Tattoos, drugs and six other weird and wonderful things you can find in Toronto vending machines
Coin-operated shopping in Toronto has gone way beyond Mars bars and Lay’s. We scoped out eight of the city’s weirdest vending machines. Here’s what you’ll find inside them:
Your next favourite book
The Monkey’s Paw bookshop on Bloor is a self-proclaimed home for the old and unusual. In keeping with that theme, the Bibliomat is a first-of-its-kind book dispenser that spits out randomly selected (and often bizarre) vintage books for $3 each.
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Had to use the Biblio-mat while I was here – the first book vending machine 📚📖
A piping hot pizza
Upgrade from the limp, lamp-heated slice in just three minutes at one of Pizza Forno’s Easy Bake Ovens on steroids. $11 buys a freshly baked, cheesy pie that shoots out of a pizza-sized mail slot. The menu offers your standard pepperoni and cheese option, as well as some more adventurous creations, like chicken-pesto and honey chèvre with blanco cream.
A permanent tattoo
Feeding a coin into a gum ball machine is always a gamble (what if you get grape? No one likes grape), but true risk-takers can do irreversible damage at the Okey Doke Tattoo Shop on Dundas West. For $100, ink enthusiasts can purchase a token that buys them a randomly-dispensed design from a coin machine—basically the Russian roulette version of tattooing. There are no exchanges or refunds, so indecisive folks should stick to candy.
(Legal) drugs
SpotRX, a small, self-service machine dispenses prescription medications and over-the-counter goods, Jetsons-style. Doctors can send prescriptions straight to the kiosk—located at three locations across the city—and if you’re someone who prefers to ask questions IRL instead of Googling them, there’s a call button that summons a pharmacist on screen.
Fun knick-knacks
At Parkdale’s Capital Espresso, the aptly named “Loonie Trap” dispenses vintage-inspired buttons, stickers and trading cards, all designed by Toronto’s No Fun Press and its affiliated artists.
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Our fave cool guy @nofunpress stocked up the loonie trap with fun new goodies 🎉 📸: @nofunpress
Personalized tea
Coca-Cola Freestyle changed the pop game a few years back with its mix-and-match soda stream. Now, teaBOT is doing the same for tea. In a few taps, you can create your own loose-leaf blend, which is then brewed up on the spot. There are six locations across Toronto, including the MaRS Discovery District atrium, Ryerson University and the Organic Garage in Liberty Village.
Quirky art
Gumballs may lose their taste within minutes, but the Magic Gumball Machine of Fate (yes, that’s actually what it’s called) dispenses great art that lasts forever. The coin-operated machines can be spotted at Artscape Youngplace on Queen West and OCAD University. Inside, you’ll find plastic spheres that contain a rotating collection of work by Canadian creators, including ceramics, figurines, illustrations, pins and knitted “boob balls.”
Old-school baseball cards
Back in the prime days of sports card collecting, tracking down a shiny new pack was as easy as dropping a coin into a machine. Today, you’ll probably have better luck on Kijiji, but Jays fans can still find a handful of card machine relics inside the Rogers Centre. You won’t see Bautista in any of these packs, but you will see star sluggers from the ’80s and ’90s.
 vintage books for $3 each.
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Had to use the Biblio-mat while I was here - the first book vending machine 📚📖
A post shared by Mackenzie (@kenzo_the_person) on Aug 3, 2019 at 5:59pm PDT
A piping hot pizza
Upgrade from the limp, lamp-heated slice in just three minutes at one of Pizza Forno's Easy Bake Ovens on steroids. $11 buys a freshly baked, cheesy pie that shoots out of a pizza-sized mail slot. The menu offers your standard pepperoni and cheese option, as well as some more adventurous creations, like chicken-pesto and honey chèvre with blanco cream.
View this post on Instagram
Delicious pizza in under 3 minutes? The future is now 😎⠀ ⠀ 📸: @theeverydayfoodie⠀ ⠀ #Repost⠀ ...⠀ ⠀ Have you ever met someone who didn’t love pizza? Probably not eh. And now it’s more convenient than ever to get your hands on some, 24/7. @thepizzaforno is a futuristic automated pizza oven that delivers fresh baked 12” artisanal pizzas in under 3 minutes!⠀ _⠀ ⚠️ Use my personal discount code “19065” when ordering to get $5 off!⠀ _⠀ They just launched a new vegetarian menu option that is a must try. Made with pomodoro sauce, roasted red pepper, caramelized onion, button mushroom, black olive, parmesan, and oregano - PizzaForno doesn’t skimp out on ingredients as you can see! A high quality tasting pizza in the matter of minutes. #pizzaforno #torontopizza #toronto #pizzaforthepeople #ad
A post shared by PizzaForno (@thepizzaforno) on Jul 11, 2019 at 1:01pm PDT
A permanent tattoo
Feeding a coin into a gum ball machine is always a gamble (what if you get grape? No one likes grape), but true risk-takers can do irreversible damage at the Okey Doke Tattoo Shop on Dundas West. For $100, ink enthusiasts can purchase a token that buys them a randomly-dispensed design from a coin machine—basically the Russian roulette version of tattooing. There are no exchanges or refunds, so indecisive folks should stick to candy.
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Again? #itsnotme #someonehasaproblem 🙈
A post shared by Michelle Morgan (@michelle_morgan) on Apr 11, 2019 at 1:46pm PDT
(Legal) drugs
SpotRX, a small, self-service machine dispenses prescription medications and over-the-counter goods, Jetsons-style. Doctors can send prescriptions straight to the kiosk—located at three locations across the city—and if you're someone who prefers to ask questions IRL instead of Googling them, there's a call button that summons a pharmacist on screen.
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Meet your new neighbourhood Pharmacy. Visit our SpotRx kiosk now at 🏳️🌈 PenguinPickUp 609 Church Street 🌈 Live demos from June 1-29 Monday-Friday, 11 am-7 pm Saturday-Sunday, 10 am-6 pm @SpotRxCanada #innovation #kiosk #healthandwellness #pharmacy #LivingLifeWell #medication #toronto #healthandwellness #pharmacy #april #vsco #instadaily #growth #lgbtq🌈 #pride #pridecanada #prideparade
A post shared by SpotRx Pharmacy Canada (@spotrxcanada) on Jun 5, 2019 at 11:30am PDT
Fun knick-knacks
At Parkdale’s Capital Espresso, the aptly named “Loonie Trap” dispenses vintage-inspired buttons, stickers and trading cards, all designed by Toronto's No Fun Press and its affiliated artists.
View this post on Instagram
Our fave cool guy @nofunpress stocked up the loonie trap with fun new goodies 🎉 📸: @nofunpress
A post shared by Capital Espresso (@capitalespresso) on Nov 10, 2016 at 11:19am PST
Personalized tea
Coca-Cola Freestyle changed the pop game a few years back with its mix-and-match soda stream. Now, teaBOT is doing the same for tea. In a few taps, you can create your own loose-leaf blend, which is then brewed up on the spot. There are six locations across Toronto, including the MaRS Discovery District atrium, Ryerson University and the Organic Garage in Liberty Village.
View this post on Instagram
We're at The Organic Garage in Liberty Village! @organicgarage #teabot #tea #looseleaf #natural #engineering #startup #yyz #toronto
A post shared by teaBOT (@myteabot) on Oct 10, 2018 at 6:56am PDT
Quirky art
Gumballs may lose their taste within minutes, but the Magic Gumball Machine of Fate (yes, that's actually what it's called) dispenses great art that lasts forever. The coin-operated machines can be spotted at Artscape Youngplace on Queen West and OCAD University. Inside, you'll find plastic spheres that contain a rotating collection of work by Canadian creators, including ceramics, figurines, illustrations, pins and knitted "boob balls."
View this post on Instagram
The Magic Gumball Machine of Fate is featured in Rendezvous with Madness at Workman Arts #mgmof #magicgumballmachineoffate #workmanartsto #rendezvouswithmadnessfilmfestival
A post shared by Magic Gumball Machine Of Fate (@magicgumballmachineoffate) on Oct 17, 2018 at 11:24am PDT
Old-school baseball cards
Back in the prime days of sports card collecting, tracking down a shiny new pack was as easy as dropping a coin into a machine. Today, you'll probably have better luck on Kijiji, but Jays fans can still find a handful of card machine relics inside the Rogers Centre. You won't see Bautista in any of these packs, but you will see star sluggers from the '80s and '90s.
View this post on Instagram
Summer is the perfect season to attend a baseball game in Toronto. Even if you are not a fan of this sport, we always encourage visitors to go to the stadium and have the experience of watching a live game. Have you been to a baseball game in Toronto before? Which teams did you saw?
A post shared by Explore Toronto Free Tours (@torontofreetours) on Aug 11, 2019 at 3:49pm PDT
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