Today, we’re resharing an episode that’s perfect for a summer listen. We’re answering Maddox’s question about what happens to your quarter when you put it inside a claw machine. It just zips away! Ryan and Bridget talk to an expert who lets them peek inside a claw machine to find out where that quarter goes. After getting some tips on how to win at the claw, Bridget gets a little too hung up on trying to win a stuffie, leaving it up to Ryan to bring her back to reality (shocking, we know).

Tips for grownups listening to “Million Bazillion” with kids

Money Talks

Let’s keep the conversation going! Try some of these Money Talks prompts with your kid(s) at home:

1. If you could design the inside of a superfun claw machine, what would happen to the quarters on the inside?

2. Have you ever felt that you’re stuck in a compulsion loop like Bridget? What were you doing and how did you get out of it?

3. Have you ever come up with a limit on how much money you would spend on something? What was it and how did you decide on the limit?

4. Bonus Not So Random Question: Whose picture would YOU put on our money?

Tip Jar

1. Learn more about the history of coin-operated “digger games” from a claw-machine historian!

2. If you’re curious about how claw machines work to make a profit for their owners, check out this reporting and video about how some of them might actually be rigged.

Gimme 5

Thank you for listening to this episode. We’ll be back with a new season soon, and that means we’re looking for new questions. If you have a money question you’d like us to answer, send it our way us using this online form. And, thanks!