1972 · Williams
Super Star / Big Star
Known for SU-P-ER, Rollover buttons, Center saucer and Center drop target. Outer space starfield of magenta and violet, ringed planets, white four-pointed stars and orange sunburst platform with chequered landing pad.
- Year
- 1972
- Maker
- Williams
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Score reels
- Players
- 1
Known for
- Lane
SU-P-ER
- rollovers
Rollover buttons
- Hole
Center saucer
- Target
Center drop target
- Target
Left Post and Right Post
- post
Outlane posts
- post
Center post
2 games under this title
On the playfield
Hole 1
- Center saucer
Bumper 1
- Yellow pop bumpers
Targets 3
- Center drop target
- Advance targets
- Left Post and Right Post
Lanes 2
- SU-P-ER
- Rollover buttons rollovers
Posts and gates 2
- Outlane posts post
- Center post post
Control 1
- Down Center Post button
Other 1
- Rebound rubbers rebound
On the backglass
Who and what
- woman Very large painted head at lower left, dark full hair, face in profile looking right, bright red lips, pale skin, cropped at the shoulders by the frame edge
- creature Oversized yellow hand with pink/red fingernails at bottom left-centre, held up beside the woman's head
- man Lower right, dark-skinned, big dark mass of hair, magenta/purple shirt, one hand raised towards his mouth, head tilted up and to the left
- alien Blue-skinned big-headed cartoon figure at the top centre, standing on a pale blue sphere
- alien Green-bodied figure in dark blue clothing at mid-left, standing on a small purple planet
- other Small figure in a pink/magenta outfit at centre, just below the logo
Setting
- Outer space starfield of magenta and violet
- Ringed planets
- White four-pointed stars
- Orange sunburst platform with chequered landing pad
Text on it
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 8
- 10
- BIG
- STAR
- BALLS IN PLAY
- TILT
How it plays
-
Goals 2
- Center saucer value
Other
- Big Star
Made by
- Design
- Steve Kordek
- Art
- Christian Marche
Reference
Linked terms
- SU-P-ER also called SU and ER also called top lanes
- Rollover buttons also called 1-2-3-4-5 rollover buttons
- Center saucer also called Center value saucer
- Advance targets also called Advance
- Left Post and Right Post also called Upper outside targets
- Outlane posts also called Side posts
- Rebound rubbers also called Rebound
- Big Star also called Add-A-Ball Big Star
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass Big Star
- magenta
- violet
- green
- yellow
Fingerprint: 'BIG STAR' in fat green bubble letters on cream splash, five reel windows (4 5 6 8 10) upper left purple border, large dark-haired woman profile bottom left, dark-skinned man right, blue-white robot on sunburst, magenta starfield, parody space-opera comic style
The centre logo is a satirical one: a tiny red cursive script wordmark perched over two lines of fat, rounded, bright-green bubble letters spelling BIG STAR on a cream splodge shape. A row of five individual reel windows each showing a single digit, 4 5 6 8 10, sits high on the left inside a lamp-dotted purple border. The huge dark-haired woman in profile at bottom left and the dark-skinned man with a raised hand at bottom right face inwards across the glass. A blue-and-white robot or astronaut stands on an orange sunburst platform with a chequered pad at bottom centre.
Setting
- Outer space starfield of magenta and violet
- Ringed planets
- White four-pointed stars
- Orange sunburst platform with chequered landing pad
Symbols
- White four-pointed stars
- Ringed planets
- Five reel windows
- Round white lamp dots along the reel border
- Chequered landing-pad grid
- Sunburst
Lettering
- Fat rounded green bubble capitals with heavy outlines for the title, small red cursive script wordmark above it, plain white block capitals on a black band for balls in play, yellow tilt in a small box
Themes
- Space
- Cartoon parody
- Comic book
- Pinball backglass art
Title on it
- Big star
Text on it
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 8
- 10
- BIG
- STAR
- BALLS IN PLAY
- TILT
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Very large painted head at lower left, dark full hair, face in profile looking right, bright red lips, pale skin, cropped at the shoulders by the frame edge |
| Creature | Oversized yellow hand with pink/red fingernails at bottom left-centre, held up beside the woman's head |
| Man | Lower right, dark-skinned, big dark mass of hair, magenta/purple shirt, one hand raised towards his mouth, head tilted up and to the left |
| Alien | Blue-skinned big-headed cartoon figure at the top centre, standing on a pale blue sphere |
| Alien | Green-bodied figure in dark blue clothing at mid-left, standing on a small purple planet |
| Other | Small figure in a pink/magenta outfit at centre, just below the logo |
| Robot | Blue-and-white robot or spacesuited astronaut standing on the orange sunburst platform at bottom centre |
| Vehicle | Small purple flying craft or rocket at mid-right against the starfield |
Portrait-format painted backglass with a parody space-opera look. The whole ground is a hot magenta and violet starfield sprinkled with white four-pointed stars, ringed planets and a small rocket. Across the upper left runs a horizontal strip of five white reel windows, each holding one black digit, reading 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, framed by a purple border dotted with round white lamp dots. Slightly right of centre sits the main logo: a small red cursive script wordmark above two lines of fat green bubble lettering with heavy outlines, BIG over STAR, set on a pale cream amoeba-shaped splash. Around it stand several cartoon space characters: a blue-skinned big-headed figure at the top, a green figure in dark blue clothing at mid-left, a small pink-clad figure and a blue-and-white robot or astronaut standing on an orange-and-yellow sunburst platform with a chequered landing-pad grid at bottom centre, plus a small purple flying craft at mid-right. The lower left is dominated by a large painted head of a dark-haired woman in profile with red lips, beside a big yellow hand with pink nails. The lower right shows a dark-skinned man with a big dark mass of hair in a magenta shirt, one hand raised to his mouth. White block capitals on a black band at bottom left read BALLS IN PLAY, and a small yellow box at bottom right reads TILT. Chunky comic-book colouring with heavy black outlines throughout.
Backglass Super Star
- black
- red
- blue
- yellow
Fingerprint: Pop singer in yellow blouse and red bow with bright red-yellow sunburst face strumming acoustic guitar, "SUPER STAR" title slanted red within pale blue oval, five white mechanical reel wheels showing 12170, singing man in purple shirt, secondary singers, monkey with guitar, psychedelic color blobs, 1970s concert-poster style
The huge slanted red SUPER STAR title stacked in two lines inside a pale blue oval, with a small cursive logo word tucked above the S. A large pop-singer woman in a yellow blouse with a red bow, rendered with a bright red-and-yellow sunburst face, strumming a brown acoustic guitar across the whole lower-left quadrant. Five reel number windows reading 12170 in a bulb-framed black panel at upper left. A black star-speckled background made of overlapping flat primary-colour blobs, giving a 1970s airbrushed-poster look.
Setting
- Black star-speckled field with overlapping flat colour blobs in blue, lime green, mustard, crimson and magenta
- Abstract pop-concert collage rather than a depicted location
Symbols
- Five mechanical score reels in white windows
- Acoustic guitar
- Microphone on stand
- Electric guitar
- Keyboard/mixing desk
- Small drum kit
- Trumpet
- Bandaged head figures
- Star dots
- Red ribbon banner
Lettering
- Large slanted sans-serif capitals in red with white inner highlights and dark shadow, two lines, inside a pale blue oval; a small flowing red cursive script logo above; black condensed block capitals for instruction text; yellow capitals on a red ribbon banner
Themes
- Music
- Rock concert
- Singing
- Guitar
- 1970s pop art
- Airbrushed poster
Title on it
- Super star
Text on it
- SUPER STAR
- Williams
- BALLS TO PLAY
- GAME OVER
- 40
- 12170
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Lower left, largest figure: young adult with long brown hair swept over one shoulder, face shaded as a bright red and yellow sunburst with eyes closed and mouth open singing; wears a yellow blouse with a large red bow at the collar and puffed sleeve; strums a dark brown acoustic guitar with both hands, red fingernails; a small watch on her wrist |
| Man | Lower right: adult man in a purple long-sleeve shirt and dark blue headband, head thrown back, mouth wide open singing into a silver microphone on a stand; dark hair |
| Man | Upper centre, inside a lime-green circle: figure in green clothing with a hat or headband, mouth open, arm raised, appearing to sing |
| Other | Top centre, arms thrown upward in a v, partly obscured, singing or cheering |
| Other | Right edge, small figure at a keyboard or mixing console with a bandaged or white-wrapped head, partly cropped |
| Other | Centre: a small brown monkey-like animal figure seated on a stool playing a guitar, next to a small white winged figure with a golden trumpet |
| Other | Upper right: a head wrapped in bandages with a blue tinted face, in profile |
A tall rectangular backglass panel with a jet-black background scattered with flat overlapping blobs of colour (royal blue, olive-lime, mustard yellow, crimson and magenta) and small dots like stars. Upper left holds a black rounded rectangular window containing five white mechanical reel number wheels reading 12170, edged with a white bulb-studded border; above them a small white 40 sits on a blue blob. The main title SUPER STAR fills the right-of-centre area in huge slanted red letters with white highlights and a dark drop shadow, set inside a pale blue oval, with a small red cursive logo word above it. The artwork is a pop-concert montage of cartoon singers: a large young woman in the lower left with long brown hair, a yellow blouse and a big red bow at her neck, mouth open singing while strumming a dark brown acoustic guitar; a man at lower right in a purple shirt and dark headband singing into a silver microphone in front of a small mixing desk or drum kit; a smaller green-clad singer and a raised-arms figure above. Black block capitals read BALLS TO PLAY over the guitar, and a red ribbon banner at bottom right reads GAME OVER.