Your 1955 “Slot Machine Sweetheart”

The May 1, 1955 issue of American Weekly explained that a small town in Germany was experiencing a shortage of men. This had led them to experimenting with a more mechanical form of matchmaking — a special contraption for “slot machine sweethearts.”

Women would approach a machine that looked a bit like an old school automat. The machine had photos of different men, each with a short description. She would put her coins in a slot and out would pop a more detailed note, describing just what kind of guy her potential suitor was. The woman would then take her letter to a love-agent who was able to make an introduction.

-I’m picturing these like the temporary tattoo vending machines I used to rock so hard after loading up at Cici’s Pizza, but the pictures scanned up at Gizmodo make the process look a bit more subdued.