1953 · Williams
Nine Sisters
Turquoise sky with white clouds, green-and-white grid-window office towers down the left edge, leafless trees and a street with pedestrians at bottom right and striped kiosk or newsstand at bottom right.
- Year
- 1953
- Maker
- Williams
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 1
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
- yellow
- red
- white
Fingerprint: Quartet of pin-up women's heads on pale-blue oval in centre—huge dark-haired woman's profile with bright red lips and gold earring ringed by three smaller blonde-brunette-red-haired heads, triangular drop-target banks with card pips and hearts, enormous 500,000 in red block numerals with white outline on yellow wedge, five silver pop-bumpers on yellow bases across upper arc
The most memorable feature is the quartet of pin-up women's heads painted across a pale blue oval in the centre of the playfield, dominated by a huge dark-haired woman's profile head with bright red lips and a gold earring, ringed by three smaller blonde, brunette and red-haired heads. Second, the strong playing-card motif: two triangular drop-target banks printed with card pips, hearts and numerals, and standing targets labelled with rank letters. Third, the enormous 500,000 in red block numerals with a white outline on a yellow wedge above the apron. Fourth, the bare unfinished light-wood cabinet with scuffed blue-and-white apron and visible coins/trough at the very bottom.
Setting
- Deep navy-blue starfield across the upper playfield
- Pale sky-blue central oval
- Royal-blue lower apron
- Bare light wood cabinet interior
Symbols
- Red hearts
- Yellow and red stars
- Playing-card suit pips
- Numerals 5, 10, j, q, k
- Red chevron banner
- Five-pointed stars
- Curved yellow crown arc
Notable shapes
- Pale blue central oval framed by the navy starfield
- Two triangular card-pip target wedges
- Yellow 500,000 wedge
- Curved crown-shaped top arc
- Cut-out oval trough opening at the apron
Art motifs
- Mid-century pin-up illustration
- Flat comic colouring
- Starburst jackpot bursts
- Card-suit drop target banks
Themes
- Playing cards
- Suits and pips
- Beauty/pin-up girls
- Jackpot values
- Arithmetic bonus
Text on it
- 400,000
- 100,000
- 500,000
- 50,000
- SPECIAL WHEN LIT
- SPECIAL WHEN HITS
- SPECIAL WHEN HERE
- EXTRA SPECIAL WHEN LIT
- WHEN LIT
- SPOTS BIG SISTER
- FLIPPER
- FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
- NO PRIZES OR GAMBLING PERMITTED
- SC-A
- The Void It Game Is Tilted
- 1953 Williams Nine Score
- Williams MFG. CO.
- CHICAGO 24, ILLINOIS
- 0
- 1
- 5
- 10
- J
- Q
- K
- BONUS
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Large bust, dark wavy hair, red lipstick, gold hoop earring, head tilted back in left-facing profile, at bottom centre |
| Woman | Platinum-blonde woman with curled hair, red lips, head tilted, left of centre |
| Woman | Short dark-blue hair brunette with arched brows, upper left of centre |
| Woman | Platinum-blonde woman with short curled bob, upper right of centre |
| Woman | Red-haired woman in profile facing left, right side of centre |
| Woman | Small blonde head in a yellow frame at upper left |
| Man | Small cartoon grinning clown/comic face with red hair below the 100,000 roundel |
| Creature | Small cartoon red-hatted head below the same roundel |
Full colour playfield of a 1960s electro-mechanical card-and-beauty-themed game, set in bare light wood with worn paint. The upper third is a deep navy-blue field scattered with yellow stars, carrying five silver pop-bumper caps on yellow bases, two standing-target banks of red-tipped posts, and a curved crown banner reading 400,000. A red chevron reading 100,000 spans the middle of the top arc, with SPECIAL WHEN LIT roundels. The centre is a pale sky-blue oval dominated by four painted women: a large bust of a dark-haired woman in profile with red lipstick at the bottom centre, flanked by a platinum-blonde woman and two more heads (a brunette and a redhead) above. Value targets read 500,000, 100,000 WHEN LIT, 50,000 and EXTRA SPECIAL WHEN LIT. Two triangular drop-target banks at upper-left and mid-right show yellow stripes, red heart shapes and numerals 5, 10, J, Q, K. The lower apron is plain royal blue with white lettering, red FLIPPER arrow labels and a QR code sticker at lower right.
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- turquoise
- magenta
- yellow
- cream
Fingerprint: NINE SISTERS on tall vertical bulb-lettered sign down right edge, 3x3 grid of nine near-identical pin-up women's faces each in cream-framed cell with star in corner, yellow score strip at top showing digits 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 with commas, urban street scene with office towers and small pedestrians
The 3x3 grid of nine near-identical pin-up women's faces, each in its own cream-framed cell with a star in the corner, and the tall vertical bulb-lettered sign down the right reading NINE SISTERS. The seven-window yellow score strip at the top showing the digits 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 with commas is the second most memorable element.
Setting
- Turquoise sky with white clouds
- Green-and-white grid-window office towers down the left edge
- Leafless trees and a street with pedestrians at bottom right
- Striped kiosk or newsstand at bottom right
Symbols
- Nine five-pointed stars in panel corners
- Seven score-number windows
- Two comma marks in the score strip
- Black vertical sign with red bulb lettering
- White clouds
Lettering
- Cursive yellow script with red drop shadow on a red rounded plaque, plus red vertical bulb letters on black
Themes
- Pin-up glamour
- Urban street
- Slot machine windows
- Mid-century advertising art
Title on it
- Nine sisters
Text on it
- NINE SISTERS
- 4
- 3
- 1
- 0
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Blonde, swept-up sculpted hair, arched brows, red lips, off-the-shoulder teal dress, three identical copies across the top row on magenta panels |
| Woman | Long loose red waves, white fur-trimmed coat, red lips, three identical copies across the middle row on green panels |
| Woman | Dark grey-streaked hair, red collar, red lips, three identical copies across the bottom row on yellow panels |
| Other | Small distant pedestrians in coats walking on the pavement at bottom right, painted in red, green and dark tones |
A square backglass in a plain light-brown wooden frame, art printed in flat mid-century advertising colours. The centre is dominated by a nine-panel window of women's portraits arranged three rows by three columns, each panel framed in cream with a star in the upper-left corner. Row one: three identical blonde women with sculpted swept-up hair, arched brows, red lips and off-the-shoulder teal dresses, on magenta-pink panels with yellow stars. Row two: three red-haired women with long loose waves, white fur-trimmed coats, on green panels with red stars. Row three: three dark-haired women with grey-streaked hair and red collars, on yellow panels with blue stars. Above the grid, a cream-and-yellow rounded panel holds a red-bordered yellow score strip with seven numbered windows and two comma marks. Behind everything: a turquoise sky with white clouds, tall green-and-white office towers with grid windows down the left edge, and a leafless street with small pedestrians and a striped kiosk at bottom right. A tall black lollipop sign runs down the right side.