The History of the Gumball Machine
1898 - The Late 19th Century
We have all enjoyed an occasional gumball from a nearby gumball machine for our entire lives. As you might guess, these novelties haven't been around forever. While vending machines or vending kiosks have been around for centuries, the traditional gumball machine as we know it got it's start in the late 19th century.
Expert Mary Bellis, in an article written about the origin of the gumball machine, states: "In 1888, the Thomas Adams Gum Company introduced the very first vending machines to the United States. The machines were installed on the elevated subway platforms in New York City and sold Tutti-Fruiti gum. In 1897, the Pulver Manufacturing Company added animated figures to its gum machines as an added attraction. The round candy coated gumball and gumball vending machines were introduced in 1907."
Adam's Pepsin Tutti Frutti Gum Machine.
Pulvers One Cent Gum Machine
Pullvers One Cent Gum Machine
Ford Gum - Carousel Gumball Machines
Founded in 1934, the Ford Gum and Machine Company of Akron, New York was another early manufacturer of gum for gumball machines in the U.S. The classic Carousel Gumball Machine and the Old Columbia Coin Machine are still around today. True to its original form, the look of the classic Carousel Gumball Machine hasn't changed since it was introduced. You can see our full line of Carousel Gumball Machines here.
Northwestern Vending Machines
Founded in 1909, Northwestern Corporation started with kitchen matches and eventually came out with the Northwestern Model 33 in 1933 (naming for the year which it came out) and eventually the Model 60 and Model 80, both of which were sold through early 2010s. They are no longer being manufactured however we do still carry some replacement parts which can be found here.