The crane machine—also known as claw machines, crane games and, in Japan, as “UFO catchers” due to their proclivity for aerial abductions—first gripped the public imagination in the early 1900s. Even ...

According to Vox.com video, crane machines involve a lot of luck and little skill. (Patti Sapone/The Star-Ledger) Each summer, thousands of New Jersey boardwalk visitors pump quarter after quarter ...