1940s vintage pinball machines and the big flip that changed the game
Before 1947, pinball games were more about gravity and hope than skill. That changed with the debut of Humpty Dumpty, a game built by Gottlieb. It introduced six player-controlled flippers, which meant you didn’t just watch the ball fall — you had a chance to send it flying back into play. Ads from the time called it “positively terrific,” and it wasn’t just hype. This one change brought players back in droves and gave arcade owners something they couldn’t get enough of: repeat plays.
What followed was a pinball boom. Companies like Bally, Genco, Williams and United were quick to jump in, adding all kinds of themes, mechanics and designs to their machines. Some games leaned into sports — like Champion, Jockey Special or Star Series — while others had Hollywood flair, like Cinderella and Lady Robin Hood. The machines became more colorful and complex, and every new release promised better gameplay and flashier features. “Horseshoe flash,” “double-double scoring,” and “photo-finish replays” were just some of the hooks used to grab attention.
Looking back at these vintage pinball machines, it’s easy to see how this became more than a passing trend. There was something almost theatrical about them — lights, sounds and moving parts all working together. But beyond the bells and buzzers, what really made the machines special was how they challenged players to get better. Whether you were shooting for a high score or just trying to beat your buddy, there was always one more ball to play.
We’ve collected a big batch of photos and ads from this golden age of pinball–all from the 1940s–to give you a closer look at how these machines looked, sounded and worked. It’s a fun window into what arcades once were and why people kept lining up to play.
The first pinball game: “Humpty Dumpty” (1947)
The greatest innovation in the history of pin games!
The player will laugh! The spectator will roar! The operator will be thrilled!
Yes… something new has been added… sensational player-controlled flipper bumpers!
Super-sensitive Flipper Button, on side of cabinet, controls 6 unique flipper bumpers on playing field.
With skill and timing, player can control balls… can send them zooming from the bottom right back to the top… whizzing and bounding around the field for additional scoring! It’s positively terrific!
See the 1947 Humpty Dumpty pinball machine in action
“Moon Glow” vintage forties pinball game (1948)
Vintage arcade-style pinball games – Genco’s “Big Top” (1949)
Step this way gentlemen… and get a load of this action-packed… thrill-filled headliner!
It’s big! It’s great! It’s a topper and a stopper!
Yessiree… every day will be a big day with “Big Top“!
United’s “Ramona” vintage pinball game (1949)
Bally’s “Jockey Special” vintage pinball machines (1947)
New Bally one ball multiples — “Jockey Special” and “Jockey Club” with amazing new horseshoe flash!
More thrills for players! More profits for operators! Thanks to the new sensational horseshoe flash which permits player to play extra coins to qualify for 5 big horseshoe features:
- Purse section receives Win odds
- Show section receives Win odds
- Show section receives top odds — 40, 80, 120, or 160
- Number 4 added to lit sections
- Numbers 3 and 5 added to lit sections
No wonder players never stop at normal multiple play… but keep on… six, eight, or ten coins per game.
United’s “Hawaii Roll-Down” console cabinet (1947)
“Photo-Finish” — Universal’s sensational 1-ball winner (1949)
Go places with Gottlieb’s “Cinderella” arcade cabinet (1948)
Ride along with “Cinderella” to get into the best spots in town!
The game with the Gottlieb “Magic Touch” opens all the doors for dependably bigger earnings!
Williams’ 5-ball “Bonanza” pinball game (1947)
ALSO SEE: Remember vintage coin-operated rides? Horses, spaceships, boats & more from the ’50s
Genco “Triple Action” pinball machine (1948)
Bally’s “Champion / Kentucky One-ball” pinball machines (1949)
New “Wild” sections — New Double-Score — Famous “Citation” Odds
2 horse-shoe buttons insure 25% to 100% increase in coins played per game!
Bally “Champion” is actually three great games in one.
Players play coin after coin for selections and odds. If you thought “Citation” was a sensational money-maker, wait till “Champion” starts working for you.
Vintage Gottlieb’s “Lady Robin Hood” with flipper bumpers (1948)
United’s “Manhattan” with new “Double-Double” feature (1948)
Vintage Bally “Gold Cup”, “Trophy”, and “Ballerina” pinball machines (1948)
Chicago Coin’s “Champion” arcade game (1949)
Chicago Coin’s newest success! Operators claim it first choice over all other games on the market today.
“Champion” — successful ’cause it’s different!
- Basketball flippers
- Opponents scoring feature
- Thumper bumpers
- A worthy successor to “Majors” and “Super Hockey”
Old pinball machine “Beach Club” by Nasco (1949)
Location lifesaver! “Barnacle Bill” pinball by Gottlieb (1948)
Vintage pinball machine “Speed Way” by Williams (1948)
Vintage pinball machines: “Triple Action” by Genco (1948)
Pinball arcade cabinet “Singapore Roll-Down” (1948)
Chicago Coin’s “Sally” vintage pinball machine with no bumpers (1948)
Williams’ first bumper pinball machine “Sunny” (1948)
“Terrific!” “A Sockeroo!” “Money in the bank!”
Everything you said at the show about “Sunny”!
Goes double on locations! Flipper action with convenient feather-touch dual button controls.
Gottlieb’s “Lady Robin Hood” & Marvel’s “Gold Mine” old pinball machines (1948)
Yes sir! We’ve sure got that new look! You’ll get it, too, when you operate Gottlieb’s “Lady Robin Hood” with the original flipper bumpers!
“Gold Mine” — Sensational flipper action, unlimited bonus scoring, plus features galore!
United’s “Tropicana” 5-ball pinball arcade game (1948)
Vintage Bally “Citation” and “Lexington” pinball games (1948)
Sensational mystery ‘multiple’ and guaranteed odds!
Odds “multiply” on mystery basis. Second coin may “multiply” odds by three or four, instead of only two. Player continues to play additional coins for additional selections… because odds never drop back to a lower bracket.
Other Bally hits: “Carnival”, “Big Inning”, “Reserve Bell”, “Wild Lemon”, “Double-Up”, “Triple Bell”, “Hi-Boy”, “Hy Roll”, “De Luxe Bowler”, and more.
5-ball novelty — Chicago Coin’s “Catalina” arcade cabinet (1948)
Genco’s “Trade Winds” will blow greater profits your way (1948)
Gottlieb’s “Telecard” 1940s pinball machine (1949)
Gottlieb’s amazing 2-sided “Double-Shuffle” pinball game (1949)
New! Double the appeal! Twice the sport! Double the play!
Gottlieb’s amazing 2-sided “Double-Shuffle”! With winning play on red or green sides and sensational scoring action!
United’s vintage “Show Boat” arcade pinball machine (1949)
William’s “Tuscon” pinball (1949)
United’s “Tampico” arcade cabinet game (1949)
Quick play! Super fast action! Chicago Coin’s “Trinidad” pinball machine (1948)
The rush is on for “Tennessee” pinball by Williams (1948)
A terrific 5-ball thriller with:
- Unique flipper action
- Sequence
- 3-Spot roller overs
- Premium score
- Double premium score
- Reserve score
- Highest high score, plus…
- William’s new pylon lights!
United’s vintage pinball games: “Paradise” (1948)
“Circus” days are here again! Pinball by Exhibit (1948)
ALSO SEE: We restored 20 vintage clown pictures with AI, and the results were pretty creepy
No bumpers! Genco’s “Screwball” — more action, livelier, faster! (1948)
Williams’ “Gizmo” vintage pinball machine (1948)
“Carnival”, “Gold Cup”, and “Trophy” pinball games by Bally (1948)
Double your earnings in every 5-ball location in your territory with Bally “Carnival”! Famous build-up bonus, and “All-12” skill feature — plus high score competitive play appeal.
A Bally game for every spot! “Big Inning”, “Triple Bell”, “Wild Lemon”, “Double Up”, “Hi Boy”, “Hy Roll”, “Deluxe Bowler”, and more.
3 great ways to score replays — United’s “Summertime” pinball game (1948)
Exhibit’s pinball game “Contact” with six ‘exploding’ kickers (1948)
New… by Gottlieb: “Bowling Champ” pinball machine (1949)
Most realistic bowling theme ever built into a pin game!
Bumper “Ten-Pins”! Automatic “Pin” reset! Percussion bumpers — Whiz-bang action! Special “Strike” rollovers! New type trouble-free bumpers contacts!
…There’s everything you need to keep rolling in top form — “Bowling Champ”!
You will be tickled pink with Genco’s “Three Feathers” pinball (1949)
From the standpoint of looks, player appeal and cash box results!
Exciting power bumper action! Sensational 3 way high score bonus! Tantalizing multiple replay action!
And as usual… every day will be a good day with this newest Genco 5-ball game… “Three Feathers”!
Bally’s “Citation” and “Lexington” pinball arcade cabinets (1949)
More than seven solid months of steady production… and still going strong… Bally “Citation” continues to smash all records.
But the greatest record broken by “Citation” is the sudden magical way it injected new life into the entire coin machine industry… bringing thousands of players back to pinball plungers to give operators and distributors the financial pick-up they needed.
For the fattest profits in one-ball history, get going with “Citation” now.
United’s vintage pinball game “Pinch Hitter” (1949)
Terrific baseball animation — 3 kicker bumpers with extra score features — Replay scoring possibilities each ball
William’s “Star Series” baseball-themed pinball machine (1949)
Get the real lowdown on high earnings… positive proof that “Star Series” earns up to 4 times as much as any ordinary game on the same location!
NOW THIS: See 20 vintage jukeboxes, including Classic Rock-Ola & Wurlitzer machines
One Response
I can’t find out which pinball machine was shown in the 1961 movie West Side Story”. I think it’s a fake pinball machine that is shown.