MVP Happy Castle Club

closed or moved either way no longer at this location :(

I came here with my boyfriend a couple weeks ago after watching videos of this place on Youtube. We both enjoy crane machines and thought this would be a fun way to spend our evening. Well, was I WRONG. Machines here are definately rigged. My boyfriend caught one of the plushies, but as soon as the crane rose up, the claws somehow became loose and dropped the plushie. :(We tried this several times, and each time, it would catch it, and lose the grip as the crane elevated. The customer service was also horrible. The cashier was a bratty 17 year old, korean teenager who did nothing but paint her nails and text on her phone the whole time. For me, this place was absolutely terrible! But if you enjoy rigged machines, crappy customer service, and the offensive smell of acetone everytime you approach the cashier, this may be the place for you.

Fun place to come with groups to play claw machines and win cute stuffed animals like Hello Kitty or Rilakkuma or Yoshi dolls. Or if you’re feeling lucky. try the ipad or LV bag or iphone or Hello Kitty Mahjong!
The open until 1am on fridays & saturdays and if you’re tired after a round of competitive basketball with your friends, you can just head next door and get some boba at tea bar starry!
Everything is a dollar and there is a change machine as well as a cashier.
oh yeah — and if youre in rowland. they have another MVP in yesplaza!

This is not a very Happy Castle. Crane machines are very addicting, and they have a Chase bank and I believe an ATM somewhere close by… but the point is, you can get money easily. Plus, all the music and lights just pushes you to want to burn all your cash on these crane machines!
But honestly, this has to be one of the HARDEST place to catch small toys. My boyfriend and I have gone here and to the one in Rowland Heights [In Yes Plaza. I’m not sure if it’s in rowland or puente hills…] to point is, we’re «experienced» toy catching catchers…
The several occasions we’ve been here, we found ourselves spending $ 10, $ 20, even $ 30 this one crazy time just to catch what… 2 – 3 toys?!?1 ARE YOU CRAZY?! but this place is definitely not good for people that can’t control themselves!
ON TOP OF THAT, the service– or should I say, cashier (s) that I have met working here are RUDE RUDE RUDE! «Service means ‘Serve Us’», and even if all you have to do for this job is to give customers change and occasionally get up to switch toys, AT LEAST SMILE AND BE NICE ABOUT IT!!! They ALL text text text their lives away. I bet someone could waltz in there and wheel out a crane machine, and they wouldn’t notice. [or steal a basketball] I may sound like I am just venting, being a spoiled sport, or being immature about this– but I, too, work in customer service, and if there is one thing I do to make sure my customers are having a good time at my store, I would be courteous and gracious because, come on. Without us paying customers, their stores would not exist! And btw, good customer service = bigger tips. Hopefully the manager of this store sees this. Probably not. MOVING ON!!!
So aside service being terrible. Such as the time the buy that worked here gave us attitude just because we asked for change for «$ 10 in coins $ 10 in bills», and he scoffed at us as if we were speaking martian or something. And when I went to ask if I could exchange the toy I caught for something else, he was too busy talking to his girl friend to bother helping the couple infront of me and myself. We had to say «hello? can you help us please?» He gave us this really annoyed look like «Go away, can’t you see I’m trying to ask this girl out when I should be doing my job?»
The female employees aren’t any better. When you ask them if you can exchange toys, they would stomp their twiggy little legs over to the machines and slam the doors open and throw the boy in there like some 6 year old kid who was told to clean up their room.
Alright, so Prices.
Everything is $ 1. They only take quarters, so if you need change, you have to talk to the cashiers. :/​
Usually most crane machine places [Round 1, Yes Plaza crane machine place…] would let you move the toys so you’ll have a easier time catching them. You can ask the cashiers, and they’ll move it for you! :D But here, they wont. They’re too busy texting. [I guess they get paid for the amount of texts they make -.-] Toys are ALLL the way in the back and they hardly ever move them around or put new toys in there. ugh!
— — — -So here’s the break down: — — — –
Price: $ 1 a machine. [You’ll probably have to spend $ 10 on 1 toy]
Service: F F F
Toy Selection: B– [ There are pretty cute toys there. like the berrys :)]
location: B– [Finding this place can be kinda hard because it’s inside the plaza area. Plus, you have to make this right turn onto coming traffic— if that’s right. Parking is hectic some times.]
Overall experience: C–

This place is NOT for anyone who has no control over how much they spend. You’ll seriously find yourself $ 20 less when you walk out their door. Located inside the Life Plaza by where Tea Bar Starry is, this claw machine store sucks up all your quarters. And if you don’t have quarters? Well, they can give you change.
They got stuff toys from Hello Kitty to the mushroom to Yoshi. However, many people come for the hopes of leaving with an iPad or an LV bag. On the side, they have lines of claw machine, but the crowd is always at where these prizes are. You can try and win an expensive item by being able to lift up a ball. IT’S NOT AS EASY AS IT SEEMS. In fact, it’s not easy period. Oh, and there’s basketball arcade games to play as well.
But be warn, don’t bring so much cash in here.

I love this place, and I am so sad there is nothing like it in northern california.
I can get a decent amount of plush after a day at this spot, just remember to press the button a second time to make the claw close, do not just wait for it to go down because you will get a weak grip.

This place sure does rip you off. I did spend a lot of money here, and in all honesty I think this place needs to give you a better chance of winning because I promise I will not come here again.
The first time I came here I was so excited to win and like in 5 minutes I lost all my money. Then I was bored for the rest of the day.
Maybe it might be that I’M A SORE LOSER or maybe it’s them

Ok lets me be super honest here. This is a total rip off of parents. Every kid in the world wants to win a hello kitty doll or something else. Happy Castle has a ton of claw machines set up to let you try to do just that. However, its not nearly as easy as it looks as when the claws clamp down as they did for my daughter and I yesterday 3 times right on the object of her desire… they loosely open enough for the item to just slip out of the hooks…
great way to make a few bucks, but it is definately a fun 20 – 30 seconds of excitement for your kids.
They also have a few documented big wins (ipads or ipods or something like that) I believe it is set up a lot like a casino slot machine that after x number of tries, the game will kick down a prize.
It is one way to while away a bit of time while waiting for dumplings at Din Tai Fung next door.
So if you are bored and have some little kids that want to try and win a stuffed something or other… head on into the Happy Castle Club…

Used to come here like 2 – 3 times a week, playing for the cute dolls & attempts at the big prizes (PS3, LV bag, latest iPads, Hello Kitty Mahjong set, etc.) And basketball machines. So many people complain about not getting the dolls on their first few tries. Keep in mind these dolls are from Sanrio and Rilakkuma, they go for about $ 10-​$ 20 in stores!
I eventually won the LV bag around February 2011 and applied there a few months later, got hired. If you have any questions, ask us how to play the machines :) we’d be glad to help! Visit meeee hahaha

I think I like the one in Rowland Heights better. This one feels smaller. But the games are the same and just as addicting. I’ve won some angry birds here.
I wish I could win more often! Arg crane games!!!

Ok my review will be very strange…
I actually absolutely LOVE this place it always has cute toys and if your a lucky.******* you can win alot of toys or the big prizes, such as a louis vittion bag or a ipad.
The only reason i only give it 3 stars is because the toys are very hard to win :(im a sore loser and also the big prizes the ball you have to pick up is rigged…
THEY TAKE SOO MUCH OF MY PAYCHECK everytime :(
but other than that i love this place: D

What a fun little gift shop and had a blast shopping here in all it’s randomness! Ended up leaving with a bag full of Hello Kitty accessories (deal at 5 Hello Kitty gift items for only $ 10+ tx) and from the gift shop inside also, tons of fun girly accessories an cosmetics, etc.

Two Words: Madly Addicting!!!
I stumbled upon this hidden gem trying to find a shortcut to Din Tai Fung. Located inside a building that shares walls with a book/​video store, cosmetic shop and tea house, this place stood out the most with its wall to wall Kitschy pink claw machines. Honestly, not since Japan have I come across an arcade this adorable. There were at least 20 – 30 different machines that housed various name brand Japanese stuffed toys ala Sanrio, Tortoro, and Domo. No generic Denny’s stuffed doll rejects here! These were premium imports that also demanded a premium price tag. At $ 1 a game, you can see how quickly your quarters can slip through your fingers with every false grab of the mechanical claw. After dinner, my friends and I walked through again. Like strolling through a pet store, we couldn’t help but notice those darn cute cuddly stuffed toys looking back at us and I was like a moth to their alluring flame. That’s when I noticed the Gloomy Bear inside one of the claw machines. WTF?! This was some twisted looking bear. It had bloody claws and blood dripping out of its mouth. I found it to be utterly laughable with its Sanrio-​esque cuteness but with a crazy twist. My friend challenged me to win the cuddly beast, so i grabbed a fistful of quarters and my claw adventure began! After a few feeble attempts, I actually won the Gloomy Bear, and it only cost me $ 5 LOL Trust me, I could have spent a whole lot more than that at this place. In fact, I noticed other machines housing much more expensive prizes… namely a Louis Vuitton Bag?!? I saw many girls attempt, but fail miserably at grabbing the grand prize. By the looks of it, it was by no means an easy feat! I, however, had my eyes on the Playsyation 3, but unfortunately I was tapped out of quarters.
Good thing this place is so far away, it’s way too addicting but still so much fun!
Happy Castle Times!

I stumbled across this place a few weeks ago and was amazed at the awesome selection of cute stuffed animals! Sure, some of the machines are totally rigged, but part of the fun is the pursuit of the nearly impossible, right? What I like about this claw machine heaven is that the quarters are prepackaged so when you ask for change, you can get them in a neat little plastic bag instead of as loose coins. Little things like that matter, especially if you are in the ZONE trying to win that PS3, $ 1,500 LV handbag, or the gigantic Hello Kitty doll!
Each game cost $ 1, but it quickly adds up since people tend to get super addicted to these machines. I didn’t partake in any of the games this time, but was a very vocal and active spectator, to say the least. I know that with my addiction problem, if I had started playing, I woulda dropped at least $ 20 and came back empty-​handed. In any case, I’d definitely come back to watch other people try their luck at winning the cute/​fun prizes.

This place is great, except it’s almost like gambling for children, and even adults haha
I love love LOVE claw machines. The machines aren’t exactly «rigged» but rather they pay out every 10 – 15 tries otherwise they’d lose business I guess.
Comparing to the claw machines at Round 1, this place is definitely cheaper ($ 1 per machine!) and they actually let you TRADE in for another one in the same machine, or multiple for a bigger prize. And another difference is people actually win stuff without having to use cheap tricks. (You’ll know what I’m talking about if you go to Round 1)
Overall, this place is definitely addicting and worth coming back again and again
The 4 stars is because some of the machines are whacky (going out of control/​away from where you want your claw to go down) and some of the workers won’t give you another try.

I freakin love claw machines. I want to own one. Hell, I want to own this store. I could play them all day, and throw away many life savings on these things. I would live in this establishment if that was possible. Did I mention that my birthday is coming up? So about these claw machines…
Seriously, I want one. *hint hint*

I thought I was going to pee myself when I found out they opened a MVP in arcadia (I tend to exaggerate I know, LOL). I love MVP but I am kind of disappointed at the lack of basketball machines because I live to one day be on the wall of fame! Damn my rusty basketball skills.
Anyways, there goes this month’s pay check. After watching all those youtube crane machine strategy videos I expect to WIN something haha. But with my lack of hand-​eye coordination, it’s unlikely. Still worth it tho just for the thrill and the plushies are as cute and plentiful as always. In case you grabbed the wrong color plushie and your gf’s nagging you to death, ask the staff, they can always exchange for the right color. Just a little tip for you guys out there!
sigh… I ENVY THE GUY WHO WON THE LV BAG A BIGILLION TIMES… I need to meet him haha

If that couple can win almost a DOZEN of the Big Jackpot prizes, then Dogdammit, so Can I!
Damn you, AJ K, you aint winning that Louis Vuitton Purse, I am!
… no metro.

Nevermind your dirty laundry, bring ALL your quarters here.
Normally, I am not swayed by little trinkets or stuffed animals. But after hearing a girl squeal «I won!» and waving a cute plush toy in the air, it brought out the fierce competitive side in me~ :o\
*cracks knuckles*

So happy that MVP decided to open up this location because I no longer have to drive all the way to Rowland Heights to waste all my money on plushies! Haha!
No basketball shooting machines but ALL-​OT of «Happy Castle» claw machines! The staff is just as friendly and the machnes are pretty much all the same, selection of toys are too, the lighting here is much brighter and you can trade in several small plushes for big ones. They still have the LV handbag, iPhone, iPad, and giant Hello Kitty Plush items in those machines with the tricky ball.
A must stop by if you are with a group of friends or if you are an claw addict, like myself, stop by whenever you are around by yourself! Lol!