1971 · Bally
Mariner / Sea Ray
Known for Center yellow mushroom bumper, Center post, Top center saucer and Right-side collect chute. Underwater scene in pale blue-green water, lavender cloud-like patches in the water, rust-brown seabed across the lower third, seaweed fronds and rising air bubbles, cream painted inner border around the glass and turquoise painted wooden cabinet frame.
- Year
- 1971
- Maker
- Bally
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
Known for
- Bumper
Center yellow mushroom bumper
- post
Center post
- saucer
Top center saucer
- chute
Right-side collect chute
- chute
Left award chute
2 games under this title
On the playfield
Ramps 2
- Right-side collect chute chute
- Left award chute chute
Hole 1
- Top center saucer saucer
Bumpers 4
- Center yellow mushroom bumper
- Green mushroom bumpers
- Blue bumpers
- Red bumper
Target 1
- Lower standup targets
Lanes 2
- Top white rollover buttons rollovers
- Down post rollovers rollovers
Post or gate 1
- Center post post
On the backglass
Who and what
- man One helmeted diver at centre-left, bright red suit, round riveted facegask, short dark hair showing at the temples, grey corrugated breathing hose coiled round his shoulders, body leaning forward with legs trailing behind, thrusting a red-and-white harpoon diagonally to the right
- animal A very large blue-and-white striped fish curving head-up down the right of centre, its body sweeping across the middle of the glass
- animal A long serpentine striped eel looping across the upper right corner and down the right edge
- animal A black, red and white striped fish at mid-right, facing left
- animal A smaller striped fish at lower centre, above the bottom instruction panel
- animal A pink squid-like creature with trailing tentacles at the upper left, below the top-left score window
Setting
- Underwater scene in pale blue-green water
- Lavender cloud-like patches in the water
- Rust-brown seabed across the lower third
- Seaweed fronds and rising air bubbles
- Cream painted inner border around the glass
- Turquoise painted wooden cabinet frame
Text on it
- MARINER
- 1 UP
- 2 UP
- 3 UP
- 4 UP
- 1 TO 4
- CAN PLAY
- BALL IN PLAY
How it plays
-
Awards 4
- Up Post
- Open Gate
- Light Blue Bumpers
- Light Extra Ball
Made by
- Design
- Ted Zale
- Art
- Christian Marche
Reference
Linked terms
- Center yellow mushroom bumper also called Center yellow bumper also called Up post bumper
- Top center saucer also called Top saucer
- Right-side collect chute also called Bonus Collect kicker
- Left award chute also called Squiggly chute
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield Sea Ray
- pink
- blue
- cream
- red
Fingerprint: Sea Score: bright pink BONUS tower round lamps top playfield, mirrored by vertical hot-pink BONUS ladder running center past values 10,000-100,000. Collage woman's red-haired profile half-buried dark foliage beside brown-sailed sailing ship yellow sea. Two oversized red seven-barrel pop-bumper caps white tops paired domed pink shapes down right edge. White apron carries SEA SCORE 3 BALLS PER PLAY panel, instruction block.
A bright pink 'BONUS' tower of round lamps at the top of the playfield, mirrored by a vertical hot-pink 'BONUS' ladder running down the centre past printed values from 10,000 up to 100,000. The second most memorable element is the collage of a woman's red-haired profile half-buried in dark foliage beside a brown-sailed sailing ship on a yellow sea. Third, two oversized red seven-barrel pop-bumper caps with white tops paired with domed pink capsule shapes down the right edge. Fourth, the white lower apron carrying a 'SEA SCORE 3 BALLS PER PLAY' panel and an eight-line instructions block, framed by a blue triangle at each corner.
Setting
- Sailing ship on open sea
- Tropical foliage and palm fronds
- Abstract playing-card and casino collage
- Pale cream and light blue ground
Symbols
- Playing-card suits
- Blue triangular arrows
- Red-ringed round inserts
- Compass/star motif
- Anchor-style badge
- Slot-machine reels
Notable shapes
- Large pentagon/star shaped hole in the glass over the centre
- Arched wire ramp at top right
- Tall vertical pink insert ladder
- Hexagonal apron badge
Art motifs
- Collage patchwork
- Photographic cut-outs
- Comic-book lettering
- Tropical foliage
Themes
- Nautical
- Sea
- Gambling
- Bonus ladder
- 1970s solid state
Title on it
- Sea score
Text on it
- BONUS
- DOUBLE BONUS WHEN LIT BONUS
- EXTRA BALL
- FLIPPER BUTTON
- SEA SCORE
- 3 BALLS PER PLAY
- INSTRUCTIONS
- ADVANCE TO X BALL BONUS WHEN X IS LIT
- 50,000 POINTS
- 10,000 POINTS
- 100,000 POINTS
- FULL TILT
- RUMBLE FEATURE
- START
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Profile face with orange-red hair, upper-left quadrant, partly hidden by dark green foliage |
| Vehicle | Brown-sailed sailing ship on a yellow-and-cream painted sea, centre-left |
| Other | Domed pink capsule/jar shapes, right side beside the bumpers |
| Other | Playing-card suit symbols and small portrait cards in the right-hand collage |
Full overhead view of a complete electro-mechanical playfield inside its cabinet, photographed through glass with a strong reflection band across the upper-middle. The art is a nautical-and-gambling collage on a pale cream and light blue ground: a big magenta/red hot-pink bonus ladder runs vertically down the centre-right, flanked by pink rectangular score panels, with a pink hexagonal 'BONUS' cluster of round lamps at the top. Upper left is a woman's face in profile with orange/red hair among dark green and black foliage; centre-left is a brown-sailed ship on a yellow-and-cream sea, next to a blue-and-red diamond target; right side is a collage of domed pink capsules, red 7-barrel pop bumpers with white caps, playing-card suits, and small portrait panels. Two large white pop bumper caps sit upper-left of centre. Blue triangular arrow motifs and red-ringed round inserts flank the slingshots. The lower apron is white and blue, printed with instruction paragraphs and two 'FLIPPER BUTTON' labels. Below it the cabinet front is sea-green crackle paint with a chrome coin door, plunger and START badge.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass Mariner
- turquoise
- red
- pale blue
- cream
Fingerprint: Helmeted diver in bright red suit with round riveted faceplate and grey breathing hose lunging with red-and-white harpoon. Giant blue-and-white striped fish curving down centre. Striped eel looping upper right, pink tentacled squid upper left. Red block title "MARINER". Pale blue-green water, rust-brown seabed, lavender cloud patches.
A single helmeted diver in a bright red suit lunging across the centre with a red harpoon, a grey corrugated breathing hose coiled round his neck and a round riveted facegask. Bold curved red block lettering sits to his right, over a giant blue-and-white striped fish that swoops head-up down the middle of the glass. A long snake-like striped eel loops across the upper right corner and a pink tentacled creature fills the upper left, making a dense, crowded reef scene. Four black oval reel windows with printed white player numerals are built into the art, and cream instruction panels run along the very bottom.
Setting
- Underwater scene in pale blue-green water
- Lavender cloud-like patches in the water
- Rust-brown seabed across the lower third
- Seaweed fronds and rising air bubbles
- Cream painted inner border around the glass
- Turquoise painted wooden cabinet frame
Symbols
- Four black oval mechanical reel score windows with printed white player numerals
- Red four-pointed star burst
- Red arrow shapes
- Harpoon
- Air bubbles
- Seaweed fronds
- White oval reel drums on the score windows
Lettering
- Curved bold red block capitals with heavy black outlines and thin white edging for the title, a small white cursive script signature above it, and bold black condensed sans-serif capitals for the bottom instruction text
Themes
- Underwater
- Scuba diving
- Sea life
- Spearfishing
- Ocean adventure
- Fishing
Title on it
- Mariner
Text on it
- MARINER
- 1 UP
- 2 UP
- 3 UP
- 4 UP
- 1 TO 4
- CAN PLAY
- BALL IN PLAY
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | One helmeted diver at centre-left, bright red suit, round riveted facegask, short dark hair showing at the temples, grey corrugated breathing hose coiled round his shoulders, body leaning forward with legs trailing behind, thrusting a red-and-white harpoon diagonally to the right |
| Animal | A very large blue-and-white striped fish curving head-up down the right of centre, its body sweeping across the middle of the glass |
| Animal | A long serpentine striped eel looping across the upper right corner and down the right edge |
| Animal | A black, red and white striped fish at mid-right, facing left |
| Animal | A smaller striped fish at lower centre, above the bottom instruction panel |
| Animal | A pink squid-like creature with trailing tentacles at the upper left, below the top-left score window |
A painted underwater backglass set in a turquoise-painted wooden cabinet frame, the glass surrounded by a cream inner border. Pale blue-green water with soft lavender cloud-like patches fills the background over a rust-brown seabed, with seaweed fronds and scattered air bubbles. Four black oval score windows carrying white mechanical reels and printed numerals are laid into the artwork: two across the top (1 UP on the left, 2 UP on the right) and two across the bottom (3 UP and 4 UP). At centre-left a single helmeted diver in a bright red suit leans forward, a grey corrugated breathing hose coiled round his shoulders and a round riveted facegask over his face, thrusting a red-and-white harpoon diagonally to the right. Around him the sea life is crowded: a very large blue-and-white striped fish curving head-up down the right of centre, a long snake-like striped eel looping across the upper right corner, a smaller black-and-red striped fish at mid-right, another striped fish at lower centre, and a pink tentacled squid-like creature at upper left. Bold red four-pointed star and arrow shapes burst outwards from the diver's spear. Curved red block capitals with heavy black outlines spell the title at centre right, with a small white cursive signature above it.
Backglass Sea Ray
- green
- red
- black
- orange
Fingerprint: SEA RAY in huge slanted red block letters with heavy black key lines on olive-green background, colossal orange-red segmented crab claw with black spiked pincers bursting across centre clamped over large fish with gaping mouth, two female divers in red suits with silver helmets clinging to claw arms, black-and-teal air-tank score panels at top-left and lower-right, flat 1970s airbrushed cartoon style.
A colossal orange-red lobster or crab claw with black spiked pincers bursting across the whole panel, clamped over a gaping fish. Two female divers in red suits and silver helmets cling to the claw arms in a diagonal composition. The title SEA RAY is rendered as huge slanted red block letters with black key lines on an olive-green field. Two black-and-teal air-tank-shaped score reels, one 1P and one 2P, anchor the top-left and lower-right corners.
Setting
- Flat olive-green field
- Stylised undersea water suggested by kelp and weed
- No horizon or sky
Symbols
- Air tanks as score reels
- Air hoses
- Kelp and seaweed fronds
- Bubbles
- Directional orange arrow on the fish body
- Small triangular fish silhouette
- Numbered player medallions 1 and 2
Lettering
- Huge slanted red angular block capitals with heavy black key line and thin white highlight for the title; a small red cursive script maker logo above it; condensed black sans-serif capitals for instruction text; cream stencil numerals in inset square windows
Themes
- Undersea
- Divers
- Giant sea creature
- Fishing adventure
- Danger
Title on it
- Sea ray
Text on it
- SEA RAY
- Bally
- 1P
- 2P
- BALL in PLAY
- GAME OVER
- 1 or 2 CAN PLAY
- SHOOT AGAIN
- 10
- 20
- 30
- 40
- 50
- 60
- 70
- 80
- 90
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Creature | Giant segmented crustacean claw, red-orange with pale pink joints, one large black triangular pincer with serrated inner edge at centre and another upper left |
| Creature | Large olive-brown and gold fish body behind the claw, mouth open with rows of sharp triangular teeth, round eye with white ring |
| Woman | Blonde diver at centre-left, red suit, black-striped corrugated breathing hose, round silver-grey helmet, yellow skin tones, wide open mouth and alarmed eyes, left hand raised |
| Woman | Red-haired diver at upper right, red suit with black-striped hose, round helmet, both arms spread, one hand reaching down, black hair visible under helmet |
| Animal | Blue and orange tropical fish at bottom left with pointed snout and yellow-ringed eye |
| Other | Bare human feet and lower legs in olive-green shorts at mid-right edge, upside-down, belonging to a partly cropped third figure |
| Other | Orange and yellow gloved hand at lower centre reaching rightward, and another yellow-gloved hand at right edge |
Square backglass in a grey-green painted wooden surround with a black inner border, showing a flat olive-green background. Huge angular block letters in bright red with heavy black key lines read SEA RAY across the upper half, with a smaller flowing red script logo above the S reading Bally. A giant red-orange segmented crustacean claw dominates the centre, its jagged limbs spreading to all four corners over a large olive-brown fish body with a saw-toothed black mouth. Two divers in red suits with black-striped corrugated breathing hoses and round silver-grey helmets cling to the claw arms: a blonde woman at centre-left with a startled open-mouthed expression, and a red-haired woman at upper right reaching downwards. Top left is a black-and-teal cylindrical air-tank shaped score panel with cream windows reading 2280 and a 1P plaque; a matching one at lower right reads 00000 with a 2P plaque. Along the top edge, small dark numerals 00 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 and the words SHOOT AGAIN. Bottom right has blue panels lettered BALL in PLAY and GAME OVER. Bottom left shows a blue-and-orange tropical fish, kelp fronds, the text 1 or 2 CAN PLAY and two numbered medallions 1 and 2. Style is flat 1970s airbrushed cartoon illustration with heavy black key lines.