1964 · Gottlieb
Happy Clown
Known for Center standup targets, Roto, Clown and Star. Flat pale blue sky/field background, large pink feathery plume or hair swirl behind the central woman and green stage floor band across the bottom.
- Year
- 1964
- Maker
- Gottlieb
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Target
Center standup targets
- Toy
Roto
- Goal
Clown
- Goal
Star
On the playfield
Toy 1
- Roto
Hole 1
- Side saucers saucers
Bumpers 2
- Yellow pop bumpers
- Red pop bumpers
Targets 2
- Center standup targets
- Top standup targets
Lanes 2
- Red out lanes
- Yellow out lanes
Slingshot 1
- Thin rail slingshots
Post or gate 1
- Large peg peg
On the backglass
Who and what
- woman Central blonde woman, short curled platinum-blonde hair, red lipstick, arched brows, bead necklace and drop earrings, strapless pink bustier with gold trim, smiling, both hands gripping a gold horizontal bar, facing the viewer
- other Clown bust inside the centre gilt frame: white face, big red nose, wide red smile, red side hair, small tan hat, red-and-white ruffled collar
- other Clown head above the '1' disc, top left, red nose, yellow hat, tongue out
- other Clown head above the '2' disc, top right, white face, blue and red hat, tongue out, yellow star-tipped wand behind
- other Clown head above the '3' disc, mid left, multicoloured jester hat, laughing, tongue out
- other Clown head above the '4' disc, mid right, red nose, jester hat
Setting
- Flat pale blue sky/field background
- Large pink feathery plume or hair swirl behind the central woman
- Green stage floor band across the bottom
Text on it
- MFD. BY D. GOTTLIEB & CO.
- CHICAGO, ILL. 60651
- A Gottlieb
- TUPPER
- SKILL GAME
- 1st PLAYER
- 2nd PLAYER
- 3rd PLAYER
- 4th PLAYER
- Gottlieb's
- HAPPY
- CLOWN
- IT'S MORE FUN TO COMPETE!
- CHOOSE PARTNERS FOR TEAM PLAY
- GAME OVER
- PLAYERS
- 1·2·3·4
- CAN PLAY AT THE SAME TIME
- A GAME OF SKILL
- BALL in PLAY
How it plays
-
Goals 2
- Clown
- Star
Made by
- Design
- Wayne Neyens
- Art
- Roy Parker
Reference
Linked terms
- Center standup targets also called Clown letters
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- red
- white
- blue
- teal
Fingerprint: Circus theme with grinning clown heads flanking red-white-and-blue striped scalloped canopy, numbered lane markers 10-20-50-60 reading WHEN LIT beneath canopy, white circular targets with yellow starburst and red 10, cream-and-red dealer decal on lockdown bar
The most memorable feature is the pair of grinning clown heads flanking a red-white-and-blue striped circus canopy across the top of the playfield. Beneath it runs a printed arcade of scoring lanes marked 10, 20, 50 and 60, each with WHEN LIT captions. A cream oval dealer decal and a round red-and-black logo sticker are stuck to the bare metal lockdown bar at the very top. Several white circular targets are printed with a yellow sunburst star around a red 10.
Setting
- Circus big-top canopy
- Carnival midway
- Plain cream metal at the head of the playfield
Symbols
- Yellow sunburst/asterisk stars
- Red round medallions
- Numbered lane markers
- Curved striped canopy
Notable shapes
- Broad scalloped striped canopy arc
- Circular sunburst targets
- Arched metal ball-guide wire near the top
Art motifs
- Scalloped striped awning
- Grinning clown faces
- Point-value starbursts
Themes
- Circus
- Carnival
- Clown
- Midway games
Text on it
- WHEN LIT
- 10
- 20
- 50
- 60
- PARK NOVELTY
- RED FINGERS
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Clown head at upper left, white face paint, red nose, painted red smile, ruffled collar, facing inwards |
| Other | Clown head at upper right, white face paint, red nose, ruffled collar, mirroring the left figure |
| Creature | Partial animal or mascot figure printed on the left apron area, mostly obscured by hardware |
A photographed electro-mechanical pinball playfield seen straight down through its glass, with the cabinet's pale wood side rails visible left and right and the metal lockdown bar along the top edge. The art is a brightly coloured circus or carnival scene: a wide scalloped canopy of vertical red, white and blue stripes arcs across the upper third, flanked at both upper corners by grinning clown heads with red noses, white face paint and ruffled collars. Below the canopy a row of upright white-plastic lane guides sits over a printed scoring ladder of numbers - 10, 20, 50, 60, 20 and 10 - each paired with the words WHEN LIT. Three or four white circular targets carry a yellow sunburst/asterisk star and a red 10 in the middle with WHEN LIT beneath. Dominant colours are red, white, blue and teal-green, with yellow starbursts. Small printed stickers sit on the bare metal at the top: an oval cream-and-red dealer decal at upper left and a round red-and-black circular logo at upper right. Condition shows glass reflections and some surface grime; much of the lower playfield hardware is dark or shadowed.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- blue
- pink
- red
- green
Fingerprint: Backglass on pale blue background. Blonde woman centre with curled platinum hair, bead necklace, strapless pink-and-gold bustier holding gold bar, smiling. Pink feathery swirl behind. Four white oval reel windows with pointing cartoon hands and coloured number discs 1-4 plus clown heads. Centre gilt proscenium frame between "HAPPY" and "CLOWN" title words. Red-nosed clown in ruffled collar inside frame flanked by pink feather plumes. Flat 1960s airbrushed illustration.
The most memorable element is a smiling blonde woman in a pink-and-gold strapless bustier, wearing a bead necklace, who fills the centre of the glass and holds a gold bar across her waist. Second, the title is split in two around a central gilt picture frame: HAPPY on the left, CLOWN on the right. Third, four separate white reel windows each have a pointing cartoon hand and a coloured number disc (1, 2, 3, 4) with a grinning clown head above. Fourth, a small yellow manufacturer seal sits inside the top Chicago address banner.
Setting
- Flat pale blue sky/field background
- Large pink feathery plume or hair swirl behind the central woman
- Green stage floor band across the bottom
Symbols
- Four numbered discs 1 2 3 4
- Pink feather plumes
- Gilt proscenium theatre frame with scrollwork
- Gold bar held by the woman
- Star-tipped wand
- Pointing hands
- Red clown nose
- Yellow five-pointed star
- Roller-drum score reels
Lettering
- Large chunky outlined block capitals for the title (happy, clown) in multi-colour fills with white outlines; yellow cursive script 'gottlieb's' above the title; white condensed sans-serif capitals in the instruction panels; rounded outlined display capitals for the player labels
Themes
- Circus
- Clown
- Team play
- Multi-player
- Instruction card backglass
Title on it
- Happy clown
Text on it
- MFD. BY D. GOTTLIEB & CO.
- CHICAGO, ILL. 60651
- A Gottlieb
- TUPPER
- SKILL GAME
- 1st PLAYER
- 2nd PLAYER
- 3rd PLAYER
- 4th PLAYER
- Gottlieb's
- HAPPY
- CLOWN
- IT'S MORE FUN TO COMPETE!
- CHOOSE PARTNERS FOR TEAM PLAY
- GAME OVER
- PLAYERS
- 1·2·3·4
- CAN PLAY AT THE SAME TIME
- A GAME OF SKILL
- BALL in PLAY
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Central blonde woman, short curled platinum-blonde hair, red lipstick, arched brows, bead necklace and drop earrings, strapless pink bustier with gold trim, smiling, both hands gripping a gold horizontal bar, facing the viewer |
| Other | Clown bust inside the centre gilt frame: white face, big red nose, wide red smile, red side hair, small tan hat, red-and-white ruffled collar |
| Other | Clown head above the '1' disc, top left, red nose, yellow hat, tongue out |
| Other | Clown head above the '2' disc, top right, white face, blue and red hat, tongue out, yellow star-tipped wand behind |
| Other | Clown head above the '3' disc, mid left, multicoloured jester hat, laughing, tongue out |
| Other | Clown head above the '4' disc, mid right, red nose, jester hat |
| Other | Eight cartoon disembodied pointing hands, two flanking each of the four reel windows, pointing inward |
A painted pinball backglass on a pale blue background, laid out symmetrically around a central blonde woman. She has short curled platinum-blonde hair, arched brows, red lipstick, a bead necklace and drop earrings, and wears a strapless pink-and-gold bustier; she smiles out at the viewer while holding a gold horizontal bar. Behind her is a large pink feathery hair-like swirl. Four white oval reel windows are arranged two left, two right, each showing zeros and preceded by a blank white digit panel, each oval paired with a pointing cartoon hand and a coloured number disc (1 magenta, 2 dark green, 3 blue, 4 red) plus a clown head peeking over it. The top banner reads MFD. BY D. GOTTLIEB & CO. ... CHICAGO, ILL. 60651, with a small yellow seal in the middle. The lower half carries the title in huge block letters, HAPPY on the left and CLOWN on the right, split by an ornate gilt proscenium frame containing a red-nosed clown in a ruffled collar and small hat, flanked by pink feather plumes on a green stage. Bottom panels give team-play instructions, and a dark label under the frame reads BALL in PLAY. Style is flat 1960s airbrushed commercial illustration with saturated reds, pinks, greens and blues.