Pinball Music & Trivia

A photograph taken within Stern's factory. Several incomplete Ripley's Believe It or Not! machines are visible on the right, with someone working on one. Three people are at the center of the picture: Brett Barry (left) and game designer Pat Lawlor (right). Below them is Barry's daughter Lindis, holding a toy Homer Simpson head.

A photograph of Pinball News contributor Brett Barry and his daughter with Pat Lawlor, taken in Stern's factory while Lawlor's game Ripley's Believe It or Not! was in production.

Source: www.pinballnews.com/games/ripley...

Song: Game Over
Game: Monday Night Football (by Data East Pinball)
Music: David Thiel
Original songwriter: Hank Williams Jr.

Link to original backglass image: vpuniverse.com/files/file/6...

Thank you very much! That tracks with what I was thinking - without any evidence having emerged, it never seemed like anything more than a rumor.

If helps, this was the internal WMS list that tracked ALL projects, video/pinball/novelty, active and abandoned. This copy is from around 1995. There's no sign of a Sonic game in here and I never saw any artifacts of such while working there.

Sources, in order:
groups.google.com/g/rec.games....
groups.google.com/g/rec.games....
groups.google.com/g/rec.games....
groups.google.com/g/rec.games....
groups.google.com/g/rec.games....

On May 5th, 1993, "Lord Yak Da Hairy" replies to a post about the backglass for Doctor Who the following: "Isn't that the sonic screwdriver? Speaking of 'sonic', has anyone else heard the rumour that Williams are working on a Sonic the Hedgehog table? It was in the Pinball Player (POA magazine) a couple of months back, but I haven't heard anything else since..."

On May 6th, 1993, Louis Koziarz replies to Lord Yak's post with: "I wouldn't doubt it. Think of the video game cross-licensing that hasn't been explored yet: Sonic and Mortal Kombat for starters. Some of the reps at Expo last year also mentioned some of the licenses they had secured (which doesn't mean a pin is in the works, though). I remember hearing Ren & Stimpy, WWF Wrestling, some others. You'll never get WMS to confirm/deny anything, DE on the other hand seems to enjoy hinting at upcoming pins."

In a later thread concerning the possibility of Williams making a Rocky Horror Show game, Martin Keates says the following on June 21st, 1994: "Actually this could be an 'anniversery' pin like DE's Star Trek --- the RHPS is currently doing a 20th (25th? 30th?) birthday tour over there. Speaking of new pins, does anyone know what happened to the Sonic pin? I heard that Sega wanted the rules changing but did they just drop it altogether?"

On June 24th, 1994, Federico Croci responds to Martin's previous post with: "Who is the manufacturer??" On June 27th, Keates responds: "Williams. I heard this from a guy who sells 2nd hand pins. He told me that a friend of his worked on some of the rules for it. Also, it was mentioned in a recent pinball player mag. Could be bull, I s'pose. It was meant to be the release before ST:TNG I think."

Excerpts from two separate rec/.games.pinball threads (one from 1993, the other from 1994) discussing a rumor that Williams would make a Sonic the Hedgehog pinball game.

As far as I am aware, there is no hard evidence this was ever in the works.

Links in replies!

Song: All Shook Up
Game: Elvis (by Stern Pinball)
Music: Chris Granner
Original songwriter(s): Otis Blackwell and/or Elvis Presley

Link to original backglass image: vpuniverse.com/files/file/1...

Apologies for my mistake - this backglass image actually wasn't derived from a VPUniverse upload, as far as I remember.

Song: Multiball
Game: Super Mario Bros. (by Premier, using the Gottlieb name)
Music: Dave Zabriskie*
Original composer: Koji Kondo

Backglass image edited from an upload by Wildman on VPUniverse - link in replies!

* Not 100% sure - Pinside credits him for the game's music, but the IPDB does not.

Data East's Monday Night Football pinball machine appears at the very start of "Rowdy Friends," a promo for the show's 1989 season. (The rest of it focuses on the reworked Hank Williams Jr. song it's named after; the game also plays the tune in attract mode.)

Source: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dbpa...

Song: Multiball
Game: No Good Gofers (by Williams Electronics)
Composer: Vince Pontarelli

The Simpsons Pinball Party Backglass Art 2002 (Bill Morrison), in * From The Land Beyond 's Bill Morrison & Marilyn Frandsen (Futurama, The Simpsons, Avengers) Comic Art Gallery Room Original Comic Art titled The Simpsons Pinball Party Backglass Art 2002 (Bill Morrison), located in *'s Bill Morrison & Marilyn Frandsen (Futurama, The Simpsons, Avengers) Comic Art Gallery (896374)

Source: www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece...

Line art for The Simpsons Pinball Party's backglass, done by Bill Morrison. The piece depicts the denizens of Springfield partying outside while a nuclear disaster unfolds in the background (caused by UFOs attacking the power plant's towers). A nearby "nuclear conditions" sign summarizes the threat level with "run for your lives!" However, the only person who seems aware of the issue is Maggie, who is trying and failing to direct her family's attention towards it.

Bill Morrison's original line art for The Simpsons Pinball Party's backglass.

Image by From The Land Beyond on Comic Art Fans.

Song: Multiball Ready
Game: No Good Gofers (by Williams Electronics)
Composer: Vince Pontarelli

In this excerpt from a 2023 YouTube video, Dale Earnhardt Jr. discusses his father's intense love for Williams Electronics' Comet, as well as his experience buying one for himself later on.

Source: www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Nr5...

Song: Soul
Game: Checkpoint (by Data East Pinball)
Composer: Brian Schmidt

YouTube video by Stern Pinball STAR WARS (Data East) w/ John Borg

Source (timestamped): www.youtube.com/watch?v=iGW_...

In a recent stream on Stern's official YouTube channel, John Borg stated that his design for Data East's Star Wars was originally meant to be an unlicensed dinosaur game.

Joe Kaminkow asked him to change it because he (Joe) wanted to make a Jurassic Park game.

Source in replies!

Song: Main Theme (Raft 9)
Game: White Water (by Williams Electronics)
Composer: Chris Granner

Song: Multiball
Game: Guns N' Roses (by Data East Pinball)
Music: Brian Schmidt

Other credits are in the video itself!

On August 22nd, 1994, Steve Baumgarten wrote the following on rec.games.pinball: "The thing is, DE now has the same reputation as the New York City subway system. That is, if a train comes in on time, and it's clean and air conditioned and you get where you're going without delay, you think, well that was OK. For a change. But if it runs late, or it's dirty, or whatever, then it just goes to reinforce your mental image of a system that's let you down so many times in the past. And even if things work well much more often than not (as is the case these days), it doesn't take much to get you thinking (quite unfairly) about how little things have changed -- even when they'ved changed a whole lot. [...] You know, it's like WMS is riding on their reputation, while DE is running from theirs... :-)" This is not that post - instead, this is a quote from the beginning of Orin Day's reply.

Orin Day's post proper begins with the following: "(This is a note forwarded from Joe Kaminkow, who does not have net.access) Dear Steve, Normally I have the opportunity to watch the words of the net pass over my desk. Quite often the inane banter gives me quite a chuckle. Every now and then someone says something that cannot go without rebuttal. I take offense to your comment that DE is running from their reputation. I am proud of what Data East has accomplished as we approach our 8th year in business. With the exception of Williams and Gottleib (Bally no longer exists as it once was) I cannot recall any other company that has started into the pinball business since the 30's that has been more sucessful than us. Certainly if it was easy, Chicago Coin, Stern Electronics, Wico, Allme, GamePlan, and Alvin G. would still be here producing games, not to mention a host of European companies that tried and failed."

Transcript: "Starting a pinball company is a task that takes untold hours and dedication, by not just members of the engineering staff, but also by manufacturing and purchasing people as well. Every member of our company stands by every product we have made since Lazer War, with a creed and oath to service the customer and the product with a 'whatever it takes' attitude - to keep our product running and our customer satisfied. Never has a reasonable request been turned down by us. I am proud of our technical innovation, of our marketing expertise, and the evolution that has taken place in the pinball business since Data East became a competitor. Look at pinball for the 10 years before Lazer War, and look at pinball for the 8 years after, and see the difference for yourself. Data East Pinball provides hundreds if not thousands of families in the Chicagoland area, if not direct employees then suppliers, the ability to make a living for themselves. It also provides operators and distributors (some whom lost the Williams line after 40 or 50 years when WMS consolidated their distribution) an opportunity to sell coin operated pinball machines that provide an excellent return for the operator."

Transcript: "In the past several years, Data East has become the #2 supplier of pinball machines in the world, with quantities of games that number in the hundreds of thousands. I actively challenge those of you on the net that think you can do a better job and positively influence the future of pinball to apply for jobs at Data East, Williams/Bally, or Premier. As you know, we have hired several people from the net in the past year who continue to make an excellent contribution to our current and future product. They, as well as I, will continue to stand proudly with our product as we attempt to bring pinball into the next century. I understand that the net is a relatively small niche of the players in our market, and does not represent the base of our playing audience. For those of you that are really wrapped up in pinball, that spend hours a day reading this bulletin board, I have one piece of advice for you: In the words of William Shatner, 'Get a life, man!' :^) Joe Kaminkow VP of Engineering & Design Data East Pinball"

In August 1994, after one Steve Baumgarten made degrading comments about Data East Pinball on rec/.games.pinball, Joe Kaminkow (then the vice president of engineering and design) issued a lengthy rebuttal in the company's defense.

Source: groups.google.com/g/rec.games....

A photograph of a handwritten letter laid on a flat surface. Its text (written entirely in capital letters, barring the signature) reads as follows: "Hi [name censored]! I heard you are a big fan of my pinball Attack from Mars. I love that after all these years the game has touched so many people just like you! And since you are a super fan of the game I'm sending you an the enclosed original NOS Martian made in the 1990's when the [game] was originally produced. I [hope] you enjoy your new "friend" Martian an keep flipp'n! Brian Eddy P.S. You are going to love your new D&D pinball! I've also enclosed a dragon toy I made for the game. Enjoy!" (There is an additional note inserted before "enclosed," but it is cut off in the photograph provided.) True to his word, a Martian toy is laying on the message, with a dragon toy standing right by.

In early March 2025, Pinside user "Dax-D20" received the following letter from Brian Eddy, containing both a Martian toy made for Attack from Mars and a dragon toy from Dungeons & Dragons: The Tyrant's Eye.

Source: pinside.com/pinball/foru...

Pinball revival as video arcade games failing Clipping found in Lancaster New Era published in Lancaster, Pennsylvania on 8/15/1983. Pinball revival as video arcade games failing

Source: www.newspapers.com/article/lanc...

"In the Age of Video, Basic Pinball Pops Back," written by Jackie S. Buckwalter for the Lancaster New Era (August 15, 1983). A full text transcript would be too long for this spot, but here's a summary: Pinball machines died off in popularity in 1975, coinciding with the rise of arcade video games. Now, in the early '80s, pinball has come back with some technological updates - not as popular as in its heyday, but hardly dead. Jim Jarocki, ad/sales manager for Bally Midway, attributes this to excessively complicated pinball games ('76 & '77) & Baby Pac-Man introducing newcomers to pinball. In Lancaster, university freshmen Vance Miller & Sal Granetti (shown playing on the left side of the article) love pinball and prefer them to video games for their depth in challenge. 18 year-old Ty Palmer likes both types, while 17 year-old David Kirchner prefers video games.

An article discussing pinball's return from its post-1975 nadir (coinciding with the rise of arcade video games), taken from the August 15, 1983 edition of the Lancaster New Era.

Image from Newspapers.com, originally clipped by @/playhistory.bsky.social - link in replies!

Ed Boon On His AIAS Hall Of Fame Induction And Career In Video Games And Pinball Game Informer's Andrew Reiner talked to Ed Boon prior to being inducted into the AIAS Hall Of Fame

Source: www.gameinformer.com/2022/02/24/e...

Interviewer: "You said you are feeling nostalgic. Any thoughts of making a new pinball game?" Ed Boon: "I have friends who are still programming pinball machines. I stopped programming at least 15 to 20 years ago. There’s no way I would be able to keep up with them. To give you an idea of the timing, I did all my games in Assembly. The one I’m hoping will happen someday – and it’s come close a few times – is a Mortal Kombat pinball machine. I think that would be really cool. I would love to have one of those in my basement."

In a 2022 interview with Game Informer, Ed Boon indicated that a Mortal Kombat pinball machine almost happened on multiple previous occasions (and that he would still like to see it made).

Source in replies!

It's still April Fool's somewhere, right?

Song: Game Over
Game: ...Ready ...Aim ...Fire! (by Mylstar, using the Gottlieb name)

The composer is unknown.

Link to the original backglass image used here:
www.vpforums.org/index.php?sh...

Song: Main Theme
Game: ...Ready ...Aim ...Fire! (by Mylstar, using the Gottlieb name)

The composer is unknown.

Link to the original backglass image used here:
www.vpforums.org/index.php?sh...

Song: Intro
Game: ...Ready ...Aim ...Fire! (by Mylstar, using the Gottlieb name)

The composer is unknown.

Link to the original backglass image used here:
www.vpforums.org/index.php?sh...