Made by
- Design
- Don Hooker
Vision analysis
On the playfield
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- yellow
- red
- blue
- cream
- white
Fingerprint: CAROUSEL, huge radial burst jagged lightning rays (yellow-teal-cream) filling lower playfield, horizontal ring pink-rimmed letter discs spelling CAROUSEL across burst, cream flipper bats oddly high above red deck, six mushroom pop-bumpers white 10-point caps, no character artwork anywhere (purely abstract), mechanical score reels, carnival-fairground starburst medallions, mid-century graphic design, black keyline heavy-outline style
The centrepiece is a huge hand-painted radial burst of jagged lightning rays in yellow, teal and cream that fills most of the lower playfield, rather than a scene or a character. A horizontal row of pink-rimmed circular letter discs spelling the machine name arcs across the middle of that burst, and the two cream flipper bats sit oddly high, above the red lower deck, framed by green plastics. The playfield is unusually bright and flat-lit with no backglass in frame, and the cabinet sides show a mid-century red-and-cream swirl-and-starburst pinstriped panel. Condition is notably imperfect: the lower deck carries heavy white speckling and scuffs, and a QR code sticker is stuck on the right-hand apron. Two pops have visibly yellowed plastic, and the oak rails are worn and scuffed along the top edge.
Setting
- No backglass or score panel is in frame; only a sliver of the wooden backbox interior rail is visible at the top
- The lower cabinet front is visible below the playfield, painted red and cream with a white swirl and a small white starburst motif
- An oak front rail crosses the full width of the image with a rectangular chrome coin-door plate centred in it
- Wooden legs and side rails frame the cabinet, all against a plain black studio background
Symbols
- An arc of cream round bulb inserts running along both upper diagonals of the playfield
- Two red circular discs reading special when lit, one on each blue side panel
- A small circular badge reading scores 6 when lit on each side panel
- Red-outlined arrow motifs pointing outwards on the blue side panels
- A white starburst motif on the red cabinet side panel
- A qr code sticker with tiny printed text on the right apron
- A rectangular chrome coin-slot plate on the oak front rail
Notable shapes
- The enormous jagged lightning fan filling the centre of the playfield
- A shallow upward arc of eleven pink-rimmed letter discs
- A red five-pointed star outline containing 100 on the left of the reels, mirrored by a star containing 200 on the right
- Two round yellow flared bases on the slingshot assemblies
- A scalloped cream cloud edge separating the yellow fan from the red lower deck
- A large five-lobed decorative cream medallion at the top centre of the playfield
Art motifs
- A huge radial burst of jagged lightning bolts in yellow, teal, cream and red, painted so every ray points outward from the two bonus reels
- A ring of carnival-fairground starburst and scalloped medallion shapes behind the pop bumpers
- Repeating scalloped red-and-cream arch motifs in the upper playfield background
- Black keyline outlines around every colour field, giving a heavy comic-print look
- Scalloped cream clouds framing the central fan
Themes
- Carousel
- Carnival
- Fairground
- Lightning
- Starburst
- Mid-century graphic design
- Mechanical score reels
Title on it
- Carousel
Text on it
- CAROUSEL
- BONUS
- OPENS BONUS POCKET
- LITES SPECIAL FOLLOWER
- LITES SPECIAL TARGETS
- SCORES 10
- ALL TARGETS ADVANCE CARNIVAL
- SPECIAL WHEN LIT
- 10 POINTS EACH
- FLIPPER
- 100
- 200
- 90
- 80
- 70
- 60
- 50
- 40
- 30
- 20
- 10
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | No human, animal or character artwork appears anywhere on the playfield; the design is entirely abstract and typographic, with figures limited to the mechanical playfield hardware itself |
| Other | Six mushroom bumpers fill the upper third in two staggered rows of three; each has a white conical cap printed with 10 points each, a yellow skirt and a base ringed with small round lamps; the centre bumper of the lower row is lit an intense blue-white |
| Other | Five plain white cylindrical posts with domed caps stand in a row below the bumpers, two of them flanking a pair of blue-faced lane guides |
| Other | Eleven pink-rimmed circular discs on cream centres carry teal letters, arranged in a shallow upward arc across the middle of the playfield |
A full-view photograph of a pinball playfield and lower cabinet, shot from above and slightly in front with the whole machine framed against a black background. The playfield is dominated by a huge central burst of jagged yellow, teal, cream and red lightning-fan rays radiating outward from two red-and-cream bonus reels, with a large red BONUS wordmark across the middle. Across that fan sits a ring of pink-rimmed letter discs reading CAROUSEL, flanked by two white flipper bats. Five white plastic posts and two blue-faced lane guides sit above the reels, and six mushroom pop bumpers with white 10-point caps fill the upper third, one of them lit bright blue-white. Blue side panels carry red SPECIAL WHEN LIT discs, and the whole arc of the mid-field is lined with cream bulb inserts. Below the fan the playfield gives way to a large plain dusty-red lower deck speckled with white paint wear, ending in an oak front rail with a small coin-slot plate.
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- red
- yellow
- blue
- green
Fingerprint: Giant glossy red-orange "CARNIVAL" title arched across yellow banner below green-white striped big-top tent with side tents, row of seven carnival figures including black chimp in sailor outfit and women holding game-instruction placards, festoon light strings, flagpoles and pennants, mechanical score windows in red frames with blue-white beaded surrounds.
A giant glossy red-orange CARNIVAL title arched across a yellow banner beneath a green-and-white striped big-top tent, flanked by two red mechanical score windows (1ST PLAYER showing 5 9 7, 2ND PLAYER showing 0 0 0) in blue-and-white beaded surrounds. A row of seven carnival characters including a black chimp in a sailor outfit and three women holding game-instruction placards. Festoon light strings, flagpoles and pennants fill the fairground sky, and a round restoration sticker sits on the red-and-white striped lower-left panel.
Setting
- Fairground midway
- Striped big-top tent
- Festoon light strings
- Flagpoles with pennants
- Tan midway ground
Symbols
- Festoon light bulbs
- Flagpoles with pennant flags
- Striped big-top tent
- Blue crystal ball
- Yellow balloon
- Small stars
- Wavy white streamers
- Mechanical reel score windows
- Red-and-white vertical stripe panels
Lettering
- Large glossy red-orange bubble capitals with cream and black drop shadow for the title; hand-lettered red capitals on yellow banners; blue block capitals with drop shadow on the player labels; black hand-lettering on coloured placards
Themes
- Carnival
- Fairground
- Circus
- Midway
- Sideshow
- Two player
- Skill game
Title on it
- Carnival
Text on it
- Bally
- CARNIVAL
- 1 OR 2 CAN PLAY
- IT'S FUN TO COMPETE
- 1ST PLAYER
- 2ND PLAYER
- 5 9 7
- 0 0 0
- 22
- PLAYERS
- 1
- 2
- BALL IN PLAY
- GAME OVER
- PLAY PINBALL
- America's Favorite Skillgame
- TWO CAN PLAY
- It's fun to compete!
- SHOW YOUR SKILL
- TILT
- Another
- BGR
- Restoration
- restoration.com
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Far left, dark hair in victory-roll curls, red off-shoulder gown, pearl necklace, smiling and waving, beside a pale blue crystal ball on the counter |
| Other | Sailor-costumed clown, navy-and-white striped shirt and trousers, red neckerchief, white spats, paper crown, red nose, holding a red play pinball placard |
| Animal | Small black chimpanzee standing upright on its hind legs with both arms raised beside the clown |
| Woman | Blonde hair in an updo, red polka-dot halter top and matching shorts, necklace, holding a red two can play placard |
| Woman | Stout, curly blonde hair, small crown, full red ruffled off-shoulder gown, holding a pale it's fun to compete! placard |
| Woman | Dark hair in a high bun, yellow fringed costume with bead trim, holding a red show your skill placard |
| Man | Far right, dark hair, wide grin, blue jacket over orange shirt, one arm raised in a wave |
Landscape painted backglass in a bold 1960s-70s American cartoon style, framed by a pale tan wooden-looking border. The top third shows a fairground midway: a green-and-white striped big-top tent roof, red side tents, four tall poles strung with festoon light bulbs, small red, white and blue pennant flags, and fairground rigging with a ferris wheel hinted at upper right. A white flag at top centre carries a red cursive script wordmark reading Bally, and below it the main title CARNIVAL in huge glossy red-orange bubble letters with cream and black drop shadows, arched across a wide yellow banner. Flanking the title, the left yellow banner reads 1 OR 2 CAN PLAY in red capitals and the right one reads IT'S FUN TO COMPETE. Two rectangular red score windows with blue-and-white beaded surrounds sit left and right of centre: the left labelled 1ST PLAYER shows three mechanical reels reading 5 9 7, the right labelled 2ND PLAYER shows 0 0 0, with a small tan card reading 22 between them. Below, seven figures stand in a row on tan ground before a pale blue backdrop of wavy white streamers, small stars and a yellow balloon: a dark-haired woman in a red off-shoulder gown waving beside a blue crystal ball; a striped sailor-costumed clown in a paper crown holding a red PLAY PINBALL sign; a small black chimpanzee with raised arms; a blonde woman in a red polka-dot two-piece holding TWO CAN PLAY; a stout woman in a full red ruffled gown and small crown holding an It's fun to compete! sign; a dark-haired woman in a yellow fringed costume holding SHOW YOUR SKILL; and a grinning dark-haired man in a blue jacket and orange shirt waving. Lower left has a green PLAYERS panel with 1 and 2 over red-and-white vertical stripes, lower right a yellow BALL IN PLAY panel, and a blue GAME OVER strip runs along the bottom.