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Perk Up

c. 1940's or 1950's, 11". It wasn't until I started writing this page that I realized how little basic information I have on this model. I don't know who made it or when it was made; Silent Salesmen Too doesn't tell me and I don't remember ever hearing a definitive opinion on the subject. That wouldn't surprise me if this were an uncommon machine but it's not, so why don't I know more about it? That said, I'm pretty confident in my 1940's to 1950's date estimate, leaning toward the second half of the 1940's after coming out of the war.

What I do know is that it's made of cast aluminum and came in a bulk version, a gumball version, and a breath pellet version. The only difference between them is the shape and size of the product compartment in the vending wheel, with the breath pellet version having only a small hole to dispense just a few breath pellets at a time.

The Perk Up is also correct with a smaller lantern-type globe on it as pictured on page 124 of Silent Salesmen Too, although the round globe pictured above is the one I most often see on these. Every Perk Up I've seen takes a nickel.

The example above is 100% original. The only original color scheme I've seen on these is the yellow and gray combination, although I can't assure you that it's the only one ever used. I've tried the original breath pellets in the machine above, and they're not bad but they didn't make me crave another helping.