When did movie promotion begin for pinball?

Bally was the first company to do that. They were the first company to get an official licensed theme. During the 1950s, Gottlieb had done some unlicensed themes. They had a game called Guy’s Dolls, and it just happened to come out at the same time as the Broadway...

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Did Williams and Gottlieb have their own artists?

Yes, they had preferred artists. During the ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s, artwork wasn’t always created in house. Williams or another company would design a game, and then they would hand the game over to another company that just did art. This second company had their own...

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Who were the major manufacturers for pinball?

During the 1930s, there were literally hundreds of companies making pinball machines. After World War II, though, there was only a handful. The key players were Gottlieb—the biggest, and pretty much the Cadillac of pinball—and Williams, which was substantially smaller...

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How did pinball evolve in the United States?

It was a game that morphed from the French game of bagatelle. In the 1930s, it really exploded as a gambling thing, and that’s where pinball got this gambling association. Coming out of World War II, the gambling laws were changing in the United States. In particular,...

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Are there a lot of pinball machine collectors?

Are there a lot of pinball machine collectors? It is a fairly small hobby. I’m the co-editor of one of the pinball magazines, and the subscription number is 1,200 people worldwide. Now, I know not every collector subscribes, but that gives you an indication that the...

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Why People Flip Pinball Machines

I didn’t really get into to pinball machine collecting until maybe 15 years ago, but when I was a freshman in college, video games were really big. I went to Purdue University. They had a huge arcade there. I always said that Space Invaders and Pac-Man took so much of...

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The Glory of the Pinball Machine

What is it about the pinball machine that draws us in? Even today in our time of gorgeously illustrated video games, pinball machines continue to have an enchanting quality. In part this is the result ofthe game's visuals: the lights, colors, and artwork. But it's...

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artist modifies a pinball machine to make art prints

Dutch graphic designer Sam van Doorn has modified a pinball machine so that it uses lithographic ink to make prints. Calling his machine STYN, the device makes messy modern art on poster board with six flippers and the ball. van Doorn doesn't call the resulting works...

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National Pinball Museum to close

Just five months after opening its doors to delighted pinheads and wizards across the D.C. region, Georgetown’s National Pinball Museum is being forced to close. David Silverman, the Silver Spring man whose dream it was to share his pinball collection with the masses,...

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This is serious business for 9-year-old Caine Monroy

Nine-year-old Caine Monroy is totally nonplussed by the attention his homemade cardboard arcade received this week after the short film “Caine’s Arcade” went viral on the Internet. The documentary was directed by Nirvan Mullick, an L.A. filmmaker who happened upon...

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Disney film explores secret world within arcade games

Any classic video gamers who still remember the good days of arcade tokens and joysticks may want to prepare themselves for a nostalgic moment or two.  Disney’s newest animated film Wreck-It Ralph hit theaters on Nov. 2. Boasting an all-star cast of video game...

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Simpsons Arcade Game rated

The Simpsons Arcade Game may finally be in line for its first console port. As reported by XBLA Fans, the Australian government's Classification Board has updated its database with a listing for The Simpsons Arcade Game on multiple platforms. The Simpsons Arcade Game...

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Where Ms. Pac-Man Still Has a Home

WALKING down the southern end of Mott Street — a stretch lined with cheap-toy traps and Chinese restaurants of varying quality — is a fairly unremarkable experience until the sidewalk is suddenly packed with grungy and very loud teenagers and young adults loitering in...

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HPD raids arcades, seize dozens of gaming machines

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Authorities in Honolulu are trying to stay ahead of the game when it comes to controversial video arcade games that have been popping up over the last couple of years. The Honolulu Police Department and City Prosecutor's Office are doubling...

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The World Before Pong

The World Before Pong You can't say that video games grew out of pinball,but you can assume that video games wouldn't have happened without it. It's Like bicycles and automobiles. One industry leads to the other and then they exist side by side.But you to have...

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Why People Flip Over Vintage Pinball Machines

Why People Flip Over Vintage Pinball Machines By Maribeth Keane and Ben Marks — September 16th, 2009   Clay Harrell talks about collecting vintage pinball machines, and his personal road to pinball wizardry, from Gottlieb to Williams to Stern. He can be reached...

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THE EEL MEETS PINBALL GEOFF

THE EEL MEETS PINBALL GEOFF January 3, 2010 by EEL COLLECTIVE   “I’ve always been called Pinball Geoff ever since I was a young boy and played the silver ball.”   So says Geoffrey Harvey of Stoke Newington- an avid collector of everything from armadillos to...

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For a Pinball Survivor, the Game Isn’t Over

For a Pinball Survivor, the Game Isn’t Over By MONICA DAVEYAPRIL 25, 2008   MELROSE PARK, Ill. — Being inside a pinball machine factory sounds exactly as you think it would. Across a 40,000-square-foot warehouse here, a cheery cacophony of flippers flip, bells...

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PUNNY FACTORY

Andrew MacBain is not afraid of a challenge. Besides running the successful Pigeon Patrol bird control business for the past twelve years just across the US border near Vancouver , Canada, and a prime-time appearance on Dragon’s Den (link viewable in Canada only) for...

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