1955 · Gottlieb
Sweet Add-A-Line
Flat turquoise-blue painted field with soft airbrushed mottling and a pale cloud-like shape behind the top banner, interior gambling-floor scene with slot cabinets and a green-topped table, wooden outer frame visible on all four sides and dark maroon lower band carrying the value panels.
- Year
- 1955
- Maker
- Gottlieb
- Type
- Electro-mechanical
- Display
- Backglass lights
- Players
- 1
Made by
- Design
- Wayne Neyens
- Art
- Roy Parker
Vision analysis
On the playfield
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- teal
- red
- cream
- silver
Fingerprint: Special, blonde singer in polka-dot swimsuit at chrome microphone under piano-key arch, three concentric bullseye bumpers stacked pyramid in green, pink, blue on starburst, white arrow panel reading WHEN LIT around red SPECIAL lettering, two silver diamond-plate ramps descending symmetrically
Three concentric bullseye bumpers stacked in a pyramid down the upper centre, each printed 100,000 WHEN LIT, in green, pink and blue on a red-white-and-blue starburst. A painted blonde singer in a polka-dot swimsuit reaching up to a chrome microphone sits directly above them under an arch of piano keys. A broad white arrow panel reading WHEN LIT and AS INDICATED around large red SPECIAL lettering forms the centre hub. Two mirror-image silver diamond-plate ramps sweep down the outer edges from the upper third to the lower centre.
Setting
- Deep blue-green starry night sky
- Painted stage arch with piano keys at the top
- Large teal circular star field in the lower half
- Cream and pink apron band across the bottom
Symbols
- Three concentric bullseye jackpot bumpers
- Yellow numbered pennant shields 1-16
- Upward-pointing block arrows
- Piano keys
- Chrome microphone
- Directional arrow heads
- Red ribbon banner with maker signature
- Five red ball-in-slot lamps
- Rainbow insert lamps
Notable shapes
- Pyramid of three rainbow bullseye bumpers on a starburst
- Two symmetric silver diamond-plate ramps forming a wide v
- Scalloped pink apron curve
- Arched barrel-vault backdrop across the top
- Large teal star-field circle in the lower half
- Shield-shaped yellow value pennants 1-16
- White wireform horseshoe ramp at the top
Art motifs
- Star field
- Concentric rainbow rings
- Arched proscenium stage backdrop
- Checkerboard and polka-dot patterns
- Scalloped pink apron curve
- Pennant and bunting shapes
- Musical notes and a piano keyboard
- Miniature musical-note scatter
Themes
- Amusement arcade
- Singer / music hall
- Jackpot ladders
- Spectacle and stardom
Title on it
- Special
Text on it
- 100,000 WHEN LIT
- ON
- OFF
- WHEN LIT
- AS INDICATED
- SPECIAL
- 50,000
- 5,000
- 10,000
- 2
- 3
- 6
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- 15
- 18
- A PRODUCT OF
- D. Gottlieb & Co.
- MADE IN CHICAGO, ILL.
- SKILLS
- SHOTS
- NUMBERS
- RUBBER
- ALL ROLLOVERS SCORE 50,000
- 1
- 4
- 5
- 8
- 10
- 12
- 14
- 16
- BALLS PLAYED
- ADD-A-LINE
- 3 BALLS
- 5 CENTS
- FLIPPER
- BUTTONS
- ON SIDE OF
- CABINET
- NO PRIZES
- NO WAGERING
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Painted blonde adult woman, hair in a short curled 1940s-style bob, black-and-white polka-dot one-piece swimsuit with a red collar and red belt, one arm raised to a chrome microphone on a stand, shown in three-quarter profile facing right, at the top centre of the playfield |
| Vehicle | Small red-and-white motor boat or speedboat silhouette printed in the centre hub area between the score inserts and the special panel |
| Other | Small red pinball/dot shapes and white musical note glyphs scattered as background motifs in the star field |
Full view of a solid-state electro-mechanical playfield under glass, framed by a wooden cabinet with a red-painted lower body. The field is a deep teal-blue night sky with scattered white stars and small musical-note motifs. Across the top is a painted blonde woman in a black-and-white polka-dot swimsuit with a red collar, one arm raised to a chrome microphone on a stand, framed by a fan of grey-blue piano keys and an arched, barrel-like backdrop. Below her sit three concentric 'target' bumpers on a red/white/blue starburst: a green one labelled 100,000 WHEN LIT at the apex, two side-by-side pink ones reading 100,000 WHEN LIT, and a blue one lower down, with ON and OFF lettering between them. A row of small inset lamps and yellow pennant shields numbered 1 to 4 runs across the upper left and right, continuing to 16 in lower rows. Two large silver diamond-plate metal ramps descend symmetrically from the mid-field outer edges towards the lower centre, each with a small RUBBER label. The centre carries a white arrow panel reading WHEN LIT and AS INDICATED around big red SPECIAL lettering with a row of upward-pointing arrows beneath, plus a 50,000 / 5,000 / 10,000 / 2 3 / 6 7 / 9 11 / 13 15 / 18 score insert cluster and a small red ship silhouette. The lower playfield is a teal star field with a row of six vertical rainbow-lit insert lamps and a horizontal strip reading ALL ROLLOVERS SCORE 50,000, flanked by a pink V-shaped apron carrying the 1-5 BALLS PLAYED and 4-5 match lamps. Two cream ADD-A-LINE instruction cards with dense black text sit on the apron either side of a central drain and a white FLIPPER BUTTONS ON SIDE OF CABINET legend with double-headed arrow. NO PRIZES / NO WAGERING is stencilled in white on the right.
On the backglass
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- turquoise
- red
- white
- green
Fingerprint: ADD-A-LINE in red-orange block capitals above IT FIGGERS, blonde woman in red-white striped dress at green table, men crowding dark slot cabinets, offset stacked white reel windows on left in pyramid formation, coloured numbered discs and value panels along bottom, turquoise background with airbrushed cartoon style
The most memorable element is the seated blonde woman in a striped dress at a green gaming table, with a line of grinning men in flat caps and vests crowded around dark slot cabinets beside her. Second, the two offset banks of four slanted white reel windows printed with red numbers 1 to 16, stacked like a stepped pyramid down the left side. Third, the tall red-orange block title 'ADD-A-LINE' with the small italic 'IT FIGGERS!' tucked under its right end. Fourth, the row of coloured numbered discs and the two ranks of jackpot value panels running across the full width of the bottom.
Setting
- Flat turquoise-blue painted field with soft airbrushed mottling and a pale cloud-like shape behind the top banner
- Interior gambling-floor scene with slot cabinets and a green-topped table
- Wooden outer frame visible on all four sides
- Dark maroon lower band carrying the value panels
Symbols
- Eight slanted white reel windows printed with red numerals
- Dark green and black slot cabinets with coin slots
- Seven coloured numbered discs
- Ten rectangular value panels in two ranks
- Green chair and green table top
- Diagonal signature ribbon in the lower right corner
Lettering
- Mixed: black cursive script on a pale ribbon banner, yellow cursive script, tall condensed red-orange sans-serif block capitals with white and yellow outline, small white italic capitals, and a white cursive signature on a slanted orange-red ribbon
Themes
- One-line slot machine gambling theme
- Fruit machine venue interior
- Mechanical reel numbers
- Jackpot and million scoring
Title on it
- Sweet add-a-line
Text on it
- Gottlieb
- Sweet
- ADD-A-LINE
- IT FIGGERS!
- PLAY 10¢
- 1¢
- MILLION
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 7
- 500.000
- 600.000
- 700.000
- 800.000
- 900.000
- 100.000
- 200.000
- 300.000
- 400.000
- 13
- 11
- 6
- 16
- 12
- 9
- 14
- 15
- 10
- 8
- D. Gottlieb & Co.
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Woman | Young adult blonde, hair swept up into a 1960s updo with a fringe, red-and-white vertically striped sleeveless dress with thin straps, bare legs and pale shoes, seated sideways on a green chair at a green-topped table, left elbow resting on the table with hand raised to her chin, smiling and looking left at the reels |
| Man | Behind and left of the woman, wearing a red-and-white striped shirt, head tilted, leaning toward a dark slot cabinet |
| Man | Directly behind the woman in a teal-blue top with a pale collar, standing upright facing left |
| Man | Far right, older stocky bare-armed man in a red sleeveless vest with white trim over a white undershirt and a pale flat cap, wide toothy grin, one hand raised beside his head |
Wood-framed painted backglass on a turquoise-blue background, in flat mid-century cartoon style with heavy black outlines and airbrushed shading. Across the top, a pale ribbon banner carries the black script word 'Gottlieb', followed by 'Sweet' in large yellow cursive script and 'ADD-A-LINE' in tall red-orange block capitals with a white and yellow outline; beneath it, small white italic capitals read 'IT FIGGERS!'. Two offset banks of four slanted white reel windows dominate the left half, each window printed with red numerals 1-16 in vertical columns. On the right, a blonde woman in a red-and-white striped sleeveless dress sits sideways on a green chair at a green-topped table, elbow on the table and hand at her chin, looking left. Behind her stand two men at dark slot cabinets, one in a striped shirt and one in a teal top; further right a bare-armed man in a red sleeveless vest and pale cap grins and raises a hand. Along the bottom, coloured discs numbered 1 2 3 4 5 5 7 sit above the word 'MILLION', over two rows of value panels, and a slanted orange-red signature ribbon with white script occupies the lower right corner.