A day for UFOs and 40 years of SEGA UFO Catchers!

June 24th annually is the anniversary of the first reported sighting of a UFO or Unidentified Flying Object. Allegedly a Mr Kenneth Arnold reported seeing a mysterious 'flying saucer' near Mt. Rainier in Washington State, on this day in 1947! As a spin on that, if you'll pardon the pun, SEGA registered June 24th as UFO catcher day, fairly recently in 2019. It was accepted and certified by the Japan Anniversary Association.

UFO Catchers, a type of crane game or claw machine, are celebrating 40 years in Japan this year. The first UFO Catcher was created by Sega in 1985. They were named because the claw part of the SEGA machines look like an UFO. It was part of Sega's push into the arcade scene during the 80s. While claw machines existed before the UFO Catcher, Sega's design set a new standard for the industry. It also  popularized the game eventually, but it did take some time.

To this day UFO Catchers and crane games are really popular in Japan. You can find dedicated crane game centers all over Japan. You will sometimes also find some UFO catchers and / or crane games in random places, such as a supermarket, a dental office or even out on the street!