Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum. It’s where magic happens. In a strip mall in the Detroit suburbs.

On a recent trip to Michigan, I paid a visit to Marvin’s. It’s an arcade, with all the usual arcade games, along with many not-so-usual games. They have a great collection, including all manner of wooden and paper maché machines. One favorite was a machine that plays songs using mechanically operated instruments. We’re talking guitar, piano, accordion, organ, banjo, harmonica, percussion, bass, and more. It’s loud. I really enjoyed the many varieties of pinball machine and the vintage (handmade?) mechanical games.

Here are just a few of Marvin’s many marvelous (!) attractions.

What Shall We Do With The Drunken Sailor. You put a quarter in the machine and peer through the porthole to watch the sailor drink as a sea monster comes through one window, a hand with a rifle appears in another window, and a skeleton rises up from the chest beside the sailor. Exciting!

Fun fact: I had a Musical Ferris Wheel at my birthday party last month.

The Sneeze. Look at how cute this guy is! Unfortunately, the machine was out of order so I didn’t get to see him sneeze.

The Great Chopandoff! He chops off your hand with a guillotine-like blade.

I don’t remember what this guy was doing. His pose is suggestive, though!