The week before Christmas, a new machine appeared on the porch of Four Sisters Bakery. The apparatus, known as Butter Boy, is a claw machine filled with pastries from the bakery and is available 24 ...

Like the little green aliens in Disney’s “Toy Story,” people — often kids — may find themselves obsessed with “the claw.” Claw machines, also known as crane machines, dot arcades, malls, even grocery ...

Taipei is game-crazy. From pinball machines to toy dispensers, the gray city blocks are sprinkled with the neon glow of mini arcades, with enticing names such as “Happy Moments” and “Sweet Box” (?).

Mike Nay bought his first claw machine during the pandemic to pass the time. Once he had the strategy down and arcades reopened, he was winning hundreds of plushies. He learned he could make a profit ...