Feeding the Bear

thingiverse

This simple piece I had created with christophecaran's bear design represents the devastating collapse of the US's market economy during the Great Depression. The gumball machine dispenses gumballs into the mouth of a bear, but what does this mean? One major reason for the Great Depression was excessive trust in the stock market, leading to its downfall. Everyone believed they'd profit from stocks, which encouraged a perilous mentality that fueled inflated stock prices. A "bubble" formed as people thought stocks were worth more than they actually were, symbolized by bubble gum feeding the bear. This bubble was particularly treacherous because before the crash, there was already significant unemployment and slowing production due to decreased consumption. The bear represents the bear market: a metaphor for a downward stock trend, as it swings its claws downwards when attacking. In contrast, the bull market is an upward trending stock market, symbolized by the bull's horns thrusting upwards when attacking. People didn't trust banks at the time, which contributed to destroying the economy further. As people lost faith in banks, they pulled out their money, fearing bankruptcy. However, this led to a collapse of the loaning system as people withdrew their funds, leaving banks with nothing and causing them to fail. The flat part in front of the bear represents that gumballs won't fall into its mouth unless enough are present to push them over the edge. The wealth gap was also a significant contributor to the Great Depression, as the large gumball machine symbolizes industry, money, and status, implying those with control crushed the small and weak. Another aspect of the design is the unusual placement of the knob above the coin slot, which blocks the sight of the coin entering the machine, just like people lost sight of their money entering the stock market without thinking. They couldn't see where their money was going and blindly trusted it would profit them.