Getting to Know Major Pinball Machine Trivia

Pinball remains one of the most enduringly popular games. Since its earliest incarnations many years ago, pinball has been a mainstay in arcades, taverns, and in homes. It has also been digitalized and remains very popular with computer and online gamers.

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If you have added a brick and mortar world pinball machine to your home, or are thinking of doing so, you may be interested in learning some interesting facts and figures about the iconic game. You can amaze your guests with your knowledge of pinball.

What are the three top production games noted in modern pinball history?

The three top production games associated with modern pinball history, usually defined as the 1970s forward, are Addams Family, Eight Ball Deluxe, and Eight Ball.

What are five musical groups or musicians that have been immortalized by pinball?

Musical groups and musicians have been included in pinball machines for decades. Five musical groups or musicians that have been immortalized in pinball machines are Ted Nugent, KISS, Rolling Stones, Dolly Parton, Iron Maiden, Guns N Roses, Elton John, and The Who.

The tilt mechanism is highly important in pinball. Who invented the vital tilt mechanism?

A man named Harry Williams invented the tilt mechanism.

What was the first pinball machine with a flipper and who made it?

The very first pinball game with a flipper was Humpty Dumpty. This game was a creation of Gottlieb.

Which pinball game introduced the concept of what is known as “magna-save?”

Magna save was first introduced in a pinball game called Williams Black Knight.

At the beginning of the 1960s, what were the only two pinball companies that produced pinball machines and games?

There really were only two companies producing pinball machines at the beginning of the 1960s. These companies were Gottlieb and Williams

Williams produced what were called the amusement park trilogy. These were games commonly found in amusement park arcades. What were the three games in the Williams amusement park trilogy?

The trio of games that Williams included in its amusement park trilogy were Comet, Cyclone. and Hurricane

A man named Ted Zale created an important device for pinball machines in the 1960s. What was that device?

Ted Zale created the mushroom bumper or pop bumper in the 1960s.

Only one pinball machine ever made a score display sufficient to accommodate six players. What was the name of that game?

The only pinball machine to ever include six separate player score displays was Six Million Dollar Man. This pinball machine was created by Bally.

Speaking of Bally, that company created two pinball-video hybrid games. These games came out in the 1980s. What were they?

The two primary pinball-video hybrid games made by Bally in the 1980s were Baby Pac-Man and Granny and the Gators

Gottlieb came out with something truly unique for pinball machines in 1963. What was it?

Gottlieb came out with the first pinball game with so-called spinners or spinning targets in 1963. This was introduced in a game that Gottlieb called Swing Along.

One of the more popular pinball games over the course of the past forty years was created by Williams. The game was called Taxi. Who were the five passengers in Taxi?

The five passengers in Taxi were Santa Claus, Marilyn Monroe, Pinbot, Dracula, Mikail Gorbachev.

During the electronic pinball machine era, multi-ball games entered onto the market. What was the first multi-ball game?

Williams created and released the first multi-ball pinball machine in the electronic era. The game was called Firepower.

Gottlieb, a leading manufacturer of pinball machines, ended up being purchased by a motion picture studio in the 1970s. What was the studio?

The studio that purchased Gottlieb in the 1970s was Columbia Pictures.

Only one major league baseball team has ever appeared in the title to a pinball machine. Most people guess the New York Yankees, but that is not correct. What is the name of the only major league baseball team to appear as part of a pinball machine title?

Chicago Cubs is the only major league tea to appear in a pinball machine title. The games was called Chicago Cubs Triple Play.

A company called Stern got into the pinball machine biz in the 1980s. The company would become a major player. What was the name of the first pinball machine from Stern?

The first pinball machine made by Stern came out in 1984. The pinball machine was called Lazerlord.

Major pinball machine manufacturer Williams turned two popular video games into pinball machines. What were they called?

The two popular video games turned into pinball machines were Defender and Joust.

Jessica Kane is a writer for The Pinball Company, the best online source for new, used, and refurbished pinball machines, arcade cabinets, and more!