Doughnut-dunking machines: 1956 inventor’s devices

“Life has gotten too darned complicated,” declared Russell E. Oakes within the January 1956 problem of Celebrity journal. “Our scientists and inventors are just great at investigating the sex life of the polyp or building bigger and better positronic re-diffraction hypotelemeters — but they ignore the all-important everyday problems of the ordinary guy like you and me.”

Oakes was an promoting govt from Waukesha, Wisconsin who spent his off-hours constructing elaborate contraptions for every day irritations. His doughnut-dunking machine retains your fingers dry, with a pan strapped to your forearm to catch espresso drippings. A “metal spider” rig sits over the butter dish, so your sleeve by no means dips into the goo if you attain for the salt. A bashful bellhop’s tip collector pops up a NO SALE signal when the gratuity falls quick. His “improved” bowling ball — assured to strike each body — comes with its personal mechanical arms.

Most of his innovations, he admitted, have been extra hassle to function than simply doing the duty by hand. But they made life extra attention-grabbing, did not they? Between 1930 and 1960, Oakes constructed greater than 50 of those gizmos and made quick movies within the Forties.

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