Yes, you read that headline correctly. In Wisconsin, a three year old went in to get a stuffed Sponge Bob and became trapped inside the claw toy vending machine. Apparently, the toddler was on a trip to the mall with his three older siblings and his grandmother. The grandmother gave the children each a dollar to play on and let them have some fun in a game room.
The toddler, named Robert Moore, tried without success to retrieve the Sponge Bob stuffed critter with the claw. His grandmother offered to get it for him, but he insisted on trying himself. When she turned to find another dollar for him to continue his efforts, the adventurous toddler stripped off his coat and pushed himself through the opening at the bottom of the machine. He climbed in and landed amidst all the stuffed animals.
His grandmother was understandably startled and frightened when she discovered what he’d done. She alerted the store employees and they couldn’t find a key to open the machine up. While they contacted the fire department, Robert enjoyed himself playing with the stuffed animals.
The fire department arrived and worked on breaking the lock to get in to the toddler. But once they got part of the latch open, they realized that the cube through which the boy could get out had two interior latches. They got a screwdriver up through the machine to the toddler and Robert worked on freeing himself by stacking up the stuffed animals to get them out of his way and then undoing the two screws.
The story has a great happy ending as Robert freed himself and suffered no trauma. His grandmother, though shaken, admired her grandson’s cheerful attitude. The toddler enjoyed himself and he went home safe and sound, although unfortunately, he didn’t get the stuffed Sponge Bob that started him on his quest to begin with.
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