‘I wouldn’t have been able to keep a straight face’: Madison Firefighters stifle giggles at boy trapped in claw machine

Every child has stared enviously at the contents of a claw machine, sure that if they just had a few more quarters, they’d be able to snag the toy inside. But Mom, it almost picked it up that time! This time I know I can get it out!

But one Wisconsin child appears to have taken his desire to get at plushies a little too seriously. The Madison Fire Department was summoned to a restaurant for something that is, in a way, an emergency, albeit somewhat less serious than the life-or-death situations they routinely deal with.

They found a young boy sitting inside a claw machine, having presumably wriggled through the toy dispenser slot and up into the machine itself. The second part of his plan? Well, he didn’t think that far ahead:

I responded to a lot of crazy and stupid calls in my firefighter days. This though? I wouldn't have been able to keep a straight face.

Professionalism in situations like this was not my forte pic.twitter.com/4wAjkRge0W

— Erica (@eric_hz143) April 26, 2026

The visibly distressed boy is desperate to get out, but the firefighters assure him, “it’s okay buddy”. They then use their tools to crack open the panel on the side of the machine, pick him and hand him back to his relieved mom. Sadly for the purposes of comedy, at no point do they consider feeding the machine a few quarters and trying to lift him out with the claw.

The Claaaaaaw!

It’s unknown whether the kid got a toy as consolation for his ordeal, though perhaps it’s best not to encourage these kinds of antics with a reward.

Comments wonder why the restaurant couldn’t have rescued him, arguing that there should be a key on site for this purpose. But, as is usual with these machines, it’s likely owned by an external vendor who regularly tops up the prizes and empties the coin drawer.

Furthermore, this isn’t even that rare an occurrence. Last summer, an Ohio boy managed the same feat, with the same outcome of bemused firefighters and EMS being summoned to free him – with this caper briefly making national news.

One thing’s for sure, this event is destined to become part of the family legend. In 20 or 30 years, this kid is going to be getting married, and it’d be a crime if this video of him trapped in a claw machine isn’t played at the reception!