Demonstrators dressed as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (R) and a ‘City fat cat, drinking champagne’ pose outside the Bank of England during a protest against poverty last year. A new “Whack A Banker” amusement arcade game is proving so popular in Britain that the mallets used to clobber them are wearing out fast, its creator said. (AFP/File/Carl De Souza)

AFP | Dec 12, 2009

LONDON (AFP) – A new “Whack A Banker” amusement arcade game is proving so popular in Britain that the mallets used to clobber them are wearing out fast, its creator said.

Inventor Tim Hunkin’s machine at his seaside pier arcade in Southwold, eastern England, offers punters a “truly rewarding banking experience”.

“You pay 40 pence (65 US cents, 45 euro cents) to hit as many bankers as you can in 30 seconds as their heads pop up,” he said of the game based on the amusement arcade classic “Whack A Mole”.

“It’s proving very popular. I keep having to replace worn-out mallets.

“The bankers are bald and all look the same because that’s how I think people see bankers — as faceless.

“And, of course, the bankers never really lose. If you win the game a banker’s voice says: ‘You win. We retire. Thank you very much to the taxpayer for paying our pensions’.”

Bankers have been the target of public fury in Britain over recent months, given the huge cost to the taxpayer of bailing out failing banks and the whopping bonuses paid out as the country languishes in recession.