1977 · Zaccaria
Circus
Known for Hole, CIRCUS targets and rollovers, Left rotating target and Top-center rollovers. Circus tent interior with radiating painted stripes, red, orange and green stage drapes down the left and right edges, dark navy-blue starry night sky with white and yellow starbursts, concentric pale spotlight rings in the upper right, a tiered crowd of tiny painted figures behind a red-and-white striped rail at the lower centre and a trapeze rig with two female acrobats at the upper centre.
- Year
- 1977
- Maker
- Zaccaria
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Hole
Hole
- Target
CIRCUS targets and rollovers
- rotating target
Left rotating target
- rollover
Top-center rollovers
On the playfield
Hole 1
- Hole
Targets 2
- CIRCUS targets and rollovers
- Left rotating target rotating target
Lanes 2
- Top-center rollovers rollover
- Top rollover button rollover
On the backglass
Who and what
- woman Left side, three-quarter view facing right. voluminous curly golden-blonde hair, red lips, gold choker, white-grey ruffled feather boa over a strapless bright orange bustier dress, green sash at the hip, pink and red skirt fabric below; holds a small cluster of flowers.
- man Right side, a clown. yellow-orange face with heavy black brows, large red ball nose, yellow hair, wide toothy grin. blue bow tie with white polka dots, magenta pointed wing collar, cream jacket covered in orange and green swirling filigree, green gloves with gold-fringed yellow cuffs, green trousers with a belt buckle. right hand raised palm-out in a wave.
- woman Two acrobats high in the centre in green leotards with frilled hip pieces, legs extended in dance poses, arms raised onto a trapeze or high-wire rig.
- other A dense crowd of small painted figures in the background at the lower centre, seated in tiered rows behind the striped arena rail.
Setting
- Circus tent interior with radiating painted stripes
- Red, orange and green stage drapes down the left and right edges
- Dark navy-blue starry night sky with white and yellow starbursts
- Concentric pale spotlight rings in the upper right
- A tiered crowd of tiny painted figures behind a red-and-white striped rail at the lower centre
- A trapeze rig with two female acrobats at the upper centre
Text on it
- CIRCUS
- 1 UP
- 2 UP
- 3 UP
- 4 UP
- 1 TO 4 CAN PLAY
- GAME OVER
How it plays
-
Modes 1
- CIRCUS
-
Goals 1
- Double Bonus
Made by
- Art
- Lorenzo Rimondini
Reference
Linked terms
- Hole also called center saucer also called Lit award hole
- CIRCUS targets and rollovers also called Circus letters
- Left rotating target also called left spinner
- Top-center rollovers also called Double Bonus rollovers also called top center lane
- CIRCUS also called Spell CIRCUS
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- red
- yellow
- blue
- green
Fingerprint: Instruction circus title, grey-white smoke plume blue cannon barrel center, score values printed 100 to 100,000 up smoke column, grinning green-faced ringmaster black top hat red jacket, two circular bumpers ROLL OVER 100,000, bright yellow ramp top center, white-faced clown yellow hair top left, green-haired clown top right, circus performers sequined acrobats strongman, psychedelic striped artwork.
The most memorable element is a plume of grey-white smoke rising from a blue cannon barrel in the centre of the lower playfield, with score values printed up the smoke column from 100 and 10,000 up to 100,000, next to a grinning green-faced ringmaster clown in a black top hat and red jacket. Second, two circular pop bumpers at the top centre each read 'ROLL OVER' over '100,000', framed by a bright yellow ramp. Third, a huge white-faced clown head with yellow hair at the top left corner and a matching green-haired clown at the top right corner peer over the arch. Fourth, the word 'CIRCUS' spelled in separate round lighted inserts across the middle of the playfield in a curved arc.
Setting
- Red and yellow star-flecked circus tent backdrop at the top of the playfield
- Yellow bleachers or arena seating behind the upper bumpers
- Grey smoke column rising through the centre
- Blue starburst apron at the bottom
Symbols
- Red five-pointed stars scattered on the upper background
- Blue-and-white starburst medallions on the apron
- Scattered playing-card suits (hearts, spades) on the upper background
- Smoke burst target
- Circus tent stripe motifs
- Cannon barrel
- Open animal cage
- Qr code sticker
Notable shapes
- Smoke plume shaped cannon in the centre of the lower playfield
- Arched clear plastic lane guides at top left and top right
- Large circular saucer holes in the lower middle
- Curved arc of round letter inserts spelling the word across the middle
- Two starburst medallions flanking the apron
Art motifs
- Hand-painted airbrushed circus-poster artwork
- Giant grinning clown portraits as boundary art
- Scalloped valance curtain motif across the middle
- Score values stamped directly onto painted objects
- Red, yellow and white striped tent canvas
Themes
- Circus
- Ringmaster
- Clowns
- Acrobats
- Strongman
- Cannon
- Fairground
Title on it
- Instruction circus
Text on it
- INSTRUCTION CIRCUS
- BONUS SCORE VALUE
- ROLL OVER 100,000
- DOUBLE BONUS SCORES
- TOP LEFT ROLLOVER LIGHT
- ADVANCE BONUS 500 POINTS
- SPINNING TARGET SCORES
- ALL LETTER BONUS 600 POINTS
- CIRCUS LETTERS
- BONUS BALL
- DOUBLE BONUS SCORE
- 3 BALLS PER GAME
- 025 G 1 PLAY
- YOUR TURN TO PLANT YOUR FLIPPER BUTTON
- 100,000
- 10,000
- 5,000
- 100
- 25,000
- 20,000
- 15,000
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Ringmaster clown, lower left: orange beard and moustache, green face paint, black top hat, blue ruffled collar, red jacket, wide toothy grin, large hands raised |
| Other | Clown head at top left corner, white face paint, bright yellow-green hair, big grinning mouth, ruff collar |
| Other | Clown head at top right corner, white face paint, green hair, holding a small red object, ruff collar |
| Man | Acrobat/human cannonball figure at top left of the upper playfield, arms outstretched, red and yellow costume |
| Woman | Trapeze or high-wire performer at top right, arms raised holding a bar, dark hair, red costume |
| Woman | Performer in a red sequined leotard and red boots, right of the smoke column, standing upright |
| Woman | Second performer in a red sequined leotard below the first, dark hair, standing |
| Man | Ringmaster/announcer in a green coat with tails, yellow shirt and white trousers, top right of the lower playfield |
| Man | Strongman in a green singlet with a painted green arm, flexing, left of the smoke column |
| Man | Bowler-hatted man in a green frock coat and pink plaid trousers, seated on a circus trunk at lower right beside an open cage |
| Animal | White horse with dark spots shown behind the seated man, in profile, part of the painted scene |
| Other | Additional clowns and acrobats painted small along the right-hand side lane and around the upper playfield |
Vividly painted circus-themed pinball playfield photographed under blue and magenta LED lighting, with a red-and-yellow star-flecked backdrop at the top and a blue-and-white starburst apron at the bottom. A grinning ringmaster clown dominates the lower left: orange beard, green face paint, black top hat, blue ruffled collar, red jacket, monocle-style grin. At the top left corner a white-faced clown with bright yellow hair grins; top right another white-faced clown with green hair holds a small red object. Two circular pop bumpers near the top centre read 'ROLL OVER 100,000', flanked by a yellow plastic ramp and clear lane guides. Down the centre runs a smoking cannon barrel marked with values from 100 up to 100,000, with a red round 'SPINNING TARGET SCORES' disc above it. Right of centre stand circus performers: two women in red sequined leotards, a man in a green coat and yellow shirt, and a strongman in a green leotard flexing. Lower right a bowler-hatted man in a green coat and pink plaid trousers sits on a trunk beside an open cage, with a spotted horse behind him. Two white flippers, a large 'BONUS BALL' saucer and a 'DOUBLE BONUS SCORE' ring sit in the lower middle, with a white instruction card and a QR-code card taped to the apron.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- navy blue
- orange
- pink
- gold
Fingerprint: Clown with yellow face red ball nose blue polka-dot bow tie waves from right, feather-boasted woman in orange bustier on left, "CIRCUS" in salmon-pink letters across curved gold ribbon banner, trapeze troupe of two women in green leotards performing high in starry navy background, miniature circus crowd behind red-white striped ring rail, surface heavily crazed.
A clown with a yellow face, big red ball nose and blue polka-dot bow tie waves from the right side, paired with a feather-boasted woman in an orange bustier on the left. The title CIRCUS is painted in big salmon-pink letters across a curved gold ribbon banner. A trapeze troupe of two women in green leotards performs high in the starry navy background above the title, while a miniature circus crowd sits behind a red-and-white striped ring rail below it. The whole surface is heavily crazed with age, with visible varnish cracks, scratches and grime.
Setting
- Circus tent interior with radiating painted stripes
- Red, orange and green stage drapes down the left and right edges
- Dark navy-blue starry night sky with white and yellow starbursts
- Concentric pale spotlight rings in the upper right
- A tiered crowd of tiny painted figures behind a red-and-white striped rail at the lower centre
- A trapeze rig with two female acrobats at the upper centre
Symbols
- Five-pointed stars of varying size scattered across the navy background
- Concentric-circle spotlight targets
- Red-and-white striped arena rail
- Curved gold ribbon banner
- Flower posy
- Trapeze bars and ropes
Lettering
- Large hand-painted slab-serif capitals in salmon pink with a darker red outline and drop shadow on a swept gold ribbon; small captions in plain condensed black capitals
Themes
- Circus
- Clown
- Trapeze
- Acrobatics
- Big top
- Carnival
Title on it
- Circus
Text on it
- CIRCUS
- 1 UP
- 2 UP
- 3 UP
- 4 UP
- 1 TO 4 CAN PLAY
- GAME OVER
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Left side, three-quarter view facing right. voluminous curly golden-blonde hair, red lips, gold choker, white-grey ruffled feather boa over a strapless bright orange bustier dress, green sash at the hip, pink and red skirt fabric below; holds a small cluster of flowers. |
| Man | Right side, a clown. yellow-orange face with heavy black brows, large red ball nose, yellow hair, wide toothy grin. blue bow tie with white polka dots, magenta pointed wing collar, cream jacket covered in orange and green swirling filigree, green gloves with gold-fringed yellow cuffs, green trousers with a belt buckle. right hand raised palm-out in a wave. |
| Woman | Two acrobats high in the centre in green leotards with frilled hip pieces, legs extended in dance poses, arms raised onto a trapeze or high-wire rig. |
| Other | A dense crowd of small painted figures in the background at the lower centre, seated in tiered rows behind the striped arena rail. |
A circus-themed backglass inside a wide mauve-pink wooden border. A tan-gold ribbon banner arcs across the middle carrying the title CIRCUS in large salmon-pink slab serif letters with a darker red outline. Left of the banner stands a woman with voluminous curly golden hair, a gold choker, a white-grey ruffled feather boa over a bright orange bustier dress and a green sash at her hip, holding a small posy. Right stands a grinning clown with a yellow face, red ball nose, blue polka-dot bow tie, magenta wing collar, a cream jacket swirled with orange and green filigree, green gloves with yellow fringed cuffs and green trousers, one gloved hand raised in a wave. The background is dark navy blue and starry, with radiating circus tent stripes and red, orange and green stage drapes down the edges. Two acrobatic women in green leotards pose on a trapeze high in the centre, and a tiny painted crowd sits behind a red-and-white striped arena rail at the bottom. Four windows of mechanical split-flap score reels run across the top and lower third.