1973–1975 · Gottlieb
King Pin / Pin-up
Known for Bowling-pin drops, Center star rollover, Upper saucers and Upper slings. Indoor bowling alley lounge, spectator seating on blue benches and starburst ball-return area.
- Years
- 1973–1975
- Maker
- Gottlieb
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 1
Known for
- Target
Bowling-pin drops
- rollover
Center star rollover
- saucers
Upper saucers
- Slingshot
Upper slings
- extra flipper
Upper flippers
3 games under this title
On the playfield
On the backglass
Who and what
- monster Two grey-skinned zombie-like figures at the left with hollow eyes and arms stretched toward the bowler
- man Bowler in orange cap, orange short-sleeve shirt, bright pink trousers and pale blue shoes, lunging forward gripping a dark bowling ball
- woman Blonde woman in a yellow top and short white skirt, arms bent and raised, dancing beside the title
- woman Long-haired brunette in a red-and-white striped skirt standing at the back of the alley
- man Grey-haired man in a red shirt and light blue jeans with one arm raised in celebration
- man Man in a red uniform shirt and cap standing at the far right
Setting
- Indoor bowling alley lounge
- Spectator seating on blue benches
- Starburst ball-return area
Text on it
- Gottlieb's
- KING
- PIN
- SCORE
- 13,120
- BALL IN PLAY
How it plays
-
Modes 1
- Wow Mode
-
Goals 1
- Lit pin
Made by
- Design
- Ed Krynski
- Art
- Gordon Morison
Reference
Linked terms
- Bowling-pin drops also called Ten-pin drops also called 10-bank
- Upper saucers also called Lit upper saucer
- Lit pin also called Indicated drop
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield King Pin
- teal
- orange
- magenta
- cream
Fingerprint: King Pin bowling theme: two mirrored cartoon bowlers in crouching delivery poses on pink-and-white striped lanes, glowing yellow-orange script logo, four large white mushroom bumpers reading 1000 POINTS WHEN LIT, row of evolution silhouettes, wood-grain lane, bowlers in mid-walk flanking center
Two mirrored printed cartoons of a bare-chested, stocky bowler in a crouched delivery pose, each sliding down a pink-and-white striped lane printed on the left and right return lanes. Above them, a glowing yellow-orange script logo reading KING PIN sits behind a fan of dark blue triangular lane arrows. A large light-wood octagon at the bottom of the central lane carries the two cream flippers. Two enormous white mushroom-capped pop bumpers printed 1000 POINTS WHEN LIT dominate the mid-field. A row of pink ape-to-human evolution silhouettes runs across the very top under the two 500-point ball-drop targets.
Setting
- Interior of a bowling alley printed on the playfield
- Light wood-grain lane running up the centre
- Symmetrical return lanes on left and right
- Large wood-grain octagon apron shape at the bottom
- Printed pin-spotting machine and lane numbers at the top
- Cream/ivory cabinet apron below the wood playfield
- Chrome-framed coin door at the very bottom
Symbols
- Ten-pin bowling pins
- Bowling balls
- Pink-and-white striped bowling pins as lane art
- Dark blue triangular lane arrows with orange circles
- Starburst emblem on the lit spot panel
- Score numerals 1000, 5000, 500, 100
- Apron arrows in blue and red
- Star motif on the lower centre apron arrow
- Small triangular logo at bottom right of the apron
Notable shapes
- Large light-wood octagon at the base of the central lane
- Row of dark blue triangular lane arrows fanning across the upper middle
- Two tall pink-and-white striped bowling-pin shapes flanking the centre
- Arched top with two circular target holes
- Chrome-framed rectangular coin door below the apron
Art motifs
- Symmetrical mirrored side lanes
- Printed wood grain
- Speech-bubble style scoring callouts
- Flat comic-book outlines
- Saturated teal and orange palette
- Red-and-white diagonal hazard stripe border
Themes
- Bowling
- Ten-pin alley
- Sports
- Wood grain
- 1970s cartoon
Title on it
- King pin
Text on it
- KING PIN
- 3 BALLS PER PLAY
- INSTRUCTIONS
- POINTS ARE SCORED AS INDICATED.
- HITTING DROP TARGETS SCORE 500 POINTS.
- COMPLETING DROP TARGET SCORING SCORES 5000 POINTS, RESETS
- DROP TARGETS
- OMPLETING SEQUENCE THE SECOND TIME LIGHTS SPECIAL.
- SPECIAL SCORES 1 REPLAY.
- MATCHING LAST TWO NUMBERS IN SCORE TO NUMBER THAT APPEARS
- ON BACK GLASS AFTER GAME IS OVER SCORES 1 REPLAY.
- FLIPPER BUTTONS
- ON SIDE OF CABINET
- INSERT COIN ONLY WHEN COIN ENTRANCE IS LIT
- D. Gottlieb & Co.
- 5650 W. LAKE ST.
- 1 REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 56,000 POINTS.
- 1 REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 70,000 POINTS.
- 1 REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF 78,000 POINTS.
- SCORES
- 5,000
- 100 points or 500 points WHEN LIT
- 500 points or 5,000 WHEN LIT
- 1000 POINTS WHEN LIT
- 100 points or 1,000 WHEN LIT
- ADVANCES LIT SPOT
- COPYRIGHT 1978
- T. F. Foulds
- B-31840-1
- A-21048
- 1M
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Printed cartoon bowler on left return lane, stocky and bare-chested in orange/tan skin, crouched low with both arms swung back gripping a small dark ball, one leg forward, sliding down a pink-and-white striped lane |
| Man | Printed cartoon bowler on right return lane, identical bare-chested crouched pose mirrored, holding a dark ball, on a matching pink-and-white striped lane |
| Man | Printed cartoon bowler in a pale blue short-sleeved shirt and dark trousers walking away up the left of the central lane, dark hair, seen in profile facing right, ball hanging at his side |
| Man | Printed cartoon bowler in a teal/green shirt with a dark back emblem and dark trousers, walking away up the right of the central lane, seen from behind |
| Other | Row of pink/magenta primate-to-human evolution silhouettes printed across the top arch, roughly eight figures from knuckle-walking ape on the left to upright human on the right |
Full-length view of a wooden bowling-alley themed playfield seen through a glass cover, shot head-on with the whole cabinet including the front coin door visible. The centre of the field is a printed wood-grain bowling lane running from a large light-wood octagon at the bottom (flanked by two cream rubber flippers) up to the top arch. On either side of the lane are symmetrical return-lane panels in teal, orange and magenta, each containing a printed cartoon of a stocky bare-chested bowler in a crouched mid-delivery pose, arms swung back holding a dark ball, sliding down a pink-and-white striped lane. Between those panels stand two more cartoon bowlers in mid-walk: one in a pale blue shirt and dark trousers facing away to the right, one in a teal shirt with a back emblem walking away to the left. Four large white pop-bumper caps read 1000 POINTS WHEN LIT. Above them a fan of dark blue triangular lanes with orange circles sits under a glowing yellow-orange script logo reading KING PIN, flanked by two pink-and-white striped pin-shaped kicker lanes. Two teal ball-drop targets at the top each read 500 points or 5,000 WHEN LIT, above a row of pink evolution-of-man silhouettes. Colours: teal, orange, magenta, cream.
Playfield Pin-Up
- orange
- blue
- red
- yellow
Fingerprint: Four red silhouetted bowlers lunging across yellow banner, mirrored left-right layout with varnished plank lane center, two bowler figures mid-stride on sides, oversized chrome-rimmed round targets in orange spirals, row of blue cone inserts, bright reflective chrome-railed cabinet
Four red silhouetted bowlers lunging across a yellow top banner beneath a ball and a lightning-bolt motif, framed by chrome wireform ramps. A perfectly mirrored left-right layout with a varnished plank lane running straight down the centre. Two painted bowler figures in shirts and jeans frozen mid-stride on either side of that central lane, facing inward. Two oversized chrome-rimmed round scoring targets set into bright orange painted spirals, each lensed like a headlight. A long row of about fourteen blue cone-shaped inserts with red dots under them, and a red arrow reading 'FLIPPER BUTTONS ON SIDE OF CABINET' across the lower deck.
Setting
- Varnished wood-plank bowling lane down the centre
- Orange and magenta painted playfield lanes
- Bowling alley motif with pins, balls and lane arrows
- Pale green lower playfield apron area
Symbols
- White starburst with radiating spokes at centre
- Blue teardrop/cone inserts in a row of about fourteen
- Red dots beneath each cone insert
- Bowling pins and bowling balls
- Lightning-bolt shapes behind the top banner ball
- Red-and-white diagonal stripes framing the lower deck corners
- Star points on a large blue star behind the apron
- Playing-card-like red panel borders
- Qr code panel on the lower right card
Notable shapes
- Large blue star behind the apron
- Row of blue cone inserts
- Two chrome-rimmed round targets set in orange spirals
- Central varnished plank lane
- Red-and-white diagonal corner stripes
Art motifs
- Mirrored symmetrical layout
- Airbrushed and hand-screened 1970s sports illustration
- Chrome wireform ball guides and lanes
- Geometric sunburst rays on the centre triangle
Themes
- Bowling
- Sports
- Lanes
- Add-a-ball
Title on it
- Pin up
Text on it
- 500 POINTS WHEN HIT
- 10,000
- 500 POINTS WHEN LIT
- 1,000 POINTS AND
- WOW
- WHEN LIT
- 500 POINTS
- MOVES WOW WHEN LIT
- 100
- POINTS
- MADE BY
- D. Gottlieb & Co.
- 165 W. LAKE ST.
- CHICAGO, ILL. U.S.A.
- 500 POINTS OR 5,000
- COPYRIGHT 1977 BY DESIGN CONCEPT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
- CREDIT
- PIN UP
- MINIMUM 3 BALLS PER PLAY
- INSTRUCTIONS
- POINTS ARE SCORED AS INDICATED.
- HITTING LAST DROP TARGET RESETS DROP TARGETS AND LITES "WOW" INDICATIONS FOR REMAINDER OF BALL IN PLAY.
- "WOW" VALUE IS 1 ADDITIONAL BALL
- TILT PENALTY 1 BALL. PLUS BALL IN PLAY.
- FLIPPER BUTTONS
- ON SIDE OF CABINET
- SCORING 50,000 POINTS ADD
- SCORING 100,000 POINTS ADD
- SCORING 140,000 POINTS ADD
- Repair/Request/Game Info
- 1978 Gottlieb Pin Co.
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Painted bowler in pale mint shirt and blue jeans, mid-stride facing inward toward the centre lane, left of centre |
| Man | Painted bowler in pale mint shirt and blue jeans, mid-stride facing inward toward the centre lane, right of centre |
| Other | Four small red silhouetted figures lunging with bowling balls across the yellow top banner |
| Other | Small seated clown or jester figure painted inside each of the two lower ramp/sling areas |
| Other | Chrome-rimmed circular target lensed like a headlight, mounted twice, left and right of mid-field |
A wide, brightly coloured electromechanical-style playfield photographed under glass with heavy reflections, viewed from above in a chrome-railed cabinet. The layout is strongly symmetrical about a central vertical band of varnished wood planks running from the top arch to the apron. At the top, a yellow banner shows four red silhouetted bowling-pin-horn players lunging at a ball, flanked by '500 POINTS WHEN HIT 10,000' panels and round yellow lamps. Below it hangs a row of roughly fourteen blue cone/teardrop inserts with red dots beneath, over a green panel reading '1,000 POINTS AND WOW WHEN LIT'. The mid-field is orange and magenta, with two large chrome-and-yellow round target assemblies on left and right, each inside an orange painted curl, and a blue triangle in the centre reading 'MOVES WOW WHEN LIT' with '100' and 'POINTS' either side of a white starburst. Two mirrored '500 POINTS OR 5,000' ramps/slings sit below, each with a small clown/athlete figure inside. Two painted bowler figures in pale shirts and blue jeans stand either side of the central lane, mid-stride, holding a ball. White aprons carry an instruction card and a scoring card, with a red 'FLIPPER BUTTONS ON SIDE OF CABINET' arrow across the lower playfield.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass King Pin
- blue
- red
- orange
- cream
Fingerprint: Bowling alley scene with five white bowling pins spelling SCORE above mechanical reels, enormous three-dimensional orange-yellow KING PIN title letters, blonde woman dancing beside title in yellow top and short white skirt, zombie pair with grey outstretched arms lurking left
A cartoon bowling-alley scene where the word SCORE is spelled out one red letter per white bowling pin standing above the mechanical score reels. The enormous three-dimensional orange-and-yellow KING PIN title with red inline and heavy drop shadow, with a blonde dancing woman posed right in front of it. A comic zombie pair with grey outstretched arms lurking at the left edge beside the lunging bowler in orange cap and hot-pink trousers. BALL IN PLAY printed in plain white capitals over a shower of tumbling pins and scattered red and blue stars.
Setting
- Indoor bowling alley lounge
- Spectator seating on blue benches
- Starburst ball-return area
Symbols
- Bowling balls
- Bowling pins
- Scattered five-pointed stars in red, blue, white and gold
- Starburst
- Lane and ball-return graphics
Lettering
- Large three-dimensional orange and yellow block capitals with red inline and thick black drop shadow; small yellow cursive script word above the title; white rounded capitals spelling score across the pins; plain white sans-serif capitals for ball in play
Themes
- Bowling
- Ten-pin bowling
- Sports entertainment
- Retro cartoon
Title on it
- King pin
Text on it
- Gottlieb's
- KING
- PIN
- SCORE
- 13,120
- BALL IN PLAY
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Monster | Two grey-skinned zombie-like figures at the left with hollow eyes and arms stretched toward the bowler |
| Man | Bowler in orange cap, orange short-sleeve shirt, bright pink trousers and pale blue shoes, lunging forward gripping a dark bowling ball |
| Woman | Blonde woman in a yellow top and short white skirt, arms bent and raised, dancing beside the title |
| Woman | Long-haired brunette in a red-and-white striped skirt standing at the back of the alley |
| Man | Grey-haired man in a red shirt and light blue jeans with one arm raised in celebration |
| Man | Man in a red uniform shirt and cap standing at the far right |
| Man | Seated bald spectator in a mustard-yellow shirt behind the lane table |
| Woman | Seated blonde spectator in yellow at the right of the seating |
| Other | Scattered bowling pins and star shapes forming the lower ball-return graphic |
A photographic shot of a backglass/translite panel set into a cream-coloured cabinet surround with scuffed, dirty edges. The artwork is a flat, brightly coloured cartoon of a bowling alley. Top left carries a small yellow cursive signature-style word above a huge two-line title, KING over PIN, in chunky orange-and-yellow block letters with a red inline and thick dark shadow. Top right has five white bowling pins, each lettered with a red capital letter together spelling SCORE, mounted above a cream rectangular score panel with five mechanical digit windows, the third digit showing a comma, reading 13,120. The middle band shows a bowling lounge: at left two grey zombie-like figures with outstretched arms, a man in an orange cap, orange shirt, bright pink and red trousers and blue shoes lunging forward holding a dark ball, and a blonde woman in a yellow top and short white skirt with arms raised dancing. At right a cheering group of spectators sits on blue benches behind a striped lane, plus a standing couple. The lower third is a yellow-gold starburst field scattered with red, blue and white stars and a heap of tumbling grey-blue and red bowling pins, labelled BALL IN PLAY in white. Dominant colours are blue, red, orange-yellow and cream.
Backglass Ten-Up
- red
- salmon pink
- teal
- tan
Fingerprint: TEN-UP title in cream and red sprawling across tan bowling lanes, five white pins spelling SCORE in red letters, blonde woman in white halter and teal polka-dot dress dancing with arms raised, toppling pins amid red-orange-navy starbursts, 1950s bowling alley interior with red back wall, teal ceiling, cream beams, flat cartoon style
A giant diagonal cream-and-red TEN-UP logo sprawled across tan wooden bowling lanes, with Godfather's in white script above it. Five upright white bowling pins spell out SCORE in red letters across the top. A blonde woman in a white halter top and teal polka-dot skirt dancing mid-frame with both arms raised. A cluster of toppling white bowling pins on the lower right bursting through red, orange and navy star-burst shapes. A teal ceiling, red back wall and black-framed orange-window scoreboard make the whole thing read as a 1950s bowling alley.
Setting
- Retro bowling alley interior
- Tan wooden bowling lanes with black gutters and lane arrows
- Red back wall
- Teal ceiling with cream beams
- White-and-black scoreboard with orange windows
Symbols
- Ten-pin bowling pins
- Bowling lanes with arrows
- Star-burst explosion shapes in red, orange and navy
- Lane gutters
- Scoreboard with four orange display windows
- Spectator booth seating
Lettering
- Giant cream block letters with red inline shading and a heavy black drop shadow, slanted to follow the lane perspective; 'godfather's' in smaller white cursive script above; score letters placed one per white bowling pin
Themes
- Bowling
- Bowling alley
- Ten-pin
- Retro 1950s leisure
- Team sport
- Spectators
- Dance
Title on it
- Godfather's ten-up
Text on it
- SCORE
- PREVIOUS HIGH SCORE
- BALLS IN PLAY
- Godfather's
- TEN-UP
- Gottlieb
- © Gottlieb 5/84
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Left foreground, salmon-pink short-sleeve shirt, teal trousers, black shoes, short dark hair, crouching low in a bowling release pose |
| Woman | Centre-left, blonde bobbed hair, white halter top, teal polka-dot flared skirt, bare legs, both arms raised dancing, smiling |
| Man | Centre, tall, salmon-pink shirt, cream trousers, one arm flung upward cheering |
| Woman | Orange top, seated in the booth row of spectators |
| Woman | Orange top, seated further right in the spectator row |
| Man | Orange shirt, seated at the right of the spectator row |
| Man | Pale blue-grey monochrome figure, right side, bowling, background silhouette |
| Man | Pale blue-grey figure, left background, standing spectator |
| Man | Pale blue-grey figure, left midground, leaning forward |
| Other | Several small pale blue-grey background onlookers in the stands |
| Creature | Large group of white bowling pins with red and blue stripe bands, toppling and flying at lower right |
Flat two-dimensional cartoon backglass art in bright red, salmon-pink, teal-blue, tan and white. A retro bowling-alley interior fills the frame: tan wooden bowling lanes with black gutters and lane arrows run diagonally across the lower half, while a red back wall, teal ceiling with cream beams and a white scoreboard occupy the top. Across the upper right, five white bowling pins each contain one red letter, spelling SCORE, above a black-framed rectangular scoreboard with four orange window panels. Around eleven stylised cartoon people in 1950s/60s clothing crowd the midground: a man in a salmon shirt and teal trousers crouching left, a blonde woman in a white halter top and teal polka-dot skirt dancing with arms raised, women in orange tops seated in a booth, a tall man in a salmon shirt with one arm thrown up, and pale blue-grey background figures of bowlers and onlookers. White bowling pins burst across the lower right amid red, orange and navy star-burst explosion shapes. Lettering reads Godfather's TEN-UP in huge cream and red block letters with a black drop shadow across the lanes.
Backglass Pin-Up
- purple
- orange
- lime green
- blue
Fingerprint: pin-up - SCORE spelled out on six upright white bowling pins with red-striped necks above six-digit illuminated window, packed cartoon of 1970s bowling alley where blonde woman in polka-dot bandana and shorts flexes fists at center, crouching man in red cap and mustachioed man in red polo waving, giant cluster of toppled pins and multicolored stars filling lower right
The SCORE readout is spelled out on six upright white bowling pins with red-striped necks, each pin bearing one red letter, sitting directly above a six-digit illuminated window. Below it a packed cartoon of a 1970s-style bowling alley where a blonde woman in a polka-dot bandana and shorts flexes her fists in the centre, flanked by a crouching man in a red cap and a mustachioed man in a red polo waving. A giant cluster of toppled pins and multicoloured stars fills the lower right corner, and the title PIN-UP sits in enormous orange block letters under a cursive Gottlieb's. A plain white PREVIOUS HIGH SCORE card is stuck over the lower left of the artwork.
Setting
- Bowling alley interior
- Spectator seating booths
- Ball return rack
- Scoreboard window
Symbols
- Bowling pins
- Bowling balls
- Scattered stars in red, blue, yellow, orange
- Red-and-white striped ball return
- Record sleeve rack
- Fire extinguisher
Lettering
- Pin-up in huge orange-to-yellow gradient block capitals with black 3d drop shadow and white edge; gottlieb's in black cursive script with white outline; score in red capitals printed on white pins; numerals 1-10 in red on a blue band
Themes
- Bowling
- Pin-up
- Retro cartoon
- Scorekeeping
Title on it
- Pin-up
Text on it
- Gottlieb's
- PIN-UP
- SCORE
- 17500
- SCORE RENTAL
- PREVIOUS HIGH SCORE
- GAME OVER
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- BALLS TO PLAY
- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
- COPYRIGHT
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Blonde, red polka-dot bandana, red-and-white striped crop top, pink polka-dot shorts, red shoes, both fists raised, dancing in the centre-left |
| Man | Red cap, red shirt, pale mint trousers, black shoes, crouching and holding a black bowling ball low in his right hand |
| Woman | Long brown hair, green short-sleeved top, purple-and-white striped short skirt, red shoes, holding a black bowling ball at waist height |
| Man | Grey hair and moustache, red polo shirt, pale yellow trousers, left arm raised waving |
| Man | Seated at a table on the right, yellow shirt, arms resting on the tabletop |
| Woman | Seated beside him in a black bikini top and bottoms, long blonde hair |
| Other | Several lavender-tinted background spectators, men and women, seated in green booths, including a pair standing behind the seated couple |
A painted bowling-alley backglass. Upper left carries a large title: a cursive word Gottlieb's in black-outlined white script above PIN-UP in huge orange-and-yellow block letters with heavy black drop shadow and a white highlight edge. Upper right, six white bowling pins with red neck bands stand in a row, each carrying a red letter, spelling SCORE, above a black-framed window of six illuminated digit reels reading 17500. The centre is a busy cartoon of a mid-century bowling alley in purple, blue, lime green and orange: a blonde woman in a red polka-dot bandana, striped crop top and pink polka-dot shorts poses with fists up; a man in a red cap and shirt crouches holding a black ball; a woman in a green top and purple striped skirt holds a black ball beside a mustachioed man in a red polo and yellow trousers waving; further right a seated man in a yellow shirt and a blonde woman in a black bikini sit at a table with a red-and-white striped ball return. Background spectators in lavender tones sit in green booths, and a small sign reads SCORE RENTAL. Lower right is a scattering of white bowling pins and red, blue, yellow and orange stars. Bottom has a blue band numbered 1 to 10 in red, a BALLS TO PLAY panel, a white PREVIOUS HIGH SCORE window, and yellow GAME OVER text. Cream cabinet wood surrounds the glass, with a blue ball and orange comet graphic below.