1964 · Bally
Mad World
Known for Free Ball Lane, Free Ball Gate and Free ball multiball. Flat solid teal-green backdrop, red trapezoidal ball-in-play field with white lane lines along the bottom edge and painted crowd of balloon-carrying clowns and small fluttering insects in the mid-background.
- Year
- 1964
- Maker
- Bally
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 2
Known for
- Lane
Free Ball Lane
- gate
Free Ball Gate
- Multiball
Free ball multiball
On the playfield
- blue
- green
- cream
- red
- 2 flippers
- 3 pop bumpers
- 1 target bank
- 2 slingshots
Bumper 1
- Yellow mushroom bumpers
Lanes 4
- Free Ball Lane
- Yellow rollover lane
- Upper left side lane
- Out lane Specials
Post or gate 1
- Free Ball Gate gate
On the backglass
Who and what
- other Grinning man in a yellow cap and blue jacket leaning over the left 1st player score panel, with a red one tab on his cap and a burp lettering burst beside his mouth
- other Grinning man in a yellow cap and blue jacket leaning over the right 2nd player score panel, with a red two tab on his cap
- robot Yellow tin robot with riveted joints, a domed head with antennae and a red-crested grille, chest lettering safe lottery eng. corp, red gloves, blue boots, carrying a blue metal case in one hand and holding balloon strings in the other
- man Elderly man in a black top hat and plum-coloured coat with a green elbow patch, riding a pale blue bicycle with red panniers and a yellow licence plate, holding up a newspaper headed wild state judges race
- woman Laughing grey-haired woman in a pink puff-sleeve blouse with a white bead necklace, a fitted yellow pencil skirt and red high heels, holding a red bottle or can, standing centre-left
- monster Red horned devil-costumed creature with a pointed snout, small horns, white furry cuffs and fringed loincloth, cowering and covering its face
Setting
- Flat solid teal-green backdrop
- Red trapezoidal ball-in-play field with white lane lines along the bottom edge
- Painted crowd of balloon-carrying clowns and small fluttering insects in the mid-background
Text on it
- MAD WORLD
- Bally
- 2 PLAYER
- TILT
- ONE
- TWO
- BURP
- 1st PLAYER
- 2nd PLAYER
- 0
- SHOOT AGAIN
- IT'S MORE FUN TO COMPETE
- 1 OR 2 CAN PLAY
- BALL in PLAY
- SAFE LOTTERY ENG. CORP
- WILD STATE JUDGES RACE
How it plays
-
Multiballs 1
- Free ball multiball
Made by
- Design
- Ted Zale
- Art
- Art Stenholm
Reference
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- blue
- green
- cream
- red
Fingerprint: Enormous painted Earth-globe head lower center calm human face closed eyes, green-yellow gridded sphere, white feathered wing cradled disembodied hands, three large red-rimmed bumpers tight triangle upper middle, A-B-C-D drop targets cream playing-card faces, white-bordered triangular corner windows grinning cartoon men, chrome wire ramp right side blue road, deep blue field, red starburst caps.
The most memorable element is the enormous painted Earth-globe head in the centre of the lower playfield - a calm human face with closed eyes inside a green-and-yellow gridded sphere, topped by a white feathered wing and cradled by two disembodied hands. Second, the arcade of three large red-rimmed pop bumpers in tight triangular formation over the upper middle. Third, the A-B-C-D row of drop targets as cream playing-card faces with red, blue and green lettering beneath a small yellow odds banner. Fourth, the two white-bordered triangular windows at the lower corners each framing a grinning cartoon man's face. Fifth, the chrome wire ramp arcing down the right side over a painted blue road.
Setting
- Green upper playfield field
- Deep blue lower playfield
- Cream apron with red and blue scrollwork
- Wooden cabinet rails and aluminium side guides
Symbols
- Playing-card drop targets a b c d
- Starbursts on bumper discs
- Target/bullseye rings
- Outlined stars on apron
- Coloured round tokens
- Red-and-blue curved swirls
- Globe grid lines
- Feathered wing
- Cartridge-shaped drop-target bank
Notable shapes
- Large central globe cutout of artwork
- Concentric ring pop bumper cluster
- Chrome wire ramp loop on the right
- Triangular lower sling windows
- Ball trough at the bottom edge
Art motifs
- Airbrushed mid-century cartoon illustration
- Chrome hardware against flat painted colour
- Concentric rainbow rings
- Comic-book lettering
Themes
- Aircraft
- Aviation
- World travel
- Score multiplier
- Rockets
Text on it
- A
- B
- C
- D
- 10
- OPENS THE BALL GATE WHEN LIT
- FREE BALL GATE
- ANY 2 YELLOW LIGHTS OUT
- ADVANCE FREE BALL
- SPECIAL WHEN LIT
- 10 POINTS WHEN LIT
- FLIPPER
- SEE PATENT NOTICE IN BACK CABINET
- Bally
- MANUFACTURING COMPANY
- ONE OR TWO CAN PLAY
- REPLAY for each score of 1800 Points
- REPLAY for each score of 2400 Points
- REPLAY for each score of 3000 Points
- REPLAY for each score of 3600 Points
- SPECIAL ROLLOVER SCORE
- When lit
- FLIPPER BUTTONS ON SIDES OF CABINET
- 5 BALLS
- 1 PLAY 5c
- 5 PLAYS 25c
- PUSH LOWER PLUNGER FOR BALL
- 10c
- 25c
- INTERRUPT ROCKET SCORE
- PAINT N TATTOOS
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Giant painted globe head with a human face inside, white feathered wing across the top, two pale hands cupping it from below |
| Man | Lower-left triangular window: smiling blond cartoon man in red clothing, head and shoulders |
| Man | Lower-right triangular window: grinning cartoon man with moustache, red aviator cap and goggles, red jacket |
| Other | Small winged cupid/angel figure in a striped shirt flying across the mid-left green field beside a stack of coloured discs |
| Woman | Painted woman in a blue dress on the right side near the top, full-length, posed beside the ramp |
| Other | Small red-clad cartoon character near the upper right, and a tiny figure at the top-left corner by the metal rail |
A classic electro-mechanical playfield, photographed in a wooden-framed cabinet with the glass off. The upper third is a green field holding a five-drop-target bank of cream letter cards marked A, B, C and D (the fifth card blank) under a small yellow banner, flanked by chrome posts with lit yellow lamps. Below sits a cluster of three red-rimmed pop bumpers with concentric blue, purple and orange rings, each wearing a white starburst disc printed 10. A pink ribbon banner across the green reads ANY 2 YELLOW LIGHTS OUT and ADVANCE FREE BALL. The lower half is deep blue, dominated by a huge painted globe with longitude and latitude lines, a serene human face inside it, a white feathered wing sweeping over its top and two pale hands cupping it from below. Two white-bordered triangular windows flank the globe, each containing a cartoon man: at left a blond smiling man in red, at right a grinning man in a red aviator cap and goggles. Orange arrow plaques read SPECIAL WHEN LIT and 10 POINTS WHEN LIT. The apron is cream with red-and-blue swirls, ball count windows marked 10 and 25, and a red arrow strip reading FLIPPER BUTTONS ON SIDES OF CABINET.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- teal
- red
- yellow
- cream
Fingerprint: "MAD WORLD" title with red-and-cream globe replacing O. Carnival parade: yellow tin robot with antenna, top-hatted cyclist, grey-haired woman in pink-yellow, red horned devil, policeman waving "SHOOT AGAIN" flag, man on rope holding "IT'S MORE FUN TO COMPETE" placard, boy in yellow raincoat. Small figure on yellow crescent moon.
The title MAD WORLD, with a painted globe standing in for the letter O of WORLD, dominates the centre. Around it a chaotic carnival parade marches across a flat teal background: a yellow tin-man robot, a man in a top hat riding a bicycle with a newspaper, a red horned devil costume, a policeman waving a SHOOT AGAIN flag, and a man dangling from a rope holding an IT'S MORE FUN TO COMPETE sign. A cluster of bright balloons floats at the left and a small figure stands on a yellow crescent moon.
Setting
- Flat solid teal-green backdrop
- Red trapezoidal ball-in-play field with white lane lines along the bottom edge
- Painted crowd of balloon-carrying clowns and small fluttering insects in the mid-background
Symbols
- Globe replacing the letter o
- Crescent moon
- Cluster of balloons
- Red pennant flag
- Bicycle with panniers
- Postbox
- Score reels showing 0 0 0
- Suitcase
- Newspaper
- Hoop and stick
- Flying insects
Lettering
- Tall condensed red sans-serif block capitals with heavy white and black drop shadows for the title; red cursive script maker wordmark; white-on-blue block capitals for the player labels; yellow lettering on a red field for ball in play; cream block letters with red outline for tilt
Themes
- Carnival
- Comedy
- Parade
- Clowns
- Balloons
- Mad world
- Shoot again
Title on it
- Mad world
Text on it
- MAD WORLD
- Bally
- 2 PLAYER
- TILT
- ONE
- TWO
- BURP
- 1st PLAYER
- 2nd PLAYER
- 0
- SHOOT AGAIN
- IT'S MORE FUN TO COMPETE
- 1 OR 2 CAN PLAY
- BALL in PLAY
- SAFE LOTTERY ENG. CORP
- WILD STATE JUDGES RACE
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Grinning man in a yellow cap and blue jacket leaning over the left 1st player score panel, with a red one tab on his cap and a burp lettering burst beside his mouth |
| Other | Grinning man in a yellow cap and blue jacket leaning over the right 2nd player score panel, with a red two tab on his cap |
| Robot | Yellow tin robot with riveted joints, a domed head with antennae and a red-crested grille, chest lettering safe lottery eng. corp, red gloves, blue boots, carrying a blue metal case in one hand and holding balloon strings in the other |
| Man | Elderly man in a black top hat and plum-coloured coat with a green elbow patch, riding a pale blue bicycle with red panniers and a yellow licence plate, holding up a newspaper headed wild state judges race |
| Woman | Laughing grey-haired woman in a pink puff-sleeve blouse with a white bead necklace, a fitted yellow pencil skirt and red high heels, holding a red bottle or can, standing centre-left |
| Monster | Red horned devil-costumed creature with a pointed snout, small horns, white furry cuffs and fringed loincloth, cowering and covering its face |
| Man | Policeman in a blue uniform and peaked cap with a white belt, running right while holding a red flag on a pole reading shoot again |
| Other | Small red-and-white striped figure standing on the horns of a large yellow crescent moon, arms raised |
| Man | Man in a grey suit and cap hanging from two ropes with a spoked wheel above him, holding a white placard reading it's more fun to compete and 1 or 2 can play |
| Child | Boy in a yellow raincoat and sou'wester hat seated at lower right, holding a hoop and stick beside a red postbox-like tube and a red suitcase |
| Animal | Small white cat standing on the red ball-in-play field near the policeman's feet |
A wide, landscape-format painted backglass on a flat teal-green background, framed by a cream and red cabinet edge. Top centre: a red script maker wordmark beside block text reading 2 PLAYER, over a huge title MAD WORLD in tall red letters with white and black drop shadows, the O of WORLD replaced by a red-and-cream globe. Top left and right are two yellow-backed scoring panels reading 1st PLAYER and 2nd PLAYER in white, each holding three black-on-white 0 digits, and each with a grinning man in a cap leaning over it, one with a red ONE tab and a BURP sound effect. Left of centre a bunch of red, yellow and blue balloons. The centre band is a parade of figures: a yellow tin robot with an antenna carrying a blue case, a top-hatted man in a plum coat riding a bicycle with panniers and a newspaper, a laughing grey-haired woman in a pink blouse and yellow skirt holding a red bottle, a red horned costumed creature, a blue-uniformed policeman swinging a red SHOOT AGAIN flag, a small figure standing on a yellow crescent moon, a man in grey swinging on a rope holding an IT'S MORE FUN TO COMPETE placard, and a boy in a yellow raincoat with a hoop. The bottom shows a red trapezoidal ball-in-play field.