The History of Pinball

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The History of Pinball
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Early Games

• Baffle Ball - D Gottlieb Co. (Nov 1931 -
  17.50) Designed by David Gottlieb
• Ballyhoo Bally Mfg Corp (Jan, 1932 75,000
  units) Designed by Ray Moloney.
• Pinball started in Chicago, and stayed in Chicago

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Pinball eras

• Tabletop games 1931-1933
• Electric pre-flipper games 1933-1947
• Flipper woodrail games 1947-1960
• Steel-rail electromechanical games 1960-1979
• Early electronic games 1979-1991
• Modern dot-matrix games 1991-present

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Pinball eras - tabletop
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Pinball eras pre-flipper (to 1947)

• Bumper 1936 first game to have bumpers on the
  playfield.
• Scoring was bulb scoring player adds up the
  illuminated score in the backbox

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Pinball eras woodrail (1947-1960)

• Games similar to pre-flipper.
• Most of these games had bulb scoring

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Pinball eras EM (1960-1977)

• Steel replaced wood to prevent tampering.
• Score reels were new around this time.
• Automatic ball lift added mid-60s
• Flippers changed from 2 to 3 in the early 70s
  (more power, faster game)

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Pinball eras early electronic

• Backglass, cabinet art still largely the same as
  in the past.
• Playfield layout simple, with addition of some
  ramps.
• A few games introduced multiple-level playfields.
• At first, electronics replaces relay banks, score
  motor, and score reels - most else the same.
• Some radical new game designs in the mid-late
  80s from Williams

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Pinball eras modern (1991-)

• New Cabinet art, backglass, dot-matrix,
  complexity

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Important Innovations

• Electricity Autocount, Nov, 33, ABT Mfg co
• Flipper Humpty Dumpty, Oct 47, Harry Mabs
• Pop Bumper Saratoga, Oct 48, Harry Williams
• Ramps Skyway, Feb 54, Harry Williams
• Drop Target Vagabond, Oct 62, Steve Kordek
• Electronics Spirit of 76, 75 Micro Games, Inc.
• Dot Matrix Checkpoint, Feb 91, Joe Kaminkow

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First with Electricity

• Autocount, Nov, 33, ABT Mfg co. Contact, Nov
  33, Pacific Amusement Mfg co.
• first known electric scorekeeper (Autocount)
• first known score reel
• first known tilt mechanism
• First games used batteries, not AC

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First Flipper

• Humpty Dumpty, Oct 47
• Designed by Harry Mabs

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First Pop Bumper

• Saratoga, Oct 48
• Designed by Harry Williams

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First Ramps

• Skyway, Feb 54
• Designed by Harry Williams
• Some pre-flipper games of the 30s had ramps

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First Drop Target

• Vagabond Williams, 1962
• Designed by Steve Kordek
• First bank drop target was Gottlieb Crescendo in
  1970

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First Electronic Game

• Spirit of 76, released 1975
• Micro Games, Inc.
• First non-relay based pinball 2 years before
  Gottlieb released Cleopatra

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First Dot Matrix

• Checkpoint, Feb 91
• Data East Pinball, Inc.
• Designed by Joe Kaminkow

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Pinball Designers

• Harry Williams invented the modern tilt
  mechanism, started Williams Manufacturing
• Harry Mabs inventor of the flipper (Gottlieb)
• Wayne Neyens, Ed Krynsky Gottlieb designers
  (1950s-1980)
• Norm Clark, Ted Zale - Bally
• Steve Kordek Williams first to put the
  flippers in their current position. Still at WMS
  in 1999.
• Steve Ritchie, Pat Lawlor modern games

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Pinball Designers

• Alvin Gottlieb
• Ed Krynsky
• Wayne Neyens
• (Pinball Expo 2002)

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Pinball Designers

• With Ed Krynsky and Wayne Neyens (Pinball Expo
  2002)

• With Steve Kordek (pinball expo Oct 1998)

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Pinball Art

• Roy Parker Classic Gottlieb art (40s through
  60s)

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Pinball Art

• George Molentin Williams art (40s through
  60s)

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Pinball Art

• Christian Marche Williams, Bally (60s and
  70s)

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Pinball Art

• Dave Christensen Bally (70s and 80s)

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Pinball Art

• Art Stenholm Gottlieb (60s and 70s)

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Pinball Art

• Gordon Morison Gottlieb (70s and 80s)

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Pinball Art

• John Youssi Williams, Stern (88-current)

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The Last Week at Williams

• Williams last series of games was called Pinball
  2000
• Ironically, Williams shut down production of
  pinball in October, 1999 (announced Oct 25)
• This is the production line on Thursday, Oct 21,
  1999 (producing Star Wars)

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Further Reading

• The Pinball Compendium, 1930s-1960s Michael
  Shalhoub (Schiffer)
• The Pinball Compendium, 1970-1981, Michael
  Shalhoub (Schiffer)
• These first 2 books are highly recommended. They
  have many beautiful color photos as well as
  year-by-year descriptions of games produced.
  Dont place too much faith in the game values,
  however. I believe Michael will do another
  volume if you like the more modern games. The
  2nd volume came out in 2004, 1st in 2002.
• Pinball Memories, Forty Years of Fun 1958-1998
  Marco Rossignoli (Schiffer)
• This book is a smaller volume and more of an
  overview much less detailed. IF you want one
  book to cover the whole timeframe, this is
  probably a good choice, although I like the first
  two much better.
• Encyclopedia of Pinball, Volume 1 by Richard M
  Bueschel
• This book covers coin-op machines in excruciating
  detail. Volume 1 covers the time period
  1930-1933 only! Unfortunately, Dick passed away
  before he completed the complete set. For the
  hardcore collector.
• You might find these books on amazon.com
  eventually, but I know you can get the first two
  from Bay Area Amusements http//www.bayareaamusem
  ents.com or from the Pingame Journal
  http//www.pingamejournal.com/cool/

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MC Collection (Saratoga)

• Simpsons (Stern 2004)
• Breakshot (Capcom 1996)
• Attack From Mars (Bally 1995)
• Cue Ball Wizard (GTB 1992)
• Bride of Pinbot (WMS 1991)
• F-14 Tomcat (WMS 1987)
• Touchdown (GTB 1984)
• Spirit (GTB 1982)
• Haunted House (GTB 1982)
• 8 Ball deluxe (Bally 1982)
• Solar Ride (GTB 1979)

• Totem (GTB 1979)
• Count-Down (GTB 1979)
• Joker Poker (GTB 1978)
• Space Odyssey (WMS 1976)
• Paul Bunyan (GTB 1968)
• Sing Along (GTB 1967)
• Central Park (GTB 1966)
• KingsQueens (GTB 1965)
• Beat the Clock (WMS 1963)
• Seven Seas (GTB 1959)
• NEW! Hit N Run (GTB 1952)

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