Mechanical Memories Magazine

What has happened to my quality oflife? I'm just not as happy as I once was and I don't
know why or how to fix it. Then, as if by magic, that coin-operated beauty comes into
view. She shimmers and shines and dances in my brain. She whispers in my ear. She is
the siren call and I am the sailor drowning at sea. If only I can own her, I will be
complete again. I try to look away but I cannot, my gaze fixed upon her with longing and
desire. I must have her! I'm sure you get the idea.
After you purchase this 'must have' gift to yourself, the urges subside and you are
sane again, but only for a while. Just like the serial killer in the crime novel, the cycle of
tension and release repeats itself over and over. Sound familiar? Of course it does. My
latest acquisition is a good case in point.
The above picture is known generically in the trade as a Bajazzo or clown catcher. The
play of the game is somewhat similar to our kicker-catcher. After depositing a coin, the
player lifts a steel ball to the top of the playfield where it drops down through a pin field.
The player manipulates the catcher, the clown and if the ball is caught, it drops into the
interior mechanism where it releases the payout. If the ball is missed, it falls to the
bottom slant rail and rolls into the out-hole on the left side of the playfield and back into
the machine. This specific game was recently offered for sale on Ebay. It was advertised
as of German origin and currently inoperative. The seller thought the game was complete
but had no specialized knowledge of this type of machine. I, on the other hand, do have
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