The marmot is famous for getting into the stuffed animal machine
A marmot found itself trapped inside a claw machine at a Pennsylvania shop, quickly becoming the unexpected star of the town.
Two weeks ago, a customer at The Meadows Custard Shop in Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, was startled to discover a living creature inside the claw machine while trying to pick up a stuffed animal. The unexpected guest was a marmot, a cave-dwelling mammal of the squirrel family.
Lynn Castle, the shop’s manager, shared on August 15 that no one is sure how the marmot got inside the building. It’s believed that the marmot may have squeezed through the prize chute to enter the claw machine. “A customer was intently looking at the stuffed toys, deciding which one to grab, when they suddenly saw the marmot’s eyes blinking and realized there was a live animal inside,” Castle explained.
The shop staff quickly contacted the machine’s owner, who in turn called the Pennsylvania Game Commission. The claw machine’s operator arrived, unlocked the machine, and released the marmot safely into a nearby field.
“This is a fun story with a happy ending,” Castle said. “The animal was set free, and no one got bitten.”
The tale of the marmot quickly became the talk of the town. The Meadows shop printed T-shirts with the slogan “Respect the Marmot” and held a naming contest that attracted hundreds of participants. The winning name: Colonel Custard.
Posts about the marmot have since gone viral on social media, drawing a flood of comments. “It just wanted a cozy place to sleep,” one person wrote.
“If that were a real prize, I’d empty my pockets for coins to win it,” another commented.
This incident also made the squirrel famous and known to more people. Some even suggested naming the critter.
“Name him Claude (or Clawd) for the claw machine he was in,” a user posted.
Another person suggested “Duncansville Dan” while another user drummed up: “Meadow” after the name of the business he snuck inside.
