It can be difficult to find helpful and comprehensive guides for some of the most popular coin pushers at modern arcades. Let me help by providing detailed information on the SpongeBob Pineapple coin pusher cards and the strategy to win them. Grab your Dave and Buster’s chip card and get ready to learn the best tips, have more fun, and win big at the arcade.
SpongeBob Coin Pusher Complete Information Guide
Andamiro is the company that manufactures the SpongeBob Pineapple Arcade Coin Pusher.
The SpongeBob coin pusher was released to modern arcades in 2015 and has been one of the most popular arcade games ever since.
Andamiro said on their website that, as of October 2018, they have sold more than 3 million of the SpongeBob collectible cards to arcades, which makes their “tokens-and-cards pusher one of the most successful arcade attractions in today’s amusement machine market.”
SpongeBob Coin Pusher Manual
A lot of the inside information and details about the popular modern arcade game can be found on Andamiro’s SpongeBob product webpage. It gives dimensions of the machine, instructions on how to play, and spare parts for arcades to order if it breaks down.
The SpongeBob manual and documentation can be found in the “Support” section of this product page. This can be helpful to read to learn how the game operates and what options can be controlled by the arcade to change payout and chip price.
SpongeBob Pineapple Arcade Coin Pusher Price
1 swipe = 12 plays
2 swipes = 26 plays
3 swipes = 42 plays
4 swipes = 60 plays
5 swipes = 75 plays
SpongeBob Pineapple Arcade Card Collection Guide
SpongeBob Squarepants Arcade All Cards
There are 9 SpongeBob cards to collect found within the arcade game.
The cards are recognizable characters from the show: SpongeBob Squarepants, Sandy Cheeks, Squidward Tentacles, Patrick Star, Mr. Krabs, Sheldon J. Plankton (I did not know that was his full name), Larry the Lobster, Pearl Krabs, and Gary.
Each card has fun facts about the character on the back side.
Check out these facts and what the cards look like below from Amusement Biz’s post announcing the release of the game.
Prizes for tickets differ depending on location. Usually each card can be redeemed at the arcade for 50 tickets. A full set of 9 SpongeBob cards can be redeemed for a super bonus of a whopping 3,000 tickets.
Cards can be redeemed at the prize counter at Dave and Buster’s. Other arcades should have a prize counter where you can turn in cards for tickets.
There is also a Redeem Machine made by Andamiro that can validate and count redemption cards, coins, or chips and give tickets or prizes based on what the player redeems. It can accept SpongeBob cards or Despicable Me Jelly Lab cards.
I have not seen this machine in an arcade, though. Probably because prize counters can already redeem cards for tickets without the need to pay for an expensive machine that takes up space in the showroom.
It is advised to not redeem individual cards unless you know that you will not play the SpongeBob coin pusher ever again (but who would know that).
The strategy will be explained in detail later but for the most ticket value you should go for redeeming a full set of 9 cards.
SpongeBob Coin Pusher New Collectible Card Set
The manufacturers of the SpongeBob machine came out with a brand new set of cards to put into the same classic coin pusher.
The cards have the same characters but with different images and new fun facts on the back side. The rarities of the card types are the same.
Take a look at the new art and trivia on the cards below from a Primetime Amusements post.
You can combine the old and new card sets to turn in for ticket redemption. The ticket values have not changed.
These cards were shipped in January of 2019.
That does not mean that every SpongeBob game has the new cards now. If the arcade still has a supply of the old cards then they will keep them in the machine. And usually the cards that people redeem get recycled right back into the coin pusher.
SpongeBob Pineapple Arcade Rare Cards
The SpongeBob coin pusher’s one rare card in the set is Gary. All the other cards are common and will be seen way more often than Gary.
It is important to be on the lookout for Gary cards. The best time to play is when you see one inside the SpongeBob coin pusher.
SpongeBob Coin Pusher Tips and Tricks
Here is the strategy to win the most tickets on the SpongeBob Squarepants coin pusher:
The 4 swipes for 60 plays or the 5 swipes for 75 plays are the best bang for your buck. I usually swipe 4 times because it is the best value of chips per play (same as the 5 swipe option) and allows me to stop sooner if cards are not close to the edge later on.
But there are times to use less swipes. For example, I use the 1 or 2 swipe option if there is only one card near the edge that I want to get quickly.
Time the rolling tokens to go through the rotating pineapples. This triggers a bonus on the wheel of rotating lights. This bonus can be more plays, token drops, or card drops.
You can try to get the bonus you want by going through the pineapple right as the rotating light is on that bonus. If you plan to play for a while you can try to hit the card drop bonus to put more cards on the shelf.
Go for redeeming a full set of 9 cards to get the most tickets.
Check the arcade regularly to see if lots of cards are near the edge or if a rare Gary card is close to falling. Have the mindset that if you don’t see any Gary cards or cards close to the edge then you should walk away and come back at a better time.
It is all about timing your plays to make the most of the chips you spend.
This is the most important tip to win SpongeBob Pineapple Arcade or any of the other coin pushers at the arcade.
Cards near the sides of the SpongeBob coin pusher will take a lot longer to fall off than the cards directly in the middle. This is just how the coins fall off the top shelf on this game. They always fall towards the middle so things are moved much quicker in the middle and hardly at all on the left or right side.
SpongeBob is a harder coin pusher because you cannot control where the coins fall on the shelf. This may help you time your plays to come back when cards are closer to the middle than on the sides.
Time the bonus token drops to stack tokens on the top shelf.
You should look for a machine with a lot of tokens already stacked on the top shelf.
Time the bonus token drops to hit the top shelf. Stack tokens and try to push as many off onto the bottom shelf in one play as you can. It can be hard to time but this helps the most in moving the cards towards the edge the fastest.
SpongeBob Coin Pusher Cards For Sale or on Ebay
Is it a good idea to buy SpongeBob cards online?
I do not recommend that you buy arcade collectible cards online unless you are extremely desperate for one more card to complete your collection.
One reason I would not buy arcade coin pusher cards on the internet is that there is a chance that people may scam you out of your money. This does not happen every transaction online but there are some websites that sell these cards that are sketchy.
Ebay may be safe because you can use PayPal to get your money back if you are scammed.
You need to know the dollar amount that your card is worth. The sellers could take advantage of your desperation to complete your collection. Remember that because the Gary card is the rarest it should cost the most money online. The other cards should be substantially cheaper.
If you are going for a certain prize with tickets you can determine if the card being sold is worth the money by seeing how much money you already spent to get the cards that you have in your collection. If the prize you want costs close to or less than what you spent for tokens or chips then it may be worth it to spend a little more to buy the last card in the collection to reach the ticket price of the prize you want.
The shipping cost for something so inexpensive is not worth it.
You should just use the extra cash you have to play the SpongeBob coin pusher when you see the card you need. It may take more time but it is more fun and you will feel better completing the card collection the legitimate way.
SpongeBob Coin Pusher Guide Conclusion
I hope these SpongeBob Arcade Game tips and tricks help you win more at Dave and Buster’s or wherever you choose to play.
Remember that arcade games, like the SpongeBob Pineapple Arcade Coin Pusher, should be played for your own entertainment. Do not spend money that you are not willing to lose. Have the mindset that you play the games for fun and if you get the extra reward of getting lots of tickets to redeem for a nice prize then that’s a bonus!
Here are more etiquette tips and advice on being an arcade advantage player.
If you liked the SpongeBob coin pusher then read the guide on the Despicable Me Jelly Lab coin pusher.