1963 · Williams
Big Deal
Known for Royal flush and Diamond rubber. Flat green sky, dark blue and purple city skyline silhouette, striped circus tent at upper left and green marquee panel across the bottom.
- Year
- 1963
- Maker
- Williams
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 1
Known for
- backglass toy
Royal flush
- rubber
Diamond rubber
On the playfield
- green
- yellow
- red
- white
- 2 flippers
- 2 target banks
- 2 slingshots
Bumper 1
- Red pop bumpers
Lanes 3
- Off Bumpers rollover
- Center top lane
- Out lanes
Post or gate 1
- Diamond rubber rubber
Backbox 1
- Royal flush backglass toy
On the backglass
Who and what
- other Giant grinning clown, head and shoulders filling the top two-thirds, orange stubble, red bulbous nose, thick black eyebrows, white collar, small striped party hat, both hands spread palm-up dealing cards
- woman Lower left corner, red-haired, pink plunging-neckline dress with ruffled skirt, holding a fan of cards
- woman Lower right corner, blonde with red flowers in her hair, red and white plunging-neckline dress with puffed sleeves, holding cards
- woman Mid-right edge, dark-haired in a pink and magenta costume with a feathered headdress, dancing with one arm raised
- animal Small flying insect or mosquito with spread wings above the clown's left shoulder
- other Jester figure drawn on each of two tilted white playing cards at the lower left and lower right edges
Setting
- Flat green sky
- Dark blue and purple city skyline silhouette
- Striped circus tent at upper left
- Green marquee panel across the bottom
Text on it
- BIG DEAL
- Williams
- W
- 9
- J
- K
- A
Made by
- Design
- Steve Kordek
Reference
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- green
- yellow
- red
- white
Fingerprint: All Targets Down: four identical blonde pin-up showgirls in white strapless costumes forming symmetrical chorus line middle field, two printed on angled diamond drop-target panels, jumble of jokey directional signs in top arch on white arrow banners over yellow sunburst, three pop bumpers with yellow domes marked JET sitting tight row.
Four identical blonde pin-up showgirls in white strapless costumes form a symmetrical chorus line across the middle of the playfield, two of them printed on angled diamond drop-target panels. A jumble of jokey directional signs in the top arch reads 100 POINTS WHEN LIT, 50 POINTS WHEN LIT and SPECIAL, printed on white arrow banners floating over a yellow sunburst. Three pop bumpers with yellow domes marked JET, JET and 10 SPECIAL sit in a tight row, with two more JET-bumper rings lower down. A jagged starburst panel reads ALL TARGETS DOWN, framed by converging red-and-white rails.
Setting
- Flat green playfield with radiating sunburst rays
- Yellow lamp dome cluster at top
- Pale grey-blue lower apron panel
- Wooden cabinet interior with bare aluminium rails
Symbols
- Playing-card suits (hearts, spades, clubs, diamonds)
- Five-pointed stars
- Directional arrow signs
- Sun with rays
- Jet aircraft silhouettes
- Droplet/rocket motifs
Notable shapes
- Large semicircular yellow arch across the top with pointed apex
- Two long curving white rails with red edging sweeping from the bumpers down to the lower playfield
- Diamond/kite-shaped drop-target panels angled on both sides
- Sunburst rays radiating from behind the pop bumpers
- Oval ball-trough window cut into the apron
Art motifs
- Radiating sunburst rays
- Jagged starburst text panels
- Pin-up chorus line
- Arrows with reward text
- Retro atomic-age styling
Themes
- Aerospace
- Jets
- Pin-up
- Targets
- 1950s electromechanical
- Sunburst
Title on it
- All targets down
Text on it
- 100 POINTS WHEN LIT
- 50 POINTS WHEN LIT
- SPECIAL
- JET
- 10 SPECIAL
- 10 POINTS
- ON BUMPERS
- TARGETS SCORE
- 50 POINTS
- 200 POINTS
- WHEN LIT
- ALL TARGETS DOWN
- SCORE
- SPECIAL WHEN LIT
- BALLS PLAYED
- FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
- NO PRIZES
- NO WAGERING
- FLIPPER BUTTONS ON SIDE OF CABINET
- INSTRUCTIONS
- 5 BALLS PER PLAY
- 2 PLAYS
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Blonde pin-up showgirl, white strapless costume, standing left of centre facing forward with hand at hip |
| Woman | Dark-haired pin-up showgirl in white top and skirt, leaning in from left centre, arm raised |
| Woman | Red-haired pin-up showgirl in white top, centre-right, looking forward |
| Woman | Blonde pin-up showgirl in gold brassiere, right of centre |
| Woman | Blonde figure printed on the left diamond drop-target panel in a two-piece costume |
| Woman | Blonde figure printed on the right diamond drop-target panel, mirrored |
| Other | Small grinning sun face with radiating rays printed at the top of each side lane, near the top-corner star graphics |
| Vehicle | Small drawn jet aircraft and rocket motifs printed around the bumper rings and the centre insert |
A full-length view of a mid-century style electromechanical pinball playfield, photographed in its cabinet with bare metal side rails, wooden backbox edge and chrome legs visible. The lower third is a pale grey-blue apron carrying an INSTRUCTIONS card, a BALLS PLAYED window with a brass ball trough, a red arrow reading FLIPPER BUTTONS ON SIDE OF CABINET, a price panel, a QR code and a vertical ruler scale at the right edge. Above the apron the playfield is a flat saturated green with a huge yellow-and-red sunburst, four yellow lamp domes at the top and three red pop bumpers labelled JET, flanked by two yellow star-burst lamps. Curving white-and-red rails sweep down the sides past a row of card-suit icons and small sun faces. Four blonde pin-up women in white and brassiere costumes stand centre-field behind the lettering TARGETS SCORE, 50 POINTS WHEN LIT, 200 POINTS WHEN LIT and a jagged white burst reading ALL TARGETS DOWN / SCORE / SPECIAL WHEN LIT. Two diamond-shaped drop-target banks marked 10 POINTS sit left and right, each with a drawn blonde woman.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- green
- red
- blue
- pink
Fingerprint: big deal: BIG DEAL red serif letters on green marquee at bottom, enormous grinning clown head and shoulders spreading playing cards, four-reel score window reading 0000, five oversized cards, three pin-up women, joker cards in corners, city skyline behind
The most memorable element is an enormous grinning clown face looming over the whole backglass, stubbled and red-nosed, holding out a fan of five giant playing cards with both hands. Directly beneath his hands is a four-reel score window reading 0 0 0 0, and the biggest lettering in the image is the enormous red block-serif BIG DEAL across a green marquee at the bottom. Two tilted joker cards hang in at the lower left and lower right edges, framing three red-haired, cleavage-heavy pin-up women. A flat green sky with a dark purple-blue city skyline runs behind the clown's head.
Setting
- Flat green sky
- Dark blue and purple city skyline silhouette
- Striped circus tent at upper left
- Green marquee panel across the bottom
Symbols
- Playing-card suits (spades)
- Joker cards
- Spade pip symbols
- Red circular w emblem
- Score reels
- Yellow cone lamps
- Circus tent
- Flower in hair
Lettering
- Very large red slab-serif capitals with white and yellow inline outline and dark drop shadow, on a green marquee; small blue cursive script word above the title
Themes
- Clown
- Playing cards
- Big deal
- Pin-up women
- Circus
- City skyline
- Card deal
Title on it
- Big deal
Text on it
- BIG DEAL
- Williams
- W
- 9
- J
- K
- A
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Giant grinning clown, head and shoulders filling the top two-thirds, orange stubble, red bulbous nose, thick black eyebrows, white collar, small striped party hat, both hands spread palm-up dealing cards |
| Woman | Lower left corner, red-haired, pink plunging-neckline dress with ruffled skirt, holding a fan of cards |
| Woman | Lower right corner, blonde with red flowers in her hair, red and white plunging-neckline dress with puffed sleeves, holding cards |
| Woman | Mid-right edge, dark-haired in a pink and magenta costume with a feathered headdress, dancing with one arm raised |
| Animal | Small flying insect or mosquito with spread wings above the clown's left shoulder |
| Other | Jester figure drawn on each of two tilted white playing cards at the lower left and lower right edges |
A cartoon backglass dominated by a huge grinning clown head and shoulders filling the upper two-thirds. The clown has orange stubble, a bulbous red nose, heavy black eyebrows, a wide toothy smile and a striped carnival hat, and spreads both hands palm-up below his chin as if dealing. Behind him is a flat green sky with a dark blue and purple city skyline, a striped circus tent at upper left and a flying insect. Five oversized playing cards cross the centre: a nine of spades, two face cards, a king of spades and an ace of spades. Below the hands is a white-framed reel window with four reels reading 0 0 0 0, three yellow cone lamps above and a red-and-white circular W emblem at its left. The bottom third is a green marquee carrying huge red serif letters with white and yellow outlines reading BIG DEAL, with a blue script word above it. Three pin-up women in pink and red dresses occupy the lower left, lower right and mid-right edges, and two tilted joker cards fill the bottom corners.