1958 · Gottlieb
Rocket Ship
Known for Roto-target, Yellow passive bumpers, Gobble holes and Backglass letters. Deep navy blue starfield with white stars, outer space with planets, moons and a saucer, green ground strip along the lower right and score ladder panel down the right third.
- Year
- 1958
- Maker
- Gottlieb
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Backglass lights
- Players
- 1
Known for
- Toy
Roto-target
- Bumper
Yellow passive bumpers
- Hole
Gobble holes
- backglass toy
Backglass letters
- Goal
Spelling Rocket Ship
On the playfield
Toy 1
- Roto-target
Hole 1
- Gobble holes
Bumper 1
- Yellow passive bumpers
Lanes 2
- Center top lane
- Out lanes
Post or gate 1
- Rollunder gates gates
Control 1
- Rollover buttons buttons
Lights 1
- Slingshot lights
Backbox 1
- Backglass letters backglass toy
On the backglass
Who and what
- woman Young adult, shoulder-length blonde hair, blue top, bare legs, seated sideways on a yellow barrel, holding a long rolled yellow-and-white paper across her lap, smiling
- child Red-haired boy, red, white and grey striped jumper with blue shorts, bare legs, standing upright beside the woman and looking up
- child Small figure in a red top and dark trousers at lower left, standing on or beside a rocket
- vehicle Large retro rocket, red nose cone and body, yellow-and-white striped midsection, green tail fins, angled up to the right, with white and yellow flame trails
- vehicle Small flying saucer and a small satellite-like craft in the starfield
- other Yellow-orange round planet and a purple ringed planet among the stars
Setting
- Deep navy blue starfield with white stars
- Outer space with planets, moons and a saucer
- Green ground strip along the lower right
- Score ladder panel down the right third
Text on it
- GOTTIEB'S
- ROCKET SHIP
- MILLIONS
- 7
- 6
- 5
- 4
- 3
- 2
- 1
- THOUSANDS
- 900
- 60
- 800
- 80
- 700
- 20
- 600
- 500
- 50
- 400
- 40
- 300
- 30
- 200
- 100
- 10
- 00
- D. Gottlieb & Co.
How it plays
-
Goals 1
- Spelling Rocket Ship
Made by
- Design
- Wayne Neyens
- Art
- Roy Parker
Reference
Linked terms
- Roto-target also called center roto-target
- Center top lane also called Top lane
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- blue
- orange
- cream
- red
Fingerprint: Rocketship, snarling robot-jester mask red face enormous yellow horseshoe eye sockets round red nose black-white feather rays and yellow lightning-bolt crown flanked by striped red-yellow rocket fins, ring of ten cream circles with red borders each holding black letter spelling ROCKETSHIP above line describing rotary target spots, four identical SPIN inserts glowing amber on orange concentric plastic bases, two blue scalloped rotary target discs
The centre of the field is dominated by a snarling robot-jester mask: red face, enormous yellow horseshoe-shaped eye sockets, a round red nose, black-and-white feather rays and a yellow lightning-bolt crown, flanked by striped red-and-yellow rocket fins. Second most memorable is the ring of ten cream circles with red borders, each holding one black letter, that spell the word ROCKETSHIP across the lower playfield above the line Rotary Target Spots Litred Letter. Four identical round inserts reading SPIN glow amber on orange concentric plastic bases, arranged as a symmetric pair high and a pair low on the wooden side rails. The two blue scalloped rotary target discs stamped 100,000 WHEN LIT sit stacked in the vertical centre line, with cream SPECIAL WHEN LIT banners either side and yellow ROTARY TARGET VALUE banners above and below them.
Setting
- Deep navy blue star-speckled space field with small yellow starbursts and scattered white dots
- Bare cream/grey painted metal apron across the bottom quarter
- Warm varnished wooden cabinet side rails framing the playfield left and right
- Translucent orange plastic arch over the score area at the top
Symbols
- Four-letter rotary target discs
- Spinning clown-head rotor art
- Rocket fins
- Lightning-bolt crown
- Starbursts
- Atomic sun/star emblems on the slingshots
- Arrows pointing to cabinet-side buttons
- Gold crown sticker near the top left
Notable shapes
- The central robot-jester mask with lightning-bolt crown
- The row of ten red-ringed cream circles spelling the title letter by letter
- Two blue scalloped rotary target discs
- The rocket-shaped cream panel at lower centre reading 500 000 when lit 1 million
- The translucent orange arch over the top score reels
- Large cream rocket noses flaring outward above the rotary target discs
- Four concentric orange swirl plastics under the spin inserts
Art motifs
- Retro cartoon airbrushed lettering with drop shadows
- Concentric orange-and-yellow swirl plastics behind the spin inserts
- Chrome wire ball guides down both side rails
- Cream banners with red shadowed block text
- Comet/shooting-star streaks painted diagonally
Themes
- Space
- Rockets
- Clowns and jesters
- Circus
- Scoring ladder
Text on it
- 10 000
- 6000
- POP BUMPER
- SPIN
- ROTARY TARGET VALUE
- SPECIAL
- WHEN LIT
- 100,000
- 300 000
- ROCKETSHIP
- Rotary Target Spots Litred Letter
- 500 000
- 1 MILLION
- 50.000
- FLIPPER
- BALLS PLAYED
- END GAME
- FOR TEMPORARY USE NO PRICES NO REFUNDS
- BUTTONS ON SIDE OF CABINET
- ROCKET SHIP
- A PRODUCT OF
- D. Gottlieb & Co.
- HIT FOR 100 POP BUMPER
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Other | Small jester/clown head upper left of centre: round red nose, pink ruffled collar, orange hat, orange body, facing inward |
| Other | Small jester/clown head upper right of centre: round red nose, pink ruffled collar, blue and green hat and body, facing inward |
| Robot | Central robot-jester mask: red face, two huge yellow horseshoe eye shapes, red ball nose, black-and-white feather rays either side, yellow zigzag lightning-bolt crown above, white grinning teeth, flanked by striped red-and-yellow rocket fins |
| Other | Small clown in a yellow astronaut-style suit and helmet with red trim, inside a rectangular blue-bordered panel on the left side rail |
| Woman | Small woman figure in a red dress with a white and blue collar/scarf, inside a rectangular blue-bordered panel on the right side rail |
| Other | Standing clown on the bottom apron: red jacket, yellow trousers covered in big red spots, yellow ruffled cuffs, one arm raised holding a mallet, beside the balls played window |
A tall, blue playfield dominated by deep navy artwork with cream, orange, yellow and red lettering, and a bare cream/grey apron at the bottom. Four round amber-lit inserts reading SPIN sit two on each side at about mid-height and lower height, mounted on orange-and-yellow concentric plastic bases. Across the top, a translucent orange plastic arch/lane guide curves over the score area, with two score reels showing 10 000 in cream digits on black. Below the reels, two small jester-clown heads with round red noses and ruffled collars face each other either side of a pink pop-bumper cap; left figure wears orange, right figure blue and green, and each sits above a cream ribbon banner reading POP BUMPER with yellow 6000 flags above. A yellow banner across the middle reads ROTARY TARGET VALUE, flanked by two cream SPECIAL WHEN LIT panels and two blue scalloped rotary target discs marked 100,000 WHEN LIT. The centrepiece is a menacing robot-jester mask: a red face, huge yellow horseshoe eye shapes, a red ball nose, black-and-white feather rays and a yellow lightning-bolt crown, flanked by striped red-and-yellow rocket fins. Below sit two green ovals reading 300 000, a cream rocket-shaped panel carrying ten red-ringed circles spelling ROCKETSHIP with the line Rotary Target Spots Litred Letter, and a cream panel reading 500 000 WHEN LIT 1 MILLION ROTARY TARGET VALUE. Two blue triangular slingshots with red-and-yellow starburst patterns flank the lower centre, and two chrome wire rails run down both sides. The apron carries a yellow BALLS PLAYED window, a standing clown in yellow trousers with red spots and a red jacket, and a D. Gottlieb & Co. plate.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- blue
- red
- yellow
- white
Fingerprint: Giant retro rocket with red nose cone and green tail fins ploughing diagonally across navy starfield, bulb-studded red ROCKET SHIP title arcing above it, blonde woman holding long rolled blueprint sitting on yellow barrel next to red-haired boy, planets and saucer in starfield, score ladder with MILLIONS and THOUSANDS grid on right third
A giant retro rocket with a red nose cone and green tail fins ploughing diagonally across a navy starfield, with the bulb-studded red title ROCKET SHIP arcing above it. A blonde woman holding a long rolled blueprint sits on a yellow barrel at centre bottom next to a red-haired boy in a striped jumper. The right-hand third is a full scoring ladder, MILLIONS 7 down to 1 beside a THOUSANDS grid of red and cream number panels. Two planets, a ringed planet and a saucer float in the starfield.
Setting
- Deep navy blue starfield with white stars
- Outer space with planets, moons and a saucer
- Green ground strip along the lower right
- Score ladder panel down the right third
Symbols
- Marquee light bulbs inside title letters
- Planet with rings
- Yellow planet
- Flying saucer
- Flame exhaust streaks
- Rows of yellow lamp windows
- Star field
Lettering
- Large red block capitals with white and yellow outline and inset round light bulbs for the title; small white-outlined capitals for gottieb's and millions; cream-and-red panels with plain numerals for the score ladder
Themes
- Space
- Rocket
- Planets
- Score ladder
- Atomic age
- Children's adventure
Title on it
- Rocket ship
Text on it
- GOTTIEB'S
- ROCKET SHIP
- MILLIONS
- 7
- 6
- 5
- 4
- 3
- 2
- 1
- THOUSANDS
- 900
- 60
- 800
- 80
- 700
- 20
- 600
- 500
- 50
- 400
- 40
- 300
- 30
- 200
- 100
- 10
- 00
- D. Gottlieb & Co.
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Young adult, shoulder-length blonde hair, blue top, bare legs, seated sideways on a yellow barrel, holding a long rolled yellow-and-white paper across her lap, smiling |
| Child | Red-haired boy, red, white and grey striped jumper with blue shorts, bare legs, standing upright beside the woman and looking up |
| Child | Small figure in a red top and dark trousers at lower left, standing on or beside a rocket |
| Vehicle | Large retro rocket, red nose cone and body, yellow-and-white striped midsection, green tail fins, angled up to the right, with white and yellow flame trails |
| Vehicle | Small flying saucer and a small satellite-like craft in the starfield |
| Other | Yellow-orange round planet and a purple ringed planet among the stars |
Illuminated backglass inside a gold-toned wooden frame, hand-painted in a bright mid-century cartoon style. Top left carries small white-outlined capitals reading GOTTIEB'S; beneath it the title ROCKET SHIP runs diagonally in enormous red block capitals, each letter studded with round yellow marquee bulbs and outlined in white and yellow, set against a deep navy-blue starfield. A fat retro rocket dominates the centre: red nose cone and body, yellow-and-white striped midsection, green tail fins, angled up to the right, trailing white-and-yellow flame streaks. Floating in the blue are a yellow-orange planet, a ringed planet, small moons and a saucer. Lower centre, a blonde woman in a blue top sits on a yellow barrel with a long rolled yellow-and-white blueprint across her lap; beside her stands a red-haired boy in a red, white and grey striped jumper and blue shorts. At the lower left a small child figure in a red top stands on a rocket beside a cream banner. Right third is a score ladder: MILLIONS in white above descending numerals 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, and a THOUSANDS column of paired red panels with white numbers (900, 800, 700, 600, 500, 400) and cream panels with red numerals (60, 80, 20, 60, 50, 40) continuing down as 300/30, 200/20, 100/10 and 00, with a tall column of plain yellow lamp windows down the far right edge. Dominant colours: navy blue, bright red, yellow, white.