# When was pinball popular? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [February 9, 2025, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066 "2025-02-09T00:10:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 6:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/21 "2025-02-09T06:30:35Z")
I have four in my garage, the most recent one built barely two years ago. Today, they are a niche but thriving market and are mostly bought for private use rather than for gobbling up quarters on location. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/22 "2025-02-09T07:14:40Z")
> [@pirviii](#): > > Anyone interested in pinball and is in Las Vegas, they should visit the Pinball Hall of Fame. They have hundreds of machines from different eras, plus some other coin op machines. I’ll second this. The Pinball Hall of Fame is a delight, for those of us who love pinball. All kinds of pinball games from the 1960s onwards, including a few flipperless “bingo” games. Great fun to once again play the games I remembered playing when I was younger; and glad to see that I can still win free games on Gottlieb’s “Royal Flush,” like I could back then. ---
**Author:** ![kk\_fusion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kk_fusion/32/15276_2.png) [@kk\_fusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kk_fusion)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/23 "2025-02-09T09:36:40Z")
Pinball is actually having a slight resurgence in France. All arcade halls in cities/movie theaters/tourist resorts have added a couple pinball machines to their repertoire over the last few years. Old machines from the 80s/90s as well as recently produced ones with current pop culture themes. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/24 "2025-02-09T09:55:16Z")
> [@kk\_fusion](#): > > Pinball is actually having a slight resurgence in France. Ha! I found out that my Mom was a pinball fan when we were on holiday in Quebec. The place we stayed in had a couple of pinball machines in the games room, and Mom could play like a pro. We had many tournaments between us. Note that this was in Quebec, so we expected French on the pinball table, but there was none. But “when lit” works in any language, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/25 "2025-02-09T10:19:27Z")
> [@China\_Guy](#): > > Tommy the movie was ~1976. It was released in 69. I played a lot of pinball in the late 50s and early 60s, but other things became more interesting. By the 70s, they had become too complicated and I couldn’t be bothered to learn how to play. ---
**Author:** ![whc.03grady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@whc.03grady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whc.03grady)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/26 "2025-02-09T10:44:19Z")
In the last year I’ve been to modern arcades in Bozeman MT, Cheyenne WY, and Lincoln NE (the last two having the benefit of also serving beer) and all three had at least seven pinball machines, some of them very new. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/27 "2025-02-09T10:50:28Z")
We have one that opened near me last year that has a wall of 30-40 or so pinball machines. $15 for unlimited play. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/28 "2025-02-09T10:55:13Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > It was released in 69. That was the album. The movie’s release date was 1975 and the pinball machine debuted in the 90s. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/29 "2025-02-09T11:37:20Z")
> [@pirviii](#): > > Anyone interested in pinball and is in Las Vegas, they should visit the Pinball Hall of Fame. They have hundreds of machines from different eras, plus some other coin op machines. > [@Spoons](#): > > I’ll second this. The Pinball Hall of Fame is a delight, for those of us who love pinball. I’ll third that - when I travel from Vegas from the UK, the Pinball Hall of Fame always gets a visit! And here is Elton John in action from the Tommy movie: [Tommy - Pinball Wizard - The Who/Elton John (1975 Film)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_r_dWenKhk) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/30 "2025-02-09T11:56:14Z")
Nobody will care, but I was a bit of a local Wizard during my days of hanging out at the arcade in the late 1970s. There were times where a crowd gathered to watch. To neutralize the boast, I totally suck at bowling, throwing a spiral, and resisting ice cream. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/31 "2025-02-09T14:07:31Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > Pinball games took up a lot of floor space and repairs compared to a video game. Yea, pinball machine weren’t as reliable as video games. And when one broke, a person who had skills working on electromechanical components & systems was needed. That type of talent is somewhat rare, and thus expensive. I know someone who owns a small bowling alley. He said paying someone to come out and fix a pinsetter machine is _really_ expensive. So he taught himself how to fix them. Am guessing that’s what many of the modern pinball alleys do… the machines are fixed inhouse, for economic reasons and/or because the owner is an enthusiast. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/32 "2025-02-09T14:27:02Z")
Oh, man, reading this thread brings back a ton of memories from way back. I wasn’t as good as @Mean_Mr.Mustard, but I was probably the closest thing to a wizard among my peers. And, remember, anybody could win a game after you played your last ball by ‘matching’ your last number with the number that appeared on the machine. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/33 "2025-02-09T14:44:33Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > > [@bob\_2](#): > > > > It was released in 69. > > That was the album. The movie’s release date was 1975 and the pinball machine debuted in the 90s The film spun off a pinball machine in 1975 called “Wizard” that was one of the first licensed properties used by Bally. It features some really creepy sexualized artwork with the images of Ann Margret and Roger Daltrey (mother and son in the film). In 1976 a machine called “Captain Fantastic” featuring the Elton John character became one of the best selling machines ever up to that time. The 1994 “Tommy” machine by Data East was based on the Broadway show then current. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/34 "2025-02-09T14:48:39Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The film spun off a pinball machine in 1975 called “Wizard” that was one of the first licensed properties used by Bally. I do remember that game. I should have realized it had a real connection to the movie because of the artwork. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/35 "2025-02-09T15:08:47Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > Am guessing that’s what many of the modern pinball alleys do… the machines are fixed inhouse, for economic reasons and/or because the owner is an enthusiast. That’s the first rule of buying a pinball machine; make sure you know how to fix them yourself. It’s going to cost $200 an hour plus travel expenses to have someone else do it for you. But most repairs on a regularly played machine are relatively simple. With enough patience, almost anyone can learn how to fix any problems that come up starting with the great message board at [pinside.com](http://pinside.com). ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/36 "2025-02-09T20:29:41Z")
Agree with @Elmer_J.Fudd . The inside of a pinball machine may look like Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory, but if you can identify where the problem is, it is usually a simple fix. I’ve worked on electro-mechanical pinball games, and I think the most difficult fix I ever had to do was replacing a flipper coil. The hardest part about that was calling various places around town to find the correct coil. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/37 "2025-02-09T22:51:06Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > That was the album. The movie’s release date was 1975 Fair enough. I never saw the film but I bought the album. Pretty creepr stuff though. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/38 "2025-02-09T22:56:57Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > The hardest part about that was calling various places around town to find the correct coil. The Internet makes this the easiest step now. Diagnosing the problem is probably 90% of the job. Fixing it 10%. Finding parts, even for old EMs doesn’t even rate unless it involves cosmetic playfield and back glass elements. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2025, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/39 "2025-02-09T22:59:14Z")
There were pinball machines very early on in Alaska, at least back into the 50s. They were in every downtown bar and the proprietors didn’t mind if kids came in and played. Fed a lot of nickels into those. At one time slot machines were also legal up there, but kids couldn’t play them. The clergy finally lobbied them out of existence, although the church bingo games still went on. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2025, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066/40 "2025-02-10T00:56:09Z")
According to the documentary _Happy Days_ they were definitely around in the 1950s. [![](https://www.pingeek.com/tv/happy/wedding/happy179.jpg) ](https://www.pingeek.com/tv/happy/wedding/happy179.jpg) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-pinball-popular/1014066.md?page=3)