1976 · Atari
Atarians
Known for Atari saucers, Star rollovers and 1-9 numbers. Deep blue outer space field with scattered balls and dots, hot-pink wireframe city grid behind the central figures and magenta disc with ringed planet at upper right.
- Year
- 1976
- Maker
- Atari
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- saucers
Atari saucers
- rollovers
Star rollovers
- Target
1-9 numbers
On the playfield
- yellow
- deep navy blue
- bright orange red
- white
- 2 flippers
- 3 pop bumpers
- 1 spinner
- 2 slingshots
Hole 1
- Atari saucers saucers
Bumpers 2
- Red pop bumpers
- Blue pop bumper
Targets 2
- 1-9 numbers
- #9 target
Lanes 6
- Star rollovers rollovers
- Center structure
- Opens Left Gate rollover
- Opens Right Gate rollover
- Close Gates rollover
- Top rollovers rollover
Flipper 1
- Lower flippers extra flipper
Post or gate 1
- Gates gate
On the backglass
Who and what
- man Muscular bare-chested hero, yellow sleeveless vest, pale turquoise trousers, short dark hair, mid-stride pose holding the woman's hand, centre of the backglass
- woman Blonde, red halter bikini-style two-piece, knee-high brown boots, right arm extended outward, left hand held by the hero, centre-right
- monster Black horned demonic face with pointed ears and grimacing mouth, upper left, beside a pale blue sweeping wing or cape shape
- other Large pale grey hand with long pink fingernails reaching in from the left edge
- man Small figure in yellow and green inside the lower-left porthole, grappling with another figure
- other Pale grey figure sprawled and reaching in the lower-left porthole fight panel
Setting
- Deep blue outer space field with scattered balls and dots
- Hot-pink wireframe city grid behind the central figures
- Magenta disc with ringed planet at upper right
Text on it
- The
- ATAKANS
- pinside.com
How it plays
-
Goals 1
- Spelling Atari
Made by
- Design & Mechanics
- Bob Jonesi
- Art
- George Opperman
Reference
Linked terms
- Star rollovers also called Magnetic sensor buttons
- Center structure also called Center turnaround
- Gates also called Saver gate
- Spelling Atari also called Double bonus
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- yellow
- deep navy blue
- bright orange red
- white
Fingerprint: THE ATARIANS, strong vertical colour inversion (yellow-orange sunburst upper giving way to deep-blue starfield wedge), two painted figures facing each other across blue centre-line (dark-haired man in white vest, blonde woman in orange), lettered star-targets A-1-T-R-I upper arc, ADVANCE BONUS triangle, three sunburst pop-bumper caps, two spiral ramps upper corners, red-rimmed slingshots, airbrushed gradient shading
The defining feature is the strong vertical colour inversion: a hot yellow and orange radial sunburst occupying the upper playfield that gives way abruptly to a deep blue starfield wedge running down the centre and across the entire lower deck. Two illustrated human figures, a dark-haired man in a white vest with arms raised and a blonde woman in orange, are painted large and face each other across the blue centre line at the heart of the lower playfield. Lettered star targets A, 1, T, R, I are arranged along the upper arc around a small triangle reading ADVANCE BONUS, above a row of three sunburst pop bumper caps. A large ATARI logo is printed on the blue apron beside the match and credit displays, and a printed instruction card sits on the lower right.
Setting
- Radiating yellow and orange sunburst rays filling the upper playfield
- Deep blue starfield wedge opening downward through the centre
- Pale blue geometric border framing the lower blue field
- Warm wood-toned cabinet side rails and lockbar
- White and red swirling ribbon artwork on the cabinet front below the apron
- Black surround beyond the cabinet
Symbols
- Five-pointed outlined star with radiating points
- Sparkle four-point glints
- Ringed planet with a small moon
- Circular window or portal with concentric rings and a red centre button
- Atom-like swoosh emblem
- Small black wedge and saucer spacecraft silhouettes
- Round white insert lamp discs with coloured numerals
- Triangular badge
Notable shapes
- Large arrowhead or shield-shaped blue field pointing down the centre
- Triangular advance bonus badge
- Concentric-ring circular window features
- Sunburst star shapes on the pop bumper caps
- Narrow vertical strip of white insert discs down each slope
- Arched arc of star targets across the top
Art motifs
- Radial sunburst rays
- Starfield with scattered stars
- Airbrushed cone of light
- Halftone dot shading
- Chrome and metal airbrush highlights
- Bold black keyline figure drawing
- Ringed planets
- Energy swirl curves
Themes
- Atomic age space race
- Ray gun sci-fi
- Comic book hero
- Sunburst pop art
- Starfield outer space
- Arcade vs aliens
- Score attack
Text on it
- ADVANCE BONUS
- ADVANCE BONUS WHEN LIT
- SPECIAL WHEN LIT
- ADVANCE JACKPOT WHEN LIT
- JUMPER EXTRA BALL WHEN LIT
- CLOSE YARD 100
- EXTRA BALL WHEN LIT
- ATARI
- 500
- ORBIT
- SAME PLAYER SHOOTS AGAIN
- 1-4 PLAYERS CAN PLAY
- MATCH
- BALL
- CREDIT
- THE ATARIANS
- INSTRUCTIONS
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Muscular dark-haired man, lower centre-left, drawn large with heavy black outlines and airbrushed skin shading. wears a white sleeveless vest and loose teal-blue trousers, bare arms and chest. arms raised high above his head holding a star-shaped object, mouth open in a shout, head tilted back. stands against the blue starfield wedge. |
| Other | Blonde woman with long flowing hair, lower centre-right, facing left towards the male figure. wears an orange top and skirt with bare legs, one arm extended towards him. rendered with the same bold black keyline and airbrushed highlight shading. |
| Other | Several small black wedge and saucer silhouettes scattered around the upper arc near the top lanes, suggesting craft in formation against the sunburst. |
| Other | Five-pointed black outlined star-with-rays symbols in a horizontal row across the upper arc, each paired with a lettered or numbered insert beneath it. |
Full-length playfield photographed from above in its wooden cabinet, with side rails and the front of the coin door visible. The upper two-thirds is a saturated yellow and orange sunburst radiating from a dark blue starfield wedge that widens down the centre, so the palette inverts from hot at the top to cool at the bottom. Three sunburst-capped pop bumpers sit in a row high in the middle beneath a triangle marked ADVANCE BONUS, flanked by a row of round white insert lamps and a ladder of star symbols spelling lettered targets A, 1, T, R, I across the arc. Two red-rimmed spiral ramps hug the upper left and upper right corners. Lower centre, two painted figures face each other on the blue field: a dark-haired muscular man in a white vest and teal trousers with arms raised, and a blonde woman in orange reaching towards him. Two red-rimmed slingshots and a pair of white-flippered bumpers sit above a plain blue apron. Condition is good, with light scratching and surface wear on the plastics.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- blue
- magenta
- yellow
- red
Fingerprint: the atakans, colossal ringed yellow-orange planet dominates center with bare-chested hero in yellow vest and blonde woman in red two-piece leaping hand-in-hand across its face backed by hot-pink wireframe city, two magenta-rimmed porthole windows at bottom act as inset comic panels each showing two figures fighting, black horned demon head with pale blue sweeping wing looms upper left and pale hand with long pink fingernails reaches from left edge, sci-fi action-comic aesthetic
A colossal ringed yellow-orange planet fills the centre, with a bare-chested hero in a yellow vest and a blonde woman in a red two-piece leaping hand-in-hand across its face, backed by a hot-pink wireframe city. Two magenta-rimmed porthole windows at the bottom act as inset comic panels, each showing two figures in a fight. A black horned demon head with a pale blue sweeping wing looms from the upper left, and a pale hand with long pink fingernails reaches in from the left edge. The title is an unusually wide, low, italicised block letterform filled with blue diagonal hatching.
Setting
- Deep blue outer space field with scattered balls and dots
- Hot-pink wireframe city grid behind the central figures
- Magenta disc with ringed planet at upper right
Symbols
- Ringed planet
- Wireframe city grid
- Porthole windows
- Planet with spikes
- Floating spheres and balls
- Pink fingernails
- Horns
Lettering
- Very wide low italicised block capitals, cream fill with fine blue diagonal hatching and heavy black outline, flanked by white horizontally-striped wings; small white cursive word above
Themes
- Space
- Superhero
- Comic book
- Planet
- City
- Fight
Title on it
- The atakans
Text on it
- The
- ATAKANS
- pinside.com
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Muscular bare-chested hero, yellow sleeveless vest, pale turquoise trousers, short dark hair, mid-stride pose holding the woman's hand, centre of the backglass |
| Woman | Blonde, red halter bikini-style two-piece, knee-high brown boots, right arm extended outward, left hand held by the hero, centre-right |
| Monster | Black horned demonic face with pointed ears and grimacing mouth, upper left, beside a pale blue sweeping wing or cape shape |
| Other | Large pale grey hand with long pink fingernails reaching in from the left edge |
| Man | Small figure in yellow and green inside the lower-left porthole, grappling with another figure |
| Other | Pale grey figure sprawled and reaching in the lower-left porthole fight panel |
| Man | Small white-shirted figure in the lower-right porthole, arm raised toward a globe |
| Woman | Small red-clad figure grabbed or held in the lower-right porthole panel |
Square backglass with a wide yellow outer border and red inner keyline. Across the top sits a blue trapezoidal banner carrying a long, low, italicised cream title of tall block capitals filled with fine blue diagonal hatching and outlined in black, flanked by long white horizontally-striped wings that stretch to both side edges; a small white cursive word sits above the title. Below, on a deep blue field, a huge yellow-to-orange ringed planet dominates the centre, backed by a hot-pink wireframe city grid. Two costumed figures run hand-in-hand across the planet: a bare-chested muscular man in a yellow vest and pale turquoise trousers, and a blonde woman in a red two-piece outfit with knee-high brown boots, one arm flung out. Upper left is a black horned demon face beside a pale-blue sweeping wing or cape shape; a large pale hand with pink nails reaches in from the left edge. Upper right shows a magenta disc with a red-and-yellow ringed planet and three cyan spikes. The lower half has two magenta-rimmed porthole circles: the left contains a yellow landmass with two small figures grappling, the right a blue globe with two more figures tumbling. Scattered balls, dots and paint splatters fill the blue background.