1990 · Williams
Diner
Known for Whirlpool, Today's Special, EAT lanes and Dine-Time. Night sky, full moon, street lamps, water tower and silhouetted buildings.
- Year
- 1990
- Maker
- Williams
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Toy
Whirlpool
- saucer
Today's Special
- Lane
EAT lanes
- Goal
Dine-Time
- Mode
Stir the Cup
On the playfield
Toy 1
- Whirlpool
Holes 2
- Today's Special saucer
- Upper saucer saucer
Lock 1
- Lock
Target 1
- Grill target
Lanes 2
- Spinner lane
- EAT lanes
Backbox 1
- Clock hand backglass toy
On the backglass
Who and what
- woman Waitresses in short-sleeved uniforms serving seated customers inside the lit picture windows; several with ponytails and holding trays or coffee pots
- man Seated male customers in shirts and hats eating at the counter and booths in the right-hand windows
- other A white-hatted cook or server leaning through the central-left serving window
- vehicle A blue 1950s convertible with a red flame pattern along its flanks, chrome bumper and whitewall tyres, driving in from the lower right
Setting
- Night sky
- Full moon
- Street lamps
- Water tower
- Silhouetted buildings
Text on it
- DINER
- Williams
- GOOD
- DIME
- TIME
- BOOTH SERVICE
- HOME OF THE BOTTOMLESS CUP
- OPEN
- SPECIAL
- AIR CONDITIONED
- HOT COFFEE
How it plays
-
Modes 2
- Stir the Cup
- Beat the Rush
-
Goals 3
- Dine-Time
- Diner letters
- Food
-
Awards 2
- Cash Register
- Advance Dine-Time
Made by
- Design
- Mark Ritchie
- Art
- Mark Sprenger
- Software
- Jim Strompolis
- Sound & Music
- Chris Granner
The cast
- Haji
- Babs
- Boris
- Pepe
- Buck
Reference
Linked terms
- Whirlpool also called The Cup
- Today's Special also called Today's Special sinkhole also called Today's Special hole
- Upper saucer also called upper-left saucer also called top saucer
- Grill target also called Grill
- EAT lanes also called EAT top lanes
- Lock also called Left-ramp lock
- Stir the Cup also called Stirring the Cup
- Diner letters also called Diner
- Food also called Serve
- Beat the Rush also called Rush-1 also called Rush-2 also called Rush 1 and Rush 2
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- red
- white
- black
- yellow
Fingerprint: Big league title, red-and-white chequered diner tablecloth background, red-and-white vertically striped pillars framing playfield, large translucent blue plastic dome tunnel top center with painted figure inside, red-and-blue lamps, center arched BIG LEAGUE banner with cartoon batter, run values 50K 75K 100K 250K, curved clear plastic ramps sweeping sides, red triangular slingshots, cream-red-white palette.
The whole surface is a red-and-white chequered diner tablecloth with matching red-and-white vertically striped pillars framing the playfield like giant candles. The other memorable feature is a big translucent blue plastic dome tunnel at the top centre with a painted character inside it, lit by red and blue lamps. Third, the centre of the field carries the arched BIG LEAGUE banner with a cartoon batter figure above the words and the run values 50K 75K 100K 250K printed on a white ribbon underneath. Finally, the lower playfield art is literally food: a grilling fork holding fried eggs and meat sits on the apron between the instruction cards.
Setting
- Red-and-white chequered diner-cloth pattern covering the entire playfield
- Rows of painted spectator heads in caps along an arc mid-field
- Dark blue and black areas in the upper playfield behind the plastics
Symbols
- Red-and-white chequered squares
- Red-and-white striped poles
- Playing-card-like rectangular plaques
- Fork and fried eggs
- Serving platter
- Coins
Notable shapes
- Blue dome tunnel top centre, chequerboard field, striped column posts, curved clear ball guides looping from the lower field to the top, and two red triangular slings
Art motifs
- Chequerboard tablecloth
- Striped candy-cane pillars
- Food and grilling imagery
- Vintage advertising serif lettering
- Spot-gloss cartoon outlines
Themes
- Diner
- Restaurant
- Baseball
- Sport
- Novelty
- Checkered
Title on it
- Big league
Text on it
- BIG LEAGUE
- 50K 75K 100K 250K
- LANE CHANGE
- Williams
- HOLD FLIPPER BUTTON FOR STATUS REPORT
- GUEST CHECK
- 16-37J-4
- DINER
- COLLECT
- PRESS FOR SERVICE
- SERVE A NEW
- 25c
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Cartoon baseball player in a cap and uniform standing above the central big league banner, arms raised, drawn in black outline with yellow trim |
| Man | Large caricature head with a bald round crown and grinning face set inside a red dome at the upper left, in a gold-framed panel |
| Woman | Painted cartoon waitress or diner girl in a red-and-white check uniform on the lower right apron panel, holding a tray |
| Woman | Second painted diner girl in a blue outfit at the far lower right edge, partially cropped |
| Man | Small painted figure in a red cap near the upper right, seated or leaning beside a striped column |
| Other | Painted figure visible inside the translucent blue plastic dome/tunnel at top centre |
| Other | Crowd of painted spectator heads in caps lining the arc above the lower playfield |
A long, narrow playfield photographed from above through glass, dominated by a red-and-white chequered diner-check background. Down each outer edge run tall red-and-white vertically striped cylindrical posts (candlestick/diner-column shapes), and clear curved plastic ramps sweep up both sides into the upper playfield. At the very top centre sits a large translucent blue plastic dome or tunnel with a painted figure inside, flanked by two more striped figures and a gold-framed panel at upper left containing a caricature head with a round bald crown. Two circular pop-bumper housings with red lamps glow just below the blue dome. Centre playfield carries a large arched banner with heavy black-and-brown block lettering reading BIG LEAGUE, with a cartoon baseball-player figure standing above it and the score values 50K 75K 100K 250K printed beneath on a white ribbon. Below the banner is an arc of painted spectator heads in caps, a blue-and-red striped arch, two big yellow-and-red cone shapes, and a cream nameplate reading SERVE A NEW. Two red triangular slingshots flank two red flippers. The apron carries metal instruction cards: GUEST CHECK with rules text and part number 16-37J-4 on the left, a list panel on the right headed DINER, and printed yellow captions LANE CHANGE, COLLECT, and HOLD FLIPPER BUTTON FOR STATUS REPORT. Below the playfield is a red lockdown bar, a black coin-door panel with two red 25-cent coin slots and a yellow PRESS FOR SERVICE sticker, and a red plunger knob at lower left.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- red
- blue
- yellow
- black
Fingerprint: Huge neon-ringed clock face bigger than diner roof overlapping title with black numerals and small blue banner, flame-tailed blue-and-red 1950s convertible bursting from bottom right corner nose cut off by frame, row of large round white bulb globes running along chrome roofline, front of diner a strip of six tiny lit picture windows each with cartoon scene
The single most memorable element is a huge neon-ringed clock face, bigger than the diner roof, overlapping the title, with black numerals and a small blue banner across its middle. Second is the flame-tailed blue-and-red 1950s convertible that bursts in from the bottom right corner, its nose cut off by the frame edge. Third is the row of large round white bulb globes running along the chrome roofline, echoed by the bulb-studded red and teal clock bezel. Fourth, the front of the diner is a strip of six tiny lit picture windows, each with its own small cartoon scene of customers and staff.
Setting
- Night sky
- Full moon
- Street lamps
- Water tower
- Silhouetted buildings
Symbols
- Oversized street clock with 1 to 12 numerals
- Round bulb globes on the roofline
- Red-and-white striped awning
- Neon script lettering
- Red speed lines behind the title
- Clipping topiary shrubs in planters
- Flame graphics on the car body
Lettering
- Title in very large slanted red-outlined block capitals with a pale gradient fill, italic shadowed script for the maker name, hand-painted white serif display lettering on the lower red wall, and a scripty neon sign across the roofline
Themes
- Roadside diner
- Neon signage
- Clock
- Night-time street scene
- 1950s american cafe
Title on it
- Diner
Text on it
- DINER
- Williams
- GOOD
- DIME
- TIME
- BOOTH SERVICE
- HOME OF THE BOTTOMLESS CUP
- OPEN
- SPECIAL
- AIR CONDITIONED
- HOT COFFEE
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Waitresses in short-sleeved uniforms serving seated customers inside the lit picture windows; several with ponytails and holding trays or coffee pots |
| Man | Seated male customers in shirts and hats eating at the counter and booths in the right-hand windows |
| Other | A white-hatted cook or server leaning through the central-left serving window |
| Vehicle | A blue 1950s convertible with a red flame pattern along its flanks, chrome bumper and whitewall tyres, driving in from the lower right |
A brightly painted, cartoon-illustrated night-time view of a neon-lit American-style roadside diner, seen head-on and filling the frame. Across the top runs the enormous title DINER in slanted red block capitals with a yellow-to-white gradient face, heavy black outline and cream drop shadow, flanked by sweeping speed lines. Behind and over the title sits a gigantic circular clock: red-and-teal concentric rings studded with bulb dots, a white cream face with black numerals 1 to 12, black hour and minute hands, and a small dark blue banner at the centre. The diner building occupies the lower two-thirds: a chrome-edged flat roof with a row of round white bulb globes, a red-and-white striped awning, a central red door with an oval window and a glowing OPEN sign, flanked by two clipped round green shrubs in red planters. Six small rectangular picture windows run along the front, each containing cartoon diners, waitresses and a car. Below, the red lower wall carries white lettering. The sky is deep midnight blue with a large flat yellow full moon at upper right, silhouetted street lamps, a water tower and low buildings. A blue-and-red flame-fendered 1950s convertible sweeps in from the lower right.