Spiral Wishing Wells have been the coin-funnel supplier to museums, zoos, and other public institutions since 1985.
The first museum to get a Spiral Wishing Well was the Air Force Museum in Dayton Ohio in 1985. Their Well has raised over $3 million worth of coins and is still generating at the same pace all these years later. Hundreds of museums, zoos, planetariums, and other public facilities have added Wells to their locations. Some get the added benefit of using their Wells for physics or planetary demonstrations, or customizing it to match their theme and purpose as you will see in the pictures below.
Click here to see a list of Wells in public locations in the United States.
Click here to see an international listing.
The New Giant Seven Footer - World's Largest Coin Funnel Our newest model is the giant Seven Footer which replaces the old-model Five-Footers which only have 2 or 3 launch ramps. It is specifically designed for museums, zoos, aquariums, planetariums, and other public installations, as well as shopping malls, stadiums, airports, and other large floor-space locations. If you have the necessary floor space, the Seven Footer offers a lot more play value with EIGHT coin-launch ramps, and it commands a lot more attention because of its size and visually compelling shape. Seven-Footers are also great for demonstrating gravity well forces and planetary orbits as you can see in the movie clips below. The launch ramps on Seven-Footers are "open-configuration" meaning they don't have coin-guides. So you can launch coins AND/OR balls if you want to use it for orbiting demonstrations. You can also "fling" balls around the rim similar to a roulette wheel. The balls will hug the rim until the speed and centrifugal force diminishes and the balls begin their spiraling descent. Maybe types of balls work...marbles, ping pong balls, golf balls, etc. Ball bearings work the best because they are heavy and perfectly round. BB's are also fun. You can dump a thousand bb's onto the surface and they put on an amazing show as they bump into each other and create mosaic patterns. Of course, you these kind of shows should be done by a guide. See our Student Guide for more about tornados, whirlpools, planetary orbits, gravity wells, and the physics of the vortex. You can use any of the information in our Guide on your signs. If you already have one of the old black Five-Footers, you can update to a Seven-Footer. It is so much more profitable that it will completely pay for itself and still raise more money in the first year than your existing Five-Footer! And it will continue to multiply your income for years to come. |
The USA and International links at the bottom of this page list a cross-section of museums, zoos, Aquariums, Planetariums, Libraries, and other public locations which have purchased one or more Spiral Wishing Wells.
You will notice that many institutions have more than one Well. Often, they place one or more "on-site" and others in retail locations which raise lots of money and serve as "billboards" inviting people to come visit at the same time.
If any of these locations are near you, you can go and experience the phenomenon in person. You may want to call first to make sure their Well is not out on location. They may not have the newest model, but you will be able to see the phenomenon and attraction of the coins.
Educational Uses: While most locations use the Wells to generate revenue, others include the educational aspects of the gravity well. If this is your interest, be sure to look at our Student Guide which includes topics like planetary orbits, tornados, whirlpools, and the physics of the vortex funnel.
Custom Bases and Enclosures
As you will see in the pictures on this page, many museums, zoos, and other public locations create their own custom base or enclosure. We don't make the custom bases, but we will gladly consult with you if you want to do that for your installation.
Click here to see our hints and cautions as you design and build your custom base.
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“By the end of the first month, it had already paid for itself. This is great news for the environment as all the money collected goes directly to saving animals around the world." Loran Wlodarski, Education Department, SeaWorld See www.SWBG-ConservationFund.org for more details about their fund raising project. |
If you are placing a Well in a zoo, you can place animal graphics around the rim or over the top such as the Bronx Zoo has done (pictured). |
A local company (KOS Management) sponsored the cost of the Well with their message on the back of the sign. When you click to enlarge, notice the elephant cut-outs mounted near the bottom of the coin launch ramps for added imagery. |
They also have a Well placed in a Pro Bass Shop in Nashville. See the BONUS IDEA at the bottom of this page. |
Over $250,000 and counting...
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The zoo is only open 100 days per year, and these Wells bring in $5,000 in that short period. |
Colors Click here to see the many color choices. Seven-Footers are all fiberglass, including the ramps and base, so you can choose two different colors if you wish. In other words, the funnel portion can be one color and the base/pedestal can be another, as illustrated in some of the following pictures. |
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This is a great way for a service club to help support other local organizations. It combines an informative message with the fun of a Spiral Wishing Well while raising money at the same time. |
United States
Click here to view a list of some of the Spiral Wishing Wells in public locations in the United States, arranged alphabetically by State.
International
Click here to view a list of some of the Wells located in other countries.
BONUS IDEA
Raise more revenue and advertise your facility at the same time!
In addition to placing a Well in your own building, consider placing additional Wells in stores, restaurants, shopping malls and other locations where they will raise lots of money AND let people know about your exhibits, programs, and events. Each Well is like a billboard with a sign that invites people to come see more. If you get sponsors, the Wells are free, so placing multiple Wells is all profit. There is no reason to limit yourself to your own location.
This is the best advertising you can do because Wells GENERATE income for you while promoting your facility in the most valuable venues in your city!
Why pay for advertising when it will pay you?
Before you contact possible hosts, please review the word-for-word recommendations about how to approach them.
