1952 · Williams
Horsefeathers
Purple-blue mountain range on the horizon, green and blue river valley, pale tan dirt race track running across the panel, white rail fence dividing track from valley, lime green lower title band and dark wood cabinet frame.
- Year
- 1952
- Maker
- Williams
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Backglass lights
- Players
- 2
Made by
- Design
- Harry Williams
- Art
- George Molentin
Vision analysis
On the playfield
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- blue
- green
- yellow
- white
Fingerprint: Paired yellow banner arrows either side of red DANGER strip at playfield bottom one reading SHOOT AGAIN WHEN LIT other 3 BALLS WHEN LIT with red and green round lamps at outer ends, playfield split into dark blue starry upper half and olive-green lower half each with white radiating sunburst of thin rays, numbered blue arrow markers 1-4 tie two halves together, backbox features playing-card motif red-white five-pointed stars with small jester figures
The strongest identifying feature is the paired yellow banner arrows either side of a red DANGER strip at the bottom of the playfield, one reading SHOOT AGAIN WHEN LIT and the other 3 BALLS WHEN LIT, with a red and a green round lamp at their outer ends. The playfield is split into a dark blue starry upper half and an olive-green lower half, each with its own white radiating sunburst of thin rays behind the pop bumpers, and the numbered blue arrow markers 1-4 tie the two halves together. The backbox beside it is a playing-card motif: red and white five-pointed stars scattered over a pale background with small jester figures and a large vertical red title on a light blue strip. The woodgrain cabinet, with a yellow and a blue round button on the left rail, frames the whole assembly.
Setting
- Upper playfield: dark blue night sky dotted with small white and yellow stars
- Lower playfield: olive-green grass or hill shapes on a tan/khaki background
- Backbox: pale card-table background scattered with red and white playing-card suits and stars
- Cabinet: mid-brown woodgrain melamine on side rails and back box
Symbols
- Red and white five-pointed stars
- Red hearts
- Black spades and clubs
- Diamonds
- Blue arrow banners with yellow numerals 1, 2, 3, 4
- Round red and green indicator lamps
- White radiating sunburst rays
- Small yellow and white stars on the blue field
- Blue pool-ball style circles at the top of the upper field
Notable shapes
- Large white sunburst fans radiating from a point behind each group of bumpers
- Trapezoidal green hill shapes with curved lower edges
- Triangular arrangement of four pop bumpers on the lower field
- Arched row of five white-rimmed target faces just above the lower sunburst
- Tall light-blue vertical panel on the backbox carrying red title lettering
- Round yellow and blue plastic buttons on the wooden side rail
Art motifs
- Radiating white sunburst fans
- Starry night sky
- Scalloped pop bumper caps printed with numerals
- Diagonal yellow arrow banners
- Woodgrain cabinet panels
Themes
- Circus
- Strongman
- Playing cards
- Jester
- Shooting gallery
Text on it
- DANGER
- SHOOT AGAIN WHEN LIT
- 3 BALLS WHEN LIT
- 4
- 5
- 6
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Seven in total: four on the lower green field, three clustered on the upper blue field; each a white scalloped plastic cap printed with a red numeral, seated on a red base ring; 4, 5 and 6 are readable |
| Other | At least three small cartoon jesters/harlequins printed on the backglass, each in a bright costume with a cap, one near the top edge and one lower down beside the card graphics |
| Other | Hearts, spades, clubs and diamonds printed in red and black across the backglass, with a small blue jester hat motif near the lower card cluster |
A tilted three-quarter view of a coin-op playfield and backbox under a glass cover. The playfield art is a circus/strongman theme: a blue starry upper field with a green fan of radiating white sunburst rays, and a lower field of olive-green grass shapes with its own white radiating sunburst behind the bumpers. Four white plastic pop bumpers with red caps are numbered 4, 5 and 6 on the lower section and three more sit in the blue upper field. Blue arrow banners with yellow numerals 1, 2, 3 and 4 mark lanes around both halves. A red vertical DANGER strip sits at the bottom centre flanked by two yellow banner arrows reading SHOOT AGAIN WHEN LIT and 3 BALLS WHEN LIT, with round red and green indicator lamps either side. The backbox is a playing-card collage of red and white five-pointed stars, card suits, and small jester figures, with large red vertical lettering on a pale blue panel. Cabinet sides and rails are woodgrain with yellow and blue round plastic buttons.
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- green
- blue
- red
- cream
Fingerprint: HORSEFEATHERS in huge red slab-serif block capitals with yellow highlight on pale blue star-flecked cartouche, white script Williams above it, HANDICAPPERS SELECTIONS betting grid in top centre with coloured 1-6 squares, crossed riding crops and bridle-bit roundels flanking title, flat mountain-and-river landscape above race track, horses with tiny jockeys racing along tan track, lime-green title band, WINNER and numbered jockey boxes.
The single most memorable element is the enormous red-and-yellow word HORSEFEATHERS across a pale blue star-flecked cartouche, with a white script 'Williams' sitting directly above it. Close behind is the six-row 'HANDICAPPERS SELECTIONS' betting grid in the top centre, each row a run of coloured 1-6 squares beside labels like ODDS ON FAVOURITE TO WIN and MORTAL CINCH TO SHOW. Third is the pair of crossed riding crops and bridle-and-bit roundels flanking the title, and fourth the flat painted mountain-and-river landscape filling the upper half behind the race strip.
Setting
- Purple-blue mountain range on the horizon
- Green and blue river valley
- Pale tan dirt race track running across the panel
- White rail fence dividing track from valley
- Lime green lower title band
- Dark wood cabinet frame
Symbols
- Crossed riding crops and whips at both ends of the title band
- Bridle, bit and reins roundel on a red-and-blue circular target
- Rows of dark blue five-pointed stars above and below the title cartouche
- Two red-outlined five-pointed stars in the top left and top right corners of the frame
- White rail fence
- Coloured 1-6 numbered betting squares
- Red, yellow and blue rectangular status panels
- Small square qr-style code sticker at the bottom left corner of the glass
Lettering
- Large red slab-serif block capitals with yellow inner highlight and cream drop shadow for the main title, a smaller slanted white script with black outline above it, and compact all-capital sans-serif lettering on the coloured grid labels and window boxes
Themes
- Horse racing
- Betting
- Paddock
- Winners circle
- Sports
- Rural landscape
Title on it
- Horsefeathers
Text on it
- HANDICAPPERS SELECTIONS
- ODDS ON FAVOURITE TO WIN
- IN THE BAG TO PLACE
- MORTAL CINCH TO SHOW
- HAS A CHANCE
- JUST A PIG
- LONG SHOT
- WINNER
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- TORPEDO
- REVERSE
- DUZZY
- FRANCIS
- HYPO
- GOOFY
- FINISH
- START
- RACE OVER
- POST TIME
- START RACE
- Williams
- HORSEFEATHERS
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Animal | Flat cartoon horses in mid-gallop along the tan track strip: a green horse, a red horse and a black horse at the left near the finish post, a cluster of red, blue and white horses with tiny jockeys near centre, and a further cluster of red, yellow and pink horses with jockeys at the right beside the start marker; jockeys are small, in coloured silks and helmets, crouched forward low over the saddles |
| Other | No human figures beyond the tiny jockeys; no animals, robots or monsters appear |
Wood-framed backglass for a horse-racing themed electro-mechanical game. The painted scene is split horizontally: an upper panel shows a flat cartoon landscape of purple-blue mountains, a green and blue river valley, and a pale tan dirt race track running left to right, while a large lower band is lime green carrying the title. A pale blue rounded-corner cartouche fills the lower centre, ringed with a row of dark blue five-pointed stars, with the word 'Williams' in slanted white script outlined in black above large red slab-serif block capitals reading HORSEFEATHERS, each letter with a yellow inner highlight and a cream drop shadow. At each end of the title band a crossed riding crop and a blue-grey bridle-and-bit motif sits on a red-and-blue circular target. The upper centre holds a cream 'HANDICAPPERS SELECTIONS' betting grid with six coloured rows of numbered 1-6 squares, flanked by a 'WINNER' strip of six coloured numbered boxes with jockey names underneath, and a right-hand panel of red, yellow and blue rectangles. Two clusters of flat cartoon horses with tiny jockey figures race along the track strip, with FINISH and START markers.