My first encounter with Zoltar—a mechanical ‘fortune teller’, or ‘mechanical genie’—was while watching the classic movie “Big”. The 1988 film, directed by Penny Marshall, starred Tom Hanks as a boy who makes a wish that he was a grown up. Zoltar dispenses a card which apparently grants his wish. And the following morning he, indeed, is a grown-up.
I’d not seen a Zoltar machine in decades, but during the last month I came across two—one in Arkansas and one in Texas.
Remarkably, Zoltar remains a popular fortune teller to this day. I saw several people pay for their automated fortunes.
I remember an old Zoltar machine at Conneaut Lake Amuseument Park, Pennsylvania.
Two in a row, fun! I remember seeing one a few years ago at the Musée mécanique in San Francisco.