artifacts, located at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, California. With over 300 mechanical machines, it is one of the w ...

in San Francisco: IMAGE:Musée Mécanique 064.JPG IMAGE:Musée Mécanique 012.JPG IMAGE:Musée Mécanique 072.JPG IMAGE:Musée Mécanique 166.JPG IMAGE:Musée Mécanique 010.JPG

In media

*In episode 43 "Nick of Time" of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It originally aired on November 18, 1960, on CBS and was written by

Richard Matheson Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is best known as the author of '' I Am Legend'', a 1954 science fictio ...

. *In the 1988

Penny Marshall Carole Penny MarshallBorn Carole Penny Marshall in 1943, as per ''My Mother Was Nuts, a Memoir'', p. 10; . Copyright 2012 (October 15, 1943 – December 17, 2018) was an American actress, director and producer. She is known for her role as ...

film '' Big'', the main character, a child who wishes to be big, uses a "Zoltar" magical wishing machine very similar to a fortune teller machine that turns him into an adult. That machine was referenced in "Fortune in Flames", a second-season episode of the

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1 ...

series ''

Pawn Stars ''Pawn Stars'' is an American reality television series shown on History and produced by Leftfield Pictures. The series is filmed in Las Vegas, Nevada, where it chronicles the daily activities at the World Famous Gold & Silver Pawn Shop, a 24 ...

''. *In an episode of ''

Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, an ...

'', the title characters want to go to a metal concert, when Butt-Head asks Beavis for money, Beavis replies, "I spent all my money playing Zoltar." *In "

The Honking "The Honking" is the eighteenth episode in the second season of the American animated television series ''Futurama''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 5, 2000. The title references the 1981 film ''The Howlin ...

", an episode of the animated TV series ''

Futurama ''Futurama'' is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of the professional slacker Philip J. Fry, who is cryogenically preserved for 1000 years ...

'', the main characters, wishing to learn about a curse that has afflicted Bender, consult with a fortune teller machine, which, like many of the other machines of the 31st century, is sentient. *In the eleventh and final series of ''Big Brother'' UK and the ''

Ultimate Big Brother ''Ultimate Big Brother'' was the final series of the UK reality television programme '' Big Brother'' to air on Channel 4. The series was produced by Remarkable Pictures, a division of Endemol. ''Ultimate Big Brother'' was an All Star edition ...

'' series, a fortune teller machine named Bob Righter (an

anagram An anagram is a word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of a different word or phrase, typically using all the original letters exactly once. For example, the word ''anagram'' itself can be rearranged into ''nag a ram'', also the word ...

of ''Big Brother''), was present in the main living area of the house. In the first few weeks of the series, after an eviction, the machine would tell a good or bad fortune to one of the current housemates. However, in a twist it was actually the evicted housemate who decided who would receive the good or bad fortune. *A Zoltar machine appears on the 2014 album ''

Wishful Thinking Wishful thinking is the formation of beliefs based on what might be pleasing to imagine, rather than on evidence, rationality, or reality. It is a product of resolving conflicts between belief and desire. Methodologies to examine wishful thin ...

'' by the Pop-Punk band

Neck Deep Neck Deep are a Welsh pop punk band from Wrexham, Wales formed in 2012. Founded after vocalist Ben Barlow met former lead guitarist Lloyd Roberts, the pair posted a song ("What Did You Expect?") online under the name Neck Deep. The song soon ga ...

, and the entire album cover is reminiscent of the 1988 comedy film '' Big''. *A fortune telling machine named "Sallah, the Soothsaying Sultan" appears in ''

Warehouse 13 ''Warehouse 13'' is an American science fiction television series that originally ran from July 7, 2009, to May 19, 2014, on the Syfy network, and was executive produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins for Universal Cable Productions. Describ ...

'', during the episode " Insatiable". Its predictions have no bearing on reality; their only purpose is to cause extreme dread in whoever reads them. *In the episode "Fundamentals of Naked Portraiture" from the series ''Limitless'', the main character, Brian Finch, uses the Zoltar machine comically in a scene to tell some guilty military members that their fortune is that they are all murderers. *In ''

BioShock ''BioShock'' is a 2007 first-person shooter, first-person shooter game developed by 2K Boston (later Irrational Games) and 2K Australia, and published by 2K Games. The first game in the BioShock (series), ''BioShock'' series, it was released f ...

'' and ''

BioShock 2 ''BioShock 2'' is a first-person shooter video game developed by 2K Marin and published by 2K Games. It was released worldwide for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360 on February 9, 2010; Feral Interactive released an OS X version on March 3 ...

'', fortune teller machines called Epstein the Swami will give out pessimistic fortunes every time they are used. *In ''

Grand Theft Auto Online ''Grand Theft Auto Online'' is an online multiplayer action-adventure game developed by Rockstar North and published by Rockstar Games. It was released on 1 October 2013 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, 18 November 2014 for PlayStation 4 and Xb ...

'', players can opt to place a "Nazar Speaks" machine inside their arcade which will tell players fortunes when used, many of which are references to either game mechanics or other

Rockstar Games Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Foun ...

video games. *In '' Dead by Daylight'', the map "Father Campbell's Chapel" has a Zoltar machine located in the carnival section. *In '' Step Up 3'', a Zoltar machine like the one from '' Big'' is seen when the dance crew enters the arcade at a fair. *In the music video of

Poets of The Fall Poets of the Fall (POTF) is a Finnish rock band from Helsinki. The group consists of Marko Saaresto (lead vocals), Olli Tukiainen (lead guitar), Markus "Captain" Kaarlonen (keyboards, production), Jani Snellman (bass), Jaska Mäkinen (rhythm ...

's "

Carnival of Rust Carnival of Rust is the second album by the Finnish rock band Poets of the Fall. It was released on 12 April 2006 in Finland, 12 September 2006 in Sweden, October 2006 in Australia, Russia and Ukraine, then on 20 April 2007 in Germany. Th ...

", the singer of the band is dressed as a fortune teller. *In '' Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare''s Zombies mode there is a fortune telling machine that deals "Fate and Fortune" cards. *In season 4 of ''

Wizards of Waverly Place ''Wizards of Waverly Place'' is an American fantasy teen sitcom created by Todd J. Greenwald that aired on Disney Channel for four seasons between October 2007 and January 2012. The series centers on Alex Russo (Selena Gomez), a teenage wiza ...

'' episode "Misfortune at the Beach", the main characters receive fortunes from a machine, good and bad, that actually come to true. *In an episode of '' Batman: The Animated Series'', entitled "

Be a Clown "Be a Clown" is a song written by Cole Porter for the 1948 film '' The Pirate''. The song was performed twice in the film: first by Gene Kelly and The Nicholas Brothers and then at the end of the film by Kelly and Judy Garland. The song "Make 'Em ...

", the Joker uses a fortune telling machine in the form of an old woman to seal

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

's fate. *In the episode of "Mechanical Genie Island" from the series ''

The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack ''The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack'' (also known as ''The Misadventures of Flapjack'', or simply ''Flapjack'') is an American animated television series created by Thurop Van Orman for Cartoon Network. It premiered in the United States on ...

'', Flapjack and Captain K'nuckles get stranded on an island inhabited by the fortune telling machine in a form of genie that plays games with whoever comes on his island in order to cheat them into being his butlers for life. Later, it is revealed that Mechanical Genie is the toy of a giant baby. *In ''

Batman Forever ''Batman Forever'' (on-screen title is simply ''Forever'') is a 1995 American superhero film directed by Joel Schumacher and produced by Tim Burton, based on the DC Comics character Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The third installment o ...

'', Edward Nygma in his apartment has the fortune telling machine in the form of a man dressed in a green suit with question marks all over it called ''The Guesser''. Nygma took from it a major inspiration for creating the image of the

Riddler The Riddler (Edward Nigma, later Edward Nygma or Edward Nashton) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bill Finger and Dick Sprang, and debuted in ''Detective Comics'' #140 in ...

. *In season 3 of ''

Bunk'd ''Bunk'd'' is an American comedy television series created by Pamela Eells O'Connell that premiered on Disney Channel on July 31, 2015. The series is a spinoff of '' Jessie'' and for the first three seasons includes returning stars Peyton List, ...

'', the campers find "The Great Balthazar", a fortune teller machine in the barn. One of the counselors, Lou, is uncomfortable with it, thinking that it's cursed. Near the end of the episode, she wants to smash it with a hammer back to "the underworld she believes that it came from" since she believes that was how the fortunes came true, until her friends give her a reasonable explanation. A camper, Matteo, tries proving it by getting a fortune saying that no one will see his true strength but when he fails to prove to her that it's just a game, another camper, Zuri, says "You didn't need to be Balthazar to see that coming". *In season 4 of ''

Steven Universe ''Steven Universe'' is an American animated television series created by Rebecca Sugar for Cartoon Network. It tells the coming-of-age story of a young boy, Steven Universe ( Zach Callison), who lives with the Crystal Gems—magical, mineral ...

'', Steven accidentally breaks a fortune-teller machine called Zoltron at the amusement park Funland in his hometown of Beach City. As payment, the owner of Funland makes Steven dress up as Zoltron, sit in the machine, and play the role of Zoltron. *In season 2 of '' The Order'', the Zoltar machine specifically from the film '' Big'' is seen in several episodes and said to "grant wishes ironically" inferring to the ironic wish that is granted in the film ''Big''. *In the 1972 ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and inf ...

'' animated movie ''

Snoopy Come Home ''Snoopy, Come Home!'' is a 1972 American animated musical comedy-drama film directed by Bill Melendez and written by Charles M. Schulz based on the ''Peanuts'' comic strip. The film marks the on-screen debut of Woodstock, who had first appeared ...

'', while

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip '' Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American a ...

and Peppermint Patty are at a carnival, they come across a fortune telling machine and decide to have their fortunes told. While the machine provides Peppermint Patty with a positive fortune (reading "You are a very loving person and your life will be forever filled with romance"), it provides Charlie Brown with a refusal (reading "Forget it, kid!": Charlie Brown gets a candy heart with the same words in ''

Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown ''Be My Valentine, Charlie Brown'' is the 13th prime-time animated television special based on the comic strip '' Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. In the United States, it debuted on CBS on January 28, 1975. The special received an Emmy nominatio ...

''). *In the Canadian stage musical, ''

Ride the Cyclone ''Ride the Cyclone'' is a musical with music, lyrics and book by Jacob Richmond and Brooke Maxwell. It is the second installment in Richmond's "Uranium Teen Scream Trilogy," a collection of three theatrical works, one not yet written, that take p ...

'', the narrator of the show is Karnak, a vintage fortune telling machine who knows the exact time and place of someone's death.

References

External links

Fortune Tellers at pinballhistory.com
{{The Pinball Arcade Commercial machines Animatronic attractions

Notable examples

Gallery

In media

See also

References

External links