A Boy Builds a Lemonade Stand to Fund Future Trips on a Spaceship in the Animated Short ‘Coin Operated’

Coin Operated First Rocket Ride

“Coin Operated” by Nicholas Arioli is an award-winning bittersweet animated short about a little boy who wants to go to the moon. After discovering a nickel-operated spaceship in front of the local grocery, the little boy builds a lemonade stand to pay for future rides.

Coin Operated is an award winning 5 minute short animation that spans 70 years in the life of one naive explorer.

The lemonade business is so successful that the little boy sticks with it for years, quickly becoming an old man behind that stand.

Coin Operated Lemonade Stand

One day, however, the old man decides to pack it all in and pours all his nickels into the coin-operated spaceship that still stands in front of that same grocery store and finds that his dream comes true.

Coin Operated Old Man Putting on Helmet

via The Awesomer

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.