How Did Fruits End up as Symbols in Slot Machines?
A fruit machine, puggy, fruity, one-armed bandit, these are all commonly used names to address slots. From analog to digital reels, these sweet symbols remained one of the most frequently present icons found in games- both land-based and online.
What made fruit symbols so popular in slot machines?
Innocent and fun in their appearance, fruit symbols were more than fantastic choice to circumvent the new laws on cash-paying slot machines, allowing manufacturers to transform gambling devices into chewing gum dispensers. It was a widely and socially more acceptable form and an excellent compromise between two confronted sides.
Stay with us to find out more about the most delicious and one of the most favorite slot symbols and their journey through history!
Top 4 Best Online Casinos
 |  | 100% up to $11,000 Sign up | Read Review Play  |
|  | 250% up to ∞ | Read Review Play |
|  | 125% up to $1,250 | Read Review Play |
|  | 300% up to $3,000 Sign up | Read Review Play |
It All Started with Bells
To fully understand how juicy symbols ended up as the most widely used icons on reels, we must go back to the very beginnings of one-armed bandits.
It happened in 1887…
…when Charles Fey came up with the first mechanical gambling machine based on the game of poker. Dubbed “Liberty Bell”, the device features three spinning reels with 5 symbols- hearts, diamonds, spades, horseshoes, and the famous Liberty Bell (hence the name).
The golden bell was the most valuable of all icons, as three of them aligned would result in the Jackpot. But it was the other machine that introduced fruits to the reels, establishing a worldwide trend whose popularity is still immense.
Fey’s invention was copied by many other manufactures…
…like Herbert Mills among others, who incorporated patriotic symbols such as a flag and a wreath on the wheels. Renamed to “Operator’s Bell”, the next version came up with some interesting modifications.
In the early 1900s, one-armed bandits gained immense popularity, as they allowed one to place bets using coins, tokens, or cash. These machines weren’t automated, one needed to pull a handle to activate them.
These very much resembled the devices we know…
…and play today, and they utilized a plethora of symbols such as stars, moons, bars, lines, and numbers, but also were card suits (diamonds, clubs, hearts, and spades). However, when several years later the UK prohibited these machines, this decision rocked the British gambling scene to the core.
An adjustment needed to be made, and the solution appeared. It came in the form of an optional gum vending attachment available.
So, where do fruits fit in?
Delicious chewing gums were fruit-flavored, making it more than convenient to include various fruit pictures to symbolize a specific taste. Enter lemons, cherries, oranges, and plums.
Thin Line Between Gum Chewing and Gambling
Every bet placed on these modified and upgraded devices resulted in winning, but they came in the form of- chewing gums.
Hit three cherries and bang…
…cherry-flavored gum was yours. If you align three melons, congrats, that would have won you a pack of yummy melon-flavored gum. Step by step, the machines have undergone a full transition from being gambling devices to chewing gum dispensers that were available to anyone, regardless of his/her ages. O.D. Jennings, who ran the Industry Novelty Company was one of such manufacturers.
This created an almost non-existent line between vending and slot machines.
Such an age-appropriate award was widely accepted, and it became a sort of funny family activity. Take a look at department stores these days, chances are you will spot gumball machines in almost every single of them.
It’s interesting to add that…
…this concept was so much separated from slot machines and gambling that it is mentioned in public schools where the gambling-related discussion is prohibited. Vending machines had the same destiny, and the strongest proof about both of them being labeled as harmless is the fact that these devices can be found in pretty much every high school cafeteria.
Was this the sad end of slot machines?
Absolutely not, it was just some sort of turning point, which gradually led to the revival of their original purpose- placing monetary bets and scoring real-money prizes.
New Era for Delicious Machines
Jumping on a bandwagon of the fruit-flavored craze, in 1963, Bally and Williams, two of the biggest slot machine developers of the 20th century, began to adapt early models making them more suitable for a modern audience.
Relying on predecessor’s immense popularity…
…these companies introduced the first fruit machine that worked electromechanically, Money Honey is one of them. It was a genuine slot device, which bolstered the images of oranges, lemons, cherries, and melons.
The late ’60s brought Big Bertha. Powered by five horsepower electric motors, and twenty-inch wide chain wheels, it’s more than clear where the name came from and why it holds the proud title of the moist gigantic devices of such kind. And yes, each pull cost a jaw-dropping $100.
With the rapid expansion of modern technologies…
…these gambling devices further evolved and became an integral part of the majority of developers’ portfolios. The first video slot device was developed in 1976 in Kearny Mesa, California, by the Las Vegas-based Fortune Coin Co.
Then, 1996 brought the first American video slot machine hosting a “second screen” bonus round. It was Reel ’Em In developed by WMS Industries. The next stage was online slots and the rest of the story we all know.
Will the Fruities Ever Rot?
From pulling the lever through pushing the button, to activating “Auto-spin”, both mechanics and aesthetic of the machines have changed drastically. Of course, piles of chewing gum packages were conveniently replaced with real-money winnings. (Could you imagine a lucky JP winner withdrawing a million colorful fruit-flavored boxes of chewing gums?)
Some operators still draw inspiration from these symbols…
…as there are still many players whose favorite releases are these vintage-looking ones. Perhaps they are playing it safe, because “the public loves it”. It’s interesting to notice that some of them remain within the safety limits, meaning, add nothing special to the game, other than basics.
On the other hand…
…certain producers are taking them to completely new dimensions. Take Microgaming’s Fruity Fiesta as an example. It combines a retro, nostalgic feel with modern-day online sophistication and big prizes, covering both profiles of players- those who like to stick to old-school releases, and those who like more contemporary mechanics.
With the continuous improvement of technology, and the desire to increase the players’ gaming experience via cutaway scenes, immersive 3D animation, and ever more elaborate features and options, fruit symbols seem to have stood the test of time.
Step by step…
…the early ‘00s brought another momentum in the history – developers started producing straight conversions of their land-based machines into online games, creating more than a faithful replica of a real fruit machine.
RNG, versatile features and innovative mechanics, Wilds, Scatters, Expanding and Stacked Symbols, infinitely replicating reels, progressive JPs, multipliers, VR, and the list goes on and on. Whichever ingredient of these is added- the result is a delicious fruit salad of unique taste.
It’s true that their number is declining…
…but they still remain an integral and important part of the slots industry, as long as developers are skilled enough to incorporate them in current trends. It happens to all games, take poker for example- it’s no longer a stereotypic Wild West image of the old card rooms from the early 21st century.
That’s EXACTLY the constant transformation fruities are undergoing- they’ll never rot, but will keep on ripening and ripening.
Bonus: 10 Most Played Fruities
Determining which game to play requires one to be familiar with its specifications, RTP percentage, various classifications, features, strategies, and so on. We all chose them based on our preferences, but it’s always nice to know what the majority likes.
Let’s take a closer look at some of the most wanted fruit-themed slots grouped by providers!
- Sweetest delights from NetEnt’s collection
BerryBurst MAX is an undisputed leader from this provider, with RTP above 96% and payouts on clusters. It comes with a max win of 200,000 coins and no paylines.
Fruit Shop, with 5 reels and 15 lines, comes with multipliers up to 4x. Equipped with low to medium variance, it has regularly triggered complimentary spins.
- Juiciest highlights from Playson’s portfolio
Fruit Xtreme, structured as a 3×5 grid, comes with stacked symbols for up to 4x multipliers. It has medium volatility and an RTP of 96.3%.
Imperial Fruits: 100 Lines is part of the Imperial Fruits royal series, with a simplistic gameplay and solid graphics. It comes with up to 400x the bet on a single spin, expanding Wild and Scatter.
- Cherry-pickings from Pragmatic Play’s garden
Extra Juicy comes with a rather simple design, a 3×5 grid, and 10 paylines. There’s a re-triggered multiplier with up to 60x potential and an RTP of 96.52%.
Fruity Party brings a 7×7 diagram with a cluster pays system and random multipliers that can combine up to x256. The RTP is 96.5%, while the max payout goes up to 5000x.
- Tastiest fruit salads from Yggdrasil’s menu
Fruitoids hosts RTP of 96.7%, and it’s one of the first slots transferred from Flash to HTML5. It comes with unusually portrayed fruits, 25 paylines, and sticky wins feature.
Winter Berries is also packed with RTP of 96.7%, and 25 lines. It has immersive visuals, but a bit modest collection of features- re-spins and multipliers.
- The most fruitilicious products by Microgaming
Pub Fruity is a 3-reel slot with a single payline and quite vintage graphics. It’s equipped with a 250x multiplier and a virtual darts competition, where the player has a chance to win a 1000x multiplier prize.
Froot Loot is a straightforward classic slot release, again with 3 reels and one payline. There aren’t any features, but the RTP is solid- 97.19%.
Final Thoughts
So, the next time you find yourself chewing a fruitilicious gum and spinning the reels at the same time, a smile on your face will be inevitable because now you know the secret connection between these two.
Learning history helps one understand better…
…how certain elements ended up in the gambling universe. Or it can serve as funny trivia to impress your friends, whatever you like. Anyhow, it’s undoubtedly an intriguing story about human perception and one of the most interesting illustrations of “it’s all a matter of one’s perspective”.
The evolution is happening as you read this, and no one knows in which direction things will head. At least it’s nice to know where it all started.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who are the most popular developers of fruit-themed online slots?
Almost all providers have these in their portfolios, but among the most well-known ones are NetEnt, Playson, and Pragmatic Play.
Do all online casinos have fruit slots?
Yes, some of them more, some of them less, a certain number of them even allows filtering by this specific category, but they are present in all entertainment facilities.
Do all land-based casinos have fruit machines?
Similar to online, their number may not be as big as it used to, but they can be found in all venues, as long as the laws approve them.
Are there any unique features to UK fruities?
Among the most popular ones are Nudge and Hold features.
