1972 · Bally
Little Joe
Known for White-die top lanes, Yellow mushroom bumpers, Upper-right saucer and Center post. Bright yellow upper sky panel, dark navy-blue horizontal band behind the score reels, mid-blue lower field, large red-orange curved shape in the lower half and blue silhouetted tower and roof shapes behind the top panel.
- Year
- 1972
- Maker
- Bally
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Lane
White-die top lanes
- Bumper
Yellow mushroom bumpers
- saucer
Upper-right saucer
- post
Center post
On the playfield
- yellow
- green
- red
- blue
- 2 flippers
- 4 pop bumpers
- 2 target banks
- 2 slingshots
Hole 1
- Upper-right saucer saucer
Bumpers 3
- Yellow mushroom bumpers
- Red pop bumpers
- Yellow pop bumpers
Target 1
- Upper left standup targets
Lane 1
- White-die top lanes
Posts and gates 2
- Upper right gate gate
- Center post post
Controls 2
- Up Post button
- Down Post button
On the backglass
Setting
- Bright yellow upper sky panel
- Dark navy-blue horizontal band behind the score reels
- Mid-blue lower field
- Large red-orange curved shape in the lower half
- Blue silhouetted tower and roof shapes behind the top panel
Text on it
- 30
- Bally
- LITTLE
- JOE
- 1 UP
- 4 UP
- 2 UP
- 3 UP
- 0 3 4 6 0
- 1 TO 4
- CAN PLAY
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- BALL IN PLAY
- GAME OVER
- Another
- BGR
- Restoration
How it plays
-
Goals 1
- Dice
Made by
- Design
- Jim Patla
- Art
- Christian Marche
Reference
Linked terms
- White-die top lanes also called Top lanes also called White die
- Yellow mushroom bumpers also called Yellow die
- Upper-right saucer also called Upper-right scoring saucer
- Upper right gate also called Upper gate
- Upper left standup targets also called Extra ball target
- Center post also called Raising center post
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- yellow
- green
- red
- blue
Fingerprint: Two cartoon figures flanking cascade of tumbling white dice grinning man in striped shirt literally throwing dice one hand wide-mouthed laughing woman in blue dress, four sunburst pop-bumper caps all read 100 POINTS WHEN LIT red-yellow, painted instructions tell CHANGE YELLOW DICE unusual memorable command, cream card taped lower apron carries whole rule set tiny type red script logo, dice-gambling-cartoon-couple-casino yellow-dice-feature electro-mechanical cream-black cream-blue yellow-apron
Two cartoon figures flank a cascade of tumbling white dice: a grinning man in a striped shirt who is literally throwing the dice with one hand, and a wide-mouthed laughing woman in a blue dress. Around them four sunburst pop-bumper caps all read 100 POINTS WHEN LIT in red and yellow. The painted instructions tell you to CHANGE YELLOW DICE, an unusual and memorable command. A cream card taped to the lower apron carries the whole rule set in tiny type, with a red script logo and a small line-drawing figure over a plain yellow apron.
Setting
- Pale mint-green and cream painted field
- Orange and red ball-lane art along both outer rails
- Plain yellow lower apron with a black triangular corner graphic
- Chrome metal side rails and worn wooden cabinet visible around the playfield
Symbols
- Playing-card suits (diamonds, spades, clubs, hearts)
- Yellow dice with black pips
- White tumbling dice
- Red and yellow starburst target discs
- Orange numbered balls
- Coin and banked-coin illustrations
- Arrow banners
- Score numbers 100, 300, 500, 3000, 5000
Notable shapes
- Red and pale-blue v-shaped wedge holding two columns of dice and card-suit targets
- Orange ball lane running down both outer edges of the field
- Curved chrome-capped upper arch over the top play area
- Round wooden drain/dark circle centred between the two flippers
Art motifs
- Yellow-red sunburst rosettes
- Black wedge arrows
- Flowing white dice cascade
- Orange ball-tracks framing the field
- Black chevron/triangle corner panels on the apron
Themes
- Dice
- Gambling
- Cartoon couple
- Casino
- Yellow dice feature
Text on it
- POINTS WHEN LIT
- 100 POINTS WHEN LIT
- EXTRA BALL WHEN LIT
- CHANGE YELLOW DICE
- UP POST
- DOWN POST
- GATE OPEN WHEN LIT
- GATE OPEN
- SAME PLAYER SHOOTS AGAIN
- WHEN LIT
- NOW LIT
- 3000
- 5000
- 500
- 300
- TO CAN PLAY
- Insert coin and BALL BUTTON to start game. Insert coins for additional players.
- Score the ball in light decided combination of rollover and white dice
- A combination of 6 lighted scores at 400. Or 1 yellow score with white dice.
- Scoring gate open collects 5000 when the ball goes thru the scoring gate
- A combination of 8 lighted opens the center gate. Roll returned to shooter
- A combination of 8 lighted scores 5000 when the ball goes thru the scoring gate or light the scoring gate which opens when the ball goes thru the scoring gate, or into the return lane
- 1 Replay for each score of 72,000 Points
- 1 Replay for each score of 86,000 Points
- 1 Replay for each score of 100,000 Points
- TILT
- ball in play
- free game
- further tilting
- FLIPPER BUTTON
- 3 BALLS
- 1 PLAY 10c
- MANUFACTURING CORP.
- CHICAGO, ILLINOIS 60618
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Left of centre, grinning broadly, short dark hair under a dark cap, blue and white striped shirt with rolled sleeves, pale blue-grey vertically striped trousers, black shoes; leans forward with right arm outstretched flicking a stream of white tumbling dice |
| Woman | Right of centre, black hair under a blue feathered headpiece, royal blue dress with white ruffled cuffs and white ruffled hem, black heels; head thrown back with mouth wide open laughing, both arms raised or extended |
| Other | Small black line-drawing figure of a man holding a cue or stick, printed on the lower yellow apron between red ball dots and motion lines |
A single-level electro-mechanical pinball playfield shot straight down, with a chrome-rimmed wooden frame, yellow-painted side rails and a cream-and-black lower apron. The dominant motif is gambling and dice: a grinning man in a dark cap and striped grey trousers on the left leans forward, flicking a stream of tumbling white dice with the words CHANGE YELLOW DICE on a yellow arrow banner, while a woman in a royal-blue dress with white ruffled cuffs and hem, black shoes and a feathered blue hairpiece stands at the right, laughing with one arm extended. Four round pop-bumper caps fan out in a diamond in the upper centre, each a red or yellow sunburst reading 100 POINTS WHEN LIT, and beneath them a wedge of red and pale-blue painted lanes holds two columns of card-suit and dice targets marked UP POST. The outer lanes are lined with orange balls numbered 500 and 3000/5000 scoring windows, plus EXTRA BALL WHEN LIT and GATE OPEN WHEN LIT flippers. A cream instruction card, a red script logo and a 3 BALLS plate sit on the apron.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- yellow
- blue
- red
- black
Fingerprint: LITTLE JOE title with disproportionate letters, JOE three times height of LITTLE, red oval O, four player score reels marked 1 UP through 4 UP.
The title LITTLE JOE, in which the word JOE is drawn roughly three times the height of the small block-capped LITTLE above it, with a tall red oval O. Four separate player reels marked 1 UP through 4 UP stacked down the left of the glass, with the top-left reel actually stopped part-way on 0 3 4 6 0 rather than at zero. A modern restorer badge, a white circle reading Another BGR Restoration, stuck over the lower right corner of the artwork, and the gold-speckled cabinet frame visible around the glass.
Setting
- Bright yellow upper sky panel
- Dark navy-blue horizontal band behind the score reels
- Mid-blue lower field
- Large red-orange curved shape in the lower half
- Blue silhouetted tower and roof shapes behind the top panel
Symbols
- Four circled player numerals one two three four
- Mechanical score reel windows
- Player number markers 1 up 2 up 3 up 4 up
Lettering
- Chunky red block capitals with cream and yellow outline for the main title, little in small caps above very large joe; a red cursive script maker name to the left; white sans-serif capitals on black rectangles for the player numbers and instruction text
Themes
- Score reels
- Single-word name title
- Four player
- Electromechanical
- Restored cabinet
Title on it
- Little joe
Text on it
- 30
- Bally
- LITTLE
- JOE
- 1 UP
- 4 UP
- 2 UP
- 3 UP
- 0 3 4 6 0
- 1 TO 4
- CAN PLAY
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- BALL IN PLAY
- GAME OVER
- Another
- BGR
- Restoration
A small square painted backglass seen through glass inside a speckled gold-yellow cabinet surround, with a pale reflection of a person's face and a window in the upper left of the glass. The layout is dominated by a bright yellow upper panel carrying the title, above dark navy-blue bands that hold the mechanical score reels, and a mid-blue lower field with a large red-orange curved shape. At top centre a large block-letter title reads LITTLE JOE in red letters with a cream and yellow outline, the three letters of JOE set much larger than the word LITTLE, with the O formed as a tall red oval. To the left of the title a red cursive script company name sits above the score reels. Small yellow numerals 30 are printed just above the title. Six reel windows are visible in total: a five-window strip left of centre reading 0 3 4 6 0, a five-window strip to the right of the title showing five 0s, and two further five-window strips stacked down the left side, both showing 0s. White lettering 1 UP, 2 UP, 3 UP and 4 UP on black rectangles labels the four players, and the lower left confirms 1 TO 4 CAN PLAY above four circled numerals. Blue silhouetted tower and roof shapes with a lighter sky sit behind the top panel. The style is flat, hand-painted cartoon illustration with heavy black outlines and simple airbrushed shading.