Launcher

Type to filter results. Use arrow keys to navigate, Enter to select.

You've reached the end of the results

1981–2022 · Bally & Haggis Pinball & Taito

Fathom

Known for Green saucer, Blue saucer, In line drop targets and ABC lanes. Underwater reef scene, coral heads and sea anemones across the bottom, dark blue open water with light shafts above, pale curved shipwreck rib or sail behind the figures and small fish and debris suspended in the water.

Years
1981–2022
Maker
Bally & Haggis Pinball & Taito
Type
Solid state
Display
Alphanumeric
Players
4

Known for

  • saucer

    Green saucer

  • saucer

    Blue saucer

  • Drop target

    In line drop targets

  • Lane

    ABC lanes

  • Lane

    Reversed in/out lanes

4 games under this title

On the playfield

  • blue
  • teal
  • gold
  • black
Fathom playfield
Spotted in this photo
  • 2 flippers
  • 5 pop bumpers

Full vision analysis

Holes 3

  • Green saucer saucer
  • Blue saucer saucer
  • Lagoon saucer

Drop targets 2

  • In line drop targets
  • Center drop targets

Targets 2

  • Right standup target standup
  • Six-bank

Lanes 3

  • ABC lanes
  • Star rollovers rollovers
  • Reversed in/out lanes

On the backglass

  • blue
  • teal
  • purple
  • gold
Fathom backglass

Full vision analysis

Who and what

  • creature One enormous fantastical sea serpent, blue-teal and cream with orange-red blotched saddle markings, small skulls and crossbones markings along the upper coil, translucent pale-blue dorsal and tail fins, a blunt whiskered catfish-like head with a wide gaping mouth, curling barbels and small round eyes; its body loops in a large s around the centre of the glass
  • woman Mermaid, nude, long dark-blue hair fanning upward, upright at centre-left, left arm raised to hold a small white-and-red diving helmet or lamp, head tilted down, pale skin, blue-shadowed
  • woman Mermaid, nude, long dark-blue hair, reclining diagonally across centre-right, head thrown back with eyes closed, one leg extended straight to the right with a blue flipper, the other bent, one arm reaching back
  • animal A school of small silver-blue fish in the upper right, plus scattered tiny fish in the mid water
  • other A trident, a spear and a small ceramic jar lying among the corals at lower left

Setting

  • Underwater reef scene
  • Coral heads and sea anemones across the bottom
  • Dark blue open water with light shafts above
  • Pale curved shipwreck rib or sail behind the figures
  • Small fish and debris suspended in the water

Text on it

  • Bally
  • FIREBALL
  • HIGH SCORE
  • TO DATE
  • BALL IN PLAY
  • GAME OVER
  • 4
  • 2,880
  • 9,288

How it plays

  1. Multiballs 2

    • Mermaid Multiball
    • Lagoon Multiball
  2. Goals 5

    • Mermaid Treasure
    • Underwater Breathing
    • Navigation Device
    • Trident
    • Treasure Key

Made by

Design
Ward Pemberton
Art
Greg Freres

Reference

Linked terms
  • Green saucer also called Green lock
  • Blue saucer also called Blue lock
  • In line drop targets also called Green in-line targets also called In line drops
  • Right standup target also called Light spinner
  • Lagoon also called Lagoon saucer
Playfield vision analysis

Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.

Fathom playfield

Playfield Standard

  • blue
  • teal
  • gold
  • black

Fingerprint: Bearded merman head medallion in shell frame at lower center reading COLLECT BONUS, radiating starburst of scoring numerals flanked by two mirrored mermaids with raised arms, grey shark leaping among waves at upper center, deep blues and teals

Distinctive

A bearded merman head medallion in a shell frame at the lower centre, directly between the two red-rimmed flippers and stamped COLLECT BONUS. A symmetrical radiating starburst of scoring numerals (1 through 10, plus 4X, 5X, 3X multipliers and 55 round bumpers) in blue-and-gold on a dark speckled ground. Two mirrored mermaid figures with outstretched arms flank that starburst. A shark leaping out of blue water at the upper centre under three glowing blue pop bumper caps. Deep-sea blue and teal water above, jungle-green and gold below.

Setting

  • Underwater ocean scene with waves and shark
  • Jungle vines and foliage along the side rails
  • Dark speckled cave-like lower playfield
  • Cream card instruction area on the apron
  • Wooden cabinet front with coin slots

Symbols

  • Red five-pointed star at playfield centre
  • Scoring numerals 1-10 radiating from centre
  • Circular multiplier medallions 3x, 4x, 5x
  • Two white arrow insert decals
  • Round bumper medallions marked 55
  • Floral and starburst motifs
  • Playing-card-like rail plaques

Notable shapes

  • Shell-framed merman medallion at lower centre
  • Shell-like name plaque below it
  • Arched cave-wordmark in the middle of the playfield
  • Long blue ramp curving over the upper left
  • Angled multi-rail wire guides down both sides
  • Outlined rectangular instruction cards on the apron

Art motifs

  • Churning wave patterns
  • Coral and seaweed
  • Vines and broad tropical leaves
  • Gold-outlined cave arch wordmark
  • Starburst ray pattern

Themes

  • Underwater
  • Ocean
  • Mermaid
  • Jungle
  • Adventure
  • Shark
  • Cannibal
  • Tropical

Title on it

  • Fathom

Text on it

  • COLLECT BONUS
  • BONUS
  • PINBALL
  • 5 PLAY QUARTER
  • 2 PLAY 2 PLAYS
  • FATHOM
  • BALLY
  • FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
  • A PLAY A GAME PLAY
  • 5 BALLS PER GAME
  • LIGHTS
  • INSTRUCTIONS
  • SHOOT AGAIN
  • SAME PLAYER SHOOTS AGAIN
  • 1 REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 1,200,000 POINTS.
  • 1 REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 2,400,000 POINTS.
  • 55
  • CRANE TRAVEL
Ramps
Curved blue wire-form ramp across the top-left; angular wire ramps down both outer edges; shoreline/sea wall rail on the upper right
Slingshots
Triangular slingshots flanking the lower playfield below the mermaid figures
Apron and lower playfield
Green and teal apron with green script logos left and right, a central cream name plaque, large outlined pinball lettering across the front apron, and two cream instruction cards mounted left and right
Who and what
Kind Description
Creature Grey shark leaping among blue waves at the upper centre, mouth open
Other Human figure in a small yellow canoe or boat near the top-left of the water area
Creature Two mirrored mermaids, long dark hair, bare upper bodies, one arm raised outward, flanking the central starburst
Man Bearded merman head medallion in a shell-like frame at the lower centre, above the collect bonus plaque
Animal Small green reptile/crocodile head detail among the vines at the lower right
Animal Small green reptile/crocodile head detail among the vines at the lower left
Full description

Full-length pinball playfield with an underwater and jungle-plantation theme. The upper third is painted in deep blues and teals as churning sea water, with a shark leaping among waves at upper centre, a yellow-hooded canoe figure, coral and seaweed along both side rails, and three round pop bumpers whose caps glow bright blue (two large flanking bumpers and one smaller one below-centre between them). A curved blue wire-form ramp snakes across the top-left. Mid-playfield a molten orange-yellow wordmark reads like a cave/arch shape. Below that a symmetrical blue-and-gold starburst pattern of numerals radiates from a central red star, flanked by two mirrored mermaid figures with long dark hair and raised arms. Two circular bumpers at mid-left and mid-right carry yellow wedge decals and white arrow inserts. The lower centre features a bearded merman head medallion in a shell-like frame reading COLLECT BONUS. Two red-rimmed white flipper bats sit either side of it. Angular wire ramps run down both outer edges, with post rubbers and rubber-ringed lanes. An apron below carries green script logos, large outlined PINBALL lettering, and two cream instruction cards. The cabinet front shows three illuminated inserts: two amber 5 PLAY QUARTER and one green 2 PLAY 2 PLAYS.

Fathom playfield

Playfield Mermaid

  • green
  • teal
  • black
  • white

Fingerprint: Grinning skull idol head center ringed by chains flanked by carved tiki troll faces, two pale long-haired women raised arms lower left right, pair giant circular BONUS dials with numerals 1 through 10 arcs, small oval multiplier badges 1X to 6X, large arcing wire ramp top-right

Distinctive

A grinning skull idol head at dead centre of the playfield, ringed by ropes of chain and flanked by carved tiki and troll faces. Two pale long-haired women with raised arms are painted low on the left and right, one holding a chain. The centrepiece is a pair of giant circular BONUS value dials with the numerals 1 through 10 arranged in arcs, surrounded by small oval multiplier badges reading 1X to 6X. Four blue dot-matrix score displays are scattered through the art, showing values such as 1,000,000 and 250,000. A large arcing wire ramp sweeps over the top-right of the playfield above a cluster of four round pop bumpers.

Setting

  • Underwater or swamp scene with seaweed and bubbles
  • Carved stone tiki temple interior
  • Chain and rope-filled cavern

Symbols

  • Playing-card suits
  • Skulls
  • Chains
  • Anchors
  • Arrows
  • Numerals 1-10 in arcs
  • Multiplier badges
  • Cartoon gargoyle faces in the bottom corner art

Notable shapes

  • A central circular bonus-dial arrangement with numerals in two arcs, a big arched wire ramp, an oval multiplier badge cluster flanking each flipper, and two painted rectangular metal-covered mechanisms low centre

Art motifs

  • Bounty poster collage
  • Wanted-poster lettering
  • Aged parchment texture
  • Rope and rigging
  • Carnival mask faces

Themes

  • Horror
  • Tiki
  • Undead
  • Sea monster
  • Bounty hunter
  • Troll

Text on it

  • BELL STRIKE NOVELTY
  • SHOOT AGAIN
  • BELL 1,000,000
  • 250,000
  • 200,000
  • TROLL
  • TROLLS
  • BONUS
  • EXTRABALL
  • MR LUST
  • PINBALL
  • Hag's
  • PINBALL DIVISION
  • Melbourne Australia
  • FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
  • CREDITS 8
  • 1 play $3.00
  • 3 plays $5.00
  • Game Design: Marisa Robbins
  • Sound: Sassy Dean
  • Software: Greg Seeley
  • Electronics: Damian Martin
  • John Baron
  • MERVANT CHARMS
Pop bumpers
Four round pop bumpers in a descending cluster at the upper centre, plus a large round illuminated dome feature below them
Ramps
One large arched wire ramp over the top right, plus a lower return wire ramp on the right lane and a curved ball guide on the left
Slingshots
Two slim triangular slings above the flippers with black rubber and metal-bordered plastic
Upper playfield
Arched top with a bank of rollover lane guides, a row of small round inserts, a large dome feature and a red led-lit area at the top right
Apron and lower playfield
Dark blue apron card with green border, green pinball wordmark in the centre, a green script hag's signature at right above pinball division and melbourne australia, for amusement only at left, and two backlit blue panels showing the instruction text and the credits
Who and what
Kind Description
Skeleton Large grinning skull idol head at centre of playfield, hollow eye sockets and bared teeth, wearing a carved headdress, painted green and bone-white
Monster Carved tiki mask with wide eyes and bared teeth left of centre, and a second troll face with heavy brow right of the skull, both emerging from tangled chains
Woman Painted on lower left, pale skin, long dark hair, bare shoulders, one arm raised, partially wrapped in drapery, surrounded by chains and skulls
Woman Painted on lower right mirroring the left figure, pale skin, long dark hair, arm raised, dark drapery, chain in hand
Creature Serpentine and fish-like shapes swimming in the upper middle background water, plus seaweed fronds and coral scattered across the field
Robot A round illuminated fixture and several dome-shaped lamp assemblies at the top centre, hardware rather than artwork
Full description

A tall modern pinball playfield, photographed under bright green and blue LED lighting which floods the whole surface in emerald and teal. The art is a dense horror-tiki collage in green, grey, black and bone-white: a grinning skull-faced idol head sits at dead centre, flanked by two carved tiki and troll faces, ropes of heavy chain, tangled seaweed and skull piles. Two pale bare-breasted women with long hair are painted low on the left and right, arms raised, partly wrapped in cloth and surrounded by chains. The centre of the lower playfield carries two large circular value dials marked BONUS with a ring of numerals 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1, plus small oval 1X 2X 3X 4X 5X 6X MULTIPLIER badges beside the flippers. The upper third has a descending ladder of four round pop bumpers, an arched top with a row of lane guides, and a large arched wire ramp. Four blue dot-matrix score readouts are embedded in the art. A dark blue apron card at the bottom carries a green PINBALL logo, a green script Hag's signature and two backlit instruction/credit panels.

Backglass vision analysis

Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.

Fathom backglass

Backglass Standard

  • blue
  • teal
  • purple
  • gold

Fingerprint: Colossal blue-and-teal scaled sea serpent with whiskered catfish head coils through centre swallowing pair of long-haired mermaids, title FIREBALL rendered in chunky scaly green-and-gold reptile lettering with red shadow letterforms formed from overlapping serpent bodies, four amber LED score windows built into painted reef showing numbers in orange seven-segment digits

Distinctive

A colossal blue-and-teal scaled sea serpent with a whiskered catfish head coils through the whole centre of the glass, swallowing a pair of long-haired mermaids. The title itself is lettered as a snake: FIREBALL rendered in chunky scaly green-and-gold reptile lettering with red shadow, the letterforms formed from overlapping serpent bodies with a small eye detail. Four amber LED score windows are built straight into the painted reef, showing 2,880 and 9,288 in orange seven-segment digits, with blue backlit BALL IN PLAY and GAME OVER inserts. A small cursive artist signature sits in the dark bottom-right corner beside red sea-fan coral.

Setting

  • Underwater reef scene
  • Coral heads and sea anemones across the bottom
  • Dark blue open water with light shafts above
  • Pale curved shipwreck rib or sail behind the figures
  • Small fish and debris suspended in the water

Symbols

  • Crossbones and small skulls painted on the serpent's coil
  • Trident
  • Spear
  • Corals and anemones
  • Diving helmet
  • Shipwreck rib

Lettering

  • Main title in large scaly reptile-style block letters, green and gold scales inside the letterforms with yellow highlights and a red drop shadow, arranged along a slight curve; a small red cursive script maker's name to the upper left of it; score legends in plain white sans-serif capitals on a cream stone tablet and on a blue glowing insert

Themes

  • Undersea
  • Mermaid
  • Sea serpent
  • Ocean reef
  • Fantasy monster

Title on it

  • Fireball

Text on it

  • Bally
  • FIREBALL
  • HIGH SCORE
  • TO DATE
  • BALL IN PLAY
  • GAME OVER
  • 4
  • 2,880
  • 9,288
Who and what
Kind Description
Creature One enormous fantastical sea serpent, blue-teal and cream with orange-red blotched saddle markings, small skulls and crossbones markings along the upper coil, translucent pale-blue dorsal and tail fins, a blunt whiskered catfish-like head with a wide gaping mouth, curling barbels and small round eyes; its body loops in a large s around the centre of the glass
Woman Mermaid, nude, long dark-blue hair fanning upward, upright at centre-left, left arm raised to hold a small white-and-red diving helmet or lamp, head tilted down, pale skin, blue-shadowed
Woman Mermaid, nude, long dark-blue hair, reclining diagonally across centre-right, head thrown back with eyes closed, one leg extended straight to the right with a blue flipper, the other bent, one arm reaching back
Animal A school of small silver-blue fish in the upper right, plus scattered tiny fish in the mid water
Other A trident, a spear and a small ceramic jar lying among the corals at lower left
Full description

A square, front-lit backglass panel with a dark underwater reef scene filling the background: purple, rust-red and olive coral heads, sea anemones, a spiny shell and waving weed across the bottom edge, with deep blue-green open water and shafts of pale light above. A gigantic fantastical sea serpent dominates the centre, its body a scaled coil of blue, teal, cream and orange-red blotches, its fins translucent pale blue, and its head a blunt, whiskered, catfish-like monster head with a gaping mouth and curling feelers. Wrapped around and through the serpent are two nude mermaid figures with long flowing dark-blue hair: one upright at centre-left reaching a hand up to a small white-and-red diving helmet or lamp, the other reclining diagonally at centre-right, head thrown back, one leg extended straight to the right, the other bent. Behind them a ribbed pale shipwreck hull or sail-like form curves upward, with small fish, a trident, a spear and a jar scattered in the water. Across the top runs a scaly green-and-gold serpent-styled wordmark reading FIREBALL, with a red cursive script name to its left and a cream stone tablet reading HIGH SCORE / TO DATE. Several rectangular windows are let into the art: four amber LED score displays and two small square inserts, plus blue-lit BALL IN PLAY and GAME OVER inserts.

Fathom backglass

Backglass Fathom Revisited

  • blue
  • teal
  • white
  • red

Fingerprint: factory, bare-chested young man drowning coiled by huge blue-green serpent red wounds, two mermaids long black hair blue-white tiled fishtails, upper mermaid holding silver diving helmet lamp, white rectangular display windows symmetric arrangement, red orange coral gardens sea anemones starfish bottom, underwater scene

Distinctive

A giant scaly sea serpent with red wounds coiling around a drowning man, flanked by two long-haired mermaids whose blue-and-white tiled fishtails braid together across the centre of the glass. The title FACTORY is lettered in crocodile-skin textured white bubble caps. A small diving helmet or lamp is held out by the upper mermaid. Red-orange coral gardens line the bottom edge, and six white rectangular cutout windows interrupt the painting in a symmetric arrangement.

Setting

  • Underwater ocean scene
  • Open sea with light rays from the surface
  • Coral reef and rock sea bed along the bottom

Symbols

  • Sea serpent
  • Mermaids
  • Coral
  • Starfish
  • Sea anemones
  • Diving helmet
  • School of fish
  • Manta ray

Lettering

  • Factory in large white bubble capitals with a green crocodile-scale fill inside the letters and dark blue outline; red flowing script at the top left

Themes

  • Underwater
  • Mermaid
  • Sea monster
  • Serpent
  • Drowning
  • Ocean
  • Tropical reef

Title on it

  • Factory

Text on it

  • Bally
  • FACTORY
  • GREG FRERES
  • ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Who and what
Kind Description
Man Bare-chested young man, dark hair and moustache, head thrown back with mouth open, eyes shut, arms outstretched, wearing red trunks with a dark belt, encircled and bitten by the serpent
Creature Enormous sea serpent with a duckbill-like snout, green-blue head with red gashes, body covered in small blue-and-white diamond scales, long blue finned tail sweeping to the left edge
Woman Mermaid upper centre, long black hair, pale skin, bare shoulders, holding a small silver diving helmet or lamp out in front of her, blue-and-white scaled fishtail
Woman Mermaid at centre-right, long black hair streaming, one arm reaching left toward the man, pale body, blue-and-white diamond-scaled tail curving left across the composition with a translucent white tail fin
Animal Shoal of about a dozen small silver-blue fish swimming right in the upper right
Other Large dark blue manta-ray-like silhouette in the top left corner
Full description

A painted underwater scene on a backglass, dominated by a bare-chested young man being dragged and bitten by a huge blue-green serpent whose scales are rendered as small blue-and-white tiles, with red wounds on its body. Two mermaids with long black hair and scaly blue-green fishtails swim alongside: one upper centre holds a small silver diving helmet or lamp out in front of her, the other at centre-right reaches out with one arm while her tail sweeps left across the man. Behind them a shoal of silver-blue fish swims right, and the top-left corner carries a dark blue manta-ray-like shape over the serpent's looping body. White rectangular cutouts (backlight/display windows) are set symmetrically: two across the upper third and two lower, plus two small squares at mid-right. The title FACTORY is painted across the top right in white bubble letters with a green-blue crocodile-skin texture inside the strokes. The sea floor at the bottom carries red and orange corals, sea anemones, a red starfish and a green-yellow fan coral. Red script lettering sits at the top left, and a white artist signature with copyright lines is at the bottom right.

Fathom backglass

Backglass Mermaid

  • blue
  • teal
  • green
  • white

Fingerprint: FATHOM green fish-scale bubble-lettering white-outline title, colossal coiled pale-green-blue sea-serpent red spine-fins, two mermaids with streaming dark hair embracing coils, dark submarine hull porthole upper-left cropped, red-orange starfish coral seaweed bottom-edge crowded, underwater fantasy mermaid mythology, blues teals greens palette, magical ocean-realm composition

Distinctive

The centrepiece is a colossal coiled sea serpent, pale green and blue with red fin spines along its back, wrapped around two mermaids who merge with its body - the lower mermaid's torso and outstretched arms appear to grow straight out of the coils. A dark submarine hull with a porthole lurks in the upper left corner, half-cropped by the frame. The title is in green fish-scale bubble letters with a white outline, and red coral and starfish crowd the very bottom edge.

Setting

  • Open sea underwater scene
  • Rocky coral reef seabed along the bottom edge
  • Pale sunlit water surface with light rays at the top
  • Dark blue open water on the right

Symbols

  • Sea serpent
  • Coral
  • Starfish
  • Seaweed
  • Fish
  • Porthole
  • Starfish and coral border along the bottom

Lettering

  • Large curvy bubble title filled with a green fish-scale pattern, thick white outline and dark shadow; red cursive script name at top left; small white hand-lettered artist signature and copyright in the bottom right corner

Themes

  • Underwater
  • Ocean
  • Mermaid
  • Sea monster
  • Sea serpent
  • Submarine
  • Coral reef
  • Fantasy adventure

Title on it

  • Fathom

Text on it

  • Fathom
  • Bally
  • Greg Freres
  • © BALLY MFG. CORP.
  • ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Who and what
Kind Description
Creature One enormous sea serpent or dragon, pale green and blue scales, coils filling the centre of the glass, a row of red and orange fin membranes running down its spine, a long tail with a broad white-tipped blade sweeping to the lower left
Woman Upper mermaid, nude, long streaming dark blue-black hair fanned upward, torso upright and facing left, both arms extended forward with fingers spread, waist disappearing behind the serpent coils
Woman Lower-right mermaid, nude, very long dark hair swept back, leaning forward horizontally, both arms outstretched to the right, a beaded or scale-textured sleeve-like texture along her arm, her lower body merging into the serpent coils
Vehicle Dark navy submarine hull in the upper left corner, with a large round porthole ringed in lighter blue and a swept fin, partly cropped by the frame edge
Animal A loose school of small silver-blue fish scattered through the water on the right side
Full description

A wide painted backglass dominated by an underwater scene in blues, teals and greens. Across the top right a large title in bulbous, wavy bubble lettering reading 'Fathom', the letters filled with a green fish-scale pattern and outlined in white with a dark drop shadow. At the top left, in red cursive script, is the word 'Bally'. Two nude mermaids with long flowing dark blue-black hair occupy the centre: the upper one faces left with arms outstretched, and the lower-right one leans forward with both arms extended, her body merging with the coiled body of a huge sea serpent. The serpent is pale green and blue with a scaled texture, red and orange fin membranes along its back, and a broad white-tipped tail sweeping to the lower left. Behind them a dark blue submarine hull with a round porthole and fin occupies the upper left. Small silver fish scatter through the water at right. The seabed along the bottom is crowded with red and orange starfish, brown and yellow coral clumps, green and yellow seaweeds, and blue rock shelves. Four blank white score windows (two upper, two lower) are set into the art, with two smaller white windows at mid-right.

Fathom backglass

Backglass Standard

  • blue
  • black
  • white
  • red

Fingerprint: DRAGON in huge silver-white lettering with speckled texture and yellow glow, enormous blue sea-serpent with coiled body spanning panel, three pale-skinned mermaids with streaming black hair riding coils in flowing draperies, small fish and seahorses swarming in water, red score windows each reading 8.209.690, underwater mythology aesthetic

Distinctive

Three long-haired mermaids entwined with a single enormous blue sea-dragon whose coils snake across the entire backglass, one woman flung head-back at the left with an open-mouthed expression and another at right seen from behind, both with hair streaming horizontally as if underwater. Four identical red digital score windows all showing the same 8.209.690 reading are stacked around the art, two on each side. The word DRAGON in giant rounded silver letters with a speckled, hammered-metal texture dominates the top right. A single wide blue panel reading BALL IN PLAY sits above the small credit digits.

Setting

  • Murky brown-and-grey smoky sky across the top band
  • Dark black-blue open water filling the lower two thirds
  • Seafloor with red and orange coral, sea anemones and weed along the bottom edge
  • Pale sandy rock shapes at lower left and lower right corners

Symbols

  • Four rectangular red seven-segment score windows
  • Blue rectangular 'ball in play' window
  • Two small red credit windows with 7-segment digits
  • Seahorses
  • Corals and sea anemones
  • Shrimp and small fish

Lettering

  • Large curved three-dimensional sans-serif capitals in silver-white with a dark speckled texture, yellow rim glow and brown drop shadow, arching across the upper right

Themes

  • Underwater
  • Sea monster
  • Mermaid
  • Mythology
  • Aquatic

Title on it

  • Dragon

Text on it

  • DRAGON
  • Bally
  • BALL IN PLAY
  • 8.209.690
  • 0
  • Greg Frasca
Who and what
Kind Description
Creature One enormous blue sea-serpent/dragon, head at upper left with jaws open showing teeth, a single horn and swept-back crest, yellow translucent fin membranes along its back and tail, body coiling in a full loop through the centre and sweeping to the right edge
Woman Left figure: pale skin, long black hair, strapped bodice with shell-like cups, leaning back against the coils with mouth open in a startled expression, one arm raised
Woman Centre figure: seated astride the serpent's coils, long dark hair streaming up and to the right, bare shoulder and arm, head turned left
Woman Right figure: seen from behind, long black hair streaming horizontally to the right, one arm extended forward, wearing a blue-green wrap
Animal Several small silver-blue seahorses and tiny fish scattered in the upper right water
Animal Small shrimp/krill shapes drawn in outline across the black water, plus crabs and lobsters in the bottom-left and bottom-centre foreground
Full description

A wide, dark-themed painted backglass. Across the upper right a huge curved logo reading DRAGON in chunky silver-white three-dimensional block capitals, each letter filled with a dark speckled/dimpled texture and lit with a yellow glow, sitting over a brown smoky sky. To its left a small red cursive signature-style maker's word, and further left a blank white rectangle panel. The centre is dominated by a great blue scaly sea-serpent with a long sinuous body, yellow fin membranes along its spine and a horned head at the upper left with jaws open showing teeth; its coils loop right across the panel. Three pale-skinned women with very long streaming blue-black hair ride and cling to the coils, wearing flowing draperies and shell-like bodices. Small fish, seahorses and shrimp swarm through the water. Four red seven-segment score windows each read 8.209.690, two per side, with a central blue window reading BALL IN PLAY above two small red credit displays showing 0 1 and 0. The bottom edge shows coral, sea anemones and weeds against near-black water, with an artist's signature lower right.

Fathom backglass

Backglass Mermaid

  • blue
  • green
  • black
  • red

Fingerprint: Giant blue sea serpent with gaping red mouth rising diagonally across glass, woman in green bikini clinging to serpent's neck, diver in brass helmet nearby, purple kraken tentacles rising through centre, EMPRESS title in yellow-green snake-scaled letters, deep navy underwater trench

Distinctive

The most memorable element is a giant open-jawed blue sea serpent rising diagonally across the whole glass with a woman in a green bikini clinging to and riding its neck. Second is the huge yellow-and-green snake-scaled EMPRESS logo arcing over the top right. Third, a black-haired mermaid-like woman with hair flying horizontally in the current, with a diver in a brass helmet just behind her shoulder. Fourth, the deep navy underwater trench with a red starfish and multicoloured coral along the bottom edge, plus a kraken's purple tentacles in the middle.

Setting

  • Deep underwater ocean trench
  • Coral reef foreground
  • Rocky sea bed with starfish and sponges
  • Pale light shafts from the surface

Symbols

  • Scales used as fill pattern inside the title letters
  • Red five-pointed starfish
  • Tube sponges and coral fans
  • Waving anemone with pink bulb tips
  • Arrow-like light rays

Lettering

  • Large curving display script, each letter filled with a green-and-yellow snake-scale pattern, heavy gold-to-orange outline, pale lavender drop shadow and white outer keyline

Themes

  • Underwater
  • Sea serpent
  • Mermaid
  • Diver
  • Ocean reef
  • Fantasy adventure

Title on it

  • Empress

Text on it

  • EMPRESS
  • HIGH SCORE
  • TO DATE
  • BALL IN PLAY
  • MATCH
  • SAME PLAYER
  • SHOOTS AGAIN
  • TILT
  • GAME OVER
Who and what
Kind Description
Woman Young adult, tanned skin, long black hair streaming to the right, green bikini top and skirt with strap-like armour panels, one arm outstretched, gripping or riding the serpent's neck, fierce expression
Creature Enormous blue and teal sea serpent / dragon, gaping mouth with red interior and visible teeth, purple and turquoise iridescent scales, pale ribbed underside, long finned tail coiling across the glass
Man Diver in a dark suit and round brass-rimmed diving helmet with a glass face-plate, behind the woman's upper left shoulder
Creature Purple-blue octopus or kraken with spreading tentacles rising through the water at the centre of the scene
Animal School of small silver-blue fish in the upper right, plus scattered small fish and a pink jellyfish-like shape near the title
Full description

Illuminated dot-matrix-style backglass showing an underwater scene dominated by a colossal blue-and-teal scaled sea serpent with a gaping red-lined mouth and a long finned body that coils from the lower centre up to the top left, its body covered in iridescent purple and turquoise scales and a pale ribbed underbelly. Clinging to the serpent's neck is a single human figure: a young adult woman with tanned skin and long black hair streaming backwards, wearing a bright green bikini-style top and skirt with metallic armour-like straps, one arm outflung and her face turned towards the viewer with a fierce expression. A diver in a dark helmet and suit with a round face-plate appears behind her upper left, and a purple-blue octopus or kraken with trailing tentacles rises through the water at centre. The background is a deep navy-to-black ocean trench with pale shafts of light, a school of small silver-blue fish in the upper right, and a foreground reef of red, orange, purple and green corals, a red starfish at the bottom right, tube sponges and waving sea anemones. Four dark rectangular alphanumeric score windows are set into the glass in two rows, with small two-digit windows at centre right under BALL IN PLAY, and MATCH printed in green at right.