Fireball (pinball)
Fireball is a historically notable pinball machine model released by Bally in 1972.
The table was one of the first to have a modern sci-fi/fantasy type of outer space theme as well as elaborate, painted artwork on the sides of the table. The game itself is notable as it featured several pinball innovations, including a spinning disc, moveable "zipper" flippers, and trapped ball bonuses. Fireball was an also an early table to have the multi-ball (three balls, in this case) feature. Fireball's main surface and raised surface also featured elaborate artwork of a flaming "fire man", flames, and stars in space. The table is highly valued as a collector's item.
FireBall Professional Home model
Partly due to the success of the original "Fireball" pinball machine, Bally released a "Professional Home Model" available to the regular consumer beginning in 1978. The layout was different from the arcade Fireball, it was a slight modification of the Bally's Hocus Pocus playfield with the subtraction of a ball diverter gate.[1]
Cultural references
Richard Linklater plays a rotoscoped Fireball in his film Waking Life, in the penultimate scene where he expounds Dickian gnosticism to the protagonist.
Also, Linkater's 1993 film Dazed and Confused features a scene that shows extreme close-ups of a game being played on a Fireball.
During the episode "Pinball" (Original air date: November 29, 1985) of the television series Mr. Belvedere, the titular character becomes obsessed with a "Firebomb" pinball machine, a slightly altered Fireball.