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Zoltan
Manufacturer: Prophetron
Date: August 1969
Zoltan was a fortune-telling machine that was introduced in the late 1960's and continued to be found in arcades for the next decade. While there was no mechanical movement and the machine did not give out any cards, it was in fact the first fortune teller to give audio fortunes, by the use of an early reel-to-reel tape player. The user listened to the recorded voice through the use of a listening device (similar to a telephone receiver) on the machine's right side. The correct fortune was arrived at after the user inserted a dime and pressed one of twelve buttons on the front of the machine, each one corresponding to a different symbol of the Zodiac.
Zoltar was developed by Robert B. Bourque and Robert Cottle. Cottle provided Zoltar's voice on the tape. Robert Bourque at one time played "Captain Bob" on a Boston children's TV show, which was mentioned in the literature sent to arcade operators to help sell the machine.
Supposedly, less than one hundred Zoltar machines were produced, probably because of the expense of the tape mechanism.
From the sales brochure:
"Zoltan gives you the opportunity to take full advantage of the upsurge in popularity of ASTROLOGY. Created as a steady-earning, long-lived piece - ZOLTAN features an Antiqued Gilt fiberglass cabinet (unbreakable), a life-like FORTUNE TELLER (Zoltan himself) in a picture-window setting, surrounded by plush drapes - his hands resting on a flickering crystal ball....
A crowd pleaser! Location results indicate that ZOLTAN belongs in Supermarkets, Discount Houses, Transportation Terminals, Theatre Lobbies, Department Stores, Tourist Attraction areas and Arcades... to name a few."
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