Maintaining Mold-A-Rama: Chicago’s Very Own Souvenir Machine

If you've ever visited a museum or zoo in the Chicago area, chances are you've encountered a Mold-A-Rama machine.

For three dollars, the space-age looking machine injects melted plastic into a unique mold created by two aluminum plates. A blast of air removes excess plastic, hollowing out the model. It's cooled and hardened before the plates part, revealing the unique plastic souvenir after less than one minute.

The Field Museum is home to five Mold-A-Rama machines, most of which create different dinosaurs and Brookfield Zoo has 13 machines, which sell different animal models corresponding to the exhibit near each machine.

In 1971, Bill Jones purchased 12 Mold-A-Rama machines in the Chicago area: 10 in Brookfield Zoo and two in the Museum of Science and Industry.

His son Paul is following in his footsteps and their company, Mold-A-Rama Inc., now operates 63 machines in five U.S. states.

Video and story by Evan Garcia


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