by SLOT DYNASTY » Tue Aug 30, 2016 3:42 pm
The "Happy Jap" being offered by (cailledog) on eBay, is a Total Original. I have know this seller for many years, and has
never been known to deal in anything but originals. If he was ever selling a repro, he would tell you so. This one is the
General Mdse. version. There was another original model made by the Happy Jap Gum Co., that had a different coin entry,
which was counter-sunk above the left eye-lid, and the vending area of the mouth was different.
The other one mentioned above on eBay for $6000, is an mty case, which anyone will play hell finding a mechanism for.
The head appears to be an original, but the base is most likely a repro. The back-of-the-head door never was mounted
with hinges. Plus someone has mounted a lug on the top, with a machine screw, which serves as a lock, for whatever is
at the top of the door, (not shown). I also do not see any mounting holes in the base, for a mechanism, and there is no
patent plate riveted to the front of the base.
Yes, The Happy Jap has been reproduced, but they usually stick out like a sore thumb, with a fresh & shiny paint job. You
really have to know these machines well, not to get snookered. Additionally, the "Smilin' Sam" has been heavily repro'd for
many years, in aluminum. The Smilin' Sam is a peanut vender, where the Happy Jap is a stick-gum vender. I have seen a
couple of Happy Jap peanut venders, which tells me that whoever repro'd them, didn't know one machine from the other.