1990 · Data East
The Simpsons
Known for Bowling pin targets, Lock saucers, Laser Kick and Simpsons Millions. Pale turquoise sky with yellow sunbeams and small white clouds, green rolling springfield hillside with rows of houses, two grey nuclear cooling towers, dam and viaduct structures, 1950s american small-town street with shops and petrol station and drive-in.
- Year
- 1990
- Maker
- Data East
- Type
- Solid state
- Display
- Alphanumeric
- Players
- 4
Known for
- Target
Bowling pin targets
- saucers
Lock saucers
- Kickback
Laser Kick
- timed mode
Simpsons Millions
- Multiball
Two-Ball Multiball
- Multiball
Three-Ball Multiball
On the playfield
Holes 4
- Lock saucers saucers
- Upper right saucer saucer
- Upper left saucer saucer
- Near left saucer saucer
Targets 2
- Bowling pin targets
- Right drop targets
Kickback 1
- Laser Kick
Post or gate 1
- Center post post
On the backglass
Who and what
- man Bald, yellow-skinned adult man centre-left, only head and upper torso visible; wide circular eyes, open agape mouth, white shirt and grey tie, holding his own head
- child Boy with tall spiky yellow hair, red t-shirt, blue shorts, riding a wooden skateboard diagonally at the right, one hand raised in a wave, grinning
- child Girl with spiky yellow hair in a red strapless dress, centre, scowling sideways, gripping a brown jar
- woman Tall adult woman with towering blue beehive hair, strapless dark top and necklace, left of the girl, irritated expression
- woman Red-haired woman in the convertible passenger seat, hand to mouth
- child Small yellow child seated between the adults in the convertible
Setting
- Pale turquoise sky with yellow sunbeams and small white clouds
- Green rolling springfield hillside with rows of houses
- Two grey nuclear cooling towers
- Dam and viaduct structures
- 1950s american small-town street with shops
- Petrol station and drive-in
Text on it
- THE SIMPSONS
- DATA EAST
- DON'T HAVE A COW, MAN!
- NUCLEAR JACKPOT
- DANGER
- NO NOT TOUCH THIS LEVER
- NICE SHOOTIN' STRANGER!
- MILLION
- 4
- 3
- 2
- 1
- GROCERIES
- POWER NUTS
- DONUTS
- HOCOL
- LITE
- K
- MART
How it plays
-
Modes 1
- Simpsons Millions timed mode
-
Multiballs 2
- Two-Ball Multiball 2-ball
- Three-Ball Multiball 3-ball
-
Goals 1
- Millions
-
Awards 7
- Catch Up
- Double Your Score
- Hold Bonus
- Strike
- Nice Strike
- Nuclear Power
- Big Score
Made by
- Design
- Joe Kaminkow
- Design
- Ed Cebula
- Art
- Kevin O'Connor
- Art
- Margaret Hudson
- Software
- Rehman Merchant
- Sound & Music
- Brian Schmidt
Reference
Linked terms
- Bowling pin targets also called Strike targets also called Center drops also called Bowling-pin bank
- Lock saucers also called saucers
- Right drop targets also called Right drops
- Near left saucer also called left saucer
- Laser Kick also called Left outlane kickback
- Double Your Score also called Double Score
- Hold Bonus also called Bonus Hold
- Nuclear Power also called Nuclear Power value
Playfield vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Playfield
- yellow
- red
- green
- blue
Fingerprint: Yellow cartoon family man holding baby at center of mid-playfield, WELCOME TO KRUSTYLAND fairground banner arching across backbox, painted clown face bursting from black top hat surrounded by radiating lines, rotating haunted house and rainbow spinner at top
The signature image is a grinning yellow-skinned cartoon father in a white shirt and blue trousers, arms outstretched, holding a baby, standing centre-left among his family. Second is the large arched 'WELCOME TO KRUSTYLAND' fairground banner across the backbox, with painted hills, tents and a roller coaster. Third, a painted clown face bursting out of a black top hat in the middle of the lower playfield, ringed by five gold value medallions. Fourth, the second circus-clad version of the same father holding a 'SHOOT AGAIN, MAN!' speech balloon between the two flippers. Fifth, a large green wireform ramp looping down the entire right side of the playfield.
Setting
- Fairground theme
- Green rolling hills and blue sky
- Striped circus tents
- Roller coaster track
- Painted city street with buildings
Symbols
- Black top hat
- Star burst
- Playing card suits
- Gold value medallions
- Dice
- Circus tent
- Roller coaster
- Curved arrow signs
Notable shapes
- The green wireform ramp makes a large loop hugging the whole right edge; the backbox banner is an arched sign; a row of five round gold medallions arcs across the lower playfield above the clown; a black top hat cutout sits in the centre of the lower playfield; a vertical blue instruction strip with a white 'look up' arrow runs up the right apron
Art motifs
- Bright flat cel-animation colour
- Heavy black outlines
- Speech balloons
- Star bursts on black
- Value medallions in a row
Themes
- Cartoon family
- Fairground
- Circus
- Television
- Clown
- Amusement park
Title on it
- Welcome to krustyland
Text on it
- WELCOME TO KRUSTYLAND
- WELCOME TO SPRINGFIELD
- SHOOT AGAIN, MAN!
- START BUTTON ENTERS INITIALS
- FLIPPERS CHANGE TOP LANES
- FLIPPERS CHANGE INITIALS FOR HIGH SCORE
- WATCH TV DUDLEY
- LOOK UP
- DATA EAST
- Rule 1 Getting Started
- FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY
- 3 BALLS PER GAME
- HOLD INSTANT REPLAY IF 3 BALLS SCORED FOR REPLAY VALUE
- Maximum Credits - 20
- 50'-3 PLAYS
- 75'-5 PLAYS
- BEST VALUE!
- $1.00-3 PLAYS
- Installed 03-09-20
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Large yellow-skinned cartoon father with a bald head and two hair strands, white short-sleeved shirt, blue trousers, black shoes, arms flung wide, holding a small baby in a blue romper; stands centre of the mid-playfield |
| Child | Small baby in a blue outfit with a yellow head, held in the father's arms |
| Woman | Tall slim yellow-skinned woman with tall blue beehive hair, strapless long green dress, pearl necklace, standing to the left of the father with arms down |
| Child | Spiky-haired boy in a red shirt and blue shorts, standing to the right of the father |
| Child | Spiky-haired girl in an orange dress, standing between the mother and father |
| Man | Second depiction of the same bald yellow-skinned father, lower playfield centre, in a red-and-yellow striped circus ringmaster outfit, grinning with arms open, next to a white speech balloon |
| Monster | Painted laughing clown head with yellow skin, red nose and big white teeth, bursting up out of a black top hat in the lower playfield centre, surrounded by radiating black-and-yellow burst lines |
| Other | Small yellow-skinned cartoon boy printed on the right-hand vertical blue instruction card, standing and pointing upward beneath the 'watch tv dudley' sign |
| Other | Small yellow-skinned cartoon boy in a white coat printed on the left yellow 'start button' instruction card |
A brightly coloured cartoon playfield under glass, topped by a backbox banner with an arched 'WELCOME TO KRUSTYLAND' sign in brown-and-yellow letters over painted green hills, striped tents and a roller coaster. The upper playfield is crowded with two tall translucent red posts with chrome caps, four yellow pop-bumper caps, a large green wireform ramp looping down the right side and a yellow lane structure on the left. Mid-playfield art shows yellow-skinned cartoon figures: a large father in a white shirt and blue trousers holding a baby, a tall mother with blue beehive hair in a green strapless dress, and children in orange, red and blue outfits. Below is a painted clown face bursting from a black top hat, ringed by five gold value medallions. A second circus-clad version of the same father stands between the two flippers beside a 'SHOOT AGAIN, MAN!' balloon, flanked by yellow arrow instruction cards. The grey lower deck carries a raised metal 'DATA EAST' plaque, a dense 'Rule 1 Getting Started' card and a black 'FOR AMUSEMENT ONLY' replay card. Dominant colours: yellow, red, green, blue.
Backglass vision analysis
Written by a machine from the photos, so details may be off.
Backglass
- yellow
- turquoise
- red
- green
Fingerprint: THE SIMPSONS in red hand-lettered cloud logo pierced by grey cooling towers with yellow sunbeams radiating outward, spiky-haired boy in red t-shirt carving skateboard down right side with hand raised, slack-jawed shock face filling centre-left above speeding red convertible, left-hand jackpot ladder marked 4-3-2-1 with MILLION, two circular crowd portrait frames at top corners
The single most memorable element is the enormous white cartoon cloud carrying the red hand-lettered title THE SIMPSONS, pierced by two grey cooling towers and radiating yellow sunbeams. Close behind: the spiky-haired boy in a red T-shirt carving a skateboard down the right side with one hand thrown up. Third: the bald man's slack-jawed, wide-eyed shock face filling the centre-left above the speeding red convertible. Also striking is the left-hand jackpot ladder marked 4 / 3 / 2 / 1 with clocks and MILLION, plus a nuclear trefoil DANGER sign. The two circular crowd portraits in the top corners frame the title asymmetrically.
Setting
- Pale turquoise sky with yellow sunbeams and small white clouds
- Green rolling springfield hillside with rows of houses
- Two grey nuclear cooling towers
- Dam and viaduct structures
- 1950s american small-town street with shops
- Petrol station and drive-in
Symbols
- Yellow-and-black radiation trefoil danger sign
- Yellow and white wall clocks next to numbers 4, 3, 2, 1
- Red and black radial sunbeams
- Skateboard
- Red open-top 1950s convertible with whitewall tyres
- Wooden shop fronts and billboards
- Cooling towers
- Grey loudspeaker stack at bottom left
- Can lying on the road at bottom centre
- Yellow trolley or tram on the hill
Lettering
- Fat irregular cartoon hand-lettering, red-orange fill with heavy black outline and no shadow; all-caps title split across two lines with the smaller above simpsons, contained in a scalloped white cloud
Themes
- Animated cartoon characters
- Family comedy
- Nuclear power plant
- Skateboarding
- 1950s american suburbia
- Town destruction gag
- Comic book art
Title on it
- The simpsons
Text on it
- THE SIMPSONS
- DATA EAST
- DON'T HAVE A COW, MAN!
- NUCLEAR JACKPOT
- DANGER
- NO NOT TOUCH THIS LEVER
- NICE SHOOTIN' STRANGER!
- MILLION
- 4
- 3
- 2
- 1
- GROCERIES
- POWER NUTS
- DONUTS
- HOCOL
- LITE
- K
- MART
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Man | Bald, yellow-skinned adult man centre-left, only head and upper torso visible; wide circular eyes, open agape mouth, white shirt and grey tie, holding his own head |
| Child | Boy with tall spiky yellow hair, red t-shirt, blue shorts, riding a wooden skateboard diagonally at the right, one hand raised in a wave, grinning |
| Child | Girl with spiky yellow hair in a red strapless dress, centre, scowling sideways, gripping a brown jar |
| Woman | Tall adult woman with towering blue beehive hair, strapless dark top and necklace, left of the girl, irritated expression |
| Woman | Red-haired woman in the convertible passenger seat, hand to mouth |
| Child | Small yellow child seated between the adults in the convertible |
| Man | Bearded, balding man driving the red convertible at lower left |
| Child | Small spiky-haired boy bursting through the road at bottom centre in a green starburst, calling out |
| Other | Dozens of yellow-skinned crowd faces in two black-rimmed circular portraits top-left and top-right, including police officers in blue caps, a man in a hi-vis vest and a hard-hat construction worker |
Illuminated cartoon backglass dominated by a huge cloud-shaped logo reading THE SIMPSONS in fat red-orange hand-lettered caps outlined in black, sitting against a pale turquoise sky with yellow sun-rays fanning out and small white clouds. Below the logo a Springfield street scene: a green hillside town, a nuclear cooling tower pair, a small dam, a viaduct and an ice-cream/petrol station, with a 1950s red convertible speeding left-to-right across the lower left, whitewall tyre burst at the rear. Four big figures dominate: a bald yellow-skinned man in a white shirt and tie (only head and shoulders, centre-left, eyes wide open, mouth agape); a spiky-haired boy in a red T-shirt riding a skateboard with one yellow hand thrust up (right); a spiky-haired girl in a red dress holding a brown jar (centre, frowning); a tall blue-haired woman in a dark strapless top (left of the girl, scowling). A red-haired woman with a beehive and a man with a beard appear in the convertible. Two circular portraits top-left and top-right hold crowds of yellow faces plus police and construction workers. A red-bordered nuclear-themed score panel sits at far left; two red LED score windows occupy the lower right.
Backglass
- yellow
- red
- blue
- green
Fingerprint: Giant Bart Simpson dominating right half of glass with both arms flung wide and spiky hair, red open-top convertible bursting from bottom-left corner with family inside, Krustyland carnival signboard far left with yellow numbered panels, "THE SIMPSONS" red hand-lettering on cream cloud top, orange-rimmed character vignettes top corners, white score windows lower right, Springfield townscape
The single most memorable element is an enormous Bart Simpson, bigger than the entire town behind him, lunging across the right half of the glass with both arms thrown wide and fingers spread. Second, the family riding a bright red convertible that bursts out of the bottom-left corner, with a yellow star-bibbed toddler riding along. Third, a tall carnival midway signboard on the far left reading Krustyland with a column of numbered yellow panels. Fourth, two orange-rimmed circular character vignettes flanking the THE SIMPSONS cloud logo in the top corners. Fifth, two blank white score windows in heavy black frames at the lower right.
Setting
- Springfield townscape
- Green hills and mountains
- Water tower
- Brick buildings
- Carnival midway signboard
- Palm trees
- Pink sedan car
- White picket fence
Symbols
- Green-and-yellow radiation trefoil on the left wall
- Numbered carnival panels 1 2 3 4 5
- Single letter panels on the signboard
- Yellow arrow at lower left
- Orange-rimmed circular portrait vignettes
- Green starburst behind the clown portrait
Lettering
- Hand-drawn cartoon display lettering; the simpsons in tall red capitals with heavy black outline inside a cream cloud, plus small black logo lettering at upper left
Themes
- Animated cartoon characters
- Suburb town
- Carnival midway
- Family comedy
- Car chase
Title on it
- The simpsons
Text on it
- THE SIMPSONS
- DATA EAST
- Krustyland
- BARNEY
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
| Kind | Description |
|---|---|
| Child | Giant bart, yellow skin, spiky hair, pink tee, blue shorts, both arms flung wide, splayed fingers, open grin, dominating the right half of the glass |
| Man | Barney, pale yellow, cream short-sleeve shirt, seated behind the steering wheel of the red convertible, one hand raised |
| Woman | Tall marge-type figure, towering blue beehive hair, strapless gown, standing upright in the road beside the car |
| Child | Lisa-type girl, spiky yellow hair, round red glasses, red dress, standing on the road |
| Child | Maggie-type toddler, blue romper with yellow star bib, seated in the car |
| Other | Small grinning clown portrait with orange hair, framed in a green starburst, bottom centre |
| Other | Cluster of background townsfolk and bar patrons in the mid-ground tavern and street scenes, including green-skinned and blue-haired figures |
| Vehicle | Bright red open-top convertible with white headlight and bumper, angled up out of the bottom-left corner |
| Vehicle | Pink sedan driving along the right-hand road |
Full-colour cartoon backglass over a Springfield townscape. Across the top centre a cream cloud cartouche carries THE SIMPSONS in tall red hand-lettering with a heavy black outline, THE smaller above SIMPSONS, with a black bowtie-shaped logo reading DATA EAST at its upper left. Orange-rimmed circular vignettes packed with secondary characters sit in the top left and top right corners. The centre is dominated by a huge Bart: yellow skin, spiky hair, bare arms, pink tee, blue shorts, right arm thrown up with fingers splayed and left arm flung out, grinning. Below him a red open-top convertible with a man in a cream shirt behind the wheel, a tall woman with towering blue beehive hair and a strapless gown beside him, and a small girl in a red dress and round glasses standing in the road; a toddler in a blue romper with a yellow star bib rides in the car. The far left carries a tall carnival signboard reading Krustyland with yellow numbered panels and letter panels beneath, a green-and-yellow radiation trefoil on the wall and an orange arrow. Mid-ground: brick buildings, a water tower, a grey stone tower, white picket fence, palm trees, green hills and a pink sedan. Two long white rectangular score windows in heavy black frames occupy the lower right, and a small grinning clown portrait in a green starburst sits bottom centre. Dominant colours: yellow, red, cyan blue, green.