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==Global popularity== ===In Asia=== [[File:Claw cranes with kawaii stuffed mascots and a woman playing, Akihabara, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan.jpg|thumb|left|A row of UFO catchers in [[Akihabara]], [[Tokyo]]]] Japanese companies [[Sega]] and [[Taito]] began designing trolley-style claw machines in the 1960s.<ref name="mf" /> They gained popularity in Japan during the late 1970s, with crane games ranking among Japan's top ten highest-grossing [[Electro-mechanical game|electro-mechanical]] (EM) [[1977 in video games|arcade games of 1977]] and [[1978 in video games|1978]].<ref name="GM90">{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:結果ベスト3|trans-title=Best 3 Results |magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=90|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=15 February 1978|pages=2–3|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19780215p.pdf#page=2}}</ref><ref name="GM113">{{cite magazine|script-title=ja:人気マシン・ベスト3|trans-title=Popular Machines: Best 3 |magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|issue=113|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|date=February 1979|pages=2–3|lang=ja|url=https://onitama.tv/gamemachine/pdf/19790201p.pdf#page=2}}</ref> Sega released their ''UFO Catcher'' claw machine in 1985 and made their first shipment of it in 1986.<ref>{{cite web |title=UFO Catcher |url=https://sega.jp/history/arcade/product/9370/ |website=[[Sega]] |access-date=18 May 2021 |language=ja}}</ref> It had sold 10,000 cabinets by 1991, its popularity inspiring Sega's creation of the ''Dream Catcher'' in 1989 and the ''New UFO Catcher'' in 1991 while making the ''UFO Catcher'' series responsible for 90 percent of stuffed toy claw machine sales.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Sega's 'Hologram' Game ls Coming To Japan|magazine=[[:ja:ゲームマシン|Game Machine]]|first=Masumi|last=Akagi|publisher=[[:ja:アミューズメント通信社|Amusement Press, Inc.]]|issue=|date=1 September 1991|page=26|url=https://archive.org/details/game-machine-magazine-19910901p/page/n13/mode/1up}}</ref> By 1994, its claw could be changed to fit the sizes and shapes of different prizes, and it had become a craze across Japan: arcades started dedicating entire floors to ''UFO Catcher'' cabinets—of which Sega had sold over 40,000, making it Sega's best-selling game at the time—and the term "UFO catcher" became synonymous with crane games in Japan.<ref>{{cite book |title=Sega '94 Amusement Machine Guide |date=1994 |publisher=Sega |page=12 |url=https://archive.org/details/sega-94-amusement-machine-guide/page/n12/mode/1up}}</ref><ref name="vgce">{{Cite magazine|title=Win Big With UFO Catcher|magazine=[[VideoGames & Computer Entertainment|VideoGames]]|last=Nakamura|first=Eric|publisher=[[Larry Flynt Publications|LFP, Inc.]]|issue=66|date=July 1994|page=92|issn=1059-2938|url=https://archive.org/details/Video_Games_The_Ultimate_Gaming_Magazine_Issue_66_July_1994/page/n91/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|title=OutRun|magazine=[[Mean Machines Sega]]|last=Swan|first=Gus|publisher=EMAP|issue=22|date=August 1994|pages=92–3|issn=0967-9014|url=https://archive.org/details/mean-machines-sega-magazine-22/page/n91/mode/2up}}</ref> Sega Shinjuku Kabukicho, a two-story Sega arcade in [[Shinjuku]], [[Tokyo]] containing 477 claw machines, received the [[Guinness World Record]] for having the most claw machines in a single venue in 2021, a record previously held by the Taito Station in [[Fuchū, Tokyo]] for having 454 machines.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hooper |first1=Ben |title=Japanese arcade gets Guinness record for most claw crane machines - UPI.com |url=https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2021/01/21/Japanese-arcade-gets-Guinness-record-for-most-claw-crane-machines/4341611252065/ |website=[[United Press International]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=21 January 2021}}</ref> {{As of|2023}}, Yuka Nakajima of Japan holds the Guinness World Record for being the most successful claw machine player due to winning more than 3,500 [[Rilakkuma]] [[teddy bear]]s from claw machines.<ref>{{cite web |title=Most successful claw game player |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/most-successful-claw-game-player |via=[[Guinness World Records]] |access-date=6 May 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Ashcraft |first1=Brian |last2=Snow |first2=Jean |title=Arcade Mania!: The Turbo-Charged World of Japan's Game Centers |chapter=Chapter 1: Crane Games |chapter-url=https://metropolisjapan.com/game-on-2/ |date=2008 |publisher=[[Kodansha|Kodansha International]] |location=Tokyo |isbn=978-4770030788 |edition=1st}}</ref> In 2021, claw machines accounted for more than half of the revenue at Japanese arcades, according to the [[Japan Amusement Machine and Marketing Association|Japan Amusement Industry Association]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Virus threatens 'game over' for Japan's arcades |url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20210210-virus-threatens-game-over-for-japan-s-arcades |website=[[France 24]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=10 February 2021}}</ref> Japanese claw machines can also contain cakes as prizes.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Feit |first1=Daniel |title=Japan's New 'UFO Catcher' Prize: Fresh-Baked Cakes |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/11/sweets-crane/ |magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=11 November 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McNaught |first1=Shannon |title=Japanese crane game serves up actual slices of cake |url=https://japantoday.com/category/features/food/japanese-crane-game-serves-up-actual-slices-of-cake |website=[[Japan Today]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=13 December 2019}}</ref> The number of claw machine arcades and the popularity of claw machines both experienced a sharp increase in South Korea in 2016 and 2017, specifically in [[Seoul]] neighborhoods with universities like [[Hongdae (area)|Hongdae]] and [[Sinchon]]. From 2015 to 2017, the number of South Korean claw arcades increased from 20 to 1,900, while mentions of claw machines on Korean social networks also increased during that time. ''[[Korea JoongAng Daily]]'' and ''[[The Korea Herald]]'' attributed the increased interest to South Korea's harsh economy at the time leading to a desire for cheap entertainment, while ''[[U.S. News & World Report]]'' associated it with the country's increasing youth unemployment.<ref name="korherald">{{cite web |title=Slowing economy lures young Koreans to claw machines |url=https://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170203000121 |website=[[The Korea Herald]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=3 February 2017}}</ref><ref name="usnwr" /><ref name="kjd" /> [[File:A Claw Crane Shop on Shuitian St. in Hsinchu City.jpg|thumb|A claw machine arcade in [[Hsinchu]], [[Taiwan]]]] In Taiwan, where claw machine arcades are usually open all day and owners sublet their machines to different operators, claw machines became especially popular as inexpensive entertainment starting in 2017, due to their costing [[New Taiwan dollar|NT$]]10 to use. The number of claw machine arcades in Taiwan increased from 920 in 2016 to 3,353 in 2018 and, {{As of|lc=y|2019}}, there are more than 10,000.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Yang |first1=Sophia |last2=Everington |first2=Keoni |title=Taiwan claw crane craze |url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3631880 |website=[[Taiwan News]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=4 February 2019}}</ref> A 2018 survey of children aged seven to 18 reported 32.7 percent of them using claw machines one to three days a week and over four percent using them every day.<ref name="tptimes">{{cite web |last1=Maxon |first1=Ann |title=Survey shows claw machine issues |url=https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2018/06/27/2003695631 |website=[[Taipei Times]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=27 June 2018}}</ref> The [[Central Bank of the Republic of China (Taiwan)|Central Bank of the Republic of China]] increased their budget in 2019 to produce more NT$10 coins to accommodate the increasing popularity of claw machines in Taiwan. By 2018, the average monthly revenue for operating a claw machine was around NT$5,000.<ref name="scmp">{{cite web |last1=Chang |first1=Sean |title=Time for a lucky dip: claw crane game craze takes off in Taiwan |url=https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/2177851/taiwans-claw-crane-game-craze-leaves-players-and-shop |website=[[South China Morning Post]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=14 December 2018}}</ref> The largest claw machine arcade in China, LJJ Station in [[Beijing]], has more than 60 machines with stuffed toy versions of characters from [[WeChat]] animations.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Li |first1=Lea |title=The Claw! China's 'biggest' crane game centre |url=https://www.scmp.com/video/scmp-originals/3019087/chinas-biggest-crane-game-centre-gets-customers-digging-out-plush |website=[[South China Morning Post]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=18 July 2019}}</ref> Before 2020, claw machines were popular in Thai shopping malls; a 2020 survey conducted by the advocacy group No Gambling Youth Club stated that 75 of the 92 shopping malls surveyed contained 1,300 claw machines collectively.<ref name="khaosod" /><ref name="bkokpost" /> ===United States=== [[File:GIRL TRIES TO PICK UP PRIZE WITH A MINIATURE CRANE AT "FUN CITY" RECENTLY OPENED ESTABLISHMENT ON "THE STRIP." "THE... - NARA - 551294.jpg|thumb|left|A girl using a claw machine at the [[Lake of the Ozarks State Park]] in [[Missouri]], U.S.]] In the United States, claw machines became ubiquitous in the 1980s.<ref name="mf" /> They are common at carnivals, grocery stores, shopping malls, arcades, amusement parks, and bowling alleys.<ref name="today">{{cite web |last1=Rossen |first1=Jeff |last2=Bomnin |first2=Lindsey |title=Claw machine secrets revealed: Are they rigged? |url=https://www.today.com/money/claw-machine-secrets-revealed-are-they-rigged-t100351 |website=[[Today (American TV program)|Today]] |access-date=1 May 2023 |date=13 July 2016}}</ref><ref name="vox">{{cite web |last1=Edwards |first1=Phil |title=Claw machines are rigged — here's why it's so hard to grab that stuffed animal |url=https://www.vox.com/2015/4/3/8339999/claw-machines-rigged |website=[[Vox Media|Vox]] |access-date=1 May 2023 |date=3 April 2015}}</ref> The world's largest claw machine, according to Guinness World Records, is a 17 by 8 by 12 feet machine designed by the [[Dayton, Ohio]]-based creative agency Real Art and opened in 2014.<ref name="kidskeep" /> The term "Clawcade" is used in the USA to refer to arcades that exclusively feature claw machines and prize-winning games.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Fravel |first1=Caleb |title=Clawcades: The new Japanese-style arcade sweeping the Twin Cities |url=https://www.startribune.com/clawcades-the-new-japanese-style-arcade-sweeping-the-twin-cities/601177879 |access-date=11 March 2025 |work=www.startribune.com |date=8 November 2024 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Brown |first1=Kyle |title=New Japanese-style 'clawcades' are gripping the metro |url=https://kstp.com/kstp-news/top-news/new-japanese-style-clawcades-are-gripping-the-metro/ |access-date=11 March 2025 |work=KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News |date=8 January 2025}}</ref> There were many instances of children getting stuck inside of claw machines in the United States throughout the 2010s, including in Tennessee, New York, Kentucky, Nebraska, Pennsylvania,<ref name="kidskeep">{{cite web |last1=Kim |first1=Susanna |title=Why Kids Keep Getting Stuck in Claw Toy Machines |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/kids-stuck-claw-toy-machines/story?id=26381639 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=22 October 2014}}</ref> North Carolina,<ref>{{cite web |title=Boy trapped inside claw machine after climbing in to get prize at North Carolina amusement park |url=https://www.today.com/news/boy-trapped-claw-machine-north-caroline-amusement-park-rcna80189 |website=[[Today (American TV program)|Today]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=18 April 2023}}</ref> and Texas.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Hawatmeh |first1=Rachel |title=Girl Gets Trapped Inside a Claw Machine After a Double Dog Dare |url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/girl-trapped-inside-claw-machine-double-dog-dare/story?id=33663205 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |access-date=6 May 2023 |date=10 September 2015}}</ref> ===Online and in popular culture=== Online claw machines are claw machines controlled remotely online, with prizes that get shipped to users' homes upon being won.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Serrano |first1=Jody |title=Play IRL Arcade Claw Games in Japan With Google's New Apps |url=https://gizmodo.com/google-crane-game-apps-japan-1848764824 |website=[[Gizmodo]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=7 April 2022}}</ref> Since the 2010s, mobile apps, such as ''[[Clawee]]'' in Israel and ''Sega Catcher Online'' in Japan, and websites, such as ''Netch'' in Japan and the Santa Claw in the United States, have allowed users to remotely use claw machines stored in warehouses in their respective countries.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Melendez |first1=Steven |title=Now you can remote-control a real claw game from your smartphone |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90686760/clawee-claw-game |website=[[Fast Company]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=20 October 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Good |first1=Owen S. |title=Sega app lets you play a real claw game in Japan remotely, win prizes |url=https://www.polygon.com/mobile/2020/1/23/21079145/sega-catcher-online-claw-game-japan-iphone-android-ufo-catcher |website=[[Polygon (website)|Polygon]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=23 January 2020}}</ref><ref name="kotakuaus" /><ref>{{cite web |last1=Chapman |first1=Paul |title=Internet-Operated Claw Machines Invade Japanese Arcades |url=https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2015/02/17-1/internet-operated-claw-machines-invade-japanese-arcades |via=[[Crunchyroll]] |access-date=11 May 2023 |date=17 February 2015}}</ref> The 1993 [[Nintendo Entertainment System]] (NES) video game ''[[Kirby's Adventure]]'' includes a minigame based on the ''UFO Catcher'', while the 1998 [[PlayStation]] game ''[[Bomberman World]]'' has a UFO catcher-themed battle stage.<ref name="vgce" /><ref>{{cite magazine|title=PlayStation Previews|magazine=[[Electronic Gaming Monthly]]|issue=101|publisher=EGM Media, LLC|date=December 1997|page=108|url=https://archive.org/details/electronic-gaming-monthly-issue-101-december-1997_202212/page/n118/}}</ref> Sega's 2005 video game ''[[Yakuza (video game)|Yakuza]]'' and its sequels ''[[Yakuza 0]]'' and ''[[Yakuza Kiwami]]'' also feature ''UFO Catcher'' machines.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Playmania|issue=58|publisher=Grupo V|date=|title=Misiones Secundarias|page=18|lang=es|url=https://archive.org/details/Playmania_093_Guia/page/n9/mode/1up}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=McGreevy |first1=Neil |title=Yakuza 0: Mafia mullarkey in gloriously absurd world of Japanese pop-culture |url=https://www.irishnews.com/arts/2017/02/10/news/yakuza-0-mafia-mullarkey-in-gloriously-absurd-world-of-japanese-pop-culture-921635/ |website=[[The Irish News]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=10 February 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Altano |first1=Brian |last2=Scoville |first2=Max |title=Yakuza Kiwami Has Sexy Bug-Fights and Claw Machines |url=https://www.ign.com/videos/yakuza-kiwami-has-sexy-bug-fights-and-claw-machines |website=[[IGN]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=18 September 2017}}</ref> The 2019 video game ''[[The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019 video game)| Link's Awakening]]'' includes a claw machine as a side activity.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Plagge |first1=Kallie |title=The Claw Machine In Zelda: Link's Awakening Is Kind Of Evil |url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/the-claw-machine-in-zelda-links-awakening-is-kind-/1100-6469993/ |website=[[GameSpot]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=23 September 2019}}</ref> In the 1995 film ''[[Toy Story]]'', [[Buzz Lightyear]] and [[Sheriff Woody]] climb into a claw vending machine filled with [[List of Toy Story characters#Aliens / Little Green Men|claw-worshipping aliens]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Every Reference in Toy Story |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/video/watch/every-reference-in-toy-story |website=[[Vanity Fair (magazines)|Vanity Fair]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=19 June 2019}}</ref> In the ''[[SpongeBob SquarePants]]'' episode "Skill Crane" from its [[SpongeBob SquarePants (season 4)|fourth season]], [[Squidward Tentacles|Squidward]] becomes addicted to trying to win a prize from a claw machine.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Whitney |first1=Oliver |title=SpongeBob SquarePants' 100 Best Episodes Ranked |url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/features/spongebob-squarepants-best-episodes-ranking/ |website=[[TV Guide]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=17 July 2019}}</ref> Claw machines have also been featured in the music videos for [[Delta Heavy]]'s 2019 song "Take Me Home", [[George Fisher (musician)|Corpsegrinder]]'s 2022 song "Bottom Dweller", and the [[City Girls]]' 2022 song "Good Love".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kennelty |first1=Greg |title=Corpsegrinder's New "Bottom Dweller" Video Is Strangely Adorable |url=https://metalinjection.net/video/corpsegrinders-new-bottom-dweller-video-is-strangely-adorable |website=Metal Injection |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=7 September 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Bein |first1=Kat |title=Delta Heavy's 'Take Me Home' Video Is an Animated Toy Love Story: Exclusive |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/delta-heavy-take-me-home-video-8544268/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=20 November 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Guy |first1=Zoe |title=City Girls and Usher Invite Us to Cascade and the Cookout |url=https://www.vulture.com/2022/07/usher-city-girls-good-love-music-video.html |website=[[New York (magazine)#Vulture|Vulture]] |access-date=18 May 2023 |date=1 July 2022}}</ref>
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