1979 · Gottlieb
Pinball Pool
Known for Center captive ball, Upper saucers, B lane and ABC lanes. Dark green field scattered with pale bubble clusters, concentric rainbow arcs radiating from the lower centre, wooden pool table across the lower third and gold-trimmed inset score panels.
- Year
- 1979
- Maker
- Gottlieb
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Captive ball
Center captive ball
- saucers
Upper saucers
- Lane
B lane
- Lane
ABC lanes
On the playfield
- green
- red
- cream
- yellow
- 2 flippers
- 2 target banks
- 2 slingshots
Hole 1
- Upper saucers saucers
Captive ball 1
- Center captive ball
Lanes 3
- B lane
- ABC lanes
- In/out lanes
On the backglass
Who and what
- woman Left, magenta shoulder-length hair, large gold hoop earrings, sparkly purple scoop-neck top, holding a pool cue upright in her right hand, smiling with heavy eye makeup
- woman Centre, bright blue feathered hair, pink short-sleeved top, teal shorts with a gold chain belt, fishnet tights, black knee boots, gripping a cue and pointing down at the table
- robot Right, chrome skeletal humanoid with orange-ringed ball joints, coiled spring antenna on the head, visor-like eye slit, articulated claw fingers, holding a wooden cue horizontally across the table
Setting
- Dark green field scattered with pale bubble clusters
- Concentric rainbow arcs radiating from the lower centre
- Wooden pool table across the lower third
- Gold-trimmed inset score panels
Text on it
- Gottlieb's
- PINBALL POOL
- HIGH GAME TO DATE
- GAME OVER
- NUMBER TO MATCH
- 48 60
- 66 003
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- MADE IN U.S.A.
How it plays
-
Goals 1
Other
- Linked rack
-
Awards 1
- Collect Bonus
Made by
- Design
- Ed Krynski
- Art
- Gordon Morison
Reference
Linked terms
- Center captive ball also called 8 ball also called 8-ball captive ball also called 8-ball column
- Upper saucers also called Top saucers
- B lane also called center top lane
- ABC lanes also called ABC letters
- Linked rack also called Paired rack
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- green
- red
- cream
- yellow
Fingerprint: Two enormous painted profile heads facing across lower playfield—dark-haired figure on left in headband with hoop earring, dark-haired pompadoured figure on right, cream pop-bumper caps with red chevron arrows at top, middle packed with round numbered inserts in honeycomb cluster 1 to 15, triangular bonus multiplier wedge between faces
Two enormous painted profile heads facing each other across the lower playfield - a dark-haired figure on the left in a headband with a large hoop earring, and a dark-haired pompadoured figure on the right - drawn in flat mid-century comic style. Two identical cream pop-bumper caps with red chevron arrows sit side by side at the top, framed by glowing red rocket plastics. The middle of the field is packed with round numbered inserts in a honeycomb cluster from 1 to 15, mirrored by two slanted drop-target banks running down the side rails. A triangular BONUS MULTIPLIER wedge with 2X/3X/4X/5X sits between the two painted faces. The cream lower apron carries a large PINBALL POOL instruction card and a second card of replay scores.
Setting
- Dark green painted playfield field
- Cream and red chevron-striped lower apron
- Wooden cabinet rails with metal ball guides
- Black void beyond the cabinet
Symbols
- Red chevron arrows on the bumper caps
- Circles numbered 1 to 15
- 2x 3x 4x 5x multiplier inserts
- 6000 and 5000 point values
- Stars and small triangular markers
- A qr code printed on the lower-right instruction card
Notable shapes
- A triangular bonus multiplier wedge at the lower centre
- Two large cream flipper bats
- Curved metal ball guides and a chrome ball-return trough running along both side rails
- An arched ball-scoop opening at the top of the field
- A pair of tall cream-and-yellow outlanes on each side
Art motifs
- Chequered and diamond geometric panels on the side rails
- Honeycomb cluster of round inserts
- Chevron striping on the apron
- Racing stripes and star bursts
Themes
- Pinball
- Billiards
- Pool
- Arcade game
- Score multiplier
Title on it
- Pinball pool
Text on it
- EXTRA BALL
- BONUS MULTIPLIER
- 5000
- 6000
- SPECIAL
- WHEN LIT
- SAME PLAYER SHOOTS AGAIN
- 2X
- 3X
- 4X
- 5X
- PINBALL POOL
- INSTRUCTIONS
- 2 BALLS PER PLAYER
- 1 REPLAY FOR EACH SCORE OF
- D. Gottlieb & Co.
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Large painted profile portrait on the lower-left of the playfield, facing right towards the centre; dark hair swept back under a headband or cap, a large hoop earring at the ear, bare shoulder, drawn in flat cream-and-black comic line work. |
| Man | Large painted profile portrait on the lower-right of the playfield, facing left towards the centre; dark hair in a high pompadour with a curl at the temple, strong nose and jaw, cream skin with red shading. |
| Vehicle | A rocket or arrow-shaped red plastic mounted above each of the two pop bumpers, with a pointed nose aimed up the field. |
A full-length electro-mechanical playfield photographed in its wooden cabinet, top-to-bottom, with the coin door and apron visible below. The upper third is dominated by two large round pop bumpers side by side, each with a cream cap carrying a red downward chevron, flanked by two glowing red rocket- or arrow-shaped plastics pointing up. A tall central lane runs down from a red 6000 panel to a cluster of lamps, and the words EXTRA BALL appear in red block letters on a cream panel. Two slanted banks of numbered drop targets, 1-7 on the left and 8-15 on the right, run down the side rails in red and yellow. The middle of the field is a honeycomb of round numbered inserts (6, 7, 10 / 4, 5, 11, 12 / 2, 3, 13 / 14, 15, 1) over a dark green background with a large red-and-white script logo. Below that, two big painted profile portraits face each other in profile around a triangular BONUS MULTIPLIER panel with 2X, 3X, 4X and 5X inserts and 5000 values either side. The lower deck is cream with red chevron striping, a green WHEN LIT panel and two large cream instruction cards.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- green
- red
- gold
- cyan
Fingerprint: PINBALL POOL title red-and-white striped in block capitals, chrome skeleton robot at right with visible engine joints, coiled spring antenna, claw fingers leaning into pool shot, two women in sequined tops and fishnet tights crowding table, dark green background with pale bubble spheres, four blue seven-segment score windows numbered 1 to 4
The most memorable element is the chrome skeleton robot at right, drawn with visible engine-like joints, a coiled spring antenna and claw fingers, leaning into a pool shot with a cue. Behind it two brightly haired young women in sequined tops, shorts and fishnet tidents crowd the same table. Four separate blue seven-segment score windows numbered 1 to 4 frame the glass in gold-trimmed panels. The title is a red-and-white striped 'PINBALL POOL' with 'Gottlieb's' in small yellow script at the top left.
Setting
- Dark green field scattered with pale bubble clusters
- Concentric rainbow arcs radiating from the lower centre
- Wooden pool table across the lower third
- Gold-trimmed inset score panels
Symbols
- Bubble spheres
- Concentric colour arcs
- Pool cues
- Pool table
- Red numbered player discs
- Seven-segment score displays
Lettering
- Huge red capitals with white and black drop shadow on a striped banner; yellow cursive maker script at top left; small condensed yellow sans-serif for the in-play messages.
Themes
- Pool
- Billiards
- Sci-fi robot
- Pinball
- 1970s nightlife
Title on it
- Pinball pool
Text on it
- Gottlieb's
- PINBALL POOL
- HIGH GAME TO DATE
- GAME OVER
- NUMBER TO MATCH
- 48 60
- 66 003
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- MADE IN U.S.A.
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Left, magenta shoulder-length hair, large gold hoop earrings, sparkly purple scoop-neck top, holding a pool cue upright in her right hand, smiling with heavy eye makeup |
| Woman | Centre, bright blue feathered hair, pink short-sleeved top, teal shorts with a gold chain belt, fishnet tights, black knee boots, gripping a cue and pointing down at the table |
| Robot | Right, chrome skeletal humanoid with orange-ringed ball joints, coiled spring antenna on the head, visor-like eye slit, articulated claw fingers, holding a wooden cue horizontally across the table |
A backglass with a dark green background covered in pale bubble-like spheres, split by a fan of concentric maroon, purple, cream and mustard-yellow arcs radiating from a low centre point. Across the top a white-and-red striped banner reads 'Gottlieb's' in yellow cursive followed by 'PINBALL POOL' in huge red block capitals with white drop shadow. Four blue seven-segment score windows are inset in gold-framed panels, two at the top and two at the bottom, each paired with a red numbered disc reading 1, 2, 3 and 4. Two young women in 1970s pool-hall poses lean over a pool table at left: one with magenta hair in a sparkly purple top holding a cue upright, the other with bright blue hair, pink top, teal shorts, fishnet tights and black boots, cue in hand. At right a chrome skeletal robot with orange joint rings, a spring antenna and claw fingers grips a cue across the table. Yellow text reads 'HIGH GAME TO DATE' and 'GAME OVER', and 'NUMBER TO MATCH' sits in an orange box beside a '48 60' window. A small silver plaque bottom right carries a script signature and 'MADE IN U.S.A.'.