Pinball Munchies

You would think that getting some snacks put together for your Pinball room would be fairly straightforward – right? Speaking from the experience of just having done it, I would have to say “it’s a little more complicated that you think”.

Let’s start with the fact that this is not simply “getting some snacks for a one time event”. It’s more than that, much more.

Here was what I wanted for my gameroom:

• A permanent selection of snacks to LEAVE up in the Pinball Loft
• Needed to be snacks that would not get stale too quickly
• I wanted a few items that would be healthier than just sugary candy
• There needed to be a way to store AND display them
• The containers needed to be clear – to show off the colors and the contents
• I needed multiple sizes to allow varying inventories of each
• I needed to be able to get whatever snack choices I made in bulk pack sizes
• The containers had to be fairly easy to open or be a “dispensing” type BUT had to be airtight too
• I needed a counter or a cart to place it all on
• I needed to solve exactly how to get the snacks out of the containers (no hands please)
• I would need to find disposable cups or sample cups to allow guests to carry the snacks with them

I started my quest with a vision to have all of these snacks dispensed in traditional style gumball/nuts machines. After reviewing what was available, the price per unit and the fact some of the snacks I wanted just could not be dispensed. I gave up on that idea and began to pursue more traditional snack containers

I must have looked at a hundred varieties of glass containers and wall mounted bulk food dispensers in my quest. I don’t know about you but whenever I find a decently reviewed item on Amazon (4 stars or so), after digging into the individual reviews, I always find one or 2 that scare me off and I decide not to buy. That was the story on all of the wall or counter mounted “dispensing” types. So I moved on.

Next I searched for the simple glass containers. Most looked pretty good. They were the very traditional looking Anchor Hocking style glass containers – but they were HUGE and they were NOT airtight. They were also fairly expensive at $20 each! So I moved on.

I spent a few more evenings researching and had about given up on the idea when I was shopping in Walmart with my daughter and decided to “see what they had”. First we struggled to find anything – even the glass containers. Once we narrowed down the right aisle we found a cheaper version (of course) of the traditional glass containers with the loose lids. Nearby though, we saw what turned out to be the “final answer” – the Better Homes and Gardens “Flip-Tight” containers. These things are awesome!

• They are inexpensive (largest one I bought was <$10)
• They are airtight
• You can open them with one hand
• They are clear
• They come in MANY sizes
• They are stackable (though I don’t use this feature)
• They are BPA free (matter most if you put liquid in them)
• I bought 3 each of 3 different sizes:
• 4.5 cup, 7 cup and 10 cup

With storage solved, I was on to the next mission. What snacks to put in them? Some were an easy answer because they are favorites of mine.
It’s my room and I get to pick! So I picked up some:

• Peanut M&Ms
• Runts candies
• Snickers
• Payday
• Peanut Butter Pretzels

The rest of the list was chosen based on:
– Picking a cheap “kids” candy
– Picking a popular item that I did NOT like
– Adding a healthy offer
– Adding some variety
With that in mind I added:

• Dum Dum lollipops (super cheap, huge bag)
• Skittles (loved by all, but not me)
• Trail Mix (healthier option)
• SweetTarts (variety and value)

With the food choices solved, I now had to figure out how my guests would get the snacks out of the jars and what they would put them in (besides their mouth)

Still in Walmart with my daughter, we went straightaway to the paper goods section, and specifically scoped out the cup offering. Bingo! The good folks at Dixie make a cute little 3oz cup that you can buy with it’s own plastic dispenser right in the box! The dispenser is durable and re-usable. Not only that but you can buy the 3oz cups refills all by themselves – home run. I grabbed the dispenser pack and a spare box of refills and we were off to the kitchen utensils area.

I spent a good 10 minutes looking over:

• Coffee scoops
• Ice Cream scoops
• Fruit scoops
• Melon scoops
• Pooper scoops (kidding)

I finally gave up and settled on what looked like and ice cream scoop. It was, in fact a super cheap, plastic ice cream scoop – 88 cents. I had a choice of green, blue and red and I picked the blue. I honestly thought I would probably just toss it once I found a “proper” scoop but to be honest – it’s perfect. To be perfect, functional and cheap is downright amazing. The scoop stays.

I got all of this home and rushed it upstairs to the the Pinball Loft to unpack and set it up. I was nervous my wife would see me and I would get the “look” for bringing (mostly) unhealthy food into our (mostly) healthy home. I passed under the radar and undetected. Over the next hour I un-bagged and unwrapped all the goodies and found a spot on a end table to place it all. I’m not sure if this will be the permanent home but it works for now.

In the end it all came out really nice. I love the “look”, and really like how easy it is to get into the containers and get yourself a snack with little effort. Refill is a breeze as well. The only thing I might change is to build a small cart in the future that would be custom designed to hold these specific containers. It would have built in tiered/stepped levels to full display the candy. I would add a spot for the scoop and the cups and likely add wheels so it could be moved around the gameroom as needed. Lastly, I’d add a custom (colorful) sign to the top (Snack Time!, etc.)