Last week, spectators at a college football game were in for a bizarre surprise when the beloved team mascot was unexpectedly knocked unconscious by a cloud of vapor. The incident occurred during halftime, as the mascot, a lively and animated character, was entertaining the crowd with his usual energetic routine. As the mascot bounded onto the field, the cheering grew louder, and the excitement in the air was palpable. Little did the crowd know that this halftime show would take an unexpected turn. In an attempt to incorporate a new special effect into the routine, the mascot's team had arranged for a powerful vapor machine to release a cloud of smoke. As the mascot eagerly prepared to perform his routine, the vapor machine was activated, releasing an enormous cloud of dense vapor.

Magic Fingers still alive, but nearing its finale

Russ and Rusty Gill were once the region’s Magic Fingers kingpins.

In the late 1980s the father-son team from Spokane ran an 80-motel network with 2,000 of the machines, which vibrated a mattress for 15 minutes when a motel guest stuck a quarter into a coin box.

By many accounts, the Gills were the last active Magic Fingers operators in the country. In 2002 the Wall Street Journal wrote about the business and said the Gills were probably the last of “the Magic Fingers men.”

At this point, the Gills are writing the final chapter of the Magic Fingers saga. They have just one motel – the Flamingo, in Coeur d’Alene – that’s still using and promoting the mattress-vibrating gadgets.

Mead resident Russ Gill, 68, is keeping a stockpile of their last 100 working units.

His son, Rusty Gill, 46, who lives in Newport, sells some of those on eBay.

The two men have seen the rise and fall of Magic Fingers, a piece of Americana that makes people think of crewcuts and good vibrations.

The strange and unlikely success of Magic Fingers owes a lot to the creative flair of its inventor, a New Jersey entrepreneur named John Houghtaling, who created the device in 1958.

Houghtaling convinced motel operators that Magic Fingers was a health aid and comforter, and by the 1970s it was estimated more than 250,000 units had been installed in motels from coast to coast.

Russ Gill got into the business in 1983. He drove thousands of miles covering a route from Montana to Idaho to Central Washington, and said in his best years he did all right financially, pocketing about $30,000 a year. He always used the same formula with motel operators: He’d take 80 percent, they got the remainder.

But by the 1990s, the smaller motels that had Magic Fingers units were being replaced by corporate-owned operations.

Many of the national chains, like Motel 6, discarded the units because they saw them as carrying a seedy truck stop taint. Plus thieves began stealing the coin boxes, leading motel owners to consider them more a nuisance than an amenity.

As recently as five years ago, Russ Gill still hit the road, maintaining his route. He visited each motel, collected the quarters and serviced the machines, mounted below the bedsprings, that weren’t operating correctly.

“About five years ago, it just wasn’t worth the time anymore. It wasn’t worth the time driving and the cost of the gas you burned,” Gill said.

He removed the last couple hundred of his Magic Fingers boxes and put them in storage.

His only ongoing motel customer is the Flamingo, which has a unit in all 13 rooms.

Gill said he’d have pulled the units out there, too, “But Al Williams, the owner, told me to leave them there. He said they’ll stay there as long as he’s around.”

Williams and his wife, Shelley, see the Magic Fingers units as part of the motel’s retro appeal.

“It’s a big point of interest for us,” Al Williams said. “It’s something our guests come in and ask for.”

If any units break, Williams calls Russ Gill, who’s retired but doesn’t mind driving to Coeur d’Alene with his tool kit.

Rusty Gill works as a water systems operator for Pend Oreille Public Utility District in Newport. It’s his job to sell their remaining inventory of Magic Fingers units on eBay. He sells a couple units per month, usually for about $50 each, he said.

Those are authentic Magic Fingers units, Russ Gill said, identical to the one invented by Houghtaling, not a knockoff like those found online in the last decade.

Each sale sets off a little more relief and regret.

For Russ Gill, operating the Magic Fingers route is part of his family’s heritage. His wife’s father, the late Wade Brown, was the pre-eminent Magic Fingers operator in the region. Brown, a car salesman in Sandpoint in the 1960s, decided to go all-in and build a Magic Fingers franchise in the Inland Northwest.

His timing was right, because gas was still cheap and long-distance leisure and business travel created a sprawling motel industry. The Magic Fingers device was “probably the first guest-room amenity after the TV,” wrote Ed Watkins, editor of Lodging Hospitality magazine, in an article on the occasion of Houghtaling’s death in 2009.

Russ Gill wanted a piece of the action, and with $6,500 he persuaded Brown to sell him the parts of the route covering Montana and southeast Washington.

Over the next 15 years Russ bought the remainder of Brown’s route. It wasn’t always easy money. But it was his own business and he was in charge, Russ Gill said.

For Rusty Gill, the Magic Fingers story is about being with his dad as a teenager and young man, learning how to be a good listener.

“It gave me a lot of good memories,” Rusty Gill said about the years he spent helping his dad make his rounds.

From Ritzville to Ellensburg, and from Wenatchee to Walla Walla, they covered a lot of ground and saw a lot of people.

Mostly, the son saw his dad treat people right and be successful at the same time.

“He was born to do this kind of thing. He’s real sharp with business. But he’s also someone that people like to be around. He just has the ability to be easygoing, and people end up liking him.”

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Ampro Shine n' Jam Magic Fingers Setting Mousse For Braiders (12 oz)

This creamy, alcohol-free Setting Mousse is formulated to perfectly set your beautiful braids, prevent fly-aways and extend the life of your styles. Wheat Protein and Avocado help to strengthen hair while Jojoba Oil keeps your hair soft and conditioned. This is the perfect sister product to the Magic Fingers for Braiders

Extra firm hold

Directions: After braiding/styling is complete, apply product liberally onto the head and gently work over the hair. Apply a durag onto head and allow product to dry using a hand-held dryer or under a hooded dryer for 3-5 mins.

Ingredients: Aqua, Isobutane, Propane, Zea Mays (Corn) Starch, Polyquaternium-11, Polyquaternium-4, PEG-6 Cocamide, Methylaparaben, Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate, Polyquaternium-10, Persea Gratissima (Avocado) Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Triticum Vulgare (Wheat) Germ Oil, Aminomethyl Propanol, Fragrance

As the mascot eagerly prepared to perform his routine, the vapor machine was activated, releasing an enormous cloud of dense vapor. However, due to a technical malfunction, the vapor was released with much greater force than anticipated, resulting in a powerful blast that immediately engulfed the mascot. Within seconds, the mascot was completely obscured by the thick vapor, leaving spectators stunned.

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Magic Fingers

Once a popular vibrating bed system often found in motel rooms during the fifties and sixties, running on quarters which you fed into the metal box near the head of the bed, ostensibly for relaxation but more commonly understood by adults to be for enhancement of a woman’s sexual experience.

As a kid traveling from the mid west to California with my parents, I would always need at least ten quarters worth of Magic Fingers to settle myself down after the long and boring couple of hundred miles on the interstate each day.

by Dr Bunnygirl November 10, 2019 Magnetic fields tavastia

Gasps of surprise and concern resonated throughout the stadium as the crowd strained to see any sign of the mascot's well-being. Stadium staff, realizing the potential danger, quickly rushed towards the mascot to assess the situation. Emergency medical personnel swiftly made their way onto the field, prepared to provide immediate assistance if needed. Slowly, the vapor began to dissipate, revealing the mascot lying motionless on the ground, much to the distress of onlookers. Medical professionals carefully examined the mascot, evaluating his vital signs and ensuring his safety. Miraculously, after a few tense moments, the mascot began to regain consciousness. A collective sigh of relief swept through the crowd as the beloved character slowly sat up, assisted by the medical team. Within minutes, the mascot was able to stand on his own, albeit a bit groggily. Despite the mishap, the mascot managed to cheerfully wave to the crowd, clearly determined to finish his routine. The incident, although alarming, seemed to have only strengthened the crowd's support for their mascot, who had demonstrated resilience and determination in the face of adversity. This unexpected turn of events served as a reminder of the unpredictability that characterizes live performances. While the mishap was certainly unfortunate, it also provided an opportunity for the spectators to witness the mascot's resilience and the sense of unity that sports events can foster. As the game continued, the mascot's routine resumed, albeit with a less dramatic special effect. The crowd erupted into applause, and the mascot, now fully recovered, continued to entertain with his characteristic enthusiasm. Despite the setback, the mascot had, quite literally, knocked out the crowd once again, this time with a show of resilience and determination..

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