The Twins

[wembleylion]

I am looking for information on this machine; please can anyone help?

Thanks. John

[slotalot]

Hi John, I don't know if you have had a look here? GB817705
This is the patent for this machine taken from the archive on this site.

[wembleylion]

Hi Slotalot,
Many thanks for the info and link. The patent gives all the information I need.
John

[widget2k4]

That looks like the machine from Beamish museum if I'm not mistaken ?

[jingle]

John what are you after
Doing with a twins copying one
Or do you have some parts

I have a full mechanism but no cabinet and dolls
I was going to make a cabinet as I measured Clive's one up one day
But again never got round to it
I don't think you will be able to copy one of these
They are very intricate if I can remember rightly
They have a balancing system in there for some reason
I may take a picture of mine if I can get at it

[wembleylion]

John what are you after
Doing with a twins copying one
Or do you have some parts

No, I was just curious because I can remember playing one of these whilst on holiday in Brighton back in 1956. I think it was on the West Pier, and I had always imagined it to be older when in fact it must have been brand new, possibly from the first production run.

That looks like the machine from Beamish museum if I'm not mistaken ?

Spot on Widget, yes it is from Beamish Museum.
And while on the subject of Beamish Museum here is another unusual, I think, slot machine from their collection.

I can remember as a kid in the 1950s there were lots of these cased locomotives in the South Kensington Science Museum and winding the handle on the front of the case made the wheels turn.

John

[gameswat]

Wembley, there are two versions of the Walton Drinking Babies, the one you pictured is the newer wood case model. This original version shown is from 1933 in a steel case and used real liquid in the bottles! Though the example shown here has been over restored and had white card added inside the bottles for display. There is another much nicer unrestored example also owned by the same collector in the US that I can't find a photo of.

[wembleylion]

Thank you for putting my mind at rest Gameswat, I was beginning to think that my memory was failing me. I'm sure it was the 1933 version I played because I remember the inside of the bottles being stained with the white colouring used for the ‘milk’.
I have looked up the 1932 patent (GB387008). A very simple system of winding the handle to lower a tank inside the baby’s body so allowing the ‘milk’ to flow by gravity from bottle to tank.
John

[jingle]

I have the bottles to it
There is white plastic sleeves that slide up and down
When the game is in play inside the bottles to make it look like the milk
Disappears
I think Clive's is the same ,,don't think I have ever seen one with liquid in
Jingle

[pennymachines]

Walton also made a two player race game in 1929 called the Bar, on which players competed to pump tankards of beer. Clearly this game also used real liquid (probably not real ale).

Here's the tarted-up wooden Twins game which sold in the States earlier this year:

And the one in the Museum: