Capitol Hill mystery soda machine
The vending machine in 2014
Capitol Hill, Seattle
Area918 E John Street
Seattle, Washington
United States
Coordinates47°37′12″N 122°19′12″W / 47.6200°N 122.3199°W / 47.6200; -122.3199
StatusRemoved

The Capitol Hill mystery soda machine was a vending machine in Capitol Hill, Seattle, notable for its "mystery" buttons which dispensed unusual drink flavors. It is unknown who restocked the machine, which originally caused the development of a local legend that the machine was haunted, and later an enduring legacy of "cultural fascination".[1] The machine reportedly operated from the late 1990s until its unexplained disappearance in 2018.

Description

The machine was located in front of Broadway Locksmith on East John Street in Seattle, Washington.[2] It was a 1970s-made Coca-Cola-branded unit, but dispensed drinks from various manufacturers.[3] A drink could be chosen using one of the "mystery" buttons and the dispensed drinks were typically of unusual flavor varieties,[4] some of which were no longer being manufactured.[5] Broadway Locksmith provided electricity to power the machine, and though rumors existed about the business's possible involvement with the perpetuation of the mystery,[2] employees maintain that they have no knowledge of who operated or restocked the machine.[4] The machine has a Facebook page which is followed by over 34,000 people as of August 2023.[6]

History

According to Seattle Met and The Seattle Times, the machine was in operation since at least the late 1990s.[6][7] In 2002, the drinks were priced at $0.55, and the machine had only one "mystery" button alongside five that were labeled normally.[8] After receiving exposure in news publications, all six were gradually changed to "mystery" buttons.[9] A local legend that the machine was haunted began to develop,[10] which Hilary Pollack of Vice attributes to its nostalgic 1970s-era appearance, as well as its "unusual and even intimidating" presence along the sidewalk.[4] According to Zosha Millman of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, a "cultural fascination" with the machine developed.[1]

In 2012, a short film was produced taking inspiration from the mystery of the machine.[11] In 2014, images posted online showed unidentified individuals restocking the machine.[7] The same year, the cost for a drink increased to $0.75.[4] In 2015, a spokeswoman told The Seattle Times that the city had no permits for the machine on record.[7] In January 2018, the same month Seattle passed its sugary drink tax, the price rose to $1.00.[9][12]

On June 29, 2018,[5] the machine disappeared following maintenance work done on the nearby bus stop and sidewalk,[1][6] with a note left nearby reading "Went for a walk." A message was posted to the machine's Facebook page stating "Going for a walk, need to find myself. Maybe take a shower even."[13] In the months following the machine's disappearance, the page posted several edited images of the machine in various locations, including the Space Needle and the Eagle sculpture.[10][14] An employee of Broadway Locksmith noted that the machine "[had] to have been removed with care, and on purpose" due to the way it was connected to its electrical supply.[5] In 2022, the page posted an image of the machine, appearing more damaged than before.[6] In August 2023, an employee of Broadway Locksmith reaffirmed that the machine had not been sighted since its disappearance. Allison Williams of Seattle Met also notes that the neighborhood of Capitol Hill now has a more corporate culture, and doubts whether the area is "still weird enough for a persistent enigma".[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Millman, Zosha (July 1, 2018). "What happened to the mystery soda machine?". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018.
  2. 1 2 "Das rätsel um den mysteriösen cola-automaten" [The riddle of the mysterious cola machine]. Der Spiegel (in German). March 25, 2014. Archived from the original on October 21, 2021. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  3. ↑ Olsen, Leila (April 14, 2014). "Is this Seattle vending machine haunted?". The Coca-Cola Company. Archived from the original on July 31, 2019.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Pollack, Hilary (March 26, 2014). "Seattle has a haunted soda machine". Vice. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 Cornwell, Paige (June 30, 2018). "Where did it go? Capitol Hill's mystery soda machine disappears". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Williams, Allison (August 28, 2023). "Whatever happened to Capitol Hill's mystery Coke machine?". Seattle Met. Archived from the original on October 10, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Lee, Jessica (August 23, 2015). "Capitol Hill's 'supernatural' pop machine stays stocked, but how? Nobody knows". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  8. ↑ Schmader, David (October 24, 2002). "Coke machine, near the corner of John and Broadway". The Stranger. Archived from the original on July 13, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  9. 1 2 Williams, Allison; Norimine, Hayat (February 27, 2018). "The case of Capitol Hill's mystery soda machine". Seattle Met. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  10. 1 2 Lloyd, Sarah Anne (September 6, 2018). "What is Capitol Hill's mystery soda machine up to?". Curbed. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  11. ↑ Marshall, Colin (February 13, 2015). "Seattle's possibly-haunted 'mystery Coke machine'". Boing Boing. Archived from the original on July 27, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
  12. ↑ Lee, Jessica (January 19, 2018). "Nothing off limits: Even Capitol Hill's 'mystery' pop machine had to raise prices to keep up with Seattle". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 27, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Mystery soda machine vanishes from Seattle's Capitol Hill". KING-TV. July 1, 2018. Archived from the original on July 2, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  14. ↑ Fields, Asia (September 6, 2018). "Debunked: Mystery coke machine selfie near Space Needle is a hoax". The Seattle Times. Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
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