Walking past a toy crane machine, you expect to see stuffed animals or cheap toys. But sometimes, these arcade games cough up the most unexpected, hilarious, and downright bizarre prizes imaginable.

I once witnessed the ultimate crane machine shocker: a live lobster. That's right. A bustling arcade on a pier had a special machine filled with saltwater tanks, each containing a live, crawling lobster. The challenge was insane, but one determined player actually managed to snag one! The sight of someone triumphantly carrying a crustacean out of an arcade is something I'll never forget.

Then there was the time a friend, aiming for a cute plush toy, somehow snagged the entire glass case's corner support rod. The machine's claw got tangled around it, and with a few strategic moves, he lifted the whole structural component. It wasn't a prize; it was a piece of the machine itself! The arcade attendant was equal parts confused and impressed.

Other unique wins I've heard of include a single, surprisingly expensive-looking high-heeled shoe (leaving everyone to wonder where its partner was), a sealed, vintage video game from the 90s, and even a small, locked safe. The mystery of what was inside was a prize in itself.

Of course, for every bizarre win, there are a dozen hilarious fails. The claw gently tapping a giant prize, only to lift it and immediately drop it, is a classic agony. Or the moment it grabs a prize perfectly, swings it over to the chute, and then loses its grip at the very last second.

These machines are a rollercoaster of emotion. They remind us that sometimes the real prize isn't the object itself, but the unforgettable story of how you almost, or miraculously, won it. What's the strangest thing you've ever seen won from a crane machine?