7-year-old gets stuck in stuffed animal game machine

The Chippewa Herald ^ | Sunday, January 04, 2004

[KneelBeforeZod]

SHEBOYGAN (AP) -- A 7-year-old boy had to be rescued with the help of a locksmith Saturday after crawling into a supermarket's stuffed animal game machine while his father talked on the telephone.

"He was sitting right in there with the stuffed animals," said Shift Commander Mark Zittel of the Sheboygan Fire Department. He said the boy, whose name was not released because he is a minor, crawled through about an 8-inch-by-10-inch opening to get into the glass enclosure via a chute where the toys come out, but when he tried to get back out his way was blocked.

The stuffed animals are prizes that can be hooked by players with a crane-like device.

"His dad was three feet away at a pay phone," Zittel said. "He was talking on the phone and he said the next thing he turned around and the kid was in the thing."

He said the boy stayed calm and didn't panic as firefighters responded to the Piggly Wiggly store and then moved the game machine to the back of the store and got a locksmith to open the main loading door. The process took about an hour.

"There was no panic," Zittel said. "We could have broke the glass if there was an emergency."

The boy was not injured or traumatized but desperately had to go to the bathroom, he said.

But rescuers hadn't figured out how the boy was able to crawl into the game, or why no one in the store's busy lobby spotted him and stopped him before he got inside.

[4mycountry]

"Where there's a will..."

[U S Army EOD]

My kids would have been smart enough to start pushing the animals out.

[LisaMalia]

Sounds like something my baby boy would have gotten into! (He's 21 now.)

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[4mycountry]

JD ping

[EggsAckley]

Looking for love in all the wrong places...........

[RIGHT IN LAS VEGAS]

That boy had the time of his life!

[djf]

Locksmith???? Probably could got the kid out with ten bucks worth of quarters...

[WinOne4TheGipper]

I could have gotten him out with just 50 cents...

[RikaStrom]

Tiger, was this one of your boys?

LOL

[mhking]

If they put enough quarters in, they could have gotten him out...

Just damn.

If you want on the list, FReepmail me. This IS a high-volume PING list...

[Maigrey]

Houdini doesn't have anything on this kid!

I wonder if the father in question wasn't on the phone longer than he said he was.... (just curious!)

[Trust but Verify]

And how DO they get those ships in the bottles?

[Viking2002]

Man, that kid wanted that stuffed doggy in the worst way, didn't he? :-)

[bd476]

"Oh My!" Ping

Considering how these "Spend $20 for a $1.00 Straw Filled Stuffed Animal Machines" are a complete rip-off, this kid had a bunch of fun for free.

Still, just how important was this phone call his Father was on not to notice? Is it any wonder how easy it is for creeps to kidnap a child these days?

[ConservativeMan55]

LOL!!!!

[cyborg]

bwahahaha... if that was me my mom would be giving me the evil eye and making ear twisting movements outside the box.

[4mycountry]

Kiddie PING

[Calvin Locke]

"Where there's a will..."

No, more like too much "To infinity and beyond...", or whatever the line is from Toy Story.

[CARDINALRULES]

LOL!
Sounds like something Tigs would have done...or still could. ;-`)

[cricket]

A happy ending for a change. . .

Wondering who the Father was talking to. . .certainly absorbed his attention.

[My Favorite Headache]

LMFAO!!!!!! This picture will be on FR for years comparing it to many Democrat parents and kids for sure...no question about it. We have a new gem. How did Dasshole wind up in the toy box?

[Blood of Tyrants]

Reminds me of the time my oldest son fell in the fountain at the mall trying to get a quarter out.

[netmilsmom]

I have a great nephew named Daymon. He is not bad, just verrrrrry busy. This would be Daymon.

[cricket]

"I could have gotten him out with just 50 cents..."

LOL. . .and jut when you think you have convered all the warnings to the kids. . .

[HairOfTheDog]

Locksmith???? Probably could got the kid out with ten bucks worth of quarters...

ROTFL! I woulda tried!

[gitmo]

[BraveMan]

Been there, done that! I heard "Sploosh", and instantly knew . . .

[StriperSniper]

You guys beat me to it. ;-)

[Gabz]

Forget Tiger's kids - more like mine!!!!!

[cyborg]

No that would be little Howard Dean.

[ShandaLear]

These games are a menace and should be outlawed.

[FormerlyAnotherLurker]

When stuffed animal game machines are outlawed, only outlaws will have stuffed animal game machines.

[B-Chan]

“Daymon”?

[A CA Guy]

Give the dad the bill for not watching the kid.

[somemoreequalthanothers]

Geez, if that's my kid in there, I'm smashing glass. Then tell the store that it's a fair trade off for not filing suit and leave.

[cc2k]

Just Damn

ping!

[elli1]

Wondering who the Father was talking to. . .certainly absorbed his attention.

Just what I was wondering, too. No pesky cell phone records to try to explain...

[mylife]

LOL!! Kids!

[mylife]

Ping!!

[RikaStrom]

LOL

[speekinout]

I wonder if the father in question wasn't on the phone longer than he said he was...

It's hard to tell. I have a nephew who would have been in there before his father finished dialing.
The kid may have seen the machine many times before, and just have been waiting for the opportunity to try this.

My guess is this kid has not been taking Ritalin. :-)

[4mycountry]

When toy arcades are outlawed, only the outlaws will have toy arcades.

(Oh come on. You knew at least one person would say it.)

[mylife]

Ping

[ShandaLear]

Lions and tigers and bears...OH MY!

[4mycountry]

Ah, nothing like a mother's love, is there? ;)

As my late grandma would say, "I'm gonna give you such a pinch!!"

[cyborg]

LMAO wow a pinch... a green switch a broomstick my father's belt...LOL Meanwhile I bet this kid's dad is laughing.

[TheBattman]

Too bad it would be considered abuse to have left the kid in the machine for a few hours....Make him never want to try that stunt again.

Ok...flame suit on....

[djf]

Oughta get one of the Freeper graphics whizzes to put in the pincers coming down on the kids head...