by Adam Ruben
High Speed (1986), 135
Hobbit, The (2016), 173, 173n, 179, 182
hold passes, 7
Houdini: Master of Mystery, 246
Hubbard, Dave, 54–56, 101–102, 104
Humpty Dumpty (1947), 3, 3n, 69–70
IFPA. See International Flipper Pinball Association
Ilvento, Rob, 78
International Flipper Pinball Association (IFPA), 10, 94, 96, 101
Internet Pinball Database (IPDB), 61, 111, 124
Jersey Jack Pinball, 163, 171, 172, 175, 178, 179, 245
Jig-Saw (1933), 21
Jilly’s Arcade, 36n
John, Daymond, 208
Johnny Mnemonic (1995), 50, 51, 53–54, 138n
Johnson, Keith, 181, 182
Kalada, Ken, 118–120
Kaplan, Josh “Pingeek,” 188n
Kerins, Bowen, 64–65, 102, 103, 230–231, 247
Klumpp, Aaron, 204
Kmiec, Greg, 87n
Koci, Jerry, 70
Kody (player), 222–223
Kordek, Steve, 70–71, 167n
Kreisel, Art, 187–188
Krynski, Ed, 89
Kugler, Josh, 206, 246
Kulek, Kevin, 204
La Guardia, Fiorello, 9, 23–24, 25, 29, 30, 34, 35–36
Lawlor, Pat, 121–124, 127, 167n, 173–177, 182, 205, 239, 245
Lawton, Jeffrey, 73
Lefkoff, Adam, 247
Lefkoff, Escher, 247
Levchuk, Jody, 37n
Lexy Lightspeed—Escape from Earth, 206
Little Whirlwind (1930), 19
live catches, 103
Log Cabin (1880), 16
Lyman’s Tavern (venue), 99
Mabs, Harry, 69, 70
Mac, Berkeley, 167n
Magic Girl (prototype), 204, 246
manufacturers
start-up, 200–205
See also specific manufacturers by name
Marston, David, 16
Martin, Kevin, 44–45, 46, 246
Martinez, Lionel, 95
Matchstick, Ben, 187
McClellan, Fred, 22
McLain, Pierce, 97
Medieval Madness (1997), 155
MES International, 95
Meunier, Eric, 182
Midway Manufacturing, 121
Minstrel Man (1951), 62
Mirowsky, Jacob, 27, 92
Modern Pinball NYC, 46
Moloney, Ray, 20
Monopoly (2001), 165–166
Moss, Paul, 26, 29–33
Mousin’ Around! (1989), 215–216
Multimorphic, 206–207
multiplayer games, 71–72
music rights, 202
Nash, Scott, 241
National Pinball Museum, 75–76
Native Americans, 62, 62n
Nauta, Jaap, 200, 201, 202–203
NBA Fastbreak (1997), 54, 135
Negley, Constance, 117
Nelson, Nick, 22
New York Times, 26, 27, 29, 109, 111–112, 162
NFL (2001), 151–152
Nordman, Dennis, 206
North Star Pinball, 36
Oakland, California, 36
Obama, Barack, 178
Ocean City, New Jersey, 36, 36n
One Quarter at a Time (documentary), 109, 126
one-balls, 25
Oursler, Barry, 199–200
P3 Platform, 206, 207
pachinko, 196n
Pac-Man, 109n
Paget, James, 13–14
PAPA (Professional and Amateur Pinball Association), 9, 44–50, 58, 101, 129–130, 215n, 246–247
PAPA TV, 64
PARS (PAPA Advanced Rating System), 7, 129n
PB2K (Pinball 2000), 142–144
Peel, Butch, 182
pendulum tilt. See tilt bobs
Perone, Kevin, 100
Peterson, Dave, 147–148, 150
pin games, 20–22, 24–27, 33
See also bagatelle; pinball
pinball
appeal of, 1–2, 5–9, 119–120, 239
competitive (see tournaments)
crusades against, 23–36, 87–88, 92
godfathers of, 167n
Great Depression and, 19, 20
legality of, 84–85, 87, 92–93
malfunctions recognized in, 101
objective of, 2
origins of, 11–12, 14–16
patents related to, 16n
players, 67
resiliency of, 121–122, 125–126, 236–237
skill vs. chance, 24–28, 32–33
techniques, 7, 66, 102–103
on television, 188n
video games and, 108–113
Visual, 207n
Pinball! (Sharpe), 17, 39, 86, 94, 161
Pinball (Verlag), 20
Pinball 2000 (PB2K), 142–144
“Pinball Boogie,” 98n
Pinball EDU, 41
Pinball Enthusiasts, 235
Pinball Expo, 186–188, 209
Pinball Factory, The, 164
Pinball FX2 VR, 238
Pinball Gallery, Malvern, Pennsylvania, 116
“Pinball Gets Blackballed,” 28
pinball leagues, 6, 44, 94–97
pinball machine(s)
artwork on, 59–60, 87n, 176
in children’s hospitals, 39–41
coin-operated, 16, 19–20, 24–25, 31–32
components, 2–3, 22n, 90
customer bases for, 148–150
electrification of, 21–22, 22n
first, 19, 19n
licensing, 157–159, 175–176, 191, 201–202, 208
maintenance, 115, 119, 128
modularity in, 197–198
New York ban on, 35–36
rules, 101, 125, 149, 149n
solid-state, 106–107
with speech capability, 110
swapping out, 100
themes, 3n, 59–63, 151, 175
virtual, 207–208
Pinball Magazine, 204
pinball museums, 74–81
Pinball News, 181, 204, 232
Pinball Outreach Project, 41
“Pinball Wizard” (song), 106
Pinballers (TV pilot), 187, 187n
PinballSales.com, 164–165, 168
PinBox 3000 ArtCade Pinball System, 187
Playboy (1978), 59, 60n
Playboy (2002), 59–60
playfields, 226n
Playmatic, 62
Pleasure Machines (documentary), 13n, 20, 21, 108, 239
plumb bob. See tilt bobs
Plume, D. Lee, 35
plungers, 2, 37, 90–91
Poker Face (1953), 62
Pong (1990), 108
pop bumpers, 3, 22, 22n
Popadiuk, John, 87n, 203–204, 246
Porges, Seth, 36n
Predator Pinball, 204
Preheim, Ash, 114–115, 239
Professional and Amateur Pinball Association. See PAPA (Professional and Amateur Pinball Association)
Project Pinball, 39–41
Pugliese, Anthony, 33
Quick Silver (1935), 38
ramps, 3
ranking systems, 95, 96, 129n
redemption games, 26n, 79, 168–169
Redgrave, Montague, 14–16
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, 4–5
Replogle, John, 231
Revenge from Mars (1999), 142
Ritchie, Mark, 161
Ritchie, Steve, 135, 160–161, 161n
Rob Zombie’s Spookshow International (2016), 191–192
Robertson, Ed, 98, 219, 220n, 230–231
Rocket (1933), 24–25
Rojas, Ed, 227, 228
rollovers, 3
Rossignoli, Marco, 107, 238
Ruben, Marina, 5, 8, 41–42, 135–136, 138, 233
Said, Joe, 41
Salvage for Victory campaign, 36
Schaffer, Max, 30
Schelberg, Jim, 187
&n
bsp; Schober, Joe (player), 54, 55
Schober, Julie (player), 54, 55
scoring
disparity, 53–54
electronic, 107, 108
league, 95
manual, 21
mechanical, 107
scoring pockets, 12
Scott (player), 54
Sega Pinball, 129, 144
Seinfeld (TV show), 22n
sexism, 59–60
Sharkey’s Shootout (2000), 165
Sharpe, Josh, 65, 66, 93, 94, 95, 232, 233
Sharpe, Roger, 10, 19, 34, 83–84, 111, 120, 121, 167n, 237, 239
on accuracy with flippers, 71
on approaches to pinball, 137
Big Lebowski and, 202
on demise of pinball, 127
on first video games, 108
on game design, 126
on licensing, 158
PAPA and, 44
on parents’ fears of arcades, 109
Pinball! 17, 39, 86, 94, 161
pinball leagues and, 94–96
on price of pinball, 205
Sharpshooter and, 87n
testimony before New York City Council by, 87–91
Sharpe, Zach, 66, 93, 94, 231, 233, 233n
Sharpshooter (1979), 87n
Sheats, Lyman Jr., 55–56
Shuster, Ron, 159
Sicking Manufacturing, 16
Silver Ball Museum, 78–80, 79n
Silverball (album), 98
“Silverball” (song), 98n
Silverman, David, 75–76
Simpsons Pinball Party, The (2003), 131n, 151
Sip-and-Puff technology, 187
Skinner, Tommy, 231–232
Skit-B Pinball, 204, 205
Sloan, John, 17
slot machines, 24, 25, 143
South Park (1999), 143–144
Spalter, Maurice, 27
Special When Lit (documentary), 109, 159, 207
Spets, Reidar, 131n
Spider-Man (2007), 39–40
spinners, 51, 74
Split Flipper Division, 131, 133
Spolar, Daniel, 39–41
Spooky Pinball, 189–190, 192–193, 245
Sportland. See Times Amusement Corporation
Sportsman, The (1934), 31–32
Springsteen, Bruce, 80
Stafford, Jay, 19n, 208–209
stand-up targets, 89
Star Wars: Episode I (1999), 143, 225n
start-up companies, 200–205
Stellenberg, Gerry, 206, 207
Stern, Gary, 144–148, 150–153, 165, 167, 181, 186, 210, 211
Stern, Sam, 144–145, 146
Stern Pinball, 145–149, 153–157, 154n, 159–161, 178, 245
Stewart, Dave, 130
Stewart, Patrick, 220n
stool pigeons, 17–18
Striker Xtreme (2000), 151–152
Super Jumbo (1954), 71–72
super spinners, 51
SuperPins, 123, 124–125
Talbot, Pete, 187
targets, 3, 74, 89
See also spinners
Tattoo Mystique, 208
themes, 3n, 151, 175
ThinkLAB Ventures, 178
tilt bobs, 18, 18n
tilt mechanisms, 17–18
Tilt Town, 76–77
Time magazine, 30
Times Amusement Corporation, 29–31, 34–35
Tommy (album), 105, 106
Toskaner, Dan, 79, 80–81, 111, 238
tournaments, 44–45, 48–54, 58, 94–95, 131
Townshend, Pete, 105–106
Triple Action (1948), 71
trou madame, 12
Tucson, Arizona, 117
Tulley, Steve, 167n
Turner, Sidney, 28
tutorial videos, 102
Twilight Zone, The (1993), 123–124
2001 (1971), 89
Valentine, Lewis J., 24, 33
Vasani, Dhaval, 246
Verlag, Paul, 20
Verner, Kevin, 143
Victory Games, 61
video games, 108–113
Visual Pinball, 207n
VPcabs, 208
VÜK, Bethesda, Maryland, 240, 241–242
VUKs (vertical up-kickers), 3
West, Jim, 25
Westfield Whip, 148n
whitewood, 161
WhizBang, 157
Who, The, 105
Whoa Nellie! Big Juicy Melons (2015), 156–157
Whoppers. See WPPR (world pinball player ranking) points
Williams, Ed, 226, 227, 229
Williams, Harry, 17–18, 21–22, 37
Williams Electronic Games, 111
Williams Manufacturing Company, 105, 121–122, 122n, 142–145
Wintler-Cox, Rob, 131
Wizard! (1975), 175
Wizard Mode (documentary), 231
Wizard of Oz “pusher” game, 168
Wizard of Oz, The (1939), 170n
Wizard of Oz, The (2013), 170, 172–173, 179
WMS. See Williams Manufacturing Company
woodrails, 47
World Pinball Championships, 9, 96
WPPR (world pinball player ranking) points, 95, 96, 129n
Yestercades, 119–120
Youssi, John, 87n
Zidware, 203, 205, 246
Zombie, Rob, 191
About the Author
* * *
ADAM RUBEN is a humor writer, comedian, and molecular biologist helping to develop a vaccine for malaria. He is the author of Surviving Your Stupid, Stupid Decision to Go to Grad School and the monthly humor column “Experimental Error” in the journal Science Careers. Adam has appeared on several TV networks and hosts Outrageous Acts of Science, the most popular program on the Science Channel.
Notes
1. Humpty Dumpty had a fairy tale theme, though the relevance of the six bikini-clad maidens depicted on the backglass throwing ribbons at Humpty is debatable. All pinball machines have themes, from box office tie-ins (Maverick the Movie, 1994; The Lord of the Rings, 2003; James Cameron’s Avatar, 2010) to general historical time periods and activities (Joker Poker, 1978; Volcano, 1981; Medieval Madness, 1997) to popular bands (Kiss, 1979 and 2015; Guns N’ Roses, 1994; AC/DC, 2012) to sports (Surf Champ, 1976; World Cup Soccer, 1994; Big Hurt, 1995) to television shows (Doctor Who, 1992; Twilight Zone, 1993; The Simpsons Pinball Party, 2003) to the vague and inscrutable (Hooey-Ball, 1932; Daffie, 1968; Dipsy Doodle, 1970).
Notes
1. If you’re into semiantiquated idioms, you may have heard the word “bagatelle” not as a game of balls and scoring holes but as an example of something trifling: “a mere bagatelle,” as in, “In Marina’s opinion, my need to play pinball is a mere bagatelle.”
2. According to the documentary Pleasure Machines, the British version of bagatelle was called “cockamaroo.” The British have an endless capacity for converting lyrical French words into their looniest-sounding cognates.
3. One of his bagatelle machines was actually titled Is Marriage a Failure? I guess some themes are timeless.
4. According to the Internet, these are racquetball implements that existed in the 1870s. Either that or they’re lesser-known houses of Hogwarts.
5. Searching patents is really fun. Since 1976, there have been no fewer than 230 US patents issued with the word “pinball” in the title, including #4,243,222 (“Seesaw Targets Apparatus for Pinball Game”), #5,938,195 (“Serpentine Ramp for a Pinball Game”), and one I haven’t quite figured out—#4,382,597 (“Pinball Game Employing Liquid”).
6. If you ever happen across a pinball machine with a broken tilt bob, you can play for a long, long time, especially if that machine is on a slick, flat, uncarpeted surface. Without the possibility of tilting, you can swing the game several feet in any direction to save your ball. I once found a Sopranos (2005) machine with a nonfunctional tilt bob inside a mall arcade in Scranton, Pennsylvania. I played one game for over an hour, much to the delight of the
local junior high school boys who gathered to watch, squealing about how mad someone named Earl would be that I had displaced his high score. Sorry, Earl.
7. As Jay Stafford, senior editor of the comprehensive Internet Pinball Database (IPDB) reminds me, we all laud Baffle Ball as the first pinball machine, but Baffle Ball was preceded by a few “bat games,” wooden toys in which players swung a tiny baseball bat at balls launched onto a playfield.
8. Not to be confused with Roger Sharpe’s book, whose title includes an exclamation point.
9. Today’s pinball machines include both power cables and batteries, with the latter acting as a backup in the event of an electrical outage—that way the high scores aren’t sacrificed every time the game is unplugged. The battery-enabled retention of the high score made possible a 1998 episode of Seinfeld, in which George Costanza tries to move an unplugged Frogger arcade game before the batteries drain and his high score disappears.
10. Throughout their history, and depending on the manufacturer, pop bumpers have also been called “jet bumpers,” “percussion bumpers,” “power bumpers,” “cyclonic bumpers,” “kicking bumpers,” and “thumper bumpers.” I suppose that’s what happens when people try to think of a name for something novel and strange with no apparent use outside of the niche for which it was invented. And prewar Germans called them, for some very prewar German reason, “bombers.”
Notes
1. In September 2015, Wired profiled Jon Hauser, one of the “Ticket Kings” who can earn up to $50 an hour by playing redemption machines at Dave and Buster’s, earning tickets toward prizes like iPads, then selling the prizes on eBay. The only true difference, then, between the estimated fifteen hundred “advantage players” who make their living this way and professional gamblers is the fact that Hauser and his colleagues have two additional hurdles: exchanging tickets for prizes and then exchanging prizes for cash. The lesson here, as with fantasy football and online poker, is that outlawing gambling adds steps to make it more inconvenient but doesn’t really stop gambling.
