Home Use Gumball Machines

Our most popular sellers for home use are Carousel gumball machines, which double as coin banks for kids. These antique-looking replicas with coin mechanisms, accept all coins from a penny to a quarter and feature metal bodies and glass globes. They can also be set to dispense small gumballs or candies without coins. This is called setting to free spin. Many people use machines set to free spin in order to liberally spread around the goodness of the product enclosed within the machine. Spreading Skittles lifts most people's spirits and brightens their days. Likewise, spreading the goodness of 5/8" gumballs also cheers people up. Many a home, dorm or office has been brightened by these charming, vintage creations. Student's lives improve with Vitamin G (gum) or Vitamin C (candy) during study breaks. Thousands of customers have delighted kids, children, students, friends and relatives for Christmas or birthdays with the gift of an authentic Carousel or similar dispenser.

Which Size Carousel Gumball Machine is Right for Me?

With three different sizes to choose from, it can be difficult to decide what the best size Carousel Gumball Machine would be for your home or office. This video shows all three sizes side by side in an attempt to make the decision easier. Both the Old Columbia Carousel Gumball Machine and the King Carousel Gumball Machine are each 15 inches tall - or 37 inches with the optional stand. They each hold up to 5 pounds of candy or gumballs. The 12-inch Junior Carousel Gumball Machine holds 2 pounds of gumballs or candy. The 9-inch Petite Carousel Gumball Machine is the smallest of the bunch and holds 13 ounces of small gumballs or candy.

What Can A Carousel Gumball Machine Dispense?

Read our full article about: What Can a Carousel Gumball Machine Dispense?

Carousel Gumball Machine Video Instructions?

Watch a set of video instructions for your Carousel Gumball Machine. These instructions will educates about adding candy or gumballs products to your carousel Gumball Machine and retrieving coins from the machine. Our Unboxing Videos also show what you'll find in the box!

King Carousel Gumball Machine Instructions?

Learn how to add gumballs and remove coins from your King Carousel Gumball Machine.

Junior & Petite Carousel Gumball Machine Instructions?

Watch as we demonstrate how to fill your Junior or Petite Gumball Machine with Gumballs or Candy and then show how to remove the coins from the bank in the base.

How to Change A Carousel Gumball Machine to work without Coins (Set to Free Spin)?

Even though Carousel gumball machines will take any coin from a penny up through a quarter, some customers prefer to let the crank be turned, and product to be dispensed, without requiring coins ("free-spin"). Read the full instructions here on How to Make a Carousel Gumball Machine Free Spin

How to Adjust the Dispensing Wheel for Your King or Junior Gumball Machine?

Your Gumball Machine includes a dispensing wheel that set to dispense product up to about the size of small .62" Gumballs or smaller. If you would like to adjust how many gumballs are dispensed per vend or use the machine with smaller candy items, this video demonstrates how to make those adjustments to the dispensing wheel in your King Carousel or Junior Carousel Gumball Machine.

The History of Ford Gum and the Carousel Gumball Machines

It all began way back in 1913. Twenty-year old Ford Mason, a roofing salesman, spent spring, summer and early fall traveling by horse and buggy over the winding country roads of western New York. Barn roof repairs don't go well in cold weather, so he was idle during the winter. Looking for work, Ford met a man operating chewing gum vending machines. The first gum machine had been invented only a few years previously, and only a handful of entrepreneurs had ventured into the business.

Ford was impressed. He borrowed money, leased 102 machines, and placed them in stores and shops of communities in western New York State. He spent the winter restocking the machines and collecting pennies.

"It was fun to try to figure out which locations would be the most productive", Ford recalls. Each April, Ford went back to the roofing business, but every winter he returned to the gum efforts. With more experience, Ford became convinced that the penny gum ball machines would support him. He eventually quit the roofing business and devoted all his energy to selling gum.

Ford Gum began with unlimited enthusiasm, despite limited resources. He successfully created a business stretching from coast to coast. Over five hundred thousand vending machines perched on store counters and pipe pedestal stands in countless North American communities testify to the nationwide scope of his operations. To service this vending army, Ford set up a nationwide system of operators. Today, the Ford Gum & Machine Company continues delivering high-quality, innovative candy, gum and novelty products including the popular Carousel brand gumball machines sold at gumballs.com.

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