Baffle Ball

Baffle Ball is a pinball machine created in 1931 by David Gottlieb, founder of the Gottlieb amusement company. While bagatelle-derived "marble games" have long existed previously, Baffle Ball was the first commercially-successful game of its type, being affordable enough for store and tavern owners to quickly recoup the machine's cost. Over 50,000 machines were made, jump-starting the arcade pinball field; it spawned a home version in 1932 called Baffle Ball Senior.[1]

Baffle Ball was responsible for the launch of the company Gottlieb that went on to make pinball machines such as Ace High and Black Hole. It used no electricity, and for one US cent players got five balls. They would be fired up onto the playfield and fall into pockets and holes. Some ball targets were worth more than others, and players tried to fire the ball at just the right speed. (Unlike later pinball machines, Baffle Ball had no flippers.) The best target was the Baffle Ball, a tiny hole at the top which would double all points. All scoring had to be done by hand. The game sat on top of bar counters and the bartender might award prizes for high scores. It is very popular with and sought after by collectors.

The table was virtually recreated in pinball simulation video game, Microsoft Pinball Arcade.

References

  1. ↑ Nokia Celebrates 75 Years Of Pinball With New Screenshots For Mile High Pinball from Nokia

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