December 19, 2007
Living the Dream: Field Museum Edition
Lots of Chicagoans haven't been to the Field Museum since elementary school. But guess what? It's just as fun now as it was then. And we were able to accomplish a life goal: Get all the mold-a-rama dinosaur toys from the food court. As we made our way from machine to machine, burning our hands on our newly-formed toys, a group of kids on a field trip started following us.
"Are you getting the orange one?" one asked.
"Oh yes," we said. "We'll be getting them all."
There are mold-a-ramas all around Chicago museums and a ton out at Brookfield Zoo. Forged behind the glass in the intense heat of the jukebox-sized machines, the occasionally deformed miniature statues serve all your souveniring needs. As tradition dictates, you play hot potato with them.
Do you still have any of these bad boys proudly displayed in your home or office? Favorite hidden ones? Complete collections? Let the hunt begin! — Josh Mellin
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Hahaha! My brother and I (both in our 30's) recently went to the Science & Industry as neither have been since our field trips as a kid...the first thing we did was hit the Information desk and ask where all the Mold a Rama machines were!!!!
And did you know if you get a deformed one, the Information booths are stocked w/ some already made that you can exchange them for?
I don't have any of mine from when I was a kid but my brother does. And he always inscribed the date on the bottom, which was damn smart!!
Hahaha! My brother and I (both in our 30's) recently went to the Science & Industry as neither have been since our field trips as a kid...the first thing we did was hit the Information desk and ask where all the Mold a Rama machines were!!!!
And did you know if you get a deformed one, the Information booths are stocked w/ some already made that you can exchange them for?
I don't have any of mine from when I was a kid but my brother does. And he always inscribed the date on the bottom, which was damn smart!!
My dog chewed up my green Apatasaurus a few years ago.
Apatosaurus
mold-a-rama! you didn't mention that wonderful plastic smell they have.
now I want nothing more than to pop in the first dvd of wonderfalls (featuring a talking, deformed, mold-a-rama lion).
While I do hold a place in my heart for the Mold--a-Rama machines, my favorite are the squished penny machines. When my wife and I got married, we were seriously broke, our "big dates" consited of getting museum passes from the CPL and packing some sandwiches. We'd bring $0.51 and get a souveneir too. Now we even have a little book to keep them in.
Im from st. louis and had never seen one of these machines before my trip to Lincoln Park Zoo. Totally loved it though!
Love the smell and the feel of hot wax. I have a bunch of these things. always on the look out for more. I would love to have my own.....
My colleague's got the discontinued Field Museum Gorilla. Lucky stiff. Lots more to see here:
http://www.moldaramaville.com/
I love the ones at the Science and Industry...the sub and the train come to mind. do they have them at the Shedd? They totally have a 1905s feel to them...the font of the wording, the extremely large mechanism to make such a small thing. fantastic.
I gave a bright green Lincoln from MSI to my Pakastani student worker as a gift when he graduated and went home. He practically cried. I'm sure it's in an honored place in his home.
I always wanted to get those when we'd go to the Field Museum as a kid but my parents would never get them for us.
I can only imagine how the school kids must have looked upon you like you were royalty, what with the vast sums of cash and freedom to get the whole set.
Next time I go, I'm getting the whole set for myself. That'll show my parents who's boss!
Wow, Benjy, make sure to bring that up to your therapist next time.
Fortunately I have two kids of my own so I can make my way through Chicago unabashedly building my their Mold-A-Rama collection.
Darn, I used the strike through tag on "my" for comedic effect but it didn't take... so YEAH, I GET THEM FOR MYSELF, are you happy now?
They used to (maybe still do) have them at the milwaukee County Zoo. I had the see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil monkey mold-a-rama.
Those thing are supercool!
I want the Mold-A-Rama's from the "Maps" exhibit!
Hey, kids, this tells you where north is! And this one tells you what symbol they've used to show railroad tracks!
(Kidding, "Maps" and the Mold-A-Rama's do rock. Everyone really needs to experience both of them. Like right now. Go!)
my friend and i got sweet green robot ones from the museum of science and industry when they had that weird toy robot exhibit going on.
he keeps all of my liquor bottles company on the shelf.