Fun centers hold some of the best childhood memories—the thrill of playing Pac-Man, Skee-Ball, Air Hockey, or trying to grab a prize from the infamous Claw Machine.
The rush of winning stuffed animals, toy figures, candy, or snacks was unbeatable.
But imagine walking into an arcade, ready to win a prize, only to spot something moving inside the machine. Sounds unbelievable, right?
Well, that’s exactly what happened to one Pennsylvania girl during her visit to Meadows Family Fun Center, and what she found left everyone stunned.
She was carefully eyeing the claw machine, hoping for the perfect grab, when she suddenly noticed one of the prizes shifting on its own.
At first, she wasn’t sure what she was seeing, but one thing was clear, this wasn’t any ordinary stuffed toy.
Confused, she immediately alerted the fun center staff, who rushed over to investigate. No one was prepared for what they were about to find.
Instead of a plush prize, a real, live groundhog peeked out from under the pile of stuffed animals!
That’s right, a groundhog had somehow made its way inside the claw machine, turning what should have been a fun game into a rescue mission.
Even the staff was baffled. How did this little furry intruder end up in there? The best guess was that it snuck into the arcade unnoticed and, seeing a cozy pile of plush toys, decided to crawl inside and make itself at home.
With no time to waste, the Pennsylvania Game Commission was called for assistance. Within minutes, Warden Zaffuto arrived to take the lead on this unexpected rescue.
As the Pennsylvania Game Commission – Southcentral Region shared in a Facebook post:
“When Warden Zaffuto responded and approached the machine, he saw a wave of stuffed animals move as the groundhog scurried around underneath, then it popped its head out to assess the situation.”
It was almost as if the groundhog was checking out its rescuers, deciding whether it wanted to cooperate or not!
Although it was technically an option, Warden Zaffuto decided not to put his claw-machine skills to the test. We all know how tricky those games can be—he didn’t want to risk dropping the little guy back inside!
Instead, the vending machine company was contacted to unlock the machine, allowing for a safe and stress-free rescue. The Game Commission added:
“The vending machine company was contacted to unlock the machine, allowing Warden Zaffuto to safely capture the groundhog and release it unharmed.”
Thankfully, the rescue went smoothly, and the groundhog was safely released back into the wild, completely unharmed.
The staff sighed in relief, knowing the unexpected arcade guest was finally free.
As for the girl who made the discovery, there’s no doubt this will be a story she’ll never forget. While most kids win stuffed animals from claw machines, she walked away with the wildest prize encounter ever—a real-life groundhog adventure!
Now that’s what you call a fun center memory for the books.