1980 · Stern Electronics
Cheetah
Known for Top drop target 3-bank, Middle-right 3-bank, 1-2-3-4-5 bank and Upper right star targets. Dense tropical jungle foliage of layered palm and banana leaves, hanging crimson and red trumpet-shaped flowers on green stems and flat teal-blue sky inside the central oval window.
- Year
- 1980
- Maker
- Stern Electronics
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Target
Top drop target 3-bank
- Target
Middle-right 3-bank
- Target
1-2-3-4-5 bank
- Target
Upper right star targets
- Lane
Collect Bonus lane
On the playfield
- green
- orange
- black
- yellow
- 2 flippers
- 3 pop bumpers
- 2 slingshots
Spinner 1
- Upper right spinner
Targets 4
- Top drop target 3-bank
- Middle-right 3-bank
- 1-2-3-4-5 bank
- Upper right star targets
Lanes 5
- Collect Bonus lane
- Horseshoe lane
- Right side kickback lane
- Near in lanes
- Far in lanes
Flipper 1
- Upper left flipper
On the backglass
Who and what
- woman Single adult woman, tan/light-brown skin, topless apart from an ornate gold filigree breastplate with circular medallions, black-and-gold patterned bikini bottom, jewel-studded forehead cap over brown wavy hair, gold hoop earrings, layered beaded necklace, armlets and bangles, anklets, strappy gold sandals; posed facing the viewer with one hand on hip and one leg bent and raised behind her
- animal Cheetah sitting in profile-frontal at lower centre-left, golden coat with dense black spots, long tail curled on the ground, wearing a turquoise collar with a gold chain and round medallion
- animal Second cheetah sitting just behind and right of the first, head turned toward the viewer, spotted golden coat, no visible collar
Setting
- Dense tropical jungle foliage of layered palm and banana leaves
- Hanging crimson and red trumpet-shaped flowers on green stems
- Flat teal-blue sky inside the central oval window
Text on it
- CHEETAH
- MATCH
- ALL IN PLAY
- GAME OVER
- CREDIT
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
How it plays
-
Goals 1
- Max Base Bonus
Made by
- Design
- Harry Williams
Reference
Linked terms
- Top drop target 3-bank also called Top Bonus X bank also called top three-bank
- Middle-right 3-bank also called Right 3-bank also called Right three-bank
- 1-2-3-4-5 bank also called Numbered five-bank
- Upper right star targets also called Star targets
- Collect Bonus lane also called Left orbit also called Far-left Collect Bonus lane
- Horseshoe lane also called Horseshoe
- Right side kickback lane also called Kickback lane also called Right chute
- Far in lanes also called Outer return lanes
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- green
- orange
- black
- yellow
Fingerprint: bonus: Pair of spotted cheetahs standing shoulder-to-shoulder on lower half, one adult with another smaller, facing pin-up huntress in leopard-print bikini top; whole lower two-thirds walled in overlapping green banana leaves; curved red-gold BONUS banner with 2X and 5X roundels above vertical ladder of round inserts from 100,000 down to 10,000
The single most memorable feature is the pair of spotted cheetahs standing shoulder to shoulder on the lower half of the playfield, one grown and one smaller, painted in full yellow-and-black rosettes and facing a pin-up huntress in a leopard-print bikini top and brown trousers. Second, the whole lower two-thirds is walled in thickly overlapping green banana leaves, making the playfield look like a jungle clearing with almost no bare wood. Third, the curved red-and-gold BONUS banner with its 2X and 5X roundels, sitting dead centre above a neat vertical ladder of round inserts from 100,000 down to 10,000. Fourth, the top-right white rectangular target bank whose face is printed as a row of playing-card pips, with a blue star and a cluster of small coloured round inserts below it. Fifth, a spotted cat face lurking in the dark foliage at the extreme upper left corner.
Setting
- Dense tropical jungle of overlapping banana and palm leaves
- Warm orange and amber painted upper-playfield panel
- Dark teal-green flat ground behind the central figures
Symbols
- Playing-card faces on the upper-right rectangular target bank
- White diamond-shaped targets marked 5 and 5,000
- Round 2x and 5x bonus medallions
- Blue star insert
- Cluster of small red, yellow, blue and white round inserts
- White triangular lane guides with arrow-like slats
- Orange scrolled ramp rails with concentric spiral ends
Notable shapes
- Two large orange spiral-scroll ramp rails curling inward at the lower corners, a curved green-outlined bonus banner with round 2x/5x medallions at its ends, a straight vertical ladder of round scoring inserts down the centre, and the heavy black leaf border that frames the entire playfield
Art motifs
- Overlapping banana and palm fronds framing every edge
- Circular rainbow-tinted arcs behind the upper bumpers
- Vintage airbrushed gradients and flat comic-style inking
- Stippled screen-print dot shading on the upper panel
Themes
- Jungle safari
- Big game hunting
- Cheetahs
- Africa
Title on it
- Bonus
Text on it
- BONUS
- 2X
- 5X
- 100,000
- 90,000
- 80,000
- 70,000
- 60,000
- 50,000
- 40,000
- 30,000
- 20,000
- 10,000
- SHOOT AGAIN WHEN LIT
- COLLECT BONUS
- FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
- STERN ELECTRONICS, INC.
- CHICAGO, ILLINOIS
- CHUTE
- CHEETAH
- ADVANCE
- 5,000
- EXTRA BONUS
- EXTRA BONUS WHEN LIT
- BALL IN PLAY WHEN LIT
- ADVANCE TO BONUS
- 5,000 EXTRA BONUS
- 3 BALLS PER GAME
- 1 PLAY - QUARTER
- 6 PLAYS - DOLLAR COIN
- 1,000,000
- SPECIAL SCORE & REPLAY
- REPLAY
- SCORE
- TILT
- QUARTER
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Painted huntress standing at lower centre-right, three-quarter view facing left, long dark hair, tan skin, spotted cheetah-print bikini top, high-waisted brown trousers, cartridge belt at the hip, one hand on her waist, bare feet, calm confident expression looking down-left toward the flippers |
| Animal | Large adult cheetah/leopard in profile at lower centre-left, yellow coat with black rosettes, head turned toward the right, long tail curving forward and up, legs in mid-stride |
| Animal | Second smaller spotted big cat directly behind and left of the adult, only head, neck and shoulder visible, same yellow-and-black rosetted coat, looking right |
| Animal | Spotted cat face peering out of the dark foliage at the extreme upper left corner of the playfield, yellow-and-black rosetted head only |
A jungle-hunting themed electro-mechanical playfield, dominated by dense overlapping green banana and palm leaves painted over a dark teal-green ground, with a warm orange and amber upper-playfield panel. At lower centre a full-colour painted woman stands in a three-quarter pose: dark hair, tan skin, a spotted cheetah-print bikini top, brown trousers, and a cartridge belt at her hip, one hand resting on her waist, looking down towards the left flipper. Beside her, at lower left of centre, stand two spotted big cats — a large adult cheetah/leopard in profile with its tail curled forward, and a smaller second cat head just behind it. A third spotted cat face peers out of the foliage at the extreme upper left. Across the centre, an ornate curved banner with green outline and white/gold serif letters reads BONUS, flanked by round medallions marked 2X and 5X. Below it runs a vertical ladder of round scoring inserts reading 100,000, 90,000, 80,000, 70,000, 60,000, 50,000, 40,000, 30,000, 20,000 and 10,000, one of which glows bright cyan. The upper playfield is crowded with three red-and-white striped domed bumpers, a small ramp and wire guides, a lit rectangular target bank with playing-card faces, and white diamond-shaped targets marked 5 and 5,000. Two slingshots and two yellow-and-white flippers sit low, flanked by ball-save and advance instruction cards. Orange scrolled ramps curl at both lower corners above the apron, which carries FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY and a STERN ELECTRONICS, INC. / CHICAGO, ILLINOIS plate, plus two cream instruction cards.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- green
- orange
- red
- black
Fingerprint: 'CHEETAH' in wide orange block capitals on cream arched band, topless pin-up woman in gold filigree breastplate and gold jewels with one leg raised, two spotted cheetahs at feet one wearing turquoise-gold collar, jungle foliage with green palm leaves and crimson flower spikes, four numbered corners, pin-up safari.
A pin-up woman in gold jewellery and a filigree breastplate posed with one leg kicked up behind her, with two spotted cheetahs sitting at her feet - the single most memorable image. Four player numbers (1, 2, 3, 4) in the four corners of the backglass, each paired with its own rectangular score window. The title CHEETAH in wide orange block capitals spanning an arched cream band at the top, with a separate cursive manufacturer script logo tucked to its upper right. Dense green palm leaves and crimson flower spikes crowding every inch of background, in a flat, saturated, comic-book/airbrushed style with heavy black outlines.
Setting
- Dense tropical jungle foliage of layered palm and banana leaves
- Hanging crimson and red trumpet-shaped flowers on green stems
- Flat teal-blue sky inside the central oval window
Symbols
- Gold art-nouveau scrollwork border
- Corner filigree flourishes
- Four numbered player panels in corner medallions
- Rectangular score windows
- Match and all in play banners
- Gold jewellery and medallions
- Red flower spikes
Lettering
- Large wide orange-gold sans-serif block capitals with a thin dark outline for the title on a cream arched band; a separate cursive/script signature logo in cream and orange at upper right; small white stencil capitals for game over; small white capitals on green ribbon banners
Themes
- Jungle
- Big cat
- Pin-up
- Adventure
- African safari
Title on it
- Cheetah
Text on it
- CHEETAH
- MATCH
- ALL IN PLAY
- GAME OVER
- CREDIT
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Single adult woman, tan/light-brown skin, topless apart from an ornate gold filigree breastplate with circular medallions, black-and-gold patterned bikini bottom, jewel-studded forehead cap over brown wavy hair, gold hoop earrings, layered beaded necklace, armlets and bangles, anklets, strappy gold sandals; posed facing the viewer with one hand on hip and one leg bent and raised behind her |
| Animal | Cheetah sitting in profile-frontal at lower centre-left, golden coat with dense black spots, long tail curled on the ground, wearing a turquoise collar with a gold chain and round medallion |
| Animal | Second cheetah sitting just behind and right of the first, head turned toward the viewer, spotted golden coat, no visible collar |
Illuminated square backglass framed in black with an ornate gold-and-orange art-nouveau style border of scrolls, filigree and corner flourishes. A large arched panel at top centre carries the title CHEETAH in large orange-gold block capitals on a warm cream band. Below it stands a single woman, topless and wearing an ornate gold filigree breastplate, a black-and-gold patterned bikini bottom, heavy gold jewellery (hooped earrings, layered necklace, armlets, bangles, anklets) and gold strappy sandals, with a jewel-studded forehead cap and brown wavy hair; she faces the viewer, hand on hip, one leg crossed and raised behind her. Two spotted cheetahs sit side by side at her feet, both facing forward, the nearer wearing a turquoise-and-gold collar with a round medallion. The whole figure group is set inside a rounded oval window against a flat teal-blue sky, with 'GAME OVER' stencilled in white at left of her hip. The surround is jungle foliage: layered green palm and banana leaves and hanging crimson/red gladiolus-like blooms. Four numbered player windows, 1 to 4, sit in the corners, each above a rectangular score display; small banners read MATCH and ALL IN PLAY, and a CREDIT counter sits between two lit score windows.