Why do slot machines use fruit symbols?
Think of the last time you saw or played a slot machine. If someone asked you which symbols you remember seeing, what would you say? There’s probably a bell in there. Maybe even a joker or a diamond of some sort. We can safely say, though, that there were more than likely - bordering on certainly - fruit in the form of cherries, pineapples, or lemons. After all, there’s a reason we also know them as fruit machines. But why is fruit so synonymous with this form of game and why are slot machine fruit symbols such a timeless icon?
In this breakdown of the history of classic fruit slot symbols, we’ll delve into the history of their use and the reasons they’re still around today.
Where Did Fruit Symbols Come From?
To answer the question “Why do slots have fruit symbols?”, we need to take a look at the very beginnings of slots themselves and the era that they came from. In the late 19th century - the exact year is disputed - a San Francisco-based mechanic called Charle Fey developed what is believed to be the very first true slot machine. It was known as the Liberty Bell and notably didn’t include any fruit symbols. Instead, it had bells, horseshoes, diamonds, hearts, and spades.
For that, we need to consider the climate that followed in the US. Let’s not forget that it was only a handful of decades after Fey’s invention that alcohol prohibition was introduced in the States. Legality is key as to why the fruit symbols eventually made an appearance on the old one-arm bandit. In some states, cash prizes were excluded from use, posing a challenge for saloon owners. Instead, machines were developed that paid out with food as their prizes as something of a fix for this challenge.
At the time that these early slots were entering the market, gum was all the rage. With that being the case, the chosen prize was fruit-flavoured gum. As a result, symbols that reflected the different flavours were added to the reels, meaning that players would win the corresponding flavour to the fruit symbols matched. These machines became ubiquitous with saloon and shop owners deciding they were the perfect additions to their businesses to attract customers. Now, over a century later, we retain these fruit symbols as they’ve become so iconic and symbolic.
The Different Fruit Symbols You Can Find
Obviously, in the past, the different fruits that you would find would depend on the different flavours of gum available from the machines. Instead, these symbols now function just as any other in the base game of a slot. They will usually function as the basic regular payout symbols for these games, meaning that other symbols that are related to the game’s themes will potentially be the premium symbols for those games. So which fruit symbols will you see on modern slots?
- Cherries
- Pineapples
- Lemons
- Bananas
- Oranges
- Melons
- Pears
- Plums
This isn’t an exhaustive list of all the different fruit symbols you will find in slots by any means. The kinds that you will be presented with will likely differ from game to game, and the classic fruit slot symbols are mostly cherries, oranges, lemons, and plums. These were the first to be included in the fruit-gum-paying machines of the early 20th century. Any retro games looking to emulate them will likely stick to those symbols, and they may have different payouts and values in these fruit-only games.
How Have Fruit Symbols Evolved in Slots?
Time waits for no man - or no slot symbol. The sands of time change everything. That is to say that the fruit symbols haven’t exactly stayed the same in the century that they have been around. Instead, they have gone on to evolve into something of their own as an icon. No longer are they simply a means to win a stick of gum. Now they’ve become high-quality graphically diverse symbols that make up a big part of the game.
Not only are they symbols, though. They’ve gone on to become defining parts of the themes that dominate the online slot world. Now there are entire series of games and a niche of themes popping up that use the symbols as a much bigger part of the gameplay, including the graphics that make up the setting, and the symbols that populate the reels.
Fruit Party by Pragmatic Play
The Fruit Party slot is packed with strawberries, peaches, apples, oranges, and plums - and stars, which could be starfruit if you’re looking for more.
Tiki Fruits by Red Tiger
As well as making up the symbols on the reels, fruit also plays a big part in the Tiki Fruits bonus. It incorporates a Fruit Bars feature that removes symbols from the reels when full, meaning that higher-paid ones can drop down in their place.