Jim’s Mold-A-Rama page

Link to my auctions:

Jim’s pressed penny page

MAIN PAGE & MICHIGAN MACHINES

Mold-A-Rama collecting is a lot of fun, but the resources on the Internet are rather sparse. Many websites that purport to be complete listings are woefully out-of-date* (but see update below)

I will never be able to compile a complete listing of Mold-A-Rama designs, locations or colors. Nonetheless, I have decided to post parts of my collection to help give a more complete picture of the toys that are available. More will be posted as I photograph the collection. Worth noting: there are no Mold-A-Rama machines at Disney World or Disneyland.

DUE TO THE NUMBER OF LISTINGS, I HAVE SPLIT THE PAGE INTO SEPARATE STATES

My home is in the Detroit area, so I regularly keep track of the Henry Ford Museum machines. All other machines are monitored only during rare visits. Updates are in chronological order.

* Mold-A-Rama, Inc., located in the Chicago area, now maintains a helpful and accurate list of the locations it serves: LINK

MICHIGAN

FLORIDA

ILLINOIS

OHIO

OTHER/ UNKNOWN

Recent updates:

February 2023 – Henry Ford Museum

February 2023 – Universal Studios Orlando (from January)

February 2023 – Museum of Science & Industry Mold-a-Rama exhibit (from December 2022)

MICHIGAN

Stahl Automotive Collection, Chesterfield, Michigan

An automobile museum north of Detroit has an inoperable Mold-A-Rama machine in a corner of its main display room. It has a red Messerschmitt Cabine model in the display panel. Photo taken in March 2019.

MARCH 2021 UPDATE: The machine has been moved to a work area where cars and machinery are restored for the museum. I was unable to determine whether the machine is being readied for display or operation.

NOVEMBER 2021 UPDATE: The machine has been cleaned up and placed in the main car display area, but one exhibited car is backed up to the machine (denying access) so it does not appear the machine will be operable. I checked again in February 2023 and the machine is still like this – unreachable and inoperable.

November 23, 2021: note the fender of an antique car blocking access to the machine

Third Man Records, Detroit

Third Man Records is a record label owned by musician Jack White of The White Stripes. He opened a retail store in Detroit on Black Friday (November 27) 2015. Among the novelty machines in the store – which also serves as a museum and includes a record manufacturing plant – is a Mold-A-Rama machine. It takes 3 dollar tokens (sold at the sales counter) and produces a very large truck representing the record label’s mobile record store.

There is a Mold-A-Rama (“Wax-O-Matic”) machine at the Nashville Tennessee branch of the store, too. That machine has made red guitars since the store opened in 2012.

This sample was harvested on November 28, 2015 – the second day of operation.

UPDATE: NOVEMBER 2016: The truck mold was so big that the machine kept malfunctioning, creating toys that didn’t have enough plastic. In 2016 the store replaced the mold with a smaller truck that has a better success rate. They also changed the faceplate of the machine to change the Mold-A-Rama name to Wax-O-Matic, as shown in the “2016 photos” below. The new version was harvested on November 26, 2016.

2016 PHOTOS:

Side-by-side comparisons (2016 version on left)

2015 PHOTOS:

The real truck

DECEMBER 2021 UPDATE: The machine is out of order and has been all year. The left mold has fallen out of position. The machine remained out of order throughout 2022.

HENRY FORD MUSEUM: PRICE INCREASED TO $5 IN DECEMBER 2021 – see December 2021 update at bottom of this entry

Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village, Dearborn, Michigan. Two machines are generally located in the lobby area of the IMAX theatre, and you can reach them without paying admission or paying for parking. The others are inside the Henry Ford Museum. Seasonally, machines were sometimes moved from the museum to the Village, but not in the past 10 years or so. These examples were obtained circa 2005. The black locomotive is the same basic design as the Museum of Science & Industry, Chicago, but with a different inscription on the base. The colors of certain models used to change frequently, but have remained the same for a couple years as of 2017: the antique car, the F150 pickup, and the Mustang. Abraham Lincoln is available in a couple colors and a lot of shade variations. I am aware of only one color change for the carousel horse. Price to create your own toy: $3 each (raised from $2 in 2017). Scroll down for more recent updates.

2005 designs shown (not all are currently available): blue locomotive; black locomotive; Henry Ford; carousel horse; Oscar Mayer Wienermobile; antique auto; Rosa Parks bus; Ford Mustang; Abraham Lincoln; alligator; Ford F-150 pickup; George Washington; John F. Kennedy.

Right: Carousel horse color variations

Right: antique car color variations

Alligator mold was for a special IMAX movie about the bayou, and is no longer available

Ford F150 pickup color variations. The mold is marked for the “Rouge Factory Tour,” but the machine is at the Henry Ford Museum

Hail to the Chiefs: Washington (Henry Ford Museum); Lincoln (Chicago Museum of Science & Industry);

Lincoln – 2 colors (Henry Ford Museum); Kennedy (Henry Ford Museum)

Sign in museum in August 2012 shows a new mold: “Liberty” cannon

Sign in museum in December 2012 showing seasonal toys

NEW INFO DECEMBER 2012: Two seasonal molds were available in December 2012. The “Santa Claus” mold has “Henry Ford Museum” on the front of the base and “Happy Holidays” on the back of the base. A second toy, the blue locomotive, is offered as the “Polar Express” to complement the IMAX movie shown during Christmas season. The base has “Henry Ford Museum,” but does not say “Polar Express.” Other than a slight color variation, this is identical to the blue locomotive that has been available at the museum for years. The two designs temporarily replace the Mustang and F-150.

Here are photos of the Santa Claus mold and the machine for the Polar Express:

“Liberty” cannon; typical museum Mold-a-Rama machine

NEW INFO SEPTEMBER 2013:There are two new molds this year – President Kennedy (which is actually an older mold returned) and the 1961 Kennedy limousine. In addition, there are some color changes: the smaller steam locomotive is now a silver grey instead of black, which makes the features easier to see. The Liberty Cannon is now red instead of dark grey. The Rosa Parks bus is a more olive shade of green. Lincoln is a different shade of tan/fleshtone, and the antique car is now black.

The machines are all located in the Henry Ford Museum. Two are in the IMAX lobby (JFK bust and red Mustang). Seven are lined up along the museum’s front wall (Oscar Meyer Wienermobile, Rosa Parks bus, Lincoln bust, JFK limo, liberty cannon). Two are along the front wall, but closer to the railroad exhibit (Henry Ford standing and small locomotive). The final machine (antique auto) is located behind the Model T and assembly line display (which does not adjoin the regular auto displays).

Kennedy car and bust

Color and shade variations as of September 2013:

What heaven looks like! And this isn’t even half of the machines at the Henry Ford Museum (Oct. 2013 photo).

NOVEMBER 23, 2013 UPDATE: Santa returned to the M-A-R machines at the Henry Ford Museum this week. The mold is available in red (like last year). Santa replaces the Ford Mustang in one of the IMAX lobby machines. The Polar Express train has not appeared yet; the John F. Kennedy bust (in blue) remained through the weekend as part of the JFK commemorations at the museum, but is expected to be replaced next week.

DECEMBER 2013: The Polar Express toy was available for the Christmas season and into January. The regular locomotive color was changed to a very dark grey.

JANUARY 21, 2014 UPDATE: The Polar Express train and the Santa mold are gone. In their place are the red Ford Mustang and a blue Ford F-150 pickup, both of which have been available before in these colors. The gift shop area is undergoing renovation, so the machines normally found in that area have been distributed to other areas of the museum. A sign near the machines has a map of the temporary locales. The John F. Kennedy mold is retired for now. The loco is back in silver, which shows its details very well.

The sign omits the black Antique Car, which is still near the Model T assembly exhibit. There remain 10 toys at the museum.

Mustang and F-150 machines near IMAX lobby – notice no description in the windows on the right

NOVEMBER 28, 2014 UPDATE: There are now 3 Christmas-themed molds at the Henry Ford Museum, installed today. They will be there through the holiday season (mid-January if past practice holds true). This year they have the red Santa Claus toy, the blue locomotive (for Polar Express), and a new mold: a green Christmas tree. The tree mold has “HAPPY HOLIDAYS” and “HENRY FORD MUSEUM” on the base. This mold temporarily replaces the Rosa Parks Bus mold inside the museum. Photos below ▼

November 28, 2014 photos

August 4, 2015 UPDATE: The Liberty Cannon design has been replaced by a new mold: Thomas Edison’s lightbulb. The mold was replaced around July 2015. The new design is red, and is inscribed on the side panel “THOMAS EDISION’S FIRST LIGHTBULB 1879 HENRY FORD MUSEUM DEARBORN MICHIGAN.” The toy is 3.5” tall x 3.5” wide x 2.25” deep.

New in 2015

November 28, 2015 UPDATE: The Christmas molds returned a few days before Thanksgiving. In the IMAX lobby, the blue “Polar Express” locomotive replaces the Ford F-150 pickup truck and the red Santa replaces the Ford Mustang. Inside the museum, the Rosa Parks bus has been replaced by the green Christmas tree. See the photos from the 2014 update – they haven’t changed.

November 20, 2016 UPDATE: the Christmas molds are in place.

October 29, 2017 UPDATE: the price was raised to $3 per mold some time during the year.

July 7, 2019 UPDATE: the Edison light bulb mold is off-stage. The Mustang mold (in red) has been moved to its location inside the museum, while a new Astronaut mold (also in red) is now located in the movie theatre lobby. The front of the base says “ASTRONAUT” and the back says “THE HENRY FORD.” I believe this is the first mold to have the new name for the museum and village complex – The Henry Ford. The machine notes that this a limited-time offering, and I expect it will be replaced shortly after this year’s Apollo-themed events have ended. You do not have to pay museum admission to reach the machine in the lobby (the blue Ford F-150 machine is also located in the lobby). The astronaut mold remains available as of Labor Day 2019.

January 15, 2020 UPDATE: The Astronaut, blue Ford F-150 pickup, and Rosa Parks Bus molds were replaced around Thanksgiving for the annual Santa Claus, Polar Express, and Christmas Tree molds. After the end of the season (mid January), the pickup truck and bus molds returned. Santa was swapped out for the astronaut. It appears this mold will remain in service for the majority of 2020 as an Apollo exhibit will be coming to the museum later in the year.

Astronaut new in 2019 – also shown, revised map of machine locations, July 2019

December 6, 2020 UPDATE: A new Christmas design has been added at the museum as a seasonal offering. In addition to the green Christmas Tree (inside the museum) and red Santa (in the lobby), a blue “Reindeer Ornament” has been added in the lobby. This may be the smallest MAR toy I have seen at 3-3/4” long and 2-7/8” tall. There is no base, and no name of the museum anywhere on the toy.

It appears the Polar Express locomotive is temporarily retired, which is not a huge surprise considering the attached movie theatre is closed during the pandemic and therefore will not be showing the popular film.

Reindeer new in 2020, and Santa and Reindeer machines side-by-side in museum lobby

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July 26, 2021 UPDATE: The color of the Ford F-150 pickup truck has changed from blue to red. The F-150 and Henry Ford machines are currently placed in the lobby and can be reached without paying admission. The other machines are still in the museum, past the ticket desk. The Ford Mustang was switched to orange.

New colors in 2021

August 28, 2021 UPDATE: A new design has been added with a 1933 Willys Gasser, which commemorates a car in the museum’s collection that is featured in the new Driven To Win: Racing in America permanent exhibition. The base says “1933 WILLYS GASSER” and “THE HENRY FORD.”

In addition, the red Ford Mustang has been switched to orange (from red).

Photos: actual car in museum collection; new 2021 mold

Sign shows locations as of August 5, 2021

As of August 2021, the current 10 designs are: blue Willys Gasser, red Ford F-150, orange Ford Mustang, dark grey Henry Ford, green Rosa Parks Bus, orange Wienermobile, silver steam locomotive, black Antique Car, black JFK limousine, and tan Abraham Lincoln.

DECEMBER 2021 UPDATE: The price at all ten Henry Ford Museum machines has been raised from $3 to $5.

The Christmas designs (two of them) are in place. The Santa design has replaced the red Ford F-150 in the lobby, and the green Holiday Tree has replaced the green Rosa Parks Bus inside the museum. There is not a blue holiday design this year; the new Willys Gasser has remained in its machine near the trains. In past years a blue train has been offered to coincide with showings of the Polar Express movie, and in 2020 a blue reindeer was offered. Price at museum: $5.

Two seasonal machine conversions & map of locations in December 2021

MARCH 2, 2022: Two designs were switched out for the special exhibit “Apollo: When We Went to the Moon,” which opened in February. The red Ford F-150 pickup truck mold was switched for a red space shuttle (launch) design (this machine is in the theatre lobby and can be reached without paying admission).

The green Rosa Parks bus inside the museum was switched for a green Mercury space capsule. Paid admission is required to reach this design. Each costs $5 (the new price level). I was surprised that the museum did not use offer their existing Astronaut mold (see the January 15, 2020 update above for a photo of that toy).

The shuttle model is about 4.5 inches tall (at an angle, the shuttle itself is about 5 inches long) and has no inscriptions on the base. The Mercury craft is about 4.25 inches tall. Its base is inscribed “Sigma 7” and “Project Mercury.” Other inscriptions on the toy include “Aurora 7” and “Friendship 7.”

New in February 2022: red space shuttle in launch mode; green Mercury capsule; sign showing all current machine locations

JULY 2, 2022 – The space molds were replaced when the special Apollo exhibition ended. The green machine returned to dispense Rosa Parks bus toy. The red machine in the lobby switched to Mickey Mouse to coincide with a new exhibition of Disney costumes. This machine can be reached without paying for museum admission, and the toy costs $5 (the new price since late 2021).

Mickey is the standard Mickey design, molded in red. The base has “MICKEY MOUSE” and “© WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS” with no designation of the museum name. Mickey stands about 5.25” from the bottom of the base to the top of his ear.

December 2022 – February 2023 updates: When the Disney exhibit left the museum, Mickey’s machine was switched to Santa, and the Rosa Parks Bus machine was switched to the Christmas Tree. In January those holiday dies were removed and the Rosa Parks Bus and red Ford F-150 Pickup returned.

When I visited on February 18, 2023, the Abraham Lincoln mold had been switched to white plastic. At this time, the “headcount” at the Henry Ford Museum was 10 molds: grey Henry Ford and red Ford F-150 in the lobby; silver locomotive, orange Wienermobile, orange Ford Mustang, black antique car, white Lincoln, black JFK Limousine, blue Willys Gasser, and green Rosa Parks Bus in the museum. The Ford Mustang displayed on the machine is a dusty orange color, but the delivered product continues to be bright orange as it has since the color changeover a couple years ago.

Feb. 2023 signage, with wrong color for Abraham Lincoln

On occasion I will list Mold-a-Rama toys on eBay. I mainly sell coins, though. Link to my auctions:

Jim’s pressed penny page

New 04/29/2012

Revised 2/19/2023