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1971 · Gottlieb

Playball / Home Run

Known for Triples horseshoes, Vari-target, Double chutes and Runner targets. Painted stadium bowl with lit crowd and floodlights, firework bursts, green playing field and light grey inner panel.

Year
1971
Maker
Gottlieb
Type
Electro-mechanical
Display
Score reels
Players
1

Known for

  • Lane

    Triples horseshoes

  • Target

    Vari-target

  • Lane

    Double chutes

  • Target

    Runner targets

  • launcher

    Autoplunger

  • Goal

    Home Run

2 games under this title

On the playfield

  • light yellow-green
  • dark teal
  • cream
  • red
Playball / Home Run playfield
Spotted in this photo
  • 2 flippers
  • 3 pop bumpers
  • 4 ramps
  • 2 target banks
  • 2 slingshots

Full vision analysis

Bumpers 2

  • Green pop bumpers
  • Red pop bumper

Targets 2

  • Vari-target
  • Runner targets

Lanes 2

  • Triples horseshoes
  • Double chutes

Control 1

  • Autoplunger launcher

Display 1

  • Baseball runs counter counter

On the backglass

  • teal
  • maroon
  • orange
  • white
Playball / Home Run backglass

Full vision analysis

Who and what

  • man Catcher in orange chest protector, orange shin guards, orange mask and orange uniform, grinning, lunging forward with one knee raised, top centre
  • man Fielder in blue uniform and cap diving horizontally to the right at upper right
  • man Batter in grey uniform with blue sleeves, blue cap and orange sleeves mid-swing with bat blurred, centre
  • man Brown-uniformed catcher crouching with a large brown mitt, left of centre
  • man Blue-uniformed player in blue cap bearing a g, holding a bat upright, lower right
  • man White-uniformed player with blue cap and brown boots standing beside a brown dog on a bench, upper left

Setting

  • Painted stadium bowl with lit crowd and floodlights
  • Firework bursts
  • Green playing field
  • Light grey inner panel

Text on it

  • TILT
  • RUNS
  • 4 0,200
  • 23
  • PREVIOUS HI SCORE
  • Gottlieb's
  • HOME RUN
  • BALLS TO PLAY
  • GAME OVER
  • D. Gottlieb & Co.
  • DES. BY D.G.
  • MCMXLV
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • G

How it plays

  1. Modes 1

    • Extra Inning
  2. Goals 5

    • Runners
    • Home Run
    • Triple
    • Double
    • Single

Made by

Design
Ed Krynski
Art
Gordon Morison

Reference

Linked terms
  • Triples horseshoes also called Top horseshoe also called upper side lanes
  • Vari-target also called vary-targets
  • Double chutes also called middle side lanes
  • Runner targets also called numbered runner targets
  • Green pop bumpers also called Lit bumpers
Playfield vision analysis

Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.

Playball / Home Run playfield

Playfield Home Run

  • light yellow-green
  • dark teal
  • cream
  • red

Fingerprint: Pair long grey metal baseball bats serving as flippers crossed-splayed wood-grain brown lower deck, large black-outlined diamond white baseball red seam inside green-orange target, green-and-orange base labels dark starburst circles, bold red black-shadowed BOWL BOWL wordmark glowing orange

Distinctive

The single most memorable element is the pair of long grey metal baseball bats serving as the flippers, lying crossed-splayed on a wood-grain brown lower deck. Above them, a large black-outlined diamond containing a white baseball with a red seam sits inside a green-and-orange diamond target, ringed by 1st, 2nd and 3rd base labels with dark starburst circles. The upper third is dominated by a bold red, black-shadowed BOWL BOWL wordmark with the letters glowing orange from a lamp reflection. Two ramps flank the upper field, each carrying a five-lane HOME RUN score strip reading Single, Double, Triple with values 1000 to 5000. Two more ramps sit lower down, each with a cartoon player painted on the ramp face.

Setting

  • Pale yellow-green ball field with faint base-path diamond lines
  • Large dark teal circle occupying the centre of the field
  • Wood-grain brown lower deck above the flippers
  • Cream instruction-card apron across the bottom
  • Chrome side rails and lockdown bar framing the playfield
  • Black cabinet interior surrounding the playfield

Symbols

  • White baseballs with red seams
  • Eight-pointed star and starburst insert targets
  • Numbers 1 to 7 in small circles along the very top edge
  • Red triangular ramp arrows
  • Black starburst discs at 1st, 2nd and 3rd
  • Red and white triangular pennant-like ramp art
  • Grey metal baseball bats as flippers
  • Red outward-pointing arrows on the apron

Notable shapes

  • Bat-shaped flippers
  • Large central diamond target with cross arrows and a baseball at its centre
  • Black starburst discs marking 1st, 2nd and 3rd bases
  • Two red triangular lift gate guides flanking the logo
  • Lighted triangular ramp faces with painted players
  • Large dark teal circle mid-field

Art motifs

  • Diamond-shaped base path layout
  • Baseball diamond target with cross arrows
  • Score ladders of coloured horizontal bars
  • Star bursts
  • Vintage flat cartoon illustration with heavy black outlines

Themes

  • Baseball
  • Bowling pins and bumpers as pop bumpers
  • Sports
  • Run scoring
  • Innings

Title on it

  • Bowl bowl

Text on it

  • BOWL BOWL
  • 100
  • 1000
  • 100 Points
  • DOUBLE 2000 Points
  • SINGLE 1000 POINTS
  • HOME RUN 5000 POINTS
  • SINGLE
  • DOUBLE
  • Triple
  • 2000
  • 3000
  • 4000
  • 5000
  • 1st
  • 2nd
  • 3rd
  • MAN ON BASE WHEN LIT
  • WHEN LIT
  • LIFT GATE
  • B 1
  • CREDIT WHEN LIT
  • FLIPPER BUTTONS ON SIDE OF CABINET
  • INSERT COIN ONLY WHEN COIN ENTRANCE IS LIT
  • PRESS RIGHT BUTTON TO SHOOT BALL
  • HOME RUN INSTRUCTIONS
  • THE AMUSEMENT GROUP
  • HIGH SCORES AND RUNS REGISTER AS INDICATED
  • ADVANCING BASE 4x SCORES HOME RUN
  • REPLAY FOR MATCHING LAST TWO NUMBERS IN HIGH SCORE TO NUMBER THAT APPEARS ON BACK GLASS AFTER GAME IS OVER.
  • 2 PLAYS 25¢
  • MINIMUM OF 5 BALLS PER GAME
  • A EXTRA BALL IS GIVEN IF ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SCORES IS REACHED
  • 30,000 POINTS
  • 60,000 POINTS
  • 5 RUNS
  • 14 RUNS
  • 30 RUNS
  • 41 RUNS
  • 52 RUNS
  • 69 RUNS
  • D. Gottlieb & Co.
  • 165 W. LAKE ST.
  • NORTHLAKE ILLINOIS 60164
  • 5 FRANCS
Drop targets
Two five-lane banks of coloured score strips mid-left and mid-right reading single/double/triple with 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000 values
Ramps
Four ramps: two upper left/right wireform ramps with home run value strips, two lower ramps with painted cartoon players
Slingshots
Two triangular cream-and-red kicker slings at the mid-left and mid-right edges of the teal circle
Upper playfield
Top arc with a row of small numbered circles 1 to 7, three lit pop bumper caps (two 100, one 1000), the large bowl bowl logo and two red triangle lift gate guides
Apron and lower playfield
Wood-grain brown deck above the flippers, then a cream apron with a red-bordered instruction card at left and a matching card at right, red arrows pointing outward, a central coin-entry hole with a chrome return and the text insert coin only when coin entrance is lit, plus a blue press right button to shoot ball button below
Who and what
Kind Description
Man Cartoon batter on the upper left ramp, cream uniform with green trim, holding a bat raised over one shoulder, capless dark hair
Man Cartoon batter on the upper right ramp, cream uniform with red trim, bat held upright
Man Small cartoon player in cream uniform and red cap standing left of the 1000 bumper
Man Small cartoon player in cream uniform and red cap standing right of the 1000 bumper
Man Small cartoon player in red cap at the apex of the centre diamond, above the 2nd label
Man Small cartoon player in red cap at the 3rd base side, left of the diamond
Man Small cartoon player in red cap at the 1st base side, right of the diamond
Man Cartoon player standing inside the diamond target graphic on the white baseball, cream uniform and red cap
Man Cartoon player in a red uniform and red cap just below the diamond, at the starburst insert
Man Dark-uniformed cartoon player near the bottom centre below the lower ramp, facing the flippers
Man Cartoon player in green painted on the face of the lower left ramp
Man Cartoon player in red and white painted on the face of the lower right ramp
Full description

A single-level baseball-themed electro-mechanical playfield, shot from directly above inside a chrome-railed cabinet with the backbox cropped out. The field is a light yellow-green diamond with a large dark teal circle in the middle and a wood-grain brown lower deck. A huge red-and-yellow shadowed wordmark reading BOWL BOWL sits across the upper third, flanked by two round pop bumper caps marked 100 in blue on white star-burst discs, with a third cap marked 1000 in red on a white disc with red stars just below the logo. Small cartoon baseball players in cream uniforms, red caps and green or red trim are scattered across the field: two on the upper left and right ramps, two flanking the 1000 bumper, one at the top of the centre diamond, one at each of the 1st and 3rd positions, one standing inside the diamond graphic, one in red just below it and one dark-uniformed figure near the outlane. Two grey metal bats lie side by side as the flippers below the wood-grain deck. Cream instruction cards with red borders fill the bottom apron, flanked by cream apron panels with red arrows.

Backglass vision analysis

Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.

Playball / Home Run backglass

Backglass Home Run

  • teal
  • maroon
  • orange
  • white

Fingerprint: Orange-gear catcher lunging forward top centre, "HOME RUN" in cream letters with orange outline under "Gottlieb's" maroon banner, nine red pennant flags top edge, blue-capped player holding bat lower right, "BALLS TO PLAY" panel and "GAME OVER" disc lower corners, multiple baseball players diving and swinging, family embracing, stadium with crowd and fireworks, teal border, painted baseball aesthetic, sport competition theme

Distinctive

A grinning catcher in bright orange protective gear lunges forward at the top centre, one leg raised, dominating the composition. Below him, HOME RUN appears in large cream letters with a heavy orange outline and drop shadow, under a maroon pennant-shaped banner reading Gottlieb's in white script. A row of nine tiny red pennant flags on poles runs along the very top above the score windows. At lower right a smiling player in a blue cap with a G holds a bat upright beside a BALLS TO PLAY panel and a ball-in-hand GAME OVER disc at lower left.

Setting

  • Painted stadium bowl with lit crowd and floodlights
  • Firework bursts
  • Green playing field
  • Light grey inner panel

Symbols

  • Nine red pennant flags on poles
  • Baseball
  • Baseball bat
  • Catcher's mitt
  • Catcher's mask
  • Catcher gear
  • Fireworks
  • Stadium
  • Numbers 1 to 10
  • Letter g on caps and chest
  • Baseball diamond lines at the bottom

Lettering

  • Cream block serif capitals with heavy orange inline and drop shadow for the title; white italic script on a maroon banner above it; orange block capitals for the window labels; small black hand-lettered signature at lower left

Themes

  • Baseball
  • Sport
  • Team sport

Title on it

  • Home run

Text on it

  • TILT
  • RUNS
  • 4 0,200
  • 23
  • PREVIOUS HI SCORE
  • Gottlieb's
  • HOME RUN
  • BALLS TO PLAY
  • GAME OVER
  • D. Gottlieb & Co.
  • DES. BY D.G.
  • MCMXLV
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • G
Who and what
Kind Description
Man Catcher in orange chest protector, orange shin guards, orange mask and orange uniform, grinning, lunging forward with one knee raised, top centre
Man Fielder in blue uniform and cap diving horizontally to the right at upper right
Man Batter in grey uniform with blue sleeves, blue cap and orange sleeves mid-swing with bat blurred, centre
Man Brown-uniformed catcher crouching with a large brown mitt, left of centre
Man Blue-uniformed player in blue cap bearing a g, holding a bat upright, lower right
Man White-uniformed player with blue cap and brown boots standing beside a brown dog on a bench, upper left
Man Small white-uniformed player at lower left with a bat
Child Child in blue standing at lower left near the seated player
Other Family group of four figures embracing, right of the brown-uniformed catcher
Animal Brown dog sitting on a bench beside the white-uniformed player
Full description

A painted baseball backglass with a teal-painted outer cabinet border framing a light grey playfield-shaped insert. Across the top runs a row of nine small red pennant flags on thin poles, above two black score windows with white reel cards reading 4 0,200 and 23, labelled TILT and RUNS in orange block letters. The central artwork is a dense collage of baseball figures on a maroon-to-teal field: a grinning catcher in orange chest protector, shin guards and mask at top centre leaping forward; a blue-suited fielder diving to the right; a batter in grey and orange swinging mid-strike; a brown-uniformed catcher crouching with a mitt; and a second blue-uniformed fielder in a blue cap marked with a G at lower right holding a bat upright. Small vignettes include a white-uniformed player with a bat and a brown dog on a bench, and a family group of four embracing. At right a lit stadium bowl with a crowd and fireworks bursts behind it. Large cream letters with orange outline spell HOME RUN, with a maroon banner above reading Gottlieb's in white script. A teal panel at the bottom carries the white numerals 1 through 10 with tiny batting figures, a ball-in-hand GAME OVER target at lower left, and BALLS TO PLAY in blue at lower right.

Playball / Home Run backglass

Backglass Playball

  • magenta
  • yellow
  • white
  • green

Fingerprint: Gottlieb's PLAYBALL — giant curved pink-yellow ribbon banner with enormous yellow letters on magenta ground, crowded baseball collage with three batters, orange-masked catcher, woman in headscarf, pink fireworks burst behind tiny white grandstand, two small blue-uniformed figures tumbling down right edge, yellow BALL IN PLAY arrow at bottom left

Distinctive

The dominant feature is a giant curved pink-and-yellow ribbon banner carrying the title, with the word PLAYBALL in enormous yellow letters outlined in pink and black on a bright magenta ground. Around it is an unusually crowded baseball collage: three striped-uniform batters mid-swing, an orange catcher-masked figure crouching, and a woman in a headscarf leaning over the banner. A vivid fireworks burst of pink-and-white rockets explodes behind a tiny white grandstand on the right, the one piece of non-baseball imagery. Two small blue-uniformed figures tumble head-first down the far right edge in mid-air, an odd detail. A yellow arrow-shaped sign reading BALL IN PLAY juts up from the bottom left corner.

Setting

  • Cream off-white backglass ground
  • Olive-green painted border around the art
  • Green baseball field with white base lines
  • Tiny white-and-blue stadium grandstand with green outfield wall
  • Pink and white fireworks rockets

Symbols

  • Yellow arrow sign
  • Pink fireworks rockets and starbursts
  • Baseball bat
  • Catcher's mask and chest protector
  • Stadium grandstand
  • Baseball diamond with base lines
  • Curved ribbon banner

Lettering

  • White cursive script word above very large yellow block capitals with pink inline and heavy black outline

Themes

  • Baseball
  • Ballplayers
  • Sport
  • Fireworks

Title on it

  • Gottlieb's playball

Text on it

  • 51,21
  • RUNS
  • Gottlieb's
  • PLAYBALL
  • BALL IN PLAY
Who and what
Kind Description
Woman Seated high at top centre, yellow blouse, orange skirt, red headscarf, mouth open, holding a pale object
Man Batter left, pale blue-and-white striped uniform, blue cap, swinging a wooden bat
Man Batter centre, striped uniform and blue cap, legs braced, bat mid-swing
Man Small crouching batter at bottom left in blue-and-white uniform
Man Orange-suited figure at centre left with a catcher-style mask, crouching
Man Pale blue pitcher at right, cap, in a wind-up pose beside the grandstand
Man Stocky catcher bottom right, blue cap, chest protector with red c, holding a bat upright
Other Small orange-outlined figure at far left edge
Other Two tiny blue-uniformed figures tumbling head-first down the right edge in mid-air
Other Several tiny silhouetted players scattered across the small green diamond at bottom centre
Full description

Landscape electro-mechanical backglass on a cream ground with an olive-green painted border. Four mechanical score reels in white windows run across the top: three on the left reading 51,21 and 1/21, one at upper right labelled RUNS in orange block letters. Below is a baseball scene framed by a huge curved yellow-and-pink ribbon banner. A seated woman in a yellow blouse, orange skirt and red headscarf leans forward at top centre, mouth open, holding a pale object. Three male batters in pale blue-and-white striped uniforms swing wooden bats, one crouched at bottom left; an orange-suited masked figure crouches at centre left. At right a pale blue pitcher winds up beside a tiny white-and-blue grandstand, green outfield wall and pink-and-white fireworks. Bottom right a stocky catcher in blue-and-white gear with a chest protector bearing a red C holds a bat upright. Centre-bottom: a white script word above huge yellow block letters with pink and black shading. A yellow arrow panel at bottom left reads BALL IN PLAY.