1979 · Stern Electronics
Dracula
Known for Upper drop targets, Star loop, Upper left saucer and Left drop targets. Dark navy night sky with scattered white stars, wrought-iron cemetery gate with spearhead finials across the middle, black wrought-iron lamp post at upper right, tombstone and bare tree silhouettes, blood-red pool of water on the right, yellow-lit dirt path receding to upper right and red-tiled roof of a building seen from above in the lower centre.
- Year
- 1979
- Maker
- Stern Electronics
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Drop target
Upper drop targets
- loop
Star loop
- saucer
Upper left saucer
- Drop target
Left drop targets
- Target
XYZ targets
On the playfield
- deep red
- orange
- gold
- black
- cream
- 2 flippers
- 4 pop bumpers
- 2 slingshots
Orbit 1
- Star loop loop
Hole 1
- Upper left saucer saucer
Bumper 1
- Passive bumper
Drop targets 2
- Upper drop targets
- Left drop targets
Targets 2
- Right side standup targets
- XYZ targets
Lane 1
- Star rollovers rollovers
Flipper 1
- Upper flipper extra flipper
On the backglass
Who and what
- man Large vampire, pale skin, black slicked-back hair with widow's peak, sideburns, snarling open-mouthed expression, yellow shirt with ruffled white front, huge high-collared cape lined in red over purple, holding the woman in both arms
- woman Large, blonde wavy hair, eyes rolled back and head thrown back in a faint, torn pale blue-white gown slipping off one shoulder, bare legs, one arm outstretched, limp across the vampire's arms
- woman Small, at the front of the group on the right, long dark hair, yellow top and red skirt, arm raised holding a flaming torch
- man Small, beside her, bald or short-haired, white open shirt, blue trousers, running forward
- woman Small, dark-haired, in a dark dress, running up the path
- man Small, further up the path, pale shirt
Setting
- Dark navy night sky with scattered white stars
- Wrought-iron cemetery gate with spearhead finials across the middle
- Black wrought-iron lamp post at upper right
- Tombstone and bare tree silhouettes
- Blood-red pool of water on the right
- Yellow-lit dirt path receding to upper right
- Red-tiled roof of a building seen from above in the lower centre
Text on it
- DRACULA
- BY STERN
- HIGH GAME TO DATE
- 1UP
- 2UP
- 3UP
- 4UP
- BALL IN PLAY
- GAME OVER
- PLAYERS
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
How it plays
-
Goals 2
- Cats
- Bats
-
Awards 1
- Collect Bonus
Made by
- Design
- Harry Williams
Reference
Linked terms
- Upper drop targets also called Cats and Bats also called upper four-bank
- Passive bumper also called top bumper
- Star loop also called upper left loop lane
- Upper left saucer also called upper-left eject pocket
- Left drop targets also called left three-bank
- XYZ targets also called XYZ lanes
- Star rollovers also called star switches
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- deep red
- orange
- gold
- black
- cream
Fingerprint: Symmetrical winged beaked serpent creatures with curling tails framing heart-shaped red ADVANCE BONUS disc, screaming horse-dragon head breathing yellow-orange flame across upper deck, blonde pin-up with raised arm, white skeletons and monstrous faces in corners, black ground with fire-orange blood-red cream palette, dense hand-inked fantasy
The centrepiece is a symmetrical pair of winged, beaked serpent creatures whose tails curl into a heart-shaped frame around a red ADVANCE BONUS disc, printed over a tangle of coiling snake bodies. A screaming horse or dragon head breathes a long ribbon of yellow-orange flame across the upper deck between the bumpers. Blonde, red-haired and ghastly green faces are tucked into the extreme corners, so the composition reads as a crowded mythological bestiary rather than a character scene. Colour is limited to fire orange, deep blood red, cream and black, with a pale blue-grey used only for the lower apron and the side rails. Physical condition is very good: glossy varnish, no visible playfield wear, plastics and paint intact, one QR sticker on the lower left apron.
Setting
- Black void with a great coiling feathered serpent and flame plume across the upper deck; a chaotic tangle of scaled snake bodies, wings and clouds fills the mid-playfield; the lower playfield is a mass of feathered wings and coiling tails behind the flippers
Symbols
- White sunburst star emblems printed on every red advance bonus disc
- Large red-and-yellow radiating sun disc at the top of the playfield
- Round scoring inserts in orange, yellow, green, pink, teal and purple
- Row of small round yellow inserts on the upper deck beneath the flippers of the scoop
- Black circular badges with a red cross/wheel motif
- White arrow lozenges marked with numbers
- Lit-arrow decals with black text on pale yellow
Notable shapes
- Heart-shaped frame formed by two curling serpent tails around the central advance bonus disc; a teardrop/teardrop-shaped shadow behind the scoop; large red triangular ramp shroud on the right; oval yellow-rimmed scoop at upper left; three-lobed clover cutout shadows beneath the upper bumpers; a long flame ribbon reading as a single horizontal band across the upper third
Art motifs
- Fire and flame plumes
- Spread feathered wings
- Coiling scaled snake bodies
- Starburst and radiating sun motifs
- Concentric scroll and spiral ornaments around inserts
- Clouds and smoke puffs
- Cartouche and lozenge banners carrying scoring values
Themes
- Mythology
- Serpents and dragons
- Fire
- Bestiary
- Pin-up
- Adventure
- Supernatural
- Bonus ladder scoring
Text on it
- INSTRUCTIONS
- FLIPPER BUTTON
- COLLECT
- FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
- STERN ELECTRONICS INC.
- CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60656
- 3 BALLS PER GAME
- 1 PLAY - 1 QUARTER
- 1 REPLAY FOR 240,000
- 1 REPLAY FOR 420,000
- ADVANCE BONUS
- DOUBLE BONUS WHEN LIT
- 7X BONUS WHEN LIT
- 5X BONUS WHEN LIT
- SHOOT AGAIN WHEN LIT
- GATHER BALLS OR RESET LIT
- MYSTERY BONUS ADVANCE
- SUPER JACKPOT
- 10.000
- 20.000
- 1000
- 2000
- 3000
- 4000
- 5000
- 500
- QUARTER
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Screaming horse-like or dragon-like head at upper centre, mouth open, emitting a long ribbon of yellow-orange flame that arcs left and right across the upper deck |
| Other | Large symmetrically paired winged, beaked serpent creatures in the mid-lower playfield, tan and cream feathered wings spread wide, their tails curling inward to form a heart frame around the central red disc |
| Other | Large green-and-white scaled snake coiled in an s on the lower left below the blonde woman, body crossing over itself |
| Other | Multiple thick scaled tails, orange and brown, interwoven across the whole mid-playfield behind all inserts |
| Other | Blonde woman in a red/orange top at the lower left, drawn from the waist up, one arm raised holding a smoking object, pale cream skin against black |
| Other | At the top left, a figure engulfed in yellow-orange flames with a red cape, arms raised |
| Other | Two or more white skeletons in the upper right, one seated or leaning with a skull and ribcage clearly visible, printed in cream on black |
| Other | A snarling open-mouthed face at the far right edge, roughly level with the third bumper, cream and red |
| Other | Dark-haired bearded male head in the top right corner, printed large, gazing left |
| Other | Pale face with dark eye sockets and a wide mouth at the left edge, about level with the upper scoop |
| Other | Yellow-orange animal or reptile head just left of centre, roughly level with the top-left bumper, mouth open |
Full-body view of a wooden pinball playfield behind a slightly reflective glass, standing in a cabinet with stainless-steel front rail and coin door. Artwork is a dense hand-inked fantasy/adventure scene on a black ground: a coiled feathered serpent breathing fire at top centre, winged and serpent-headed figures flanking a central sunburst medallion, a blonde pin-up woman in the lower left, skeletons and monstrous faces around the edges. Four white pop-bumper caps with red starburst skirts and a blue swirled centre mark, and one amber lamp in a yellow-rimmed scoop, dominate the upper deck. Lettering is small block capitals in white, red and black on coloured lozenges and banner shapes. Two red-tinted flippers, two wire-form slings, a bright red wire ramp on the right and an open-topped metal ramp in the upper deck. Apron carries instruction card, red FLIPPER BUTTON banners and a white instruction panel.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- red
- blue
- yellow
- black
Fingerprint: DRACULA in huge red serif capitals, vampire in purple cape holding swooning blonde woman in torn gown, cemetery gates and lamp post, blood-red pool with torch-lit procession, graveyard horror scene, wrought-iron details
A towering vampire in a purple cape carrying a swooning blonde woman in a torn white gown dominates the left half. Four red circular '1UP' to '4UP' player badges are paired with individual score windows rather than the usual layout. A blood-red pool of water on the right has a line of about seven small figures in old-fashioned dress running up a yellow-lit path beside it. Two small windows at centre bottom carry the red labels 'BALL IN PLAY' and 'GAME OVER', with a red horse head on the roof ridge between them.
Setting
- Dark navy night sky with scattered white stars
- Wrought-iron cemetery gate with spearhead finials across the middle
- Black wrought-iron lamp post at upper right
- Tombstone and bare tree silhouettes
- Blood-red pool of water on the right
- Yellow-lit dirt path receding to upper right
- Red-tiled roof of a building seen from above in the lower centre
Symbols
- Wrought-iron cemetery gates
- Wrought-iron lamp post
- Flaming torch
- Red horse head roof statue
- Yellow window on the red roof
- Circular player number discs 1 2 3 4
- White stars
- Blood-red pool
- Bare tree and tombstone silhouettes
Lettering
- Very large fat slab-serif capitals in crimson with white and black keylines and a yellow inner face highlight, on a slight upward arch; the maker line beneath in small yellow italic script capitals; labels in white block capitals on the red player bubbles
Themes
- Vampire horror
- Graveyard
- Night
- Torch-lit procession
- Carried-off woman
Title on it
- Dracula
Text on it
- DRACULA
- BY STERN
- HIGH GAME TO DATE
- 1UP
- 2UP
- 3UP
- 4UP
- BALL IN PLAY
- GAME OVER
- PLAYERS
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Large vampire, pale skin, black slicked-back hair with widow's peak, sideburns, snarling open-mouthed expression, yellow shirt with ruffled white front, huge high-collared cape lined in red over purple, holding the woman in both arms |
| Woman | Large, blonde wavy hair, eyes rolled back and head thrown back in a faint, torn pale blue-white gown slipping off one shoulder, bare legs, one arm outstretched, limp across the vampire's arms |
| Woman | Small, at the front of the group on the right, long dark hair, yellow top and red skirt, arm raised holding a flaming torch |
| Man | Small, beside her, bald or short-haired, white open shirt, blue trousers, running forward |
| Woman | Small, dark-haired, in a dark dress, running up the path |
| Man | Small, further up the path, pale shirt |
| Woman | Small, further up the path, light-coloured dress |
| Man | Small, furthest up the path near the top right, light shirt |
| Other | Red horse head statue mounted on the red roof ridge of the building in the lower centre |
Illuminated translite-style backglass in a chunky black metal frame, dominated at top centre by a huge 'DRACULA' logo in fat serif capitals, red with heavy white and black outline and a yellow inner highlight, on a dark navy star-speckled night sky, with smaller yellow italic text 'BY STERN' directly beneath. Left half: a large vampire in a high-collared purple and red-lined cape, black slicked hair, yellow shirt, holding a limp blonde woman in a torn pale gown with one arm flung out. Iron cemetery gates with spear finials run across the middle, on a blue night background with a wrought-iron lamp post. Lower centre is a red-roofed building seen from above with a red horse head statue on the ridge. Right of centre: a receding line of about seven small figures in period dress running up a yellow-lit path beside a pool of blood-red water. Five rectangular score windows with chrome surrounds are staggered across the glass, each paired with a round red bubble label reading 1UP, 2UP, 3UP, 4UP with UP over P. Dominant colours are crimson red, bright blue, yellow and black.