Step up to the window, pay a dollar or two, and have your fortune revealed by a card dispenser. Zoltar fortune-telling machines are famous around the world, but did you know each one is manufactured by Characters Unlimited, a company in Boulder City?
The general public first met Zoltar in the 1988 Tom Hanks movie “Big” as a magical fortune-telling machine with special powers that may or may not have been inspired by Zoltan, a mechanical arcade game in the ‘60 and ‘70s.
When the film became a hit, Characters Unlimited created a look-a-like called "the swami" with a turban, goatee, and gold vest. Founder Olaf Stanton later found out Zoltar was never trademarked by 20th Century Fox, so he claimed the rights for himself in 2006.
”We started making our own version of Zoltar that moves and talks,” Stanton says. “The one in the movie simply opened his mouth and had no arms. It was cool, but it was never a working fortune teller sold to the public. It was a one-off movie prop.”
Characters Unlimited creates life-sized characters — like cowboys and pirates — often with mechanical features. Before Zoltar came along, the company had a similar mechanical fortune-telling machine featuring a pioneer, so the evolution made sense.
Around 2,000 Zoltar machines have been produced over the years and more than 500 are currently doing business around the world, including Vegas tourist spots like Circus Circus, the Bonanza gift shop, and the Fremont Street Experience. Some machines are bought outright. Others operate as part of a revenue-sharing program, similar to how vending machines generate income.
“We sold 20 Zoltar machines to Carnival Cruise lines last year,” Stanton says. The deluxe model is the best seller, running $9,950 a pop, although custom creations are big business too. (You may have seen an alien President Trump giving out advice at the Alien Fresh Jerky convenience store in Baker.)
Characters Unlimited also makes money licensing the Zoltar name and image for products that range from slot machines and lottery tickets to toys, t-shirts, and wine (with a fortune revealed by a peel-away card on the label).
You can see some of those items at the Characters Unlimited gift shop in Boulder City, which may begin official tours in the near future. Meanwhile, don’t hesitate to make a wish or seek a glimpse into the future the next time you come across a Zoltar machine — like I recently did when walking through the Boulevard Mall.
”Over 2 million Zoltar fortunes are told a year,” Stanton says.
Big stuff for sure.
