Coin Slot Magazine - #077 - 1981 - July [International Arcade Museum]
Pinball players today have what seems to be a big
1936 some 30 companies produced about 150 differ
choice among machines produced by the "Big Four"
ent models.
— Bally, Gottlieb, Stern, Williams — and flippers from a
Just prior to the start of World War II there were
seven major manufacturers of pinballs. Shortly after
handful of domestic and foreign manufacturers.
the war started the government decreed that no more
materials or parts could be used in the manufacture of
non-essential items such as pinball games. At that time
all of these companies ceased pinball production and
turned to "war work." Of the seven companies, all but
Today's choice, however, pales in comparison to the
variety of enticement offered players 50 years ago. In
1935, for instance, there were close to 200 different
models produced by some 30 different manufacturers!
(Note: the figures given in this article refer to the
number of different models produced, not the produc
one, Stoner, eventually returned to making games
tion run of each game.)
after the war.
Since the beginning of pinball in about 1932, some
During the war no completely new games were
produced but the demand was at least partially^satis-
fied by a few companies' "wartime conversions." Short
200 or so companies have made some sort of pinball
game. A majority of these outfits (160 or so) made less
than five different models and about 120 of these
ly after the start of the war, pinball pioneer Harry Williams
companies made only one game. Another 20 compan
and ace circuit designer Lyn Durant formed United
ies made less than 20 different machines. The remain
Manufacturing and soon began converting old pinballs.
ing 13 companies made 20 or more different models.
They utilized the electrical parts and cabinets from used
In addition to the "Big Four", (Bally,
^■■■i^HI
Gottlieb, Williams and Chicago Coin)
=====
HBHHHI^B
Qames, supplying new playfields,
=====
backglass artwork, and names.
the only other companies to make
ALL
THOSE
over 100 models of pinball machines
were Exhibit Supply and Genco
Manufacturing.
Gottlieb tops the list for the most
PINBALL
models produced with over 500.
Bally is second with over 450; then
Williams with somewhere over 350.
(It is interesting to note that even
though Williams started up in 1943,
MACHINES
they came a close second to Bally
which was founded way back in
By
1932.) In fourth place is Chicago
Coin/Stern with about 190 models.
In fifth and sixth places respective
ly are Genco (with approximately
RUSSJENSEN
The approximate number of pin
models
produced
manufacturers
who
by
other
made
more
than 20 models each (and the years
during which each was producing
pins) include: United (1942-1957)
85; Keeney (1932-1964) 65; Stoner
(1933-1941)
55;
Rockola (1932-
This
article,
in
somewhat
different form, originally appear
ed
in
produced
13
different
Harry had left United and formed
his own Williams Manufacturing
Company (forerunner of the present
Williams Electronics). The Williams
company produced two pinball
conversion models, one of which is
the "Laura," and several other types
of amusement machines. After the
war Williams began producing new
pinball machines as did the pre-war
pinball manufacturers.
150 ) and Exhibit (with over 100).
ball
United
conversions during the war. By 1943
AMUSEMENT
REVIEW
Magazine, 1853 Ashby Avenue,
Post-war production then began
in earnest. The major companies
producing pinballs just after the
end of the war were Bally, Chicago
Coin, Exhibit, Genco, Gottlieb,
United and Williams. Another com
pany, Marvel, which made some
coversions during the war, also
produced a few new machines
through 1948.
During the 1950s the number of
Berkeley, CA 94703.
new models produced declined
each year and reached an all-time
Mills (1932-1942) 30; and Jennings
======
(1932-1938) 20. With the excep-
HHHHm
low in 1959 with only about 20
different flipper games being pro
1938) 40; Daval (1934-1939) 40;
tion of United and Keeney, none of
these manufacturers made any pinall after World War
II.
==_======:==:!===
■■■■■■■II
duced that year. One of the reasons
for this decline was the switch by several of the major
manufacturers to other types of amusement machines.
The number of different pinball models which have
been produced since 1931 will be surprising to many
Chicago Coin and J. H. Keeney Co. (which had resumed
pinball production in 1947) primarily produced bowling
people. The booklet "Pinball Reference Guide", com
machines in the fifties. Genco and Exhibit switched to
piled by Donald Mueting and Robert Hawkins and
gun games and other arcade pieces. During this period
published in June 1979, lists some 2,400 games as
both Bally and United made bowling machines and
.com
m
:
u
being produced. These researchers
om mu have
se since come
d fr bringing
-
e
up with additional games
the
total to around
e
d
ad for different
loa greatest
rc year
2,900. Again, n
the
pins was
a
.
w
w
Do some
w
1935 when
30
manufacturers
made
close
to 200
://w
p
models. The
first
year of significant pinball production
t
t
h
was 1932 when everybody and his brother were
making the incredible new game — about 180 models
were introduced by about 60 different companies. In
© 40-THE
The International
COIN Arcade
SLOT Museum
multiple coin "bingo" pinballs (which were discussed
in a previous article) almost exclusively. This left
production of flipper pinballs during the fifties almost
exclusively to Gottlieb and Williams, each producing
from nine to 16 new models each year.
In 1963 Bally started concentrating more on flipper
pinballs. Chicago Coin put out two to four models each
http://www.arcade-museum.com/
July 1981